The wait is over
The EMO exhibition in Hannover has finally arrived. From the 18th to the 23rd of September, the world of manufacturing will descend upon the German state of Lower Saxony for what promises to be a very welcome return for the show after a four-year hiatus. As Europe\u2019s most prominent machine tool exhibition, the bi-annual event will open its doors under the motto \u2018Innovate Manufacturing\u2019 and more than 1,750 exhibitors from 42 countries will be presenting their latest innovations, strategies and solutions that stretch the full spectrum of business, connectivity and sustainability topics in the production engineering arena.\xa0
Show organisers VDW embarked on a \u2018world tour\u2019 throughout the summer to emphasise both the relevance and importance of the exhibition to the global manufacturing industry. When the touring party hit the UK in May, Dr Wilfried Schafer, the Executive Director of EMO organiser VDW (German Machine Tool Builders Association) was keen to emphasise the importance of the show on the world platform and how the technology could have a positive impact for UK manufacturers.\xa0
As the world\u2019s leading trade fair for production technology, the international event claims to think way outside the box in both social and technological terms. To this end, EMO Hannover is focusing especially on the megatrend of sustainability \u2013 a topic that is of particular importance globally. Alongside the optimisation of numerous organisational processes, the complete machining of components is one of the main technological solutions for making production more efficient and consequently more sustainable. Under the \u2018Future of Sustainability in Production\u2019 banner and on the joint stand of the same name, EMO Hannover 2023 is dedicating itself to the topic of sustainability as a task that society as a whole needs to address.
Climate, environmental targets and the scarcity of certain raw materials are now making a rethink necessary \u2013 and all will be discussed in the \u2018Future of Sustainability in Production\u2019 trend topic at EMO. Based on the current production technology methods, the manufacture of steel, aluminium, plastics and cement alone would generate about 800 gigatons of CO2 in the 21st century, calculates Prof. Dr Holger Kohl, Deputy Director and Head of the Corporate Management business unit at the Fraunhofer-IPK (Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology), Berlin. This would mean that the two-degree target of the Paris climate agreement would already have been missed. That is why it is so important for such materials to be recycled in some kind of circular economy, emphasizes Kohl, who is also a member of the German Academic Association for Production Technology (WGP).\xa0
As a rule, machine tools are already designed to give many years of trouble-free profitable operation. However, in the case of lathes. milling or grinding machines, the following also applies: \u201cThe amount of time it takes for the precision and reliability levels to diminish depends on the basic design of the machine, how heavily it is used and how well it is maintained,\u201d explains Paul K\xf6ssl, Global Head of Business and Marketing at the international United Grinding Group, headquartered in Switzerland, which will be showcasing various brands at EMO.\xa0
Of course, EMO isn\u2019t all about sustainability \u2013 but it is becoming increasingly prevalent. If you\u2019re making a trip to the show from the UK, you need it to be justifiable to your business - and this is why process optimisation and productivity will be on the lips of most exhibitors and visitors alike at the biannual tradeshow. Most precision tool specialists and manufacturers of grinding and machining centres are very familiar with process optimisation. So, at EMO industrial and scientific experts will be showing which manufacturing technologies are available for the complete production of even highly complex components via a complete programme of seminars.\xa0
In Hannover, visitors will be treated to practical presentations on a huge variety of technically optimised processing possibilities that are aimed at making production more sustainable and profitable. Around 30 member companies of the VDMA Precision Tools and VDMA Measuring and Testing Technology have registered to deliver presentations at EMO on the topics of machining, clamping technology, measuring and testing technology, OPC UA and digitisation. So, if you are heading over to Hannover this month, it may be worth taking in some of the technical presentations as well as seeing the almost endless range of innovative new technologies.