EMO Hannover 2023 organisers VDW give journalists an insight into what to expect at the show in September 2023

Metalworking News takes part in EMO 2023 Press Preview, which took place at Klassikstadt, the home of the classic car centre in Frankfurt, Germany

More than 70 international editors and journalists from over 30 countries were guests of the VDW (Verein Deutscher Werkzeugmaschinenfabrikenn – German Machine Tool Builders’ Association) at the EMO Hannover 2023 Preview held in Frankfurt, Germany on the 5th and 6th July 2023. Metalworking News was one of the invited press members – the only one from Africa – that had the opportunity to meet with 31 exhibitors representing machine tool, tool and component building companies.

The theme of the preview was ‘The future of production in 90 seconds’. A representative from each of the exhibitors present, with the majority of them being the company’s MD or CEO, was given 90 seconds to present what to expect from the company and on their stand at this year’s EMO. A great idea from the VDW and all of the presentations were professionally delivered.

Those exhibitors that decided to take part in the preview event included Alfred H Schutte, ANXA Europe, Balluf, CloudNC, DMG MORI, DN Solutions, EIT Manufacturing, Erasteel, FFG Europe, Flaco, Hainbuch, Heller, Hofmann, HSD SPA, Igus, Joen Lih, MVK-line, Novatec, Okuma, pro-micron, Schwabische Werkzeugmaschien, Siemens, SMW-Autoblock, Soraluce, Spanflug, Tebis, Triag, United Grinding Group, URMA, VKS and Waldrich Coburg.

Highlights to expect from some exhibitors at EMO Hannover 2023
At EMO Hannover 2023 ANCA will present various world premieres for grinding solutions and unveil the advantages of ULTRA technology, Cloud NC will present advanced software solutions combining software and manufacturing, Erasteel will be launching its BlueTapMax, a game-changing high-performance tap solution and Heller will introduce its new 5-axis machining center F 6000.

DN Solutions will have an impressive line-up of 20 state-of-the-art machine tools. A key theme being promoted at the event by the company is ‘flexible automation solutions’ demonstrated through the integration of robot and work handling systems to a number of DN Solutions’ machines.

FLACO will present its latest mobile mixing and dosing systems for cooling lubricants and mobile oil filling devices for machine tools. Both systems are designed for clean and precise refilling of the respective fluids.

The FFG group encompasses 18 product brands. FFG will release a couple of world premieres in hall 12, booth 68 and will showcase a broad portfolio of solutions that can be used to completely map value chains. Standard systems for turning, milling, grinding and gear cutting will also be on display.

HSD, a leading provider of mechatronic solutions, will showcase its cutting-edge offerings in Hall 12, Stand A16. The event will be an exclusive platform to unveil the new ES1020 and ES1040 electrospindle models, designed to complement the ES10 line.

Hainbuch will present news for change-over, clamping, measurement and automation and solutions from Vischer & Bolli Automation.

Triag International AG to exhibit next-generation workholding in Hall 005 at Booth D34 and URMA AG will introduce its MX diamond shoulder and face shell mill tool.

Under the motto “Accelerate transformation for a sustainable tomorrow”, Siemens will be presenting Siemens Xcelerator.

Soraluce machines focus on higher productivity, better precision, higher efficiency and ergonomics as well as reducing downtime and limiting emissions and consumption. The company’s new generation of machining heads offer power outputs up to 60kW and 8 000rpm. Additionally, Soraluce will offer the market more than 300 types of heads, both customisable and standard. Head types include orthogonal, turning, fixed horizontal, boring and angular. Soraluce will present its machining solutions in Hall 13, Booth B30.

Studer, a company in the UNITED GRINDING Group, will showcase a new automation solution on the S31 universal external cylindrical grinding machine at their joint stand in Hall 11, booth E34.

A new CNC system, the OSP-P500, will be launched by Japanese machine tool builder Okuma on stand B36 in hall 15. The smart machine control, which is manufactured in-house, combines highly productive and precise machining with ease of use, energy efficiency and safety features to protect against cyber-attacks. It is notable that Okuma, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, has been manufacturing its own OSP control system for nearly half that time. It also produces its own drives, encoders and virtually every other component part of its machine tools.

DMG MORI will be in Hall 2 occupying 9 000m² and themed DMG MORI City. Guests will be able to see holistic production concepts and state-of-the-art machine tools in all fields of technology – from universal and production turning to 5-axis machining centers and turn and mill centers to additive manufacturing. Among the 39 machines and 20 automation solutions are world premieres such as the CTX beta 450 TC turn and mill center, the CTX 450 and CTX 550 universal lathes, and the INH 63, a horizontal 5-axis machining center. The PH Cell 800 pallet handling system and the UH-AMR 2000, an autonomous robot for material and tool handling, complete the portfolio.

“The EMO Hannover preview was held for the first time in Frankfurt am Main. The event has a long tradition and is both the climax and conclusion of our EMO Hannover World Tour. In around 60 events held in 40 countries, from Japan to Mexico and from Finland to South Africa, we have been presenting EMO Hannover 2023 to the EMO community since the beginning of the year,” said Dr. Wilfried Schäfer, Executive Director of the VDW, welcoming the guests.

Dr. Markus Heering, his Executive Director colleague at the VDW, continued: “Under the banner of Innovate Manufacturing we have decided to focus on three megatopics at EMO Hannover this year: The Future of Business, The Future of Connectivity and The Future of Sustainability in Production.”

“The aim here is to show that production technology is not merely of interest to experts, but that the industry is doing its part to solve the most pressing problems of our time. And that’s what exhibitors are showing – in impressive variety and depth – with their technical solutions here at the preview and at the fair itself in September.”

The press preview event also included a visit to manufacturer Samson AG, including a company presentation and tour of the premises. Samson AG offers products and systems to control all kinds of media and specialise in control valve engineering. Its focus markets include chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, energy and energy distribution as well as applications for hydrogen and industrial gases. The Samson Group employs 4 600 staff members, around 2 000 of them in Frankfurt am Main, and manufactures at 17 sites in nine different countries.

EMO Hannover 2023
EMO Hannover 2023 has over 1 750 registered exhibitors from 42 countries that will exhibit in an area exceeding 160 000m² (get your walking shoes on), VDW said during the preview event. The organisers say that they are expecting around 130 000 visitors.

Under the banner of Innovate Manufacturing, the world’s leading trade fair for production technology will showcase the entire range of modern production technology which is at the heart of every industrial production process.

The organisers have decided to focus on three mega-topics: The Future of Business, The Future of Connectivity and The Future of Sustainability in Production. “The aim here is to show that production technology is not merely of interest to experts, but that the industry is doing its part to solve the most pressing problems of our time.”

The latest equipment will be on display, as will efficient technical solutions, product-related services, sustainable production methods and much more. The main focus of EMO Hannover is on cutting and forming machine tools, manufacturing systems, precision tools, automated material handling, computer technology, industrial electronics and accessories. EMO visitors come from all major industrial sectors including machine and plant construction, the automotive industry and parts suppliers, aerospace technologies, precision engineering and optics, shipbuilding, medical engineering, tool and mould making, steel and lightweight construction.

“The breadth of the technical offerings is unparalleled at the international trade fair for production technology. The event highlights the challenges that exist in production: Greater efficiency, more flexibility, better quality, increased accuracy, the integration of AI, comprehensive factory-wide networking, and much more besides,” emphasised Heering.

EMO Hannover is offering various joint stands aimed at drawing attention to specific trend topics: Additive Manufacturing, connectivity, cobots and sustainability in production.

“In particular, latest developments such as those showcased in the Sustainability in Production Area are attracting a lot of interest, as exhibitors are keen to reposition themselves in this field,” reported Wilfried Schäfer. Research institutes will also feature prominently on the stand, using it to present their sustainability projects.

Digitalisation and automation are, of course, still among the top topics in the industry. Not only because the technical solutions have developed significantly since the last EMO Hannover. The shortage of skilled workers has taken on a momentum that leaves companies no choice but to optimise processes and automate procedures and work steps. Artificial intelligence has come into play as another tool.

EMO Hannover 2023 will also showcase the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI) in industrial manufacturing. The event will present a wide range of innovative ideas under the banner of “Innovate Manufacturing,” with AI taking centre stage.

One of the key areas where AI is revolutionising industrial production is machine learning, which significantly enhances efficiency levels. By leveraging AI, production machines can self-optimise, learn from their mistakes, and acquire knowledge from other machines. This intelligent functionality leads to improved productivity, reduced costs, enhanced quality, and minimised downtimes.

Sustainability is a topic of particular concern to industry right now. Alongside the optimisation of numerous organisational processes, the complete machining of components is one of the main technological solutions for making production more efficient and consequently more sustainable.

Under the ‘Future of Sustainability in Production’ banner and on the joint stand of the same name, EMO Hannover 2023 is dedicating itself to the topic of sustainability as a task which society as a whole needs to address.

Since 2017 umati has been on everyone’s lips in the international machine tool industry. What at first was designated rather vaguely as an interface standard is now being meaningfully firmed up. umati (universal machine technology interface) is a community of the machine building industries and their customers for the promotion and adoption of open, standardised interfaces based on OPC UA.

With over 300 partners worldwide, umati is set to demonstrate live how decentralised communication between machines, components, and software is seamlessly achieved, revolutionising the machine building industry and beyond.

The OPC UA Geometrical Measurement Systems working group has now succeeded in taking an important step towards standardising communication. The OPC UA Companion Specification for Geometric Measurement Systems (GMS) has been completed and adopted. According to the authors, the companies involved in the VDMA have completed the development of the interface in a record-breaking time. In addition, the working group OPC UA Cutting Tools has been set up. The goal: The effective exchange of tool data between CAD/CAM system, tool grinding machine and measuring machine.