Maximum product protection with a minimum input of materials, decorative design and resource efficiency in production, storage and transport – the requirements are very diverse.The world market for packaging is projected to grow by 3.5% from $839bn in 2015 to $998bn in 2020.

Germany — On the whole, the German mechanical and plant engineering sector is in a positive mood. The vast majority of decision-makers (70 percent) are optimistic about the development of the German economy in the coming twelve months - the highest figure since autumn 2018.

While the image of packaging is currently divided, the fact remains that it is still a large part of the injection moulding industry. As a matter of fact, it makes up the largest portion in both the French and Italian industry.

Germany — The extensive range of springs offered by Meusburger covers demands ranging from very low to extremely high loads. The company makes ordering easy with their new compression spring wizard.

Germany - Small batches and mass production are somewhat incompatible, because the lower the product price, the more important are high production numbers. While additive processes are not ready for mass production yet, they may be able to mitigate these conflicting interests.

Germany - Günther Heisskanaltechnik's Okta Flow type OMT multi-tip hot-runner nozzle was designed for the direct side gating of products in compact, multi-cavity moulds. According to the company, there are said to be a variety of unique selling points setting it apart from the competition.

USA — The Unimelt platform from 6K has earned the Top Product of the Year Award for its ability to produce powders for energy storage and additive manufacturing with distinct sustainability advantages over legacy technologies.

Germany — Developer of advanced numerical optimisation software solutions, Rafinex, and CAD/CAM developer Module Works, have integrated toolpath calculation technology with a software algorithm suite. In effective synchronisation, topology optimisation and toolpath planning are to enable more effective design-to-manufacture processes.

Austria — Japanese tool manufacturer Moldino, is expanding its direct sales activities in Austria. In the medium term, the company plans to expand its team of process optimisers to six people.

Germany — According to Schaeffler, there are currently two key trends affecting users and manufacturers of machine tools and metal machining centers: the growing use of ancillary automation solutions and the increasing integration of multiple production processes within machine tools themselves. Therefore, the company is constantly developing and refining its portfolio of products and services for machine tools to help customers keep up with these trends.