Triple showcase for engineering excellence

Uniting under one umbrella this year, Subcon, The Advanced Manufacturing Show and The Engineer Design & Innovation Show will create a key event for UK manufacturing. PES finds out more about what’s on offer.

The three shows will run at the NEC Birmingham from 6 - 8 June. As well as exhibitors on the stands the shows will be complemented by 36 free-to-attend presentations in two separate conference streams.

Together the three shows cover the complete manufacturing cycle from concept to component, bringing together design engineering, product development, in-house production and outsourced supply chains. Around 500 exhibitors will come together with thousands of professional visitors who have current sourcing needs for equipment, software and manufacturing services.

Established for over 40 years, Subcon is the UK’s only event dedicated to outsourced manufacturing. It serves all sectors and all processes – from machining, sheet metalworking, casting and forging, to plastic moulding, composites and electronics. This range of manufacturing technologies is reflected in some the new services and investments being featured at the show.

In plastics, Hepworth Group has launched a new RIM Moulding Division, which adds an additional manufacturing option to its extensive range of fabrications services.

In forming and fabrication, Kloeckner Metals UK, the multi-metal stockholder and distributor, has continued its investment in its processing portfolio with the installation of a new laser and press brake.

Materials coatings expert NikaWorks has partnered with Surgical Holdings to develop new functional coatings for surgical instruments.

The machining services sector is strongly represented with new services including the launch of a subcontract CNC cylindrical grinding at Perfect Bore. Investment at Carlton Die Castings has seen the installation of a Mazak twin pallet horizontal CNC machine which enables it to supply customers with fully machined castings ready for assembly. And specialist subcontract engineering company Mini Gears Group will be showcasing its complete new range of machined components.

Support for buyers

Supporting the Subcon show, sourcing specialist Qimtek is sponsoring the Buyer’s Programme and hosting a dedicated Qimtek UK Manufacturing Pavilion. The Subcon Buyers Programme offers a package of networking opportunities, services and benefits to buyers who have been identified as having a high level of spend on contract manufacturing services.

Those invited to join the programme will benefit from access to the VIP Buyer Networking Lounge where they can hold meetings, talk to colleagues and enjoy refreshments, including a complimentary lunch, as well as free parking.

Ahead of the show, buyers will also receive a shortlist of the suppliers that meet their specified requirements, allowing them to maximise their time at the event. Buyers on the programme can also attend an invitation-only networking event, sponsored by Qimtek, with free drinks and canapes.

Last year this attracted more than a hundred buyers from companies including British Telecom, JCB, Jaguar Land Rover, Ishida and Oxford Instruments.

Advanced manufacturing showcase

Launched in 2013, the Advanced Manufacturing Show covers every aspect of production technology, including machining and turning centres, lasers and press brakes, tooling and ancillaries.

As well as machine tool and accessory suppliers, including XYZ and 1^st MTA, metrology is particularly strongly represented.

Global metrology brands including Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, Zeiss, Olympus and Alicona are joined by UK champions including Renishaw and Aberlink, as well as specialists such as hire and contract scanning and measurement company Manchester Metrology, inspection, fixturing and calibration experts Verus, and representatives of leading equipment manufacturers such as Measurement Solutions. Together they cover all aspects of scanning, measurement and quality systems from contact and optical CMMs, to laser scanners, 3D surface measurement, microscopy and automated systems.

Design focus

The Engineer Design and Innovation Show offers everything a design engineer needs to create innovative new products – from CAD and simulation software to prototyping and components. Highlights include the latest composite printing technology. CREAT3D, will be presenting the newest 3D printer technology that uses a Nylon or carbon-fibre reinforced Nylon as base material and can incorporate Kevlar, fibre glass or carbon fibres to create a composite structure that can generate a higher strength-to-weight ratio than aluminium.

Conference contents

Two free-to-attend conference streams addressing key issues, best practice and technological innovation will run alongside Subcon, the Advanced Manufacturing Show and The Engineer Design & Innovation Show.

36 sessions across the three days will cover topics ranging from additive manufacturing and Industry 4.0 to materials testing, updates to AS 9100, magnesium components, virtual reality and big data.

Two of the UK’s foremost authorities on additive manufacturing, Phil Reeves of Stratasys and Professor Richard Hague of Nottingham University, will be giving keynote presentations looking, respectively, at where to get the most valuable business benefits from AM and multi-functional 3D printing of complete components.

Complementing these talks, Renishaw’s Marc Saunders will look at metal additive manufacturing as a viable series production process and Desi Bacheva of HiETA will look at its potential for lightweight automotive components.

Other keynote speakers include Sam Turner, chief technology officer at the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, and Andy Wright, director strategic technology at BAE Systems programmes and support, who will be looking at disruptive technologies and the future of manufacturing. Michael Ward, chief technology officer at the Advanced Forming Research Centre, will be looking at the way we will use conventional technologies in the future.

The fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) will also be well covered, particularly from the perspective of SMEs and what they can do to engage with the demands these new technologies bring. Alan Norbury of Siemens, Malcolm Harold of the Knowledge Transfer Network and Chris Richards of the EEF are among the speakers on this topic. Bin Cai, powertrain metrology manager at Jaguar Land Rover will explore the vital role that metrology plays as the interface between the physical and digital worlds.

For many visitors, the highpoint of the conferences will be three presentations focusing on innovation and excellence in engineering. The speakers here are Sid Shaikh, who will be talking about the automation systems that Ocado has developed to make sure that its retail operation delivers successfully, Roy Gandy, founder and innovator behind the top-end British hi-fi manufacturer Rega Research, and Neill Briggs of the Briggs Automotive Company on the story behind the BAC Mono, the single-seat, road legal supercar that was dubbed ‘amazing’ by Jeremy Clarkson.

Subcon www.subconshow.co.uk

Advanced Manufacturing www.advancedmanufacturingshow.co.uk

The Engineer Design & Innovation Show www.theengineer-designinnovationshow.co.uk