MACH 2022 is set to be the most significant gathering of manufacturers this year and it will highlight some of the most important issues facing the industry, such as sustainability and the drive to net zero – as well as a huge display of new manufacturing technologies.
The post-pandemic manufacturing revival, the drive to Net Zero and the opportunities offered by decarbonisation, the development of innovative technologies shaping manufacturing and a special focus on 3D printing, are all themes for the show.
The exhibition could not be better timed for the sector. The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA), which organises the show, believes the growing optimism will see bumper levels of business during the show. Exhibitors too are excited at the prospect of showcasing their latest products to buyers ready to capitalise on the current financial incentives such as Super Deduction and AIA available to businesses investing in capital assets.
James Selka, CEO of the MTA, said: “With the UK economy growing above forecasts for 2021 and the CBI predicting plans for spending on machinery over the coming twelve months have improved considerably, the timing of MACH could not be better. To make step-change improvements, you only need three things – Technologies, the skill to acquire and deploy those technologies and the finance to make it happen. There has never been a better time to accelerate investment in UK manufacturing and with MACH 2022 bringing together the latest manufacturing technologies, it will be the perfect place to come and view the best new machines on the market.”
The CBI’s latest survey indicates plans for spending on machinery over the coming 12 months have improved, with the percentage balance (+26) standing at its highest level since April 1988. Four consecutive double-digit positive balances in a row are exceptionally rare and represent a strong recovery.
This year’s show will focus on the best of the manufacturing sector – the digital factory, additive manufacturing, new automation solutions and connected manufacturing processes, power by the hour and cost-efficient solutions that will improve production processes over the next decade.
Resolving the challenges of energy prices, labour costs, skills shortages, raw materials, supply chain disruption and tackling the green agenda by seizing the opportunities posed by decarbonisation, will also receive special focus.
AMRC Tooling Clinic
Debuting at the 2022 show will be a special ‘Tooling Clinic’ run by the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). The Tooling Clinic will enable visitors to identify the right solutions for them through open discussion of challenges within their tooling applications, cutting strategies, parameter optimisation, virtual machining and other high value manufacturing methodologies.
AMRC engineers will provide presentations on key discussion areas and signpost visitors to the exhibitors who can best address their requirements.
Discussion topics will include:
-Process costing and parameter optimisation
–Virtual machining for CAM iteration and process optimisation
–Cutting strategy for thin parts
–Aluminium, titanium and inconel best practice
–Down selection of tooling geometry using virtual machining
–Use of non-traditional substrates
–Focused support for SMEs
–Tool holding technologies
–Micro machining
–Machine tool dynamics
Visitors can make an advance appointment, highlighting their challenges or identifying options from the list of discussion topics. Appointments can be booked at: www.machexhibition.com/tooling-clinic
Seminar Programme
MACH 2022 will feature a strong seminar programme with session speakers focused on delivering intuitive and engaging presentations reflecting the themes of the show.
“The global shift towards greater sustainability has gathered significant momentum during the past four years and the drive to Net Zero and the opportunities offered by decarbonisation will be a core theme of MACH,” said Mr Selka.
“This will be reflected in the speaker programme, with several speakers basing their presentations on this subject. Hopefully, this will encourage visitors to discover more about the opportunities provided by these new technologies.”
The programme begins at midday on Monday 4th April, with Katherine Bennett CBE, Chief Executive of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, delivering the keynote speech in which she will address two of the key themes of the show – the importance of sustainability in manufacturing and the drive to net zero. Professor Juergen Maier, Co-Chair of Made Smarter, will be picking up on this theme when he delivers his presentation ‘Delivering a Responsible and Decarbonising Made Smarter’ on Wednesday 6th April.
On the following day, John Pearce, CEO of Made in Britain will be chairing a panel discussion entitled ‘Race to Net Zero – Destination or Dream’ which focuses on sustainability.
Key market intelligence will be provided by Rhys Herbert, Senior Economist at headline sponsor Lloyds Bank, who will deliver ‘UK Manufacturing – Better Times Ahead’ on Thursday 7th April. In this presentation, he will provide an overview of the current state of the UK manufacturing sector and the economic opportunities that lie ahead for manufacturers.
Additive Manufacturing will be the subject of several presentations. On the Wednesday of the show, Kieron Salter, CEO at the Digital Manufacturing Centre will discuss how to utilise the opportunities posed by AM to develop cost-effective production. This will be followed by Ed Cant, Advanced Research Engineer at the Manufacturing Technology Centre, who will discuss The Future of Tooling in Additive.
Stuart Watt, Advanced Research Engineer at the Manufacturing Technology Centre, will finish the AM discussions by outlining the disruptive technology of 3D printing and where to begin.
On Thursday, a familiar face to MACH, David Holmes, Director of Operations and Technology for Air BAE Systems, will be talking about the requirements BAE needs to remain competitive in a global market. In line with one of the key themes of the show, Lugano Kapembwa, Co-Founder and CEO of Loopcycle, will use his presentation to help steer the B2B sector through the unlocking of the circular economy.
Spaces for each session will be limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Education & Development Zone
MACH will once again have a strong focus on encouraging more young people into the industry, with special displays and a dedicated exhibition zone showcasing the changes that are taking place within manufacturing and highlighting what makes it one of the most exciting industries to be involved in.
The Education & Development (E&D) Zone, sponsored by Sandvik Coromant, will feature special displays from Airbus Defence & Space, University of Wolverhampton Formula 3 Race Team, Vex Robotics, the Bowers Group Mobile Metrology Centre, F1 in Schools and the Engineering Development Trust (EDT), a nationwide educational charity which offers young people (9-21 years) active learning experiences in STEM-related careers.
-Airbus Defence & Space will be displaying its ExoMars Rover ground demonstration model, ‘Bruno’. Bruno is the Earth-based testing model of its counterpart the ‘Rosalind Franklin’ Rover, which will search for life on Mars. The ExoMars will be demonstrating how it can navigate the surface of Mars, while staff from Airbus will be showing how they communicate remotely with the rover and will be answering questions from young people keen to learn more about engineering.
-The University of Wolverhampton Formula 3 Race Team provides university students with industry experience by working as part of a professional team in a competitive Motorsport environment. They will be displaying a selection of cars from their race team, which includes a Formula 3 Dallara F308 with a Honda Mugen engine run in the F3 Cup, two Plus 4 Clubsports run in the AR Motorsport Morgan Challenge, a Formula Renault 2.0 previously run at the 2015 Monoposto 2000 Championship and their IMechE Formula Student car.
-VEX Robotics is an educational robotics company with a significant presence from Early Years, right through every Key Stage and into University, both for classroom use and extra-curricular competitions. Its VEX IQ and VEX V5 are also used in two of the world’s largest robotics competitions with thousands of teams competing in events every year. At MACH 2022, it will be running workshops using its VEX V5 Workcell Factory Automation solution.
-F1 in Schools is a STEM competition with a difference. Aimed at students aged nine to 19, participants are presented with the chance to work in a close-knit team, where everyone takes on a role to suit their skills. Teams are challenged to create and race their vision of the F1 car of the future, to official Technical Regulations, set out by a rule committee led by legendary F1 Engineer Gary Anderson.
-The Engineering Development Trust aims to give young people the opportunity to gain knowledge and exposure that will help them make decisions about their future and inform young people how STEM is relevant, interesting and leads to a rewarding career.
Metalworking Village
The Metalforming Machinery Makers’ Association (MMMA) is capping another major year of growth by taking over 650m² of space at MACH, allowing more than 23 members to showcase their services and technology.
Visitors will be able to enjoy live demonstrations of machinery and take part in technical discussions that will help them improve production processes, remove bottlenecks, whilst also increasing orders and profitability.
Focused Zones
As with previous shows, the exhibition will be laid out in a series of interconnected zones covering virtually every facet of the manufacturing technologies industry.
These include:
-3D Printing & Additive Manufacturing
–Automation for Manufacturing
–Digital Solutions for Manufacturing
–Grinding & Adhesives
–Lasers for Manufacturing
–Logistics for Manufacturing
–Measurement & Inspection
–Surface Finishing & Component Cleaning
–Welding
“MACH is such a fantastic event for both exhibitors and visitors. Showcasing live, digital production systems in one space, it is not to be missed. Hundreds of millions of pounds worth of business are discussed, secured and completed at the exhibition, making it the must-attend event in the UK manufacturing calendar,” added Mr Selka.
Engineering Supply Chain Show
There is also the new exhibition that MTD magazine covered in our January issue. Launching for the first time at MACH 2022, it will highlight another of the show’s core themes – the opportunities that can be found within the UK supply chain. Sponsored by Lloyds Bank and the Engineering Industries Association, The Engineering Supply Chain Show is where engineering and manufacturing buyers can go to source world-class suppliers, exclusively in the UK engineering and manufacturing supply chain.
“The UK Supply Chain Zone has always been one of the busiest areas of the MACH show and given the abilities inherent in the UK SME manufacturing sector, it makes sense to expand the zone into a show-within-a-show,” said Mr Selka.
He adds: “With more and more OEMs and Tier 1 companies looking to reshore operations and source component supply from within the UK, then the ability of the various UK supply chains to facilitate this has never been more important. It is why this new exhibition will provide a focused showcase for these in-demand products and services.”