A hotspot for international foundry and metalwork technology

With 2,000 exhibitors and around 78,000 metalworking professionals expected to attend from around the world, Düsseldorf will once again become a hotspot for international foundry and metalwork technology from 25 to 29 June 2019. Under the slogan “The Bright World of Metals”, the trade fair quartet, comprising GIFA, NEWCAST, METEC and THERMPROCESS, covers the entire spectrum both in-depth and with a wide scope, ranging from foundry technology, casting products, metallurgy and thermal processing technology. But what would this international quadruple trade fair be without its extensive supporting programme for experts? The international conferences, symposiums and industry meetings are unique platforms for expertise, bringing theory and practice together and offering an amazing opportunity to network and exchange with other tradespeople.

The trio for success: METEC & EMC & ESTAD

METEC and its accompanying conferences, the EMC – European Metallurgical Conference and the ESTAD – European Steel Technology and Application Days, form an unbeatable trio. The ESTAD, held from 24 to 28 June, focuses on the raw material steel, along with its manufacturing, applications and steel within the context of environmental engineering and energy. For steel manufacturers, suppliers and operators, this five-day conference is an absolute must. Ultimately, this English-speaking conference is split into five topic areas:

• Iron production
• Steel production
• Rolling and forging
• Steel materials and their applications, additive manufacturing techniques, surface technology
• Environmental protection and energy

The 4th ESTAD is organized, in tried-and-tested tradition, by the Steel Institute VDEh (Association of German Steel Manufacturers) in cooperation with its partners, the Austrian Society for Metallurgy and Metals and the Associazione Italiana di Metallurgia. More detailed information and tickets are available online at: www.metec-estad2019.com.

METEC isn’t the only institution that’s celebrating a decade in action - the EMC is also celebrating its tenth edition next year. The European Metallurgical Conference is the most important conference for non-ferrous metallurgy in Europe and starts two days before the METEC. Its main theme is the optimal use of resources and recycling to provide a sustainable solution. This exclusively English-speaking Conference is an invitation from the GDMB (Society of Metallurgists and Miners) and is oriented towards metal producers, equipment manufacturers and service providers, as well as universities and engineering firms. Buy tickets and register from January 2019 via the following link: https://emc.gdmb.de/registration.

THERMPROCESS complete with symposium and special show

Theory and practice are also united at the two THERMPROCESS events, the FOGI special show, from FOGI, the Research Association for Industrial Furnace Engineering in the VDMA (Mechanical Engineering Industry Association) and the THERMPROCESS symposium from VDMA Metallurgy. The symposium illuminates topics that are current within thermal processing technology via a multitude of speeches from experts. The following topics form the main focus of this:

• New combustion technology
• Resource conservation and energy efficiency, with particular attention to CO2 and NOx emission reduction
• Challenges posed by variation in gas quality, specifically when alternative fuels are fed in
• Current and future requirements for thermally treated automotive materials
• Heat treatment concepts in thermal processing technology
• Industry 4.0 and implementing it in thermal processing technology

In addition to these speeches, renowned research institutes from the thermal processing technology sector will present their subject areas and current research work in the FOGI special show in Hall 10.

GIFA & NEWCAST: A firecracker for the foundry industry

The VDG (German Foundrymen’s Association) and the BDG (Confederation of German Foundry Industry) ignite a firecracker at GIFA and NEWCAST. The Foundry Meeting in Hall 13 (Stand D 04), which has been redesigned, serves as the main draw throughout the entire run of the trade fair with its different themed areas. In the “Technology in Casting” area, BDG member companies present the entire range of foundry working materials. Marvel at cast components in “World of Castings”, which is right next door. Alongside this, high-quality, exciting speeches will also be given on the five days of the trade fair at the BDG forum. Wednesday is dedicated to the foundries, which proffer information on the latest innovations in the foundry industry and outline practical solutions for daily foundry work and routines at the NEWCAST FORUM in Hall 13. On 26 June, the day will be topped off with the presentation of the NEWCAST Award for innovative cast parts. The two-day GIFA Forum bookends this event (it takes place on 25 and 27 June). Foundry suppliers present the latest trends and techniques here.

Two special shows, organised by the House of the Foundry Industry (Düsseldorf), provide clarification on two of the latest themes to crop up.  One of these is the subject of digitalisation and its impact on the foundry industry, and the other is innovative solutions for preventing CO2 emissions. Here, the as yet untapped potential in waste heat utilization, in particular, offers foundries significant opportunities to reduce energy costs and CO2 emissions.

At the first established European CAEF Forum, visitors can see presentations on successful flagship projects and country-specific challenges in the countries which are members of the CEAF on Friday 28 June.

The foundry industry: Caught between tradition and modernity

The VDG celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019. In line with this, the BDG Forum on Saturday 29 June is completely devoted to the foundry industry’s development over the last 150 years. We will also look into the future to provide a contrast with this in the big Next Generation area (Hall 13, Stand C 38), which runs throughout the entire trade fair and focuses on the following aspects:

• What can school pupils, apprentices and students expect to find in the foundries of the future? To answer this question, various projects will be presented in the exhibition space, for example how much casting is integrated into a car? We take a car apart to find out.
• What have the various universities and foundry institutes got to offer in the affiliated Institute Show?
• Where can you find training locations for foundry mechanics?

More information on the entire program can be found online at www.bdguss.de from February 2019.

Premiere: Conference & special show on additive manufacturing

The special show in Hall 13 and the trade conference on additive manufacturing premier at the GIFA. Whether you work in pattern and die making, in core making or in direct metal printing, foundries and their suppliers can open up tons of unforeseen potential using additive manufacturing. Both of the events acknowledge this proven fact. The “3D metal printing” trade conference focuses on the following hot topics on 26 June by giving technical lectures on them:

• How foundries are profiting from 3D printing
• Innovations in 3D metal printing
• Digital process chain
• Quality assurance
• Looking deeper and further into the possibilities

The Conference Leader and Moderator is Sebastian Bremen, the Director of the Aachen Center for 3D Printing and Group Manager for Laser Powder Bed Fusion at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT). The event organizer is Süddeutscher Verlag Veranstaltungen,

source: Messe Dusseldorf, photo: Messe Düsseldorf / ctillmann