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New Demands, New Solutions

New Demands, New Solutions

New tool holding products mirror modern metalworking demands. Article by Andrei Petrilin, Technical Manager, Rotating Tools, ISCAR.

In general, tool holding (tooling) equipment has not undergone any fundamental changes for a long time. Although there have been some notable advances such as the introduction of quick-change tooling in the 1970’s and the appearance of modular systems using polygon taper coupling and systems based on  HSK adaptation for high rotational speed in the 1990’s, tooling development seems to fit quite firmly into the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” category.

Toolholders act as an interface between cutting tool and machine, and they should both ensure proper clamping of the cutting tool and also be suitable for mounting in the fitted spindle or tool changer magazine of a machine tool. The metalworking industry has compulsory standards to strictly specify the matching surfaces for both these purposes. These standards define a wide range of existing tooling systems to meet different manufacturer requirements: simple holders for manual tool changing for conventional machines with hand control, precise high-grade-balanced adaptors for high-speed machining centres. This variety of tool holding arrangements provides the manufacturer with multifold options for effective tool holding, depending on production targets and available machinery. This is mainly why tool holders reached a certain level of excellence that did not require groundbreaking changes.

Today, modern tooling is evolving along with metalworking industry developments in the world of Industry 4.0 and its impact on state-of the-art manufacturing and new technological horizons. Manufacturing digitisation also plays an important part in the development of new tooling features.

Advances in high speed machining (HSM) exemplify the cause and effect of these changes. Implementation of new technologies in this important field has necessitated a new level of tool balancing to ensure tool holder performance and reliability in a significantly expanded range of rotational speeds, with the objective of improving strength, rigidity, accuracy and other technical parameters of the traditionally designed tool holders. High-efficiency milling of difficult-to-cut aerospace materials, like titanium alloys, have increased demands for durable tool holders working in hard conditions.

The effect of these developments can be observed by noting ISCAR’s introduction of a range of tool holding solutions. As one of the largest cutting tool manufacturers in the world, ISCAR is recognised as a strong supporter of constant product innovation.

Today the company offers a rich choice of arbors, holders, adaptors, blocks, thermal and power chucks etc. for effective tool clamping. Following industry demands, performance parameters for these parts have been tightened up significantly. For example, SHRINKIN thermal shrink chucks with HSK 100 shanks now feature G2.5 balance quality and a residual unbalance of less than 1.0 g/mm (.00139 oz/in) at 20,000 rpm, MAXIN 32 power chucks ensure clamping torque up to 1,760 N/m (1,300 lbf/ft), and FINEFIT radial and angular alignment tool holders for high speed reamers maintain radial and axial runout adjustment to 0.001 mm (.00004 in).

Clamping And Cooling

ISCAR recently launched a series of new tooling families that provide an effective pinpointed coolant supply. In many cases, like machining titanium or exotic high temperature superalloys (HTSA), which are common for the aerospace industry, cooling is a critical factor of success.

X-STREAM SHRINKIN is a family of thermal shrink chucks with coolant jet channels along the shank bore. The family utilises a patented design for holding tools with shank, made from cemented carbide, steel or high-speed steel (HSS). The new chucks combine the advantages of high-precision heat shrink clamping with coolant flow, directed to cutting edges. X-STREAM SHRINKIN has already shown excellent performance in milling aerospace parts, particularly titanium blades and blisks (bladed discs), and especially in high speed milling. In machining deep cavities, the efficient cooling provided by the new chucks substantially improves chip evacuation and diminishes chip re-cutting.

Turning

In turning, ISCAR has developed a new concept for high pressure coolant (HPC) supply for VDI DIN 69880 quick-change adaptation systems, intended for turning machine tools. The JETCUT concept is based on bottom-fed HPC channels and provides coolant supply internally through the tool and externally through the flange. The resulting cooling effect significantly improves performance in turning, grooving and parting applications.

A wet coolant can act as an excellent tool in a radically different field: increasing the rotational speed of a tool. ISCAR’s SPINJET family of coolant-driven high speed compact spindles for small diameter tools is a type of “booster” for upgrading existing machines to high speed performers . The SPINJET spindles are recommended for tools up to 7 mm (.275 in) in diameter, however the optimal diameter range is 0.5-4 mm (.020-.157 in). The “booster” demonstrates a highly impressive output: depending on pressure and coolant flow rate, the spindles maintain a rotational speed of up to 55,000 rpm. The versatile SPINJET products have been successfully integrated in tooling solutions for milling, drilling, thread milling, engraving, chamfering, deburring and even fine radial grinding.

Reaming

In reaming, floating chucks are used in high-precision hole making to correct any misalignment between the central axes of a reamer and a hole. Precise alignment is essential for optimal performance and hole accuracy. To this end, ISCAR added a new design of GFIS floating chucks for high speed reamers to the ER COLLET chuck family. The new chuck is unlike any other floating system in the market, due to the integration of a unique technology that ensures the system remains completely rigid until it reaches a steady state of reaming.

Matrix

The Industry 4.0 concept of data-driven smart manufacturing has had a direct impact on the entire chain of production, including the seemingly conservative field of tool holding. In a smart factory, production systems perform under the conditions of real-time mutual information exchange. ISCAR’s modern tool holders incorporate holes for RFID (radio-frequency identification) chips, which can be mounted according to customer request.  ISCAR’s MATRIX intelligent computerized tool storage unit reads the RFID chips and receives all necessary identification data from the tool holder.

These selected examples characterize the development of tool holding products. Despite a “conservative reputation”, the latest tool holding product innovations both reflect and reinforce the trends of metalworking today and beyond.

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Interview With Mr. David Chia, Automation Charter Chair Of The Singapore Industrial Automation Association

Interview With Mr. David Chia, Automation Charter Chair Of The Singapore Industrial Automation Association

Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News is pleased to conduct an interview with Mr. David Chia, Automation Charter Chair of the Singapore Industrial Automation Association on his views on the future of manufacturing technologies in Asia and the impact of the current trade war on the industry.

Interview With Mr. David Chia, Automation Charter Chair Of The Singapore Industrial Automation Association

1.Could you provide an overview of the key trends that have shaped the manufacturing industry in Asia in 2018?

We see some key trends emerging this year:

  • Digitalisation in the drive towards more manufacturing productivity, we are witnessing more and more companies (mostly MNCs) develop and execute their digitisation plans. Each sensor data, each module conditions, each machine performance are getting collected and sent to the cloud, where the data engineers and scientists are waiting. Driving business insights from those data is now no longer a dream, but an imperative corporate goal to ensure survival and growth.
  • Adoption of open standards. Digitisation is not possible without the existence of the underlying IoT technologies. Without a common standard, it would’ve been very expensive for individual companies to develop and deploy their own standards, thereby slowing down the whole digitisation process. MQTT seems to gain a very wide acceptance as the communication technology of choice here. It is quickly becoming the de facto standard to communicate with the cloud. Meanwhile OPC UA is becoming the protocol of choice for device and machine intercommunication on the factory floor.
  • Governmental push towards Industry 4.0. Singapore is blessed with a forward looking government who has put out the initiative as early as 2014. However, government in the ASEAN region is quickly catching up. One example is Indonesia, who announced this year their own roadmap to Industry 4.0. Having such a large manufacturing base in the country, it is encouraging that the government has focused on five sectors: Food & Beverage, Chemical, Textile, Automotive, and Electronics industries. We can expect other governments in the region to do the same soon.

2. What has been the top 3 biggest challenges in the digitalisation of manufacturing in Asia?

The biggest challenges are funding, technology standards, and talent.

  • Funding, this is probably the biggest challenge facing SMEs. Digitisation is relatively a new concept in manufacturing space. Very few companies can claim that they have done it successfully. In the absence of such successful case studies, it is quite difficult to get the appropriate funding.
  • Technological standards. While some standards in some areas are quite established, they are not monopolies. For example, when we look into the area of fieldbus, there’s a plethora of options out there: old vs new standards, serial based vs Ethernet based, and a variety of ways that these standards work. This presents a challenge for the implementer of digitisation to get the data from different machines or different part of the plants.
  • Unfortunately for companies embarking on digitisation journey, it is not a one month journey. There is no single off the shelf components or a plug and play software solution to perform digitisation. For many companies, digitisation is a multi-year multi-stage efforts. Getting the right people to perform different functions along this journey is a challenge. Retaining the talents is probably a bigger challenge. Meanwhile the factory floor workers must be re-trained to get up to date with the latest digitisation initiative that the company is embarking on.

3. How do you suggest that the challenges that have been mentioned above be overcome?

It will take some efforts from different stakeholders to overcome those challenges:

  • Companies should collaborate more to create common standards. There are more to gain from standardisation than competition. Germany is leading this effort and they have done quite well. VDMA is leading the machine standardisation for Germany. Countries in the ASEAN region may need to follow on their footsteps.
  • Governments across the region should help in the funding of digitisation initiative. This is very important for SMEs. While big players have easy access to funding, small SMEs are facing a big challenge here. Governments can come in and fill the funding gap in the short to medium term.
  • Re-training and upskilling the workforce is needed. We are facing shortages in data engineers, data scientists, data analysts in the region. While some manufacturing jobs will eventually disappear as an effect of digitisation, new ones will be created. However, those new jobs creation are on the higher end of the skill spectrum, hence the importance of educational institutes.

4. How has the trade war impacted manufacturing in Asia in 2018 and how will it continue to impact the industry in 2019?

There’s an old saying that goes where one door closes, another opens. This is true in the current trade war situation. It creates uncertainty on one hand, but it creates opportunity on another hand. We are seeing more investment flowing to other regions outside China. Closer to home, the South East Asian region seems to benefit from this trend.

5. For 2019, what will be the emerging markets and focus areas that the metalworking industry in Asia will focus on?

At the mass market stage, enterprise digitisation will penetrate deeper into the manufacturing floor. Enterprise will look to get more data from as many machines and sensors as possible. This has been happening in the past years, and we are expecting this trend to continue.

The need for data collection will force some rethinking in what goes inside the control cabinet. While traditional controllers are well known and well loved, it needs some additional components to do data collection and data sending. Additional components means additional costs and more point of failures, and a potentially bigger control cabinet. Some PC based solutions out there will be more attractive moving forward.

As well as sending data over standardised communication protocol, companies will increasingly looking to get standardised information from each machine type. This so called “information modelling” will make sense when one look into a production line today, there is hardly a “homogenous” production line containing the same machine model from the same manufacturer. In this area, the VDW has announced umati, an open and common language specifically designed for machine tools. With umati, end users can utilise the same interface to get the same data from different model of machine tools from different manufacturers. The good news is, umati is based on OPC UA.

Another focus for metalworking and CNC world will be the use of AR technologies. While still a cutting edge technology today, this technology holds a lot of promise from speeding up operators training, to helping maintenance work.

At the bleeding edge, we increasingly see a trend where suppliers are looking to implement ML directly on premise / machine. While this is on early stages, we feel that this would be the internal focus of many bleeding edge supplier

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METALEX 2018 Launches In Thailand

METALEX 2018 Launches In Thailand

METALEX 2018, a metalworking technology platform, has launched in Thailand with 9 international pavilions and 3,300 brands from 50 countries participating in the event. With a theme of “The Metalworking Metropolis”, the event is looking to develop itself as the one-stop centre for the latest technologies, solutions and know how related to metalworking in ASEAN. Additionally, by functioning as a portal for participants to learn more about the tools and partnerships for their industry 4.0 journey, the event is seeking to expand Thailand’s industrial sector towards a global standard and reach.

As commented by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, “[Metalex] has been essential to the industrial development of many economies, and the sharing of innovative technologies and knowledge that keep many industries thriving, and therefore, many communities [have been] exposed to continued opportunities for growth and participation in the global market.”

Furthermore, as the successful integration into industry 4.0 and AI becomes increasingly indispensable for success in modern metalworking, the event has developed a segment on robotics technologies named “ROBOTX”, which is the first edition of ASEAN’s most complete suite of industrial robots. Featuring over 20 global brands as well as their associated robotics technology, this segment will be at the “ROBOTX HALL”, BITEC, from 21 to 24 November 2018 and will be co-located with METALEX 2018.

Insights On Why Plasma Is A Potential Viable Alternative To Laser Technologies

Insights On Why Plasma Is A Potential Viable Alternative To Laser Technologies

Laser is renowned for delivering excellent fine feature and hole cutting thanks to its narrow kerf – roughly 0.2 mm to 0.4 mm (008″–.015″) on mild steel with oxygen and even narrower when using nitrogen to cut mild steel up to 25 mm (1″) in thickness. Fibre laser also produces excellent cut angularity and can cut to very tight tolerances, in the range of 0.007″ (0.2 mm).

HYPERTHERM’S invention of high definition class cutting, along with continued advances in torch and consumable technology and the introduction of XD technology in 2008 are responsible for markedly improving the cut capabilities of plasma over the past two decades. And now a new class of plasma cutting, called X-Definition, is further enhancing plasma’s ability to tackle high precision applications. When installed on a high quality cutting machine and equipped with linear ways and elliptical racks, Hypertherm’s new XPR300 plasma system, featuring X-Definition cutting, is capable of maintaining ISO 9013 Class 1 and 2 tolerances and ISO 9013 Range 2 and 3 cut quality.

Furthermore, an XPR300 plasma system can deliver an edge surface finish that is generally smoother than fibre laser in the thicker ranges and has extremely consistent edge quality over the full life of a consumable set.

As plasma kerfs can range from 1.5 mm (0.05″) thickness on very thin metal and up to about 5 mm (0.225″) on 25 mm (1″) thick material at 300 amps, a laser system can actually be the best option if extremely fine feature cutting or small holes (with a less than 1:1 thickness to diameter ratio) are required. But, if high quality perimeter cuts are called for, and tolerances in the range of 0.020″ are acceptable, the higher cut speeds associated with plasma, especially when cutting material thicker than 10 mm (3/8″), could make plasma a better option. At this thickness, for example, a 170-amp plasma X-Definition process would deliver high quality cuts at speeds two times faster than a 4kW fibre laser using oxygen.

In addition, Hypertherm’s invention of the True Hole process for mild steel in 2008 and further refined with the launch of the XPR300 provides users with the ability to easily fabricate bolt ready holes down to a diameter-to-thickness ratio of 1:1.

Another application which may favour plasma is bevel cutting. Especially with the advent of True Bevel technology, it has become much more feasible to cost-effectively bevel cut right on the cutting machine and eliminate secondary operations. And, because cutting bevel angles increases the effective thickness of the plate being cut, plasma can have a significant advantage.

In addition, it is important to consider the initial investment cost associated with an X-Definition plasma system as compared to laser. A complete XPR300 plasma system mounted on a high quality cutting machine and capable of cutting 25 mm (1″) at speeds of more than 1,900 mm/min (75 ipm) would likely cost somewhere between US$175,000 and US$225,000. A comparable laser system can easily cost three to four times more depending on the power level.

Beyond this, plasma is a much more forgiving process when it comes to cutting so called “dirty” steel such as plate with oxidation and other imperfections. It really makes no difference to the plasma arc. This is not true, however, with fibre laser. Lastly, while plasma does require personal safety devices for noise and glare protection, fibre laser systems require the construction of a safety enclosure around the entire system to protect from the potential harm of the fibre laser beam.

Article contributed by Hypertherm.

Reasons Why Indexable Tools Will Challenge Solid Carbide For Small Diameters

Reasons Why Indexable Tools Will Challenge Solid Carbide For Small Diameters

Rotating one-piece solid carbide tools traditionally dominate the market for diameter ranges of up to 20 mm (.75”) and indexable tool manufacturers have not yet succeeded in penetrating this solid stronghold. Several important factors contribute to the historical perception of solid carbide as a better bet for tooling reliability. 

SOLID carbide tool accuracy compares favorably with that of indexable tools, particularly for small-diameter endmills and for tools with diameters beyond the range. However, the role of reduced accuracy for tools of small diameter (for example, a milling cutter’s radial run-out) increases in significance as a factor affecting tool life.

An indexable tool is made up of a tool body, replaceable inserts, and mechanical parts such as clamping screws or wedges, which secure the inserts in the body. Decreasing the tool diameter necessitates reducing dimensions of the assembly components. Reducing the size of the securing elements leads to weakening their strength and the tool becomes unable to withstand cutting loads under normal machining data. This seriously limits the tool application and further decrements may cause degradation of the entire assembly structure.

The prices of small rotating tools are also often high compared to the assembled concept, which adds to the perceived limitations of indexable tools in the small diameter range.

The Indexable Option

Indexable tools possess several distinct advantages that makes applying these tools within the above range very attractive in the eyes of the customer. In many cases, especially in rough machining, changing a worn cutting edge by simple indexing provides more economic benefits as compared with having to replace a whole life-expired solid tool with a new tool. In addition, there is no need to use up time and resources on regrinding and recoating worn-out one-piece cutters.

Tool manufacturers have made significant progress in developing reliable designs that could be commercially viable against the solid carbide concept. Work in this direction has already shown results, and assembled mills and drills with interchangeable cutting heads are proving to be a realistic alternative to solid carbide tools.

Competitive Performance

 The introduction of tools with replaceable solid carbide cutting heads signifies a change in focus. ISCAR provides two examples of this concept with the ISCAR MULTI-MASTER milling line and the CHAMDRILL line in drilling.

Performance and accuracy characteristics have positioned the new tools to be functionally competitive with solid carbide designs. Versatility of these lines, where a head can be mounted in different bodies and vice versa, where a single body can carry different heads, facilitates various assembly combinations and contributes to reducing the number of items in a tool stock.

Another important design approach which is the “no set-up time”, characterises these lines, as a worn-out head does not require spending time on set up and can be replaced while the tool is still clamped in the machine tool spindle. This cuts cycle time and, consequently, reduces production costs. In contrast, replacing a worn-out solid carbide mill or drill inevitably leads to a new set-up procedure.

In addition, the concept ensures sustainable use of cemented carbide with all the associated advantages. The principle of “indexable” carbide tools has distinct merits and features strongly in tool design within the diameter range that is under discussion. The minimal diameter of MULTI-MASTER milling heads is 5 mm and that of SUMOCHAM drilling heads is 6 mm, while the MULTI-MASTER combined countersink heads for center drilling feature a minimal 1 mm diameter.

The LOGIQ Factor

 ISCAR has recently introduced a new range of small-size indexable rotating tools under its new LOGIQ line campaign. The company proposes several families of cutters with a nominal diameter of up to 20 mm. A brief look at some of these families can provide a clearer understanding as to whether the new tools will be able to breach the solid stronghold wall.

The new families of indexable milling cutters within the diameter range of 8-16 mm attract the most interest. They have several common features: the cutters carry triangular-shape inserts with three cutting edges and the mechanical part that secures the inserts is represented by a screw. These families are intended for milling square shoulder or fast feed (high feed) milling. But it is here that the similarity ends, and the difference begins. While the design of the HELI3MILL and MICRO3FEED families for tool diameter 10-16 mm is committed to the classical principle of insert securing, by clamping screw through the central hole of an insert, the NANMILL and NAN3FEED families for tool diameter 8-10 mm have adopted another concept.

Within such a small diameter range, the central clamping screw, as noted previously, does not provide an acceptable solution. According to the new concept, the screw is located above the insert, and the screw head plays the role of a wedge. This approach provides reliable and rigid clamping, and ensures a durable homogeneous insert structure with no hole. Allowing for the insert indexing to be quick and simple.

It is predicted that these new families will be particularly effective in manufacturing compact parts and in machining small-in-size cavities, pockets and small parts utilised in industrial sectors such as die and mold making, as well as in producing miniature components.

Small Change, Large Impact

 A 1 mm change in size: is this a lot or a little? For indexable tools in the small diameter range, it does make a noticeable difference. ISCAR’s new SUMOCHAM 5 mm diameter drilling head represents an important step ahead in expanding the application fields of indexable drills.

Within the small diameter range, indexable tools can offer precision and performance advantages that position them competitively against the more traditional solid carbide tools.  Indexable tools are beginning to shear their way into metalworking practices and the industry is taking note.

Article contributed by ISCAR.

Indometal 2018 – A Testament Of Indonesia’s Metalworking Innovations

Indometal 2018 – A Testament Of Indonesia’s Metalworking Innovations

The fourth edition of Indometal has concluded last month. Held at the JI Expo from 17 – 19 October 2018, the exhibition welcomed over 6,700 quality visitors from 25 countries, which is a 15 percent increase from its last edition.

This year’s exhibition also saw visiting groups from a diverse mix of industries across Indonesia including leading companies such as Barata Indonesia, Cikarang Perkasa Manufacturing, Epiterma Mas Indonesia, Growth Asia, Honda Power Products Indonesia, Hyundai, Isuzu, Inalum and more. While from outside of Indonesia, the exhibition also welcomed visitors from countries such as France, Germany, Japan, and visiting delegations that represent various metal and steel sectors from the Czech Republic, as well as the China Foundry Association.

Driven by the expertise of GIFA, METEC, THERMPROCESS and NEWCAST by the Messe Düsseldorf Group, the exhibition had presented showcases in foundry technology, casting products, metallurgy and thermoprocess technology. It also hosted 203 exhibiting companies from 22 countries, including national pavilions and country groups from China, Germany, Indonesia, Italy and Taiwan. This enabled the industry to leverage on the vast knowledge presented and enhance their manufacturing and processing capabilities.

Indonesia: A Marketplace Of Opportunities For Companies

During the keynote address at the opening of the seminar by Mr. Doddy Rahadi, Director of Metals Industry, Ministry of Industry, Republic of Indonesia, emphasis was placed on the significance and importance of steel as a raw material in infrastructure projects and many industrial sectors. Mr. Rahadi also reiterated Indonesia’s need to continue growing its steel industry in order to meet the demands of the domestic market. This reflects  the  recent government focus  on  Indonesia’s Making Indonesia 4.0 initiative and the country’s enhanced upstream investments, which has led to the government to target investments on oil and gas projects which is expected to reach US$17.04 billion this year according to the Energy Ministry. Commenting on Indonesian’s strong market potential and prospects was Ms Sherry Liu, Chief of Marketing Department from Sinomach Foundry and Metal Forming, who said: “In China, the foundry and metal forming equipment market is already at its optimum, we want to explore more markets along with the ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative. The market in Indonesia is booming, so indometal is a good opportunity for us to seek more business to market our products.”

Her thoughts were echoed by the Korean inorganic binder producers, Dr Revotek, who shared that their company achieved the objectives that they had set out for their first-time participation at indometal. Mrs Park Jaepyeong, the company’s representative, said: “Throughout this exhibition, we have learnt a lot about the metal and steel industry in Indonesia and had a lot of meetings with buyers and companies. Indonesia is an emerging market and the future consumption of metal is great. In that perspective, the industry here has a bright future, and we will come back again to expand our market reach not only to Indonesia, but to the rest of the region. “

A Busy Show Floor Reflecting The Needs Of The Industry

The strong visitor attendance at indometal 2018 alongside the 70 percent participation of international companies to the exhibition, further confirmed indometal’s ability to be a trade platform that provides qualified leads and business opportunities for the metal and steel sectors. “We recognise the importance of cross-industry collaboration and discussion in today’s context, and along with it the ‘in-roads’ required for such strategic leverages. We are pleased to be that choice marketplace for new partnerships and dealerships to be formed between international and local businesses,” said Mrs Rini Sumardi, Director of Wahana Kemalaniaga Makmur, PT (WAKENI), which is a joint organiser of indometal.

Similar sentiments were gathered from visitors from the bustling show floor, and Mr. Ilangovan M, from RM Netra Exim, India, has said that, “This is my first visit to indometal, I found many good testing machines for my company, and at the same time, I am also happy with the wide range of products on the show floor.” His comments resonated with Ms Juliany, Sales Manager of CV Wahana Niaga Distribusi, who commented that, “Our main objective is to add new products such as galvanised steel. I am very interested in some of the products from Krakatau Steel and Gunung Steel Group, and I will bring this new information back to my company for further discussions with management.”

Thought-Leadership At Concurrent Events

The exhibition was also a platform for industry professionals to share best practices through the series of seminars and technical presentations. Mr.Wallter Doloksaribu, Junior Manager of Inalum (Persero), said: “I am from the smelting business and I learnt a lot from the technical seminar conducted by Wesman Thermal Engineering Processes, as I am looking for innovations in combustion and burners. They present a technology that is energy-saving of up to 15 percent, which is something that I will share with my company.”

As a knowledge promotion and sharing platform, the trade fair also featured a series of content-rich conferences by leading associations and organisations that were well-attended by over 200 participants from around the region. Beyond covering trending industry topics, new innovations, applications and technologies, as well as a comprehensive outline of market developments in Indonesia and the region, the conferences, also provided a beneficial forum for industry players to discuss and explore possible collaborations across the smelter, mineral processing, aluminium and motor vehicle industries, and even on manpower and workforce issues dotted by shifts in the demand and supply curve.

The next edition of indometal will take place in October 2020 at the Jakarta International Expo, Kemayoran. For more information, please visit www.indometal.net.

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EuroBLECH 2018: Post Show Review

EuroBLECH 2018: Post Show Review

The 25th International Sheet Metal Working Technology Exhibition, EuroBLECH 2018, ended last week after four successful show days. A total of 56,301 visitors from around the world came to Hannover to get an overview of the latest innovations and digital technologies for sheet metal working and to invest in new manufacturing machinery. A total of 1,507 companies from 40 countries exhibited at this year’s show.

“There was a great atmosphere at the show, with an excellent mood on the exhibitor side as well as the visitor side. Many exhibitors presented themselves this year with even more impressive stands. They showcased an enormous variety of new machinery and innovative solutions, and many of these were, once again, demonstrated live at the exhibition stands”, said Evelyn Warwick, EuroBLECH Exhibition Director, on behalf of the organisers Mack Brooks Exhibitions. She also added that, “there was a noticeable technological advancement within the last two years. Many exhibitors demonstrated how well the industry is prepared for digitalisation and how these new technologies can be used within a manufacturing environment.”

“We are very pleased with the positive results of EuroBLECH 2018, which, compared to the previous exhibition, attracted a consistently high visitor number across the four show days from Tuesday to Friday. Therefore, EuroBLECH 2018 ends with a record floor space of 89,875 net square metres and a sustainable visitor figure, which of course is also due to the booming industry. Many exhibitors reported positive sales figures”, concluded Warwick.

A total of 58 percent of exhibitors came from outside Germany at this year’s show. This represents a further increase in international attendance by four percent. The preliminary results of the exhibition survey show that 37 percent of visitors came to EuroBLECH from outside Germany, resulting once again in good international visitor attendance. Major visitor countries, next to Germany, included Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, India, Great Britain, Poland, Austria and Belgium.

A great majority of the visitors came from the industry (73 percent), followed by visitors from workshops, trade and services. The most important sectors visitors belonged to include engineering, sheet metal & products, steel and aluminium construction, the automotive industry and its suppliers, electrical engineering, iron and steel production as well as rolling mills and heating, ventilation and air conditioning technology.

97 percent of the visitors were also from the trade and besides the high number of international visitors, the exhibition could, once again, register a high percentage of visitors from the top management with decision-making and buying capacity. The percentage of visitors involved in decision-making was almost consistent at 79 percent.

The preliminary results of the exhibition survey show that both exhibitors and visitors at this year’s EuroBLECH were highly satisfied. The visitors praised the comprehensiveness and international range of the products on display as well as the quality of the exhibition stands and the many live demonstrations of digital processes. The exhibitors praised the qualified and international audience with its high percentage of decision-makers. The exhibitors also stated that they had made a large number of new business contacts. More than 70 percent of all exhibitors stated on-site that they intended to exhibit again at the next EuroBLECH in 2020, which will take place from 27 – 30 October 2020 at the Hanover Exhibition Grounds in Germany.

In addition to EuroBLECH, Mack Brooks Exhibitions is organising a range of sheet metal working exhibitions in different markets: the next BLECH India will take place from 25 – 27 April 2019 in Mumbai. AsiaBLECH 2019 will be held in Chengdu City from 20 – 22 November 2019. The first BLECH France is taking place from 21 – 23 January 2020 in Paris, France.

Winners Of The EuroBLECH 2018 Online Competition

Once again, EuroBLECH put innovative technologies and a professional audience in the focus with this year’s EuroBLECH Online Competition. “Step into the digital reality” was the theme of the awards and the winners were chosen online by the sheet metal working community. The winners were officially awarded with a trophy on the second day of the show.

TRUMPF Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH + Co. KG won the award in the category “Digital Transformation” for their indoor localisation system, Track&Trace, which is based on Ultra Wide Band Technology (UWB) and can determine the unambiguous position of markers in real time with the help of satellites.

In the category “Best Start-Up”, Fractory Solutions OÜ from Estonia received the award for the development of their on-demand sheet metal manufacturing platform Fractory.co which streamlines the outsourcing process. Through this platform, customers can get instant quotes and lead times by uploading a CAD drawing which makes the ordering process ten times faster and more economical.

Q-Fin Quality Finishing received the award in the category “E-Mobility”. They presented their “F200 XL” which was designed for the deburring, grinding and edge rounding of very small, light sheet metal parts.

Further information about EuroBLECH as well as new videos and pictures of the show are available on the show website: www.euroblech.com.

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