Hannover to highlight machine automation

Demonstrating why Germany’s engineering sector is a global front runner is the purpose of the special display Application Park at Hannover Messe 2008 (April 21-25), which has been jointly organized by the VDMA and Hannover Messe.

“We expect to see production grow by another five per cent in real terms this year”, says Dr. Ralph Wiechers, Chief Economist at the VDMA, the trade association representing Germany’s mechanical and plant engineering sector.

“No other country can offer such a broad range of machinery, plant and software solutions”

Hence, in Hall 17, some 75 suppliers of robotics, automation systems, software and mechanical engineering products will be showcasing their high-tech automation solutions for the mechanical engineering sector. The emphasis will be on practical applications and live demonstration.

Linux live
“Visitors can take a look behind the scenes and see what industrial manufacturing really looks like up close,” explains Dr Carsten Emde, Executive Secretary of the industry cooperative, Open Source Automation Development Lab (OSADL).

“By staging these live demonstrations in real time we want to open visitors’ eyes to the possibilities. We’ll be using the latest generation of machines to show how the open-source principle allows us to create software more sophisticated and more powerful than anything that has yet been seen,” says Dr Emde.

At a press conference on 21 April, Andrew Morton, one of the key software specialists behind the development of the Linux kernel will be answering topical questions its use in industrial environments. This is followed on 22 April by an all-day congress on the theme “Linux and Open Source in Industry”.

Future peek
Another highlight is Beckhoff, which is teaming up with its technology partners to present “PC Control - Open Platform for Advanced Automation”, a live demonstration designed to highlight the potential of open control technology.

Beckhoff says that it intends to show the PC as a powerful hardware platform that has enough capability to take on other software-based functions in addition to basic system control functions. For example, the integration of vision systems, condition monitoring or high-speed metrology applications in systems control.

Managing Director Hans Beckhoff: “The integration of high-end metrology into automation control will be an essential foundation of scientific automation. At Hannover Messe 2008 we will be giving visitors a peek into the future.”