EMO Hannover 2013 – Engineering a Better World

“Sustainability in industrial production operations is a future-friendly issue with which the European machine tool industry can score heavily on the international scene,” says Ralf Reines, engineering consultant at the VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association) in Frankfurt am Main and responsible for the Blue Competence initiative.

Some purchasers of machine tools are hesitant if they are faced with spending more money to obtain energy-efficient machines. Large-scale users, by contrast, from the automotive industry, for example, or aircraft manufacturers also take a long hard look at the energy consumption when deciding on investment in new machinery. Given a price increase of 62% for industrial electricity in the past 15 years, there is plenty of dormant savings potential here.

“Equipment manufacturers and their component suppliers will follow suit,” Reines adds.

This is precisely what the Blue Competence Special Show at the EMO Hannover 2013 is targeting. Nineteen European firms and research institutions engaged in production technology will be showing users from the industrial sector how they can upsize this potential. The companies involved are DMG Mori Seiki Deutschland GmbH, Leonberg, Fanuc Robotics Deutschland GmbH, Neuhausen a.d.F., Gebr. Heller Maschinenfabrik GmbH, Nürtingen, inspire AG, Zürich, Kapp Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG, Coburg, Komet Group, Besigheim, Kuka Roboter GmbH, Gersthofen, Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH, Kempten, Peiseler GmbH & Co. KG, Remscheid, Profiroll Technologies GmbH, Bad Düben, Schunk GmbH & Co. KG, Lauffen, Schwäbische Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH, Schramberg-Waldmössingen, Fraunhofer IWU, Vienna University of Applied Science, Forschungsbereich ecodesign, Vienna, Trumpf Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH + Co. KG, Ditzingen, Union Werkzeugmaschinen, Chemnitz, Vollmer Werke Maschinenfabrik GmbH, Biberach/Riss, Walter AG, Tübingen and CNC-Arena GmbH, Düsseldorf.

The exhibitors of the Blue Competence Special Show will be spotlighting a broad spectrum of solutions designed to create energy-autonomous emission-neutral, human-engineered production technology. 

“One important milestone is the results of the Green Carbody Technologies Innovation Alliance coordinated in conjunction with Volkswagen AG. In 30 sub-projects for lasting reduction of energy and resource consumption in carbody manufacture, 60 partners have joined forces to map out potential energy savings of up to 20% over the entire process chain,” states Dr.-Ing. Welf-Guntram Drossel of the Fraunhofer IWU in Chemnitz.

The researchers from Chemnitz will be showcasing one result of their work at the EMO Hannover: the modularized concept for a try-out device in carbody manufacture.

Focusing on the Machines’ Environmental Characteristics
Sustainability in production operations subsumes two sides of the same coin: firstly, it targets resource-efficiency in the actual manufacture of the machine tools themselves. Secondly, manufacturers are working hard to ensure that their own products are becoming more resource-efficient. 

“From our point of view, sustainable protection of the natural environment involves not only technological innovations and eco-aware manufacturing of machinery, but also the environmental characteristics of the machines themselves,” notes Dr.-Ing. Thomas Garber from Deckel Maho in Pfronten. “Our activities for improving the energy-efficiency of our machine tools embrace a holistic approach covering the fields of electronics, control system technology, and mechanical construction. We are continually upsizing the proportion of our products that have been developed specifically for energy-economical use.” 

An important role in this context is also played by the components involved. The strength of Europe’s manufacturers is crucially attributable to long years of excellent collaborative liaison between manufacturers of machine tools and their vendors. More efficient components, such as drives and hydraulic units, efficacious tools, and intelligent control systems have, in some cases, been developed from joint input, and are now enabling production operations to be streamlined while tapping into energy-saving potentials. Modern-day production solutions, particularly in high-wage countries, are inconceivable without automation solutions. 

Peter Klüger from the product management team at Kuka Roboter GmbH in Gersthofen explains, “Energy-efficient design of the robots’ mechanical construction, plus carefully chosen materials, will influence the energy-efficiency and eco-balance of the system in motion as a whole. Rigorous selection of the materials used for their eco-compatibility, top-quality gear units with very low friction losses and the use of energy-efficient motors assure consumption-optimized operation. In addition, a new, energy-optimized drive design, featuring an automatic, consumption-minimized harmonization of converter and motors, guarantees that the robot system is operated at the consumption optimum in all movement sequences.”

Trade visitors to the EMO Hannover 2013 will see this and much, much more on the Blue Competence Special Stand in Hall 16. The show will be complemented by specialist presentations from the exhibitors. 

For your schedule:
What: Blue Competence Special Show – Engineering a better world 
When: September 17 to 20 2013, Lecture Forum 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Where: Hall 16, Stand F09

For more information about EMO, please contact: Donna Hyland at Hannover Fairs USA at 908.735.0559 or dhyland@hfusa.com.

About EMO Hannover 2013 
From September 16 to 21, 2013, international manufacturers of production technology will be spotlighting “Intelligence in Production” at the EMO Hannover 2013. The world’s premier trade fair for the metalworking industry will be showcasing the entire bandwidth of today’s most sophisticated metalworking technology, which is the heart of every industrial production process. The fair will be presenting the latest machines, plus efficient technical solutions, product-supportive services, sustainability in the production process, and much, much more. The principal focus of the EMO Hannover is on metal-cutting and forming machine tools, production systems, high-precision tools, automated material flows, computer technology, industrial electronics, and accessories. The trade visitors to the EMO come from all major sectors of industry, such as machinery and plant manufacturers, the automotive industry and its component suppliers, the aerospace sector, precision mechanics and optics, shipbuilding, medical technology, tool and die manufacture, steel and lightweight construction. The EMO Hannover is the world’s most important international meeting point for production technology specialists from all over the planet. In 2011, the fair attracted more than 2,000 exhibitors, and around 140,000 trade visitors from more than 100 different countries. EMO is a registered trademark of the European Committee for Cooperation of the Machine Tool Industry CECIMO.

Blue Competence – Engineering a Better World
In 2011, the VDMA (German Engineering Federation) launched the sustainability initiative of the machinery-manufacturing sector, called “Blue Competence – Engineering a Better World.” So far, 38 organizations and more than 370 partner companies are involved, thus creating a platform for networking sustainable production and technologies. Each partner company will be evidencing its sustainability contribution with relevant facts and individual success stories.