Dr. Wilfried Schäfer, executive director of GrindingHub organizer VDW (German Machine Tool Builders' Association), is more than pleased with the figures.
He said: "This is positive news for all visitors because this high level of interest greatly increases the chances of success for all the well-known suppliers who are coming to Stuttgart to present a comprehensive overview of grinding technology, including all its key aspects. It also confirms to us, the organizers, that our concept for the event is clear and coherent."
A further factor which stands in favor of the event’s organizers – the VDW, Messe Stuttgart and the Swiss association Swissmem – is their in-depth knowledge of the industry, of the latest technical trends and, not least, of the key international players. This has made it possible to highlight specific topics on various special stands.
Prominent institutes and companies will present some of their special development topics on two GrindingSolutionPark stands. Exhibitors on the Science GrindingSolutionPark stand in Hall 10 (10D10) include the Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools (IFW) at Leibniz University Hannover, the Institute of Machine Components (IMA) at the University of Stuttgart, Inspire AG from Zurich, the Institute of Machining Technology (ISF) at the Technical University of Dortmund, the Leibniz Institute for Material-Oriented Technologies (IWT) from Bremen and the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering (WZL) at RWTH Aachen University.
Robert Zmich, research associate at IWT, is already looking forward to his institute's involvement: "Ongoing contact with other research institutes and, above all, industrial partners is extremely important for Leibniz-IWT because it can lead to new fields of research in response to current problems in industry. At GrindingHub, we can finally engage in this kind of dialog again, face-to-face."
Further research topics will be explored on the Industry GrindingSolutionsPark stand (7C40) in Hall 7. The focus here is on user-specific solutions. "We will be demonstrating our new machine for balancing grinding wheels in tool grinding machines. It was developed to take us to the next quality level in balancing accuracy. We are so pleased that people will be able to talk to each other again in person and, above all, that they will be able to network again," emphasizes Herrmann Diebold, CEO of Helmut Diebold GmbH & Co. in Jungingen.
Three further companies will also be presenting topics from the entire process chain on the special stand: Grinding Technology Srl from Cassine (Italy), Hermle Schleiftechnologie GmbH Deilingen-Delkhofen and Zollern GmbH & Co. KG from Herbertingen.
The StartupHub offers six young, innovative companies the chance to showcase their ideas and products at GrindingHub. The main focus is on different software solutions, but also on cylindrical and non-circular grinding machines.
Markus Westermeier, co-founder and CEO of Munich-based Spanflug Technologies GmbH, explained: "We are very pleased to be unveiling the latest version of our calculation software for manufacturing companies at GrindingHub. It can also be used to automatically calculate grinding operations for turned and milled parts."
Also taking part in the StartupHub are Rimon Technologies GmbH from Freienbach (Switzerland), G-Elements GmbH from Wallisellen (Switzerland), AtlasVR from Zurich (Switzerland), Oculavis from Aachen (Germany) and ultraTEC Anlagentechnik Münz GmbH from Laupheim (Germany).
Umati will also be seizing the opportunity to highlight the advantages of a world mechanical engineering language at the premiere of GrindingHub. The joint connectivity initiative of the VDW and VDMA (Mechanical Engineering Industry Association) will have its own stand (9D46) in Hall 9 at the trade show.
Dr. Alexander Broos, head of research and technology in the VDW: "We cannot wait to present the benefits of open, standardized interfaces based on OPC UA to a live audience. The umati brand gains its strength from the contact between old and new partners, from the mutual exchanges which take place, and from the establishment of a strong network. Visitors can find out more in the regular series of successful 'Meet the Expert' sessions.
"The team on the joint stand is being supported by the project partner, the Institute for Control Technology of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Systems (ISW) of the University of Stuttgart, as well as by the long-standing umati partner Orchestra Srl from Turin (Italy).
"Our exhibitors are in the starting blocks and are raring to go," says Wilfried Schäfer of the VDW, summing up the mood in the run-up to the event. "All the conversations I’ve had confirm that there is a great sense of anticipation among all participants about meeting again in person and networking. Many exhibitors have also been working hard on developing their products during the pandemic and are finally ready to present them to their customers in a live situation."
