There are great shifts occurring within the engineering industry. Some are even calling it the 4th industrial revolution. But, whether you place that much emphasis on it or not, there is no doubt that things are changing. Intelligence and connectivity are increasingly seeping in to products, as are exotic material, which no longer seem so exotic. Design cycles are being compressed, innovation expectations heightened, and better product are getting to market faster than ever before.
It can all be a little overwhelming. So when productivity demands are greater than ever, is it really the time to start using virtual reality headsets to design you next product? Is 3D printing all it’s cracked up to be? Sometime the best way, and only way, to make your mind up for sure is to get your hands on some equipment and ask loads of question from those in the know, and those that have made the endeavour.
Broadly speaking, this is the reason that MA Business set up the Engineering Design Show. It connects emerging technologies with those that can use them in ways to produce products that are better, faster, stronger, cheaper, or whatever it is that your market demands.
Of course the show is a commercial venture, but it is one that has always strived to put content and the needs of its visitors, first. This year’s Eureka conference will hold two extended keynote sessions on the changing face of engineering design tools and then how to adopt advanced materials on the following day.
Each of these sessions, scheduled for two hours, will have three speakers from major international industry players. This will be followed by an open panel discussion with the three speakers to take questions from the audience. The aim is to allow attendees to quiz specifics by asking direct questions relevant to their organisations, addressing concerns about implementing change, and how to overcome reservations from senior management.
Since last year, both the thought leadership conference and more practical workshop sessions have been approved to have Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points awarded for those in attendance. It means that all our sessions have to have third party approval to meet content standards, to help visitors work towards professional registration.
Innovation Zone
The Engineering Design Show has also reserved space to show off particularly innovative products. Visitors are encouraged to explore this area of the show floor to help simulate ideas and see how others have got creative with the technology around them. These products have incorporated a number of emerging technologies and processes to create something that is market leading or game-changing.
Examples, this year, include the frontend of a motorbike that has been produced using an additive manufacturing processes developed at the Manufacturing Technology Centre. That’s joined by the RP1 track day car from Elemental Cars that uses cutting edge design and engineering techniques in combination with advanced materials. There will also be a head up motorbike helmet display that’s been developed by Renfrew Group.
Oxford Space System will also be displaying it’s out of this world antenna, which competes on the world stage despite the group’s relatively humble design and manufacture facility. JCB will also lend the Coventry hall’s its innovative Hydradig, the first true wheeled excavator designed for purpose, from the ground up, for the challenges of operating within inner city construction sites. Both companies will also give a conference session thought leadership piece about becoming a competitive UK engineering firm on the world stage.
Future Zone
New to this year’s show is the Future Zone. This is an area reserved on the show floor to showcase and give visitors demos of emerging technology. This year we are going to feature two virtual reality headsets to allow passers by the opportunity to try the technology out for themselves.
The headsets provided by Virtalis are top of the range and track the motion of the user’s head as well as allowing them to interact with computer models driven by CAD data.
Co-location
Alongside the Engineering Design Show will be the Electronics Design Show and fast growing Embedded Design Show.
The Embedded Design Show focuses its attention on the booming embedded electronics marketplace that is being driven by connected and smart products, often under the broad banner of the Internet of Things and Machine to Machine connectivity. Again a seven session a day workshop theatre will cover topics such as sensor selection for the emergence of smart products, keeping online devices secure, and optimising battery life.
Fast Facts
For more information on the conference, workshop, and exhibition – and how to register – please go to: www.engineering-design-show.co.uk Social Media: @EngDesignShow @ElecDesignShow |
