The Conoptica team is heading to Germany, to attend EMO Hannover from 18-23rd September. It’s the biggest trade fair in the field of industrial production technology, and one of the year’s best opportunities to catch up with the latest trends and developments in the field, particularly important because modernization is driving the industry ahead at a rapid pace.
This year’s even is going under the banner, “Innovate manufacturing” with a particular focus on what’s happening in three key areas: “The future of business”, “The future of connectivity”, and “The future of sustainability in production”. With that in mind, this might be a good time for a quick look at some of the topics we might expect to see discussed at the event.
Manufacturing gets smart.
Unsurprisingly, “smart manufacturing” – not a new concept, but one in which change continues apace – probably tops the list. Various digital technologies are playing an ever-increasing role in re-defining manufacturing processes, and as 5G, the Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, advanced data analytics, and Machine Learning among others all become more and more embedded, manufacturing continues to evolve rapidly. These and other digital technologies will continue to drive change in areas such as real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and efficiency gains.
Allied to “smart” manufacturing, digital twinning is also playing an increasing role. In this area, virtual representations of physical assets can be used to simulate and improve physical manufacturing processes. The simulations can deliver myriad benefits to manufacturers, enabling them to optimize processes and reduce downtime among other advantages.
High Speed Machining
Another area of focus is likely to be High-speed machining (HSM). HSM is a process in which cutting tools are deployed to remove material from a surface being worked on at much higher feed-rates than traditional methods allow, without sacrificing workpiece integrity. This, obviously, improves productivity, reduces cycle times – and can even enhance tool life and accuracy.
As a result, cutting tools themselves are evolving, as they need to be able to withstand the higher temperatures that result from high-speed processes, and also be more rigid than has traditionally been the case.
Another area of interest – also not unrelated to the Digital Twin technology we noted earlier – might be digital tooling and tool simulation. Here, the concept of digital twins is extended to machine tools and applied for virtual testing and optimization of tool paths and cutting parameters before machining itself takes place.
Of course, these are just a few of the topics we expect to hear and learn more about in Hannover. The machine tool industry stands at an exciting moment in its development, and improvements to traditional approaches and processes abound.
So, the Conoptica team is off to Germany – and we would like to invite you to join us at the event! This is a great way for you to ask technical questions, get to know us, and see how our systems operate.