February 2018

NEWS February 2018 www.drivesncontrols.com 2 attracting new exhibitors, including: the industrial data communications specialist, Insys Icom ; the Dutch cloud-based monitoring and servicing supplier, Ixon ; the manufacturing performance improvement software developer, OEEsystems International ; and the automation systems integrator, Capula . The cluster of exhibitions will be moving to the“new”section of the NEC for the first time this year, alongside the MTA’s Mach manufacturing technologies show. Following its successful debut at the 2016 show, the robotics demonstration area will be returning for the 2018 event, with working displays of the latest robot technologies, including collaborative robots. At the heart of shows, visitors will find the new Knowledge Hub, where a series of seminars and panel discussions will examine the theme, Smart Factory – Concept to Reality . Contributors will include leading industry figures and experts from organisations such as the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, Innovate UK, EEF, Gambica, the Manufacturing Technology Centre, Bara and the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. The shows will take place from 10–12 April at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham. You can pre-register to attend by visiting www.bit.ly/ DrivesControlsRegister www.drives-expo.com www.smartindustry-expo.com Drives & Controls Show is set to be the biggest ever THE 2018 DRIVES & CONTROLS SHOW, which takes place at the Birmingham NEC in April, looks set to be the largest ever with 13% more floorspace than the previous show held in 2016, which was itself a record-breaker. Stand space is filling up fast, with a flurry of bookings in the past few weeks, including exhibitors signing up from as far away as China. The show’s sales director, Nigel Borrell, says that the increase in size “confirms exhibitors’ confidence that the Drives & Controls Show – and the co- located events including the new Smart Industry Expo, Air-Tech, Plant & Asset Management and Fluid Power & Systems – are the UK’s leading exhibition for our industry”. ABB ’s motors and drives business will be returning to the show in its own right for the first time in several years with a stand that backs onto that of its recent acquisition, B&R Automation. Other recent bookings include: the automation and installation equipment supplier, Lütze ; Motion Control Products ; Bracknell-based Emolice , which is a distributor for the Israeli controls company, Unitronics ; and the electromechanical components suppler, Cyntech , which distributes products from Microprecision Electronics , among others. A new arrival on the EPTDA pavilion is the rings and clamps supplier, Rotor Clip . Another recent booking has come from the Chinese firm, Zhejiang Boesing Industrial . Other foreign exhibitors making the trip to the UK include the Turkish terminals and connectors manufacturer, Onka ; and the Canadian-French real-time simulation specialist, Opal-RT Europe . The new Smart Industry Expo has also been “The increase in size confirms exhibitors’ confidence that the Drives & Controls Show – and the co-located events – are the UK’s leading exhibition for our industry” The 2016 Drives & Controls Show is expected to be even bigger than the previous event in 2016 SIEMENS WILL stop selling its Micromaster family of variable-speed drives later this year, about 15 years after they were introduced. To help users to migrate to the newer Sinamics family, Siemens has produced a series of tools and guides, including a tool that suggests suitable replacements for Micromaster models. Siemens says that the Micromaster drives have reached the limit of their functionality and performance, and that the Sinamics models offer improvements in terms of power (up to 132kW) and performance, as well as offering functions such as integrated safety, positioning functions, Profinet/Ethernet IP communications, graphic commissioning, integrated DC link reactors, and extended pump, fan and compressor capabilities. Tools available from Siemens’Web site include one that converts Micromaster model numbers to their Sinamics equivalents, and another that is used to configure Sinamics-based systems. There is also a downloadable leaflet on the upgrade. Siemens’ distributor RS Components says it plans to stock the Micromaster range for as long as possible for users who cannot easily migrate to Sinamics. It is also stocking the Sinamics products and has set up a Web page to help its customers to upgrade. Siemens: https://goo.gl/zJgQ6r RS: https://goo.gl/GLe5gu Goodbye Micromaster, hello Sinamics