Council member Sam Wilkinson attended EMO Hanover in Germany recently. Here is his short report on the visit…..
Last week I attended EMO Hanover on behalf of WDS Components. It was a great opportunity to connect, share ideas, and see how the industry is evolving. Most of my time there was visiting peers, suppliers, and customers, but here’s a few bits I saw in between then…
One highlight was the machined titanium guitar on the ISCAR stand, a very cool thing to see for a guitar geek like me and a great demonstration of the machining precision.
The DMG MORI hall was another standout, not just for the scale of the display but also the staggering size of some of the machines on show. It really underlined how far technology has moved, and how automation is now front and centre, compared with exhibitions I visited 10+ years ago, almost every stand now featured a robot or two.
As someone with a particular interest in work holding, it was fascinating to see the modular T slot systems giving way to precision 5-axis vice and quick change pin systems. Vacuum plates and suctions cups seem more commonplace now too, not just for pick and pack operations but for actually holding parts whilst they are being machined.
There was also a clear mix of optimism and caution in discussions with companies from Europe and the rest of the world about the wider state of industry, which was really interesting to hear first hand.
Overall, EMO was both inspiring and thought-provoking, plenty of ideas to take back with me….
Sam
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