CAD/CAM specialist Open Mind exhibited at Biemh from 13 to 17 June 2022 in Bilbao, Spain. The company showcased the technologies featured in the latest Version 2022.1 of its Hypermill CAD/CAM suite.

Italy — The outcome was positive for the 2022 edition of Lamiera, the international trade show of sheet metal forming machines tools and related technologies, which took place at Fieramilano Rho from 18 to 21 May. Promoted by Ucimu and organised by CEU-Centro Esposizioni Ucimu, Lamiera returned to the scene after three years.

Precision tools are a speciality of the European market. Their quality allows manufacturers around the world to produce high-technology parts and components for sophisticated applications. The innovative spirit of the industry is the trump card for the emerging recovery after the Corona crisis. We present some of the highlights recently launched by international toolmakers.

Germany — Orders received by the German machine tool industry in the first quarter of 2022 were 44 percent up on the same period last year. There was a 44 percent increase in orders both from within Germany and from abroad.

If you want to turn data into information, there are many major and minor parameters that need to be adjusted. These include consistency and unified languages. For a complete picture, it is also important for the maximum number of participants in the process chain to think and act digitally. AMB 2022 in Stuttgart will provide a platform for these solutions from 13 to 17 September 2022.

With the increasing popularity and advancement of 3D printing, the need for specialised materials is growing accordingly. This article gives an overview of the most important plastics, metals and other materials used in 3D printing.

In a joint project, GF Machining Solutions and Zecha compare four different automated manufacturing processes for injection moulding — with a focus on their qualities and runtimes.

In mould and die making, individual machining processes are increasingly being combined into automated production cells with integrated handling. The main advantage is a higher degree of machine utilisation, as the systems can operate unattended 24/7. Two prerequisites for realisation of such autonomous systems are more intensive digitalisation of the processes consistent with Industry 4.0 and an increased level of investment.

Automation is one of the most important ways in which manufacturing companies can raise their productivity levels and thus remain competitive. And many solutions are now easier to implement today than they were just a few years ago. Metav 2022 will reflect the major developments in this field.

At the Mindelheim-based company BBG, an end-to-end line for finishing glass with polyurethane (PUR) is being set up to demonstrate and test the results of a research project. The project “EKI — Engineering for AI-based Automation in Production Environments” is intended to pave the way for the intelligent adaptation of production systems to changing requirements and environmental conditions, for example in order to manufacture new variants of a product.