June 2019

26 n HANNOVER FAIR REPORT June 2019 www.drivesncontrols.com T he Hannover Fair, which took place in early April, drew 215,000 visitors to the Northern German city – a slight increase on last year’s total. The event is attracting increasing interest from outside Germany, with nearly 40% of the visitors coming from abroad – a significant increase on the 30% at the 2018 event. China once again contributed the largest number of foreign delegates with 7,200 of its citizens travelling half-way around the world to be at Hannover, followed by the Netherlands (5,900), Italy (3,400) and the US (3,400). There were around 6,500 exhibitors for them to see (up from 5,800 in 2018). In terms of technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and 5G communications were widespread themes, with the show’s organisers estimating that there were more than 500 demonstrations of the use of AI in manufacturing. Perhaps the biggest buzz was around the potential for high-speed, low-latency 5G communications in industrial applications. If it lives up to the hype, 5G could eventually replace traditional signalling cables, saving time and money and making it much easier to re-arrange factory layouts when needed. At Hannover, Nokia and Qualcommwere demonstrating a 5G test environment, while Ericsson and ABB signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) outlining a joint vision for future flexible production based on advanced automation and communication technologies. The two companies are already researching 5G and IIoT technologies, and, according to Ericsson’s president, Börje Ekholm, the MoU could lead to them “unlocking new business opportunities enabled by combining 5G and Industry 4.0”. It seems that 5G could have a major impact at the 2020 Hannover Fair. Over the coming months, Hannover will become the world’s first trade show venue to be equipped with 5G.“Next year’s Fair will feature numerous applications for 5G technology,”predicts Dr Klaus Mittelbach, CEO of Germany’s ZVEI industrial trade association.“Together with artificial intelligence, it’s going to be an important competitive factor.” Although it could take two more years to standardise 5G for industrial applications, this could lead to the emergence of 5G chips that equipment suppliers can embed into their products – a potential turning point for the technology. Over the next few pages, we highlight some of the products and technologies that were on show in Hannover this year. DRIVES AND MOTORS Baumüller has expanded its servomotor portfolio with a pair of water-cooled models (sizes 45 and 56), claiming it is the only manufacturer to offer small servomotors with a choice of cooling methods. The high-power- density water-cooled models save space and allow relatively small motors to achieve high nominal powers. They also avoid the need for fans. Beckhoff announced an IP65 power supply module for its AMP8000 distributed servodrives that allow complete drive systems A dominant theme at this year’s Hannover Fair was the emergence of 5G as potential game-changer for industrial communications. The high-speed, low- latency technology could oust traditional signal wiring inmany applications – although widespread adoption still seems several years away. 5G or not 5G? Photos: Deutsche Messe Water-cooled: Baumüller’s servomotors