Supported by 30 of the tooling expert's technical partners offering machine tool, CADCAM, workholding, cutting fluids, automation, together with inspection and measurement technology, particular interest was shown in Seco’s custom tool manufacturing operation, where bespoke cutting tool solutions are designed and manufactured in-house, reports the company.
Of the September event, Mike Fleming, Seco’s sales and marketing manager, says: “We were delighted by the response from our technical partners. Last year’s event was supported by 15 – this year the number rose to over 30, which is just fantastic and demonstrates that Inspiration through Innovation has, in a relatively short time, become a ‘must attend’ event.”
In addition to partner exhibits and a number of machining and cutting demonstrations staged during the two-day event, a series of seminars covering a wide range of contemporary manufacturing issues and topics was organised, with attendance high - standing room only for some, reports Seco.
The seminars covered: the latest trends in the automotive industry; advanced roughing strategies; productivity in machining (turning) steel; reducing vibration during machining operations; and best-practice machining of titanium, stainless steels and nickel-based alloys.
Says Richard Jelfs, Seco’s managing director: “Last year, we held our first ‘Inspiration through Innovation’ Open House. It was well attended with some 300 visitors attending.
“This year we wanted the event to be bigger and better. We invited more technical partners to become involved; we increased the number of machining demonstrations and made sure they were more innovative, more challenging and, as a consequence, more appealing to visitors; and we ensured that our best-practice seminars were even more relevant and incisive.
“Our objective with Inspiration through Innovation was to create an inspiring and practical event that was truly customer-focused and that demonstrated to visitors and partners alike that significant improvements in productivity and performance are best achieved through collaboration and by sharing best practice.
“The feedback from this year’s event, from visitors, technical partners and the media, demonstrates that we achieved this objective and, certainly as far as visitor numbers were concerned, we exceeded our own expectations.”
And Seco reports that it has already been approached by a number of companies wishing to become involved and exhibit at the 2016 Open House event.
