MACH 2026 space filling up fast

The ballots for MACH 2026 have concluded and the floor plan is filling up rapidly. With strong on-site sales, MACH 2026 is already well over 50% occupied. The organiser is now encouraging further potential exhibitors to book early to secure a prime location on the floorplan and spread the cost over several months with flexible payment options.

At the last show in 2024, exhibitors reported a £200m in sales directly attributable to the event. With over 26,000 attendees at MACH 2024, exhibitors tapped into an audience eager to discover the latest advancements. In fact, 93% of exhibitors generated significant leads, highlighting the potential for 2026 participants to forge lasting connections and increase their reach.

More information www.machexhibition.com

Dedicated press for fuel cell applications

Aida Engineering is now selling its new BEX series presses as dedicated machines for forming metal separators for the bipolar plates used in fuel cells and electrolysers (water electrolysis devices). With a design based on the Aida high-rigidity, high-precision UL series, BEX series presses are intended for the high-precision forming of thin plates.

Fuel cells, used in fuel cell vehicles and home energy-use fuel cells, are power generation devices that extract the electricity generated by electrochemical reactions between hydrogen and oxygen. Furthermore, the development of electrolysers is also progressing in preparation for a future hydrogen-based society. In turn, demand for the bipolar plates required for these devices is expected to increase.

Separators are critical components for bipolar plates, and they have narrow, tightly-spaced channels that allow hydrogen and oxygen to pass through them. Mass production is possible using cold-forming presses to form metal plates, such as stainless steel plates. High-precision product accuracy is required when forming metal separators, and there were many issues that arose because the designs of conventional presses made it difficult to achieve the needed product accuracy.

Aida participated in a bipolar plate subcommittee at a European research institute and studied the various elements required of presses in order to form metal separators. This led to the development of the BEX series.

Although BEX presses have a one-point design for accommodating centrally-concentrated forming loads at the centre of the press, they also provide a wide area to accommodate multi-stage forming. Rigidity is approximately two times better than Aida’s UL series presses.

More information www.aida.co.jp/en

30 million strokes in just over two years

Sutherland Presses says that one of its valued customers in Jalisco, Mexico, has achieved remarkable results with two of its 200-ton mechanical presses, setting a benchmark for reliability and performance. In just over two years, the presses have completed 30 million strokes, operating with minimal downtime.

Running 24 hours a day from Monday to Saturday, the machines achieve approximately 180,000 strokes daily. This performance has allowed Sutherland’s customer to meet its output targets on a consistent basis and confidently present production volumes to its own clients.

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A significant factor behind this success is continuous communication with the service team at Sutherland Presses and adherence to a rigorous preventive maintenance schedule. Certified technicians, armed with advanced diagnostic tools, deliver meticulous maintenance services that have already helped companies reduce their downtime by more than 40%.

Also integral to success has been the I-Press control and automation system. This system enhances operator guidance with over 130 monitored press faults and provides on-screen sequential steps for resolution, ensuring smooth operations. It offers expanded job memory capacity for storing over 200 jobs with alpha-numeric job names and remote connectivity for assistance and monitoring. High customisation and expandability options without costly chip replacements, along with upgrades unlocked directly from software, make it a useful tool.

I-Press also includes programmable cams, a die monitor I/O for detailed control configurations, tonnage monitoring to protect tooling, and on-screen fault diagnostics and troubleshooting for quick issue resolution.

More information www.sutherlandpresses.com

Ifm and Schuler agree digital co-operation

To monitor and improve quality in press shops through digitalisation, Ifm and Schuler Group have struck a co-operation agreement. The aim is to offer customers more transparency and increase efficiency in sheet metal forming.

Sheet metal forming presses are among the most important machines in all industries in which the processing of sheet metal takes place. The Schuler Group has 180 years of experience in forming technology and is the world’s market leader. Using digital solutions such as Track & Trace, Visual Die Protection or DigiSim, the company offers numerous tools that support digitalisation in press shops. Ifm SmartStamp expands this offering with a software tool that detects tilting, eccentricity and the resulting tilting moment on forming presses within milliseconds.

“If the ram tilts too far, the press guides are subject to excessive strain and will incur damage in the long term,” explains Christoph Schneider, vice president of product management applications at Ifm.

The tool protects the press from excessive wear and damage and helps to improve availability. SmartStamp is integrated into the Moneo IIoT platform, and now also into the Metris platform from Andritz, Schuler’s parent company.

“Thanks to combination with the data from our cloud-based digital solutions, customers benefit from interoperability and, consequently, even higher transparency in the press shop,” emphasises Rohitashwa Pant, chief digital officer of the Schuler Group.

The co-operation agreement provides for collaboration in sales. It is immaterial which system customers use when they start to digitalise. They can expand their digitalisation solution with the other system at any time.

More information www.schulergroup.com

Stamping specialist pivots into space industry

In an exciting development for the UK’s space sector, Brandauer is making significant strides in creating cutting-edge components for space motors. This initiative is part of the £1m ‘Pivot into Space’ programme, funded by the UK Space Agency and led by the Midlands Aerospace Alliance.

Brandauer recognised the potential to apply its capabilities to the space industry’s unique challenges. This project under the Pivot into Space programme focuses on enhancing the company’s ability to stamp ultra-thin electrical steels, a crucial factor in improving motor efficiency and reducing weight and mass – both key considerations for space applications.

One of the most innovative aspects of Brandauer’s work is eliminating the need for secondary stamping lubrication. This development is particularly significant as it reduces the risks associated with vacuum outgassing in the space environment. By removing trace materials from the manufacturing process, the company is addressing a key concern for components destined for use in space.

In parallel with these advancements, Brandauer is developing cutting-edge bonding technologies. The company’s work on infrared and in-die glue bonding aims to improve tensile shear strength, temperature management and thermal resistance of components. These improvements are crucial for the harsh conditions encountered in space operations.

Brandauer’s project exemplifies the goals of the Pivot into Space programme, which aims to help SMEs leverage their existing capabilities to enter the high-growth space industry. The programme provides not only financial support but also valuable technical and commercial guidance, helping companies like Brandauer to overcome the significant barriers typically faced when entering this demanding sector.

More information www.brandauer.co.uk