Changing the way we build through software developments 24th April 2018

Digitise or be left in the dust? This is the pivotal question facing today's factories, logistics centres and power stations. Industry 4.0 is fast becoming the new standard, and that means change. IT and machinery manufacturing are converging, new business models are popping up like mushrooms, and AI is making its way into factories. And everything revolves around one central element: people power.

A specialist in industrial inkjet technology, Xaar, is sponsoring two Imagineering Clubs at local primary schools, designed to introduce children to engineering through fun activities. The sponsorships are part of Xaar’s role in helping to create the ‘engineers of the future’ and drive interest in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) amongst school students.

With a new layout and set up of halls this year, MACH 2018 proved to be a success as it was backed with the growing confidence within the British manufacturing industry, which made this year’s show one of the most successful for Lantek’s sheet metal CADCAM software, digital transformation solutions and Lantek Synergy concept.

Now factories that are populated by autonomous vehicles delivering parts and sub-assemblies across the shop floor, with robots working alongside human operators to assemble customised products are more of a common reality that are additionally scheduled automatically by live orders placed online.

Officially opening today, (19th April) is the University of Brighton’s new £14m Advanced Engineering building, at an event which celebrates the role of women in engineering. The Advanced Engineering Building is a facility which supports both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and research and which houses the Advanced Engineering Centre which has an international reputation for producing innovative, future-facing research into complex engine combustion processes and laser-based measurement techniques, fundamental modelling and computational simulation.

We can all agree that yes, a sheet of A4 is convenient, but your data won't be exact or real time. Well, more than a decade after we started talking about the paperless factory, it has yet to arrive. While the internet has revolutionised how we operate, with connectivity transforming how information moves around the enterprise, it is common to see a lot of paper moving around too – and this is especially true on the shop floor.  

Engineering-grade additive manufacturing solutions were on show from 3D systems, with a range available for all budgets and production requirements at MACH 2018. The company covered a full range of prototyping and manufacturing applications, and the 3D Systems stand featured end-to-end solutions for plastics and metal fabrication. 

  Since January 2018, a pioneering government campaign called the 'Year of Engineering' has been running. It is aimed at attracting the next generation of innovators to the industry and boosting the overall numbers of those interested in a career in the sector.