Preview: Engineering Design Show 2014

In 2012, the target was to welcome 1,000 design engineers through the door. As it was 1,600 came. In 2013, it was hoped that more than 2,500 would arrive. In fact, 3,000 top-quality visitors made their way to the Ricoh Arena over the two days of the exhibition. This year, we are expecting at least 4,000 visitors, but on previous performance, no-one could be surprised if more attended. Since its birth in 2012, the Engineering Design Show has come a long way. Not only has it more than tripled in scale, it has evolved to the point whereby it has come to encompass the Electronics Design Show, Engineering Materials Live! and this year the Embedded Design Show as well. This growth and these additions have also contributed to the Engineering Design Show last year winning a PPA Independent Publisher Award for Best New Exhibition. Hand in hand with the shows, of course, have been the Conference programmes that have run alongside them. Last year saw two Conferences – one for the Mechanical design audience and one for the electronic design engineers. This will be the case this year as well, with the only change being that they will be running as the Eureka Conference and the New Electronics Conference respectively. For all this success and growth, however, we have never lost sight of the principle that has underpinned the Engineering Design Show from the beginning: namely that is an exhibition designed for design engineers. The idea behind the Shows has always been to fill that fundamental need to meet your professional needs as a design engineering professional and one thing we can guarantee is that this year will be no different in that respect. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE 2014 ENGINEERING DESIGN SHOW. THE CONFERENCE - ONES TO WATCH There will be no shortage of outstanding content at this year's Eureka Conference. Here are just a few of the highlights. Designing Team GB's Olympic winning bikes Dimitris Katsanis, Composites Engineer Metron Advanced Equipment In this presentation, the man tasked with building the best bike in the world in just six months, gives a 'behind the scenes' insight into how Team GB's Olympic winning bikes were designed for optimal speed and performance. Bringing a Formula One car to life Al Peasland, Technical Partnership Manager Infiniti Red Bull Racing Infiniti Red Bull Racing is the current Formula One World Champion, having achieved consecutive driver and constructor world championship titles for the past four years. But race-winning performance on track is only possible with the dedication and commitment of a highly skilled team, coupled with the latest in technology and systems. In this presentation, Al Peasland, Head of Technical Partnerships for Infiniti Red Bull Racing, will give a 'behind the scenes' insight into this environment. Testing vehicle design to the limit and beyond Peter Stoker, Director of Vehicle Engineering & John Notman-Watt, Chairman Millbrook Millbrook is more than just a vehicle proving ground. It provides a complete range of design, release, development, test, validation and launch support for a wide set of vehicles engineering solutions. Perhaps less well-known, however, is the company's capacity for vehicle engineering design, In this presentation, Millbrook's Director of Vehicle Engineering, will talk about his department's expertise in designing new vehicle derivatives from base platforms, exterior parts, specific vehicle systems engineering and a diverse range of vehicle conversions, from passenger cars to vommercial vehicles. Life-saving materials on the front line Chris Davies, Technical Director, Morgan Advanced Materials Morgan Advanced Composites has developed, manufactured and fitted the body armour that has been protecting British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan for over a decade. At the heart of this success is the company's unceasing development of new material solutions. Chris Davies, Morgan's technical director will explain the technical challenges such materials face and how the company continues to engineer solutions that offer lighter weight, but at the same time afford even greater protection. Transforming organ transplantation with OrganOx Philip Canner Team Consulting Over 370 patients are waiting for a liver in the UK at any one time, and there are around 30,000 patients on liver transplant waiting lists in Europe and the US. However, only 12,000 transplants take place per year in these countries and up to 15% of patients die whilst waiting for one. Hoping to change that, engineers from Team Consulting have designed and developed a revolutionary liver perfusion system called OrganOx, which they believe could double the supply of livers available for transplantation, Find out from the experts themselves how the technology works and how it is saving lives. FEATURES AND INNOVATIONS The 2014 Engineering Design Show will host an Innovation Zone sponsored by Cambridge Consultants, which will provide a number of features and innovations demonstrating the best of British Engineering, Features at this year's show will include: • Composites expert Gurit will demonstrate some of their latest achievements, including the rear section of the London Routemaster Bus and the front section of a leading sports car • Cambridge Consultants, sponsor of the Innovation Zone, will offer a Basketball challenge for visitors, which will use cameras to analyse ball trajectory, speed, angle and arc, as well as an exhibition of the company's highly-successful DropTag technology. The DropTag platform is a family of connected sensors, smartphone apps and back-end data analytics systems that can be applied to a range of industries. It can be used, with ease, to monitor the condition of a 150ft wind turbine blade, when parts of it are moving at up to 150mph. The tiny DropTag puck fixed to the surface of a blade can tell you, in real time, what is happening – how much twist or vibration the blade is experiencing, without incurring any downtime • The iPad controlled 2-seater all-electric sports car from Potenza Technology • An interactive demo from Bf1systems of its highly engineered road bike • An example of the new Raspberry Pi B+ model • The world's first metal 3D printed bicycle frame manufactured by Renishaw EXHIBITOR PREVIEW: Abssac Stand D10 Now in its third year at the Engineering Design show Abssac is using the event to focus on the 30 years of experience in supplying precision ball screws. Typically, Abssac supplies ball screws with outside diameters in the range from 1.8mm to 25mm for the precision ranges and up to 80mm on the transport ranges, each with a range of leads per diameter can be supplied. Whether your requirement is for a precision rolled or precision ground ball screw, Abssac can assist you in specifying the right part for the application and welcome the opportunity to develop linear solutions within tight cost budgets. Put simply, the rolling process forms a thread for less cost than a ground one. Ball screws that have been cold rolled formed are ideal for applications that do not require the finite accuracy of the ground ball screw equivalents, but are still required to reliably transmit an axial load with a high degree of accuracy. Using the traditional recirculation of the balls within the nut housing, a typical ball screw may be 90 percent efficient, versus 50 percent efficiency of a lead screw of equal size. Precision rolled ball screws achieve accuracies of C7-20 (that's 50 microns per 300mm of cumulative lead accuracy - 20 microns of axial backlash). Ball screws that have been formed by a grinding process are used where acute linear accuracy is paramount within the application. We offer a quality program of diameter and lead combinations with a variety of ball nut styles. Precision ground ball screws achieve accuracies of C0-0 (that's 0 microns per 300mm of cumulative lead accuracy - 0 microns of axial backlash). Alrad Stand D50 Alrad will show various industrial cameras and lenses, including: Panasonic GP-MH310: 1MOS Full HD Module 10x Zoom Camera with 4M Pixel. The Single Chip Full HD Module Camera from Panasonic brings you outstanding broadcast quality HD resolution and superior colour performance at the right price, and the right size for a wide variety of medical & industrial applications. Panasonic GP-MH330: 1MOS Full HD Module C30x Zoom Camera. The Single Chip Full HD Module Camera from Panasonic brings you outstanding broadcast quality HD resolution and superior colour reproduction at the right size for a wide variety of professional AV, industrial and medical applications. Cambridge Consultants Stand B5 What turns a smart system into a brilliant one? Accurate measurement is vital – but the key to success is more information, not just more data. That's where a combination of high-tech, low-cost sensors and clever algorithms comes in – and you can see it in action on the Cambridge Consultants stand in the Innovation Zone. The product design and development firm will be showcasing DropTag – a family of connected sensors, smartphone apps and back-end data analytics that can be applied to industries ranging from parcel logistics to machinery condition monitoring. Also on display will be the ArcAid basketball training system, which demonstrates how low-cost sensors such as cameras can be combined with a smartphone app or laptop for advanced performance monitoring and technique teaching. D Young & Co LLP Stand G42 D Young & Co has a proud history of supporting pioneering companies in emerging technologies. From SMEs to global businesses, whatever your invention, technology or brand, we will help you get the best protection for it. Our specialist teams provide guidance on using IP rights efficiently and effectively to businesses from Europe, America, Asia and around the world. We are delighted to be sponsoring the Engineering Design Show and will be on hand during the show at stand G42 to answer your IP questions. On Wednesday 22 October, patent attorney Jonathan Jackson's workshop asks: 'Are you protecting your products and designs? This workshop will provide a straightforward and practical guide to protecting your designs and innovations. Using case studies to illustrate the topic, Jonathan Jackson will deal with the practicalities of product protection and enforcement, from the early stages of product creation to launch and commercialisation. You'll find out what IP is most appropriate to protect your product, the importance and benefits of registered design rights and practical steps to take to obtain and enforce design protection. Elesa Stand E2 At the Engineering Design Show, Elesa UK will be showing its MP series of folding handles recently announced by Elesa come in two formats – the surface mount MPE and the MPR with recessed tray. Both types feature comfortable design of handle with integral return spring. This makes them suitable for application on flight cases and other luggage/packing type situations where they may be used as lifting handles or pull handles. Also on display will be the company's new range of IP65 quarter-turn, quick-fit latches are suitable for enclosures, cabinets, machine guards, access panels etc. in industrial environments, both indoor and outdoor. The range features an integral pull handle and quick insertion design (removable with a simple tool). Multiple closing levers (tabs/cams) are offered to accommodate door to frame depths of between 16-32mm. EPLAN Stand D5 EPLAN will celebrate its 30th Birthday at the Engineering Design Show. Over the past 30 years EPLAN has gone from strength to strength and this is particularly true here in the UK. In the past 3 years alone EPLAN UK has grown 8-fold, winning awards for 'Top Company Performance' and 'Highest Company Growth in 2013'. Now with over 40,000 customers and 100,000 applications in over 80 countries, the market leading electrical CAE Company is set to further its expansion – but this is not before celebrating how far it has come. As the show encapsulates current developments in engineering and manufacturing innovations, EPLAN are keen to showcase some of their latest software products and features. Primarily focusing on the integrative capabilities of EPLAN software, the company will be showing how users can pick components directly from the EPLAN Data Portal. From what started as a small catalogue of select manufacturers is now an extensive library of 490,000 device drawings controlled and maintained by leading manufacturers such as ABB, Rockwell Automation and Schneider Electric. Harmonic Drive Stand G50 Precision drive technology manufacturer Harmonic Drive is going to use the forthcoming Engineering Design Show at Coventry's RICOH Arena to exhibit its new range of servo actuators. The Staffordshire-based precision gear and servo actuator specialists have over forty years of experience in manufacturing innovative and high quality products for a range of clients, including leading brands in the aerospace, military and automotive industries. The centrepiece of Harmonic Drive's exhibition will be the company's new range of compact and hollow shaft servo actuators – The LynxDrive, the CHA-14 and CHA-17 lightweight hollow shaft models. Each actuator in the LynxDrive range features a synchronous servo motor, feedback sensors and a high precision Harmonic Drive HFUC Series Gear Unit, lowering both energy consumption and running costs. "When we developed the LynxDrive range, we focused our efforts on creating the most compact design possible, without compromising on quality," explained Graham Mackrell, managing director of Harmonic Drive. Also included in Harmonic Drive's exhibition will be the versatile HFUC series component sets, the new, smaller FHA Mini range of actuators, and the new lightweight Torque Drive series. Henkel Stand E30 Structural bonding adhesives are increasingly replacing traditional mechanical joining methods, particularly in industries where uniform stress distribution and light weight are important design criteria. Henkel is a leading innovator in this field. The originator of anaerobic adhesives under its Loctite brand, the company has continued to develop its products to offer new attributes and improved performance such as increased temperature resistance. Several of these products will feature at the Engineering Design Show. Another unique development is Loctite 4090, a cyanoacrylate/epoxy hybrid that gives the user the speed of an instant with the durability of an epoxy, opening up completely new application areas for instant adhesives for load bearing structural bonding. Visitors to the Engineering Design Show will also learn how Henkel engineering adhesives used in overmoulding are making an important contribution to product reliability. Henkel TECHNOMELT moulding is highly cost effective and fast. As low pressures are involved, typically 2 – 20 Bar, lower cost mould tools can be employed. The method is perfect for encapsulating and enclosing delicate components to provide advanced protection in tough environments. igus Stand D20 The Engineering Design Show is fast becoming the UK's 'debutante's ball' for the unveiling of new, technological innovations to industry; at this year's show igus (stand D20) will be showcasing a range of new products, including robolink D, tribo-tabe, tribo-filament, e-cord micro, and the CRC clean-room chain. Available in three sizes, robolink D is an articulated directly driven arm that allows for up to 6 degrees of freedom. Visitors to the stand will be able to see a demonstration of a full robolink D system in action; "robolink D is a different approach to the problem of creating lightweight, cost effective configurable robotic systems," says Justin Leonard, director at igus. "unlike the wire driven standard robolink, this system is built on a series of directly driven joints, allowing higher payloads to be carried." On the igus stand will the one of the latest developments, introducing tribo-tape; made from self-lubricating, iglidur A160 material, it is blue for easy identification in the food industry. "Thanks to its excellent wear characteristics, it is well-suited for lowering friction in a wide range of applications wherever there are sliding surfaces," explains Robert Dumayne, director at igus. IPS Ceramic Stand B65 IPS brings a ceramic solution to meet the demands of today's engineering design community. We understand the materials involved because our team has, collectively, over 150 years' experience in designing, manufacturing and supplying ceramics. We could list a whole host of items – and the many samples at the show as well as our drawings display will do this job – but what is just as important is the potential for component design offered by this remarkable family of products. Technical ceramics are not only cost competitive, although of course this is crucial, but also through various material compositions and shaping technologies they are readily manufactured into precision, tough, high performing, long lasting, chemical and heat resistant engineering parts. IPS has an in-house rapid prototyping facility. Laser Lines Stand G70 During the Engineering Design Show Laser Lines Ltd will have live demonstrations of both the Stratasys FDM and Polyjet 3D Printing solutions. In addition Laser Lines Ltd will showcasing a varied and comprehensive range of samples to help illustrate the broad spectrum of applications for which 3D printing technology is being applied. Materialise Stand G45 With its headquarters in Leuven, Belgium, and branches worldwide, Materialise is a provider of Additive Manufacturing (AM) software solutions and sophisticated 3D printing services in a wide variety of industries, including healthcare, automotive, aerospace, art and design and consumer products. Materialise has been playing an active role in the field of AM since 1990, through its involvement in AM for industrial and medical applications, by providing biomedical and clinical solutions such as medical image processing and surgical simulations and by developing unique solutions for its customers' prototyping, production, and medical needs. Micro-Epsilon Stand C25 Micro-Epsilon's latest innovation in thermal imaging, the thermoIMAGER TIM 640, is an infrared thermal imaging camera that is able to record radiometric video at an optical resolution of 640x480 pixels – making it the highest resolution infrared camera available on the market today for less than £6800. With a thermal sensitivity of 75mK, this camera can detect very small temperature differences, which is critical in many thermal analysis R&D projects and inline thermography applications. At ambient temperatures of between 0 and 50°C, the camera can measure object temperatures ranging from -20°C to +900°C. For a demonstration of our Thermal Imaging Cameras or to discuss our other measurement sensors please visit stand C25. Midas Pattern Co. Stand E115 Midas specialises in producing large, low-volume, high-quality, polyurethane mouldings as well as offering customers the facility to create large prototypes – in production materials – in very short timescales. The large production mouldings are particularly suitable for use as equipment enclosures in medical, analytical and scientific applications, where valuable technology must be enshrouded in large, complex, multi-part moulding assemblies. Midas offers two tooling systems: FASTrim, a low-cost solution to producing even large prototypes, in production materials in as little as 10 – 15 days; and MRIM, a high quality composite tooling system offering low set-up costs for high-quality mouldings in volumes from 1-2000 per annum, with a guaranteed life of 5000 off. Misumi Stand F20 Misumi is a global manufacturer and leading supplier of more than 9 million mechanical components for special purpose machinery and assembly automation. A large number of products are individually configurable. We offer free download of CAD models and deliver from 1 piece. For 23,000 stock items same-day shipment applies. Misumi offers you a wide portfolio of more than 100,000 configurable components. You can specify your desired components in up to 0.01 mm increments. Due to the precise configuration, there is no need for testing and redesign. Therefore, you gain time in your prototype construction. Moore International Stand A26 The team at Moore International are excited to be showcasing a variety of innovations from their European partners, Eichenberger and Schneeberger. Swiss ballscrew and leadscrew manufacturer, Eichenberger Gewinde, have recently launched a revolutionary high helix aluminium leadscrew. While aluminium has been used before to make leadscrews, Eichenberger's innovation is the production of one with a high helix angle, enabling rotary motion to be converted into very impressive linear speeds. Being considerably lighter than steel, an aluminium Speedy leadscrew is ideal for any application where weight needs to be kept to a minimum. Moore International will also be displaying the latest measuring system by Schneeberger. The Mini-Scale Plus can be used in any application that requires a linear guide to make movements as small as 0.1µm in length. The most common areas of application are biotechnology, semiconductor equipment, laboratory automation, metrology and robotics. To see either of these products or to discuss your requirements for ballscrews, leadscrews or linear products, visit Moore International at stand A26. MPA Group Stand F43 Engineering businesses each have a set of issues that they face in today's economy: from securing valuable funds and planning innovation activity, through to retaining and finding a skilled workforce. To ensure stability and growth the industry needs to understand the support and mechanisms that are available to them; tax reliefs arising from: innovation, R&D activity, patents and employee ownership schemes; private funding; grants… the list is long. The MPA Group will be on hand at the Engineering Design Show to advise how innovative companies can secure valuable funds. They are also running a free practical workshop entitled 'Funding innovation for business growth', where Dave Pepper will address what the future holds for the industry, and uncover the support there is in place (today and in the future) for engineering to help drive Britain back to the forefront of innovation. Prototype Projects Stand J34 Prototype Projects is exhibiting at the EDS for the 3rd year running, and will be showing off a range of sample prototype and production parts made using SLA, laser sintering, FDM, CNC machining and vacuum casting technologies. PULS UK Stand A28 When night falls in Mecca the green dials of the largest clock tower in the world are still clearly visible at a distance of over 10 miles. Two million LEDs – and around 1000 PULS power supplies illuminate the four clocks mounted on each side of this colossal tower. During the daytime the clock dials are white and the hands are black, switching to brilliant white at night. The tower has been designed and tested to provide a service life of 100 years during which it will have to withstand extreme weather conditions and hurricane-force wind. The PULS Dimension XT series, 48V / 20A power units deliver the one million watts required to illuminate the LEDs. Quadrant Stand C65 From aerospace, to automotive, rail, medical, chemical, food & beverage, oil & gas or alternative energy production – these and many more sectors take advantage of Quadrant's leading range of thermoplastic materials & solutions expertise. Our portfolio includes UHMW polyethylene, nylon, acetal and ultra-high performance polymers such as PEEK, PAI, PBI and PI, polymers that resist temperatures to over 425°C. Quadrant's unique production technologies and capabilities, standards like ISO 13485, ISO/TS 16949, certifications and quality services such as AS9100C, NORSOK M-710 make us the partner of choice for demanding applications. RDP Electronics Stand A4 RDP Electronics is a UK manufacturer, selling transducers and instrumentation measuring displacement, force, pressure and torque. We offer LVDT displacement transducers including submersible, high-temperature and custom designs. Our product offering is significantly extended by being sole UK distributor for Honeywell Sensotec/Lebow (load, pressure and torque transducers) and MTS-Temposonics Industrial Series magnetostrictive displacement transducers. At The Engineering Design Show we will be demonstrating our strong capabilities in custom transducer design as well as launching our new DCV and DCC displacement transducers with user-friendly input/output characteristics. Reliance Precision Stand F40 Reliance Precision is a specialist engineering company, with over 50 years' experience in providing custom-built, high reliability, precision instrumentation to customers from a diverse range of global markets. Reliance offers a complete engineering service, including design and development, prototyping, manufacturing, assembly and test. Service and products are complemented by an extensive online and printed catalogue of precision motion control components and electro-mechanical assemblies. Royal Navy Stand D50 The Royal Navy will be looking for potential recruits at this year's show. As well as excellent technical skills, you'll need to develop the ability to make decisions about complex engineering problems quickly and carry out risk management while under pressure. Lives are at stake, so you will have to be extremely safety-conscious, whatever the situation. Above all, you'll need to be concerned with the welfare, morale, training and development of the team of skilled technicians who'll look to you for expertise, management and leadership. Stanley Engineered Fastening Stand F41 Spiralock has re-engineered the standard (female) internal thread form and added a 30° wedge ramp at the root of the thread. Through this unique design, Spiralock® thread form is exceptionally resistant to thread loosening and stripping, caused by transverse vibration. It is also free-spinning and reusable. Spiralock thread form solves thread loosening and joint integrity issues by changing the physics of how the threads interact. In traditional 60° threads, the gap between the upper edges of the male and female threads can lead to shock, vibration, or temperature-caused thread loosening. Stress concentration and fatigue at the first few engaged threads is also a problem, particularly with softer metals. The unique profile of Spiralock threads closes the gap that causes loosening, improving the integrity and reliability of threaded joints. Tata Motors European Technical Centre Stand C5 Tata Motors European Technical Centre, based in Warwick, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Motors. Created in 2005, as a UK-based centre of excellence for automotive engineering, TMETC provides research and development principally for Tata Motors but also for selected partners in the automotive industry. On display is one of Tata Motors' concept vehicles, the Tata Pixel that was displayed at the Geneva Motor Show and features patented 'zero turn' technology. This technology is a unique system that enables a passenger vehicle with independent front suspension to rotate within the track of the rear axle, making it ideal for a city car with a small turning circle and nimble parking. Wheel hub rotation of 180° is facilitated via a conventional (centre tie rod) rack coupled to a two gear system mounted onto the upright. Visit the stand to meet the engineers and designers behind this concept and find out the backstory of this fascinating, fully-engineered and working concept. You might be surprised to learn that the transmission is from a lawnmower, but there is an excellent reason why it needed to come from such an unlikely source. Tharsus Stand C10 Tharsus is an award winning product design and manufacturing company specialising in creating new intellectual property and next-step products. We work with customers who require these capabilities but seek them as valuable, but outsourced, extensions to their core business. Visit the company and learn how its proven Original Equipment Design and Manufacture process (OEDM) co-ordinates expertise and activities towards the needs of each project. An evolution to contract manufacturing, OEDM ensures your next generation product remains under your control while benefiting from instant access to our co-located team of project, design, engineering, and lean manufacturing experts. Trumpf Stand J50 Sheet metal offers tremendous scope for innovative design. It can make products lighter yet stronger and more economical to produce by reducing time-consuming and expensive process steps. It also looks good. And at this year's Engineering Design Show, Trumpf will be showing visitors what can be achieved by thinking 'out of the box'. Trumpf software experts will be on the stand to demonstrate how the company's considerable and ongoing investment in research and development has created a range of software solutions for the entire production process; from innovative design and machine programming through to production control and custom development. High resolution laser marking, another TRUMPF strength, will also be a feature. The process creates durable and indelible characters, images and data matrix codes with tempered colours in metal or by colour changes in plastic; the surface doesn't change. No other process can match it for its simplicity or flexibility. The TRUMPF TruMark range includes models designed for high process speeds and marking on the fly. Many are plug-and-play and line integration ready and the TruMark 1000 that will be at the show is a good example. This highly compact laser marking system can be used as a static work table or as a mobile station. www.engineeringdesignshow.co.uk