Enduring engineering

Southern Manufacturing and Electronics dominates the industrial exhibition scene south of the Midlands and is increasingly attracting the attention of European firms seeking to connect with the domestic manufacturing sector. At around 18,000 square metres, and showcasing more than 800 exhibitors, the show provides the earliest, and for many visitors, the most convenient opportunity of the year to see the newest products and technologies lined up in one place.

The three day event is sufficiently large to appeal to big name suppliers, but its SME-friendly layout means that it is still accessible to the more modest-sized, specialised supplier. The selection of suppliers that results has always delivered a very interesting and rewarding day out for anybody involved with engineering and design. 2016 will be no exception.

For those involved in control and automation, the show represents a rich and varied seam of products and technologies. Italy’s Delta Line will highlight brushless motors, ironless motors and encoders and intelligent motors from Fulling, Portescap and Nanotec. Products to be shown will include a full range of ironless DC motors, disc magnet, hybrid and permanent magnet stepper motors, digital linear actuators, BLDC slotted and slot-less motors, spur, planetary and custom gearbox solutions, as well as drivers for both BLDC and stepper motors.

Drive train component suppliers include Mini Gears, Kabelschlepp Metool, and Davell Gears. Moore International will  be exhibiting its range of Carry Rolled ball screws, Rondo lead screws and  Speedy Lead screws along with its new range of Schneeberger linear rails and carriages. Suspa returns with its wide range of gas springs, hydraulic dampers, vibration dampers, lifting columns, piston rods, crash and safety elements as well as drive systems and actuators. The company is development and system partner for applications to automotive, engineering, furniture, white goods, medical and consumer goods markets.

Cost effective solution

Igus UK once again has a major presence at the show. Highlighted for 2016 will be the dryin W linear guide system constructed entirely of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP). Extremely lightweight, the carbon drylin rail features additional advantages over metallic solutions by being stiffer and non-magnetic. Available for travel lengths of up to 2 metres, the drylin W linear guide system is up to 60% lighter than a traditional steel rail system, and 40% less compared with, the ‘light’ alternative, an aluminium rail. This light weight system enables designers to develop a more cost effective solution where high dynamic movements are important, such as robots for manufacturing.

The electronics side of the show plays host to a large number of sensor, switching and control vendors. Manutech Europe will showcase its latest addition, the SCT-200W wireless CT system, a remote current sensing system designed to work with any energy meter that accepts 0.333 or 1V RMS transducers. An RF link is powered by the measured current and links to the controller at any current above 5A. with a range of up to 10m. Bernstein returns to Southern 2016, demonstrating a working ASi safety system. The firm will also be displaying its new contact-less safety monitoring switch (CSMS) alongside our normal safety switch, sensor and enclosure ranges.

Complementing the niche vendors are plenty of familiar big-name suppliers; RS Components, HepcoMotion, Lemo, ODU, Finder, Variohm Eurosensor among hundreds more. And this is by no means all: The show also hosts one of the biggest live displays of machining technology in the country. With major international manufacturers such as Amada, Bystronic, Bruderer, GF Machining, Yamazaki Mazak and Matsuura all demonstrating state-of-the-art tooling. There’s also welding systems from TPS Weldtech and Weldlogic; tooling from Quickgrind and ITC among thousands of other products on show.

A free-to-attend technical seminar programme will run in two lecture theatres over the three days of the show, giving visitors the opportunity to see discussions covering an easy array of business and technical subjects. The sessions are presented by an impressive line-up of expert presenters in their individual fields.