As Britain’s largest manufacturing exhibition, MACH is often looked to as a monitor of the sector’s health, as well as a good indicator of technology trends.
At the last show in 2014, more than 6,500 tonnes of live working machinery was on display, attracting 23,352 visitors from across the manufacturing sector. With more than 600 companies exhibiting, £177 million worth of business was attributed to the show.
As a sign of even bigger things to come this year, tickets for MACH 2016 sold out a month before the biennial show opens. Initial estimates indicate that more than 25,000 visitors will pass through the doors of the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham between 11 and 15 April. More than 600 exhibitors – including 130 firms new to MACH – will be ready to promote their latest technologies, with thousands of tonnes of working equipment set to be on show.
Located in Halls 4 and 5 of the NEC, the exhibition has allocated all its display space, with new technologies and a varied seminar programme planned for the event. This year will also see expanded zones focusing on additive manufacturing, automation, metrology and software solutions, as well as the traditional milling, turning and tooling.
Exhibitors will include some of the biggest names in manufacturing such as Mills CNC – one of the show’s most long-standing exhibitors – and robotics firm Fanuc. While most of the firms are British, many are global companies, and this year’s event will still have a strong international presence, including the likes of ABB and Siemens.
One of the biggest areas this year will be the 3D printing and additive manufacturing zone, reflecting the widespread adoption of the technology in the sector. “We recognise that this is no longer a fledgling technology but an integral part of the manufacturing process,” says James Selka, chief executive of the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA), the organisation behind MACH. Companies exhibiting in the zone will include Creat3d, Laser Lines, Nabertherm, Photo Labs and Stratasys.
The technology has spread into several areas of manufacturing, says Simon Brandon, UK marketing manager at Stratasys. “3D printing has long been a tool for product design and development, but we now see its use right across manufacturing – including tooling and production parts. Stratasys wants the opportunity to demonstrate the quality, safety and cost benefits brought to manufacturing by 3D printing applications.”
Renishaw will be there, too, exhibiting precision measurement products such as its 500W ytterbium fibre laser. It will also be demonstrating its new RenAM 500M additive manufacturing system, which will be making its UK trade show debut.
On the Wednesday (13 April) of the exhibition, the seminar programme will take an in-depth look at Industry 4.0, and on the Thursday (14 April) it will turn its attention to additive manufacturing and the rise in 3D printing. “These two areas are making waves in manufacturing, and will be much in evidence across the stands as well as in the seminar theatres,” says Selka.
As the use of collaborative robots has grown in the manufacturing sector, so has the technology’s presence at MACH. This year, a few key exhibitors will be demonstrating their cobot products, including ABB’s new YuMi dual-armed robot. Fanuc will for the first time in the UK exhibit its CR35iA: a heavy-lifting cobot, which enables humans and machines to work together without the need for safety fences. The device, which can lift up to 35kg, is the first of many cobots that will be rolled out by Fanuc.
As well as showcasing new technologies and products, the exhibition also aims to inspire the next generation of talent. A dedicated learning and development zone will act as a base for student visitors, as well as housing some key exhibits and a showcase of MTA members’ apprentices and graduates at work. More than 2,000 students from the age of 14 have already registered to attend the exhibition, although students and their teachers should still be able to register to receive free guided tours of the exhibition site.
Exhibitors in the learning and development zone will include Delcam, Renishaw, Mazak, Sandvik and the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC).
The AMRC will be bringing along Mantra, its customised Manufacturing Transporter. The 14m HGV is designed to give aspiring young engineers hands-on experience with the AMRC’s advanced technologies. “They will be able to take part in manufacturing processes and competition activities related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects, exploring real-life examples of research and components manufactured at the AMRC,” says Jamie Smith, AMRC Mantra manager at the University of Sheffield.
The zone is situated in Hall 4. Other key exhibits there will be from the Bloodhound Supersonic Car project and the Ministry of Defence – which will also be making its first appearance at the show. “We’ve long used MACH as a showcase for the industry to attract young people, but the MoD will be there to talk to manufacturing employers about what a special group of older people – service leavers – can offer,” says Selka.
Expectations for the exhibition are high, with sponsors and firms alike hoping to reap business benefits. For the third consecutive show, Lloyds Banking Group is the headline sponsor. “Manufacturing is a hugely important sector to Lloyds, as it is to the economy as a whole,” says David Atkinson, head of manufacturing SME commercial banking at Lloyds. “MACH provides an opportunity for Lloyds to interact with a huge number of key players in the sector as well as thousands of manufacturing businesses. We’re keen to help those looking to invest, but even more importantly it is an opportunity for us to learn more about the sector and those operating in it.”
Selka believes that the exhibition can encourage investment in the sector. “With the pace of technology changing so quickly, and offering the prospect of massive gains in productivity and capability, we believe now is the perfect time to invest in the future of manufacturing, and that MACH 2016 can play a huge role in driving this,” he says.
Latest gear at Drives & Controls
Alongside MACH 2016 at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, Hall 3 will host the Drives & Controls exhibition from 12 to 14 April. Five other industrial exhibitions will also be running at the NEC during this period, making the combined occasion the largest manufacturing and industrial event in the UK this year. The last Drives & Controls show attracted more than 13,000 visitors.
Free to enter, the show covers the latest in mechanical power transmission, motion control and automation from more than 400 companies, including ABB, RA Rodriguez and Mitsubishi Electric.
RA Rodriguez plans to introduce several engineering products, and it will also announce the formation of a company dedicated to developing a group of automation products.
“The creation of a separate organisation allows us to tool up for the growing demands of automation in the UK, while not losing sight of our traditional strengths as a supplier of highest-quality transmission components,” says Peter Williamson, managing director of both RA Rodriguez (UK) and RARUK Automation.
“Drives & Controls has always been a good show for us, and an excellent platform for our range. This year is no exception, as we have just signed a distributor agreement with the US manufacturer Cone Drive. We will therefore be showcasing, for the first time in the UK, the company’s slewing drives and harmonic drives,” he says.
The show also includes a robot zone, where RA Rodriguez will be demonstrating its collaborative Universal Robot – a flexible, easily programmable, low-cost, six-axis robot arm that can be used safely alongside people in almost any industry, including pharmaceuticals and agriculture.