PRODUCTS & PRACTICES: HANOVER FAIR
Ammeraal Beltech and
Megadyne, which recently
merged under the AMMEGA
group name, exhibited together.
Key products that were presented
included Ammeraal Beltech’s
uni UltraFit Two-part Sprocket
System, with interchangeable
adapters, for efficient conveying;
the multi-directional uni QNB
Ball Belt, now employed in
intralogistics, materials handling,
packaging and manufacturing;
the Soliflex PRO positive-drive
belting solution for bakery and
foods, offering ‘optimal’ hygiene;
and the Maestro Splicing Tool for
quick on-site results.
Charamel GMBH revealed
a range of different products.
They included ‘Virtual Trainer’
– a training and management
platform for statutory instruction
and e-learning, as well as
‘AI-Chat Assistant: Ask Sascha’,
a digital assistant that helps
with questions about work
safety, automation or operation.
Another product on display was
‘AR-Support Assistant’, which
helps with the operation and
function of technical devices with
the aid of augmented realitybased
training and 3D assistance.
CloudRail launched a system
that allows IO-Link-capable
sensors and actuators to be
connected to cloud platforms,
such as Microsoft Azure, AWS
or the Alibaba Cloud, using
a ‘Plug&Play’ approach. The
so-called ‘CloudRAIL.Box’
(pictured, right) recognises
and configures – completely
automatically – connected IO-Link
masters and sensors, and sends
the data to cloud platforms.
Cummins featured the new
HSK78G natural gas generator
series (pictured, right). With a
power density from 1.6 to 2.0
MW from a 78L engine across
50Hz and 60Hz, the HSK78G
generator models are suitable for
a diverse set of industries from
landfill and agricultural biogas,
to manufacturing, greenhouses
and hospitals. Cummins said that
the series has been designed to
operate reliably in any operating
conditions, while achieving a low
total cost of ownership.
Entrust Datacard
representatives showcased the
Entrust Datacard ‘ioTrust Security
Solution’. ioTrust provides security
at the ‘edge’ by creating unique
identities for edge nodes and
provisioning the certificates to be
managed — securing the data that
is transmitted between device
sensors and micro services.
Ericsson and Comau
showcased the digital twin
enabled by the 5G connectivity
at Hanover. This project, which
is currently being tested,
represents a further step in the
long-lasting partnership between
Ericsson and Comau, aimed at
developing new use cases and
solutions for Industry 4.0 and
smart manufacturing, thanks to
the potential offered by the fifthgeneration
mobile technology.
Comau and Ericsson showed a
digitised version of an assembly
line in an automotive plant.
Using special glasses for virtual
reality applications, visitors were
immersed ‘in the line’ and could
‘move’ within it, monitoring the
key parameters of the processes
and of the machines, such as
vibrations, temperature, pressures
and absorptions.
The Oldenburg-based branch
of Fraunhofer IDMT presented
a speech-to-text process
documentation system that can
be used in industrial settings. The
speech recognition system allows
users to efficiently capture various
kinds of information with the help
of automatic speech recognition,
leading to time and cost savings.
It uses intelligent speech-totext
technology to provide a
convenient, hands-free user
interface, which is said to work
reliably also in noisy and rough
environments, and which does not
have to have access to a server or
the Internet.
Also on display was a system
for acoustic condition monitoring
of industrial machines, which
is also available ‘as a service’.
The solution uses smart acoustic
sensors to monitor the condition
of an industrial machine by
analysing the sound it produces.
This allows operators to detect
malfunctions at a very early stage,
so that machine downtime can be
reduced.
Igus demonstrated how
motion plastics are increasingly
becoming high-tech components,
with 120 new products on display
– from the intelligent plain
bearing to an online platform
that brings suppliers and users of
cost-effective robotics together.
With its ‘motion plastics’ core
technology, igus ventures into
new areas of industry every year:
3D printing for wear-resistant
parts with a service life that
can be calculated online, smart
plastics, energy chains with
a travel of 1,000 metres and
lubrication-free polymer ball
bearings.
Manus VR, along with its
partner Imsys, gave visitors a
chance to try out brand new
training demos with the Manus
VR Gloves. Manus VR’s Studio is
a full-service VR content agency.
It develops immersive and easyto
use VR training. Commercial
director Bart Loosman said: “We
want companies to experience
virtual reality to its fullest
potential while they can continue
Hanover Fair round up
The Hanover Show (1-5 April, Germany) featured six themed
exhibitions: ComVac, Digital Factory, Industrial Supply, Integrated
Automation, Motion and Drives, Integrated Energy, and Research
& Development. Following last months focus on ComVac, OE has
rounded up product launches and news from the event...
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