Composites Europe 2018 to focus on manufacturing processes

The Composites Europe show, taking place from 6–8 November 2018 in Stuttgart, Germany, will focus on processing and manufacturing processes, according to its organizers.

A number of mechanical and plant engineering companies will reportedly join forces in group exhibits to showcase their technologies in live interactions that will serve to demonstrate sub-processes in a larger context.

‘Our goal with the 'Process live' format is to summarize the process depth of the composites industry and illustrate individual steps in the production chain,’ said Olaf Freier, event director. ‘The more intense competition of materials has led processors in the process chain to cooperate more closely with each other. The new presentation area provides small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular, with the opportunity to work together to present their services in even greater detail as part of the overall process.’

The first ‘Process live’ area will feature cutting specialists Gunnar, automation experts Airborne and gripping systems providers Schmalz. The process will cover a number of automated steps, from nesting the cutting data, unrolling the material and placing it onto the cutting table to cutting and removing the cut piles and robots sorting and stacking everything in the shelving system. ‘We'll show how our machines interact with each other efficiently as a single integrated system and how this combination can help to significantly lower material and process costs when product complexity, product volume and/or quality aspirations are present,’ said Thomas Schwarz, Gunnar's marketing director.