Machine builders gather in the 1931 Congress Center

The world of mechanical engineering is changing rapidly. Big data, cyber security, deep learning, modular construction and predictive maintenance are all themes that will influence business operations and processes in the coming years. These developments were therefore high on the agenda of the sixth Machine Construction event, where a record number of a total of 525 visitors was recorded.

By: Dimitri Reijerman

The more than successful Machine Construction event was held in the 1931 Congress Center in Den Bosch. The opening presentation immediately went into depth: Serge Loosveld from Lely Industries, a company active in the agricultural sector, talked about how technology is also turning this sector upside down and what advantages building a start-up community offers .

Wim van Stratum works for Lightyear, a startup that has ambitious plans to market a solar car. He painted a picture of what is involved in setting up production for such an environmentally friendly vehicle that is full of green innovations. In an interview with FHI Stratum already indicated that his company can learn a lot from Tesla.

After the break, visitors could choose from numerous lectures covering almost all important developments within and outside mechanical engineering. For example, Mark Asselbergs, on behalf of Schneider Electric, talked about the transition from OT to IT processes and other factors that influence the digital transformation of mechanical engineering. In doing so, companies become complete data driven.

Luuk van Beurden (Koning & Hartman) talked about the benefits of IO-link in his lecture. According to Beurden, this standard is very useful for improving a machine and maintaining machine lines. Bidirectional communication between sensors/actuators and the IO-link master is a possible solution for this.

Like it Industrial Cyber Security event has already shown within the Industrial Automation sector, installing solid hinges and locks on the digital infrastructure is a must. Dylan Eikelenboom from IXON provided insights into how crucial machine data can be stored in a database as securely as possible. Points of attention include properly arranging user access, applying encryption and hashing, and using the 3-2-1 rule when making backups.

Marco Asbreek from A-Service gave a lecture about the benefits of decentralized control in intralogistics, where a modular design is the optimal choice. Peter Kanter, on behalf of Seifert Systems, discussed innovations and regulations regarding the cooling of switch cabinets.

With the provocative title 'Down with the PLC!' Herman Klaver and Alwin van Binsbergen from IJssel Technology & Sick BV described the funeral of the classic PLC. They explained how the company's galvanizing plants from Rotocoat PLCs were replaced by a completely software-based control system. Because while PLC programmers are becoming increasingly scarce, software offers more freedom in choosing software, provides cost benefits, and offers the opportunity to run simulations.

The lecture program and the Machine Construction event concluded with a lecture by Lodewijk van der Borg from Kaak Groep. He talked about the benefits of Quick Response Manufacturing (QRM), a methodology who has done his company no harm. After his QRM speech, it was high time for drinks to complete the successful event.