AMS previews this year’s Schweissen & Schneiden trade fair being held in Essen from September 16-21, and some of the exhibitors that are of particular interest to the automotive industry.
The international trade fair for joining, cutting and surfacing is promoted by the German Welding Society and should certainly capture the attention of those in the automotive sector. On one hand an intensely practical event, where visitors can see new products and draw upon exhibitors’ expertise in areas related to their everyday work, it also plays an important role in helping promote discussion of future trends.
Kuka Systems, located in Hall 12, will highlight its flexible CUBE welding centres. Using a modular approach, the company says it offers the flexibility necessary for evershifting production requirements, configured either as an element in a fully automated process or as an addition to enhance an existing production facility.
Kuka is an established specialist in automation equipment for sheet metal working and has long had a major presence as automation partners within the automotive sector. The company places great emphasis upon intuitive operator interfaces, simple maintenance and fast integration as features of its systems and equipment.
Schweissen & Schneiden 2013 will offer visitors two important Cooperative Subject Booths as well as the more traditional location-based cooperative booths.
Bringing together small companies on focused themes, they will offer exhibitors and visitors a comprehensive overview of particular areas as well as providing an opportunity for exposure at S&S for young companies.
One booth will bring together companies with expertise in thermal spraying and coating systems while the other – with support from the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs – will showcase the work of small companies with innovative portfolios spanning a range of joining technologies.
High quality welding wires of bewildering composition and variety will feature on the Berkenhoff stand. Under the brand name Bedra and Berkoweld, the company produces and supplies specialist welding products required in the full range of industrial situations. Automotive manufacturers and suppliers are heavily represented among its customers. Hi-tech wires made of copper, brass, bronze and nickel silver are presented in a range of forms. Coated, composite and plain wires can be supplied to suit the application, says the company.
Welding consumables are both a major business and key element within the technological advances in welding technologies. Alunox is another company well known in the automotive sector that will be at S&S, offering a full range of welding consumables and related items.
Safra will also be at Essen to show a range of welding wires in copper and aluminium as well as to offer technical guidance to visitors on appropriate consumables for metal spraying and hard-facing applications.
Solvay Fluor will be at the trade fair to offer its expertise with NORCOLOK aluminium brazing fluxes. Brazed aluminium heat exchangers have been the technology of choice for the automotive sector in recent years and Solvay has been heavily involved in these developments.
Welding engineers and equipment
Ningbo Jinfeng Welding will return to Essen promoting its wide range of welding and cutting machinery. Its established work in the heavy industry sector is likely to give rise to innovation and expertise which can be applied to automotive.
WECO will be exhibiting at S&S 2013, offering its pool of specialised engineers to develop advanced functions and specific welding arcs for particular applications.
Bosch Rexroth will also be in attendance to support customers and to highlight its equipment for joining, surfacing and cutting processes in automated production environments.
In Hall 3 DE-STA-CO will show its Clamp 5000 range of heavy-duty toggle clamps. As a specialist in welding, cutting and finishing tools it has a role to play in many production environments as well as an established reputation in the automotive sector. Providing tools and system solutions in, for example, grinding, turning and joint preparation. The company’s specialists will be keen to talk to customers with particular needs or facing special production challenges.
Weldlogic Europe will be at Essen to offer a wide ranging product line up and appropriate expertise to support sophisticated metal working processes in a variety of industries.
As one of the largest and longest established welding equipment manufacturers in China, Shenzhen Riland Industry will see its attendance at S&S 2013 as an effective way of supporting existing customers within the global market as well as promoting its own Rilon and Riland brand MMA, MIG/MAG, TIG and plasma cut products.
In recent months, laser technology specialist Rofin-Sinar Technologies has brought forward a raft of new and enhanced products at the various trade shows. For S&S 2013, the company will want to showcase these products but, perhaps more importantly, meet with visitors from across a wide range of industrial sectors to develop and shape new solutions to meet the particular challenges they face.
Already Rofin has been placing emphasis on new highpower fibre lasers. They have wide ranging applications, the company says. Latest developments in short-pulse and ultrashort- pulse technology will also be of interest.
Rofin says its machinery will easily integrate into diverse production environments with control units designed to interface with a range of industrial control systems. Laser marking solutions are also likely to feature.
For more than two decades, Reis Robotics has been one of the most important integrators for automation systems in all major industry sectors. Its work and product range will be familiar to many visitors from the automotive sector. In addition to articulated arm robots, the company can offer linear robots, gantries, horizontal articulated arm robots and specialised robots. Other products include try-out and spotting presses as well as trim presses and trim tools. The company says it can design, deliver and install completely integrated automation systems from one source.
In Hall 3.0, Swiss-based Optrel is one of the leading companies bringing sophisticated welding protection products to S&S 2013. It says it keenly promotes the safety, health and efficiency of welders worldwide and its range of protection products are well known and constantly developed to match ever more stringent performance requirements. Hi-tech respiratory protection equipment designed to enhance operator comfort and promote efficiency will be accompanied by sophisticated helmet designs suitable for the most challenging welding tasks, it added.
Turkish industrial automation specialist STC Elektronik will come to Essen with a track record of high level completed projects across Europe and the Americas. The company will likely showcase its Laser Seam Tracking System along with sophisticated automated weld monitoring products.