October 2019

30 years on, SPS gets a name change N ext month’s SPS automation show in Nuremberg, Germany, is the 30th time that the event has been held. It will also have a new name. After many years of being called SPS IPC Drives – with SPS being the German abbreviation for PLC – the show will in future be known simply as SPS, which is now an abbreviation for Smart Production Solutions. The exhibition’s concept and areas of focus will stay the same. The event’s organiser, Mesago Messe Frankfurt, says it is “taking the digital transformation of the industry into consideration, while continuing to promise relevance, expertise, and exchange on equal terms”. The organisers are expecting 1,650 exhibitors – a slight increase from last year’s 1,631 – with 1,100 of them coming from Germany. The 550 non-German exhibitors will be drawn from around 45 countries. Around 67,000 visitors are expected to attend – a modest increase on last year’s number. Around 20 of the exhibitors and 550 of the visitors are likely to make the trip from the UK. Based on surveys at previous shows, most of the visitors (around 71%) attend the event for a single day, while 7% extend their visit over the full three days of the show. The exhibition will reflect the major effects that digitisation is having on the automation industry, with exhibitors showing products and examples of digital transformation applications. IT providers are also increasingly being represented at SPS, and topics such as big data, cloud technology, 5G and artificial intelligence are being presented jointly with automation providers in practical demonstrations. Guided tours (some of them in English) will offer visitors the opportunity to obtain overviews of topics such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, product and machine simulation, industrial security in production, cloud ecosystems and predictive maintenance. The focus of the tours is on real-use cases. Joint stands at this year’s event include Automation meets IT in Hall 6, and the AMA Centre for Sensors and Measurement in Hall 4A. Visitors to these stands will be able to find out more about these topics and ask suppliers for advice. There will also be numerous free seminars on the show floor, some of them organised by the German industry associations VDMA and ZVEI, and others offering topic-specific presentations and podium discussions. The seminars will include both German and English language presentations. n The former SPS IPC Drives automation mega-show this year changes its name to simply SPS – or Smart Production Solutions. 2019 also marks the 30th time that the event has been staged. SHOW FACTS Where: Nuremberg, Germany When: Tuesday, 26 November 2019 - 9am–6pm Wednesday, 27 November 2019 - 9am–6pm Thursday, 28 November 2019 - 9am–5pm Entry: Free day tickets are available by pre- registering via the show’sWeb site Web site: www.sps-exhibition.com n SPS PREVIEW 58 October 2019 www.drivesncontrols.com Making its debut at SPS will be this liquid- cooled motor from ABM Greiffenberger which says that the machine will deliver high power densities and operate for long periods without overheating. The high- efficiency motors will be available in frame sizes 80 to 160, with outputs up to 100kW. It is possible to set a constant operating temperature, ensuring uniform expansion and allowing the motor to be fitted with µm accuracy. The motor can be cooled using water, oil or refrigerants. It can be combined with straight, parallel or right-angle shaft helical gearboxes.