ENGINEERING CHANGE IN A CONNECTED WORLD

For half a century, EMO has mirrored the great transformations in engineering, from the arrival of computer control to the rise of artificial intelligence. Technology journalist and contemporary witness Nikolaus Fecht has followed this journey closely. Here’s looking back at five decades of innovation and reflecting on how EMO has shaped—and been shaped by—the changing world of manufacturing.

In June 1975, almost all of Paris was dreaming of love – à l'électronique. As the new, electronically controlled RER high-speed train began its journey, the Centre Pompidou, with color-coded pipes and electronic building technology, was being built in the middle of the city. At the same time, the international machine tool industry celebrated the premiere of the ‘Exposition Mondiale de la Machine-Outil’—EMO for short—at the Parc des Expositions de la Porte de Versailles. The common denominator of the three events was that they heralded the global dawn of a new era in which electronics were gradually taking over.

Since EXPO 2000, trade visitors have been entering the Hannover Exhibition Center at Entrance North 1 through the striking wooden roof.

Farewell, EWA – that was the word in Paris in 1975 and two years later in Hannover. EMO was the successor to the ‘European Machine Tool Exhibition’, which had been held alternately in Belgium, Italy, France, and Germany since 1951. The continental industry show would become an international event, to which the European machine tool association Cecimo invited visitors alternately to Milan, Paris, and Hannover.

Numerical Control: Cam Disk and Camshaft Become Passé

For the first time, the European Machine Tool industry was showcasing itself at a trade fair with international appeal. One innovation from the USA in particular caused a stir in the mid-1970s: numerical control (NC) cam disks, camshafts, and mechanical copying devices were replaced by programmable control systems that allowed motion sequences to be flexibly defined via software for the first time. But this was just the beginning, observed a German trade journal at the time: “The first machine tool world congress concludes with a discussion on the future development of machine tool control in conjunction with the use of computers.” But it wasn’t that far yet; punched tape still dominated the scene—the classic storage medium for numerically controlled machines.

Fecht learned about the next step towards CNC—‘Computerized Numerical Control’—as a working student in the mid-1970s in Thyssen’s large training workshop in Kassel. However, the handling of this technology needed to be learned first: “Hands off, this is not for beginners!” a master craftsman told the budding electrical engineer as he curiously inspected his first CNC machine: A CNC machine tool over three meters high – equipped with an early Siemens control system. The student looked at a magnetic tape input system that glowed amber.

Japan’s Leap: CNC Adoption Accelerates

Circa 1999: Dry machining with HSC: High-speed machining entirely without cooling lubricant – what started out as an experiment at the beginning of the 21st century has become a symbol of resource-saving manufacturing.

No wonder Fecht was fascinated by the newcomer – after all, CNC was still a technical exception in the mid-1970s. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge (USA), less than five percent of machines in the United States were CNC-controlled, and only around two percent in the Federal Republic of Germany. Only Japan was much further ahead: In 1975, one in four lathes exported already had a CNC system — and the trend was rising sharply.

The production experts looked with enthusiasm at computer solutions from the Far East or the USA, but for a long time they were skeptical: Fecht was one of them. During his first visit to EMO in Milan in 1987, as a trade editor Fecht got to know high-tech from the Far East: Mitsubishi presented a CNC system that supposedly worked five times faster than conventional 16-bit systems and even optimized machining automatically thanks to artificial intelligence. For him as an engineer journalist, a new era was beginning, which Fecht referred to in the trade press as ‘CIMsalabim’ — a tongue-in-cheek allusion to ‘Computer Integrated Manufacturing’ (CIM), where robots, machine tools, assembly lines, measuring stations, and computers merged to form a computer-integrated factory.

The digital trend was soon followed by green issues—initially ridiculed, then promoted, and finally demanded. High-speed machining (HSC) played a key role. The process enabled extremely fast machining with high surface quality—and with very little or no cooling lubricants. At EMO Hanover 2001, Getrag Ford Transmission GmbH demonstrated how HSC and minimum quantity lubrication could be combined to conserve resources. During an on-site report for the EMO press service, Fecht learned: “One glass of Kölsch beer is enough to process 90 gearbox housings”—previously it was 220 liters of emulsion. The VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association) also recognized the potential early on. HSC became a promoted key technology, flanked by eco projects and the Blue Competence initiative. At EMO 2011 at the latest, it became clear that energy efficiency is no longer a sideshow.

Industry 4.0: From Label to Evolution

A few years later, a new guiding principle provided further impetus: Industry 4.0 stood for the idea of networking production systems using powerful computers, sensors, and interfaces in such a way that they could be controlled and analyzed in real time, even by cell phone. “A smartphone for production,” a developer said in a tongue-in-cheek manner at EMO Hanover in 2017.

Maschinenfabrik Heller has been implementing the EMO 2017 motto "Connecting systems for intelligent production" with its own networked production lines for years.

However, the first step was to link systems intelligently with one another. Under the guiding theme of ‘Connecting systems for intelligent production,’ EMO sent out a clear signal for digital networking in production technology. In 2019, umati (universal machine technology interface)—the global initiative for open communication interfaces for the mechanical engineering industry and its customers based on OPC UA information models and initiated by the VDW—celebrated its premiere. Since then, umati has continued to develop: Today, under the umbrella of VDW and VDMA (German Engineering Federation), the international community guarantees standardized information models for numerous applications, offers a platform for exchanging experiences, creates visibility on the market, and enables the practical demonstration of added value. Open interfaces now exist not only for machine tools, but also for components, software solutions, and many other manufacturing technologies—a decisive contribution to the smooth cooperation of a wide variety of systems in networked manufacturing.

The year 2020 became a test: Within a short space of time, virtual communication was established—a replacement for coronavirus-related contact restrictions. Companies switched to remote maintenance, digital customer formats, and flexible logistics. Further adjustments followed in 2022 with the loss of Russian gas supplies ranging from energy efficiency improvements to the realignment of global supply chains. Industry 4.0 was becoming a living practice. Virtual services such as remote maintenance, remote diagnostics, and online training were replaced on-site deployment in many places. Digital tools supported customer contact, while cloud-based platforms enabled training and support regardless of time and place.

Pandemic Lessons: Digital Service Becomes Standard

Fecht observed during his research that contactless communication worked efficiently: “Digitalization shows its strength especially in combination with online communication.” We are talking about troubleshooting, teleservice, and remote diagnostics, the flexibility of which many companies have come to appreciate in times of crisis. The pandemic therefore became a catalyst for digitalization—in service and interaction. This experience still shapes our service structure today. Some people wonder whether physical trade fairs are still necessary after all, virtual communication works surprisingly well these days.

Virtual communication was here to stay—but the next technological leap was already in the pipeline. Shortly after the digitalization push caused by the pandemic, an old acquaintance was back in the spotlight: artificial intelligence. While Asia and America were already investing, Professor Jörg Krüger from the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology IPK, Berlin, warned: “Without AI, soon a knockout (KO)”—and advised linking the domain knowledge of workers with neural networks. Data was the ‘digital gold dust’ of production, from which new business models could emerge. This claim became tangible at EMO 2023: Trumpf presented an AI assistance system for the automatic sorting of sheet metal parts, J.G. Weisser showed predictive maintenance based on learning algorithms. Mapal, Ceratizit, and the Fraunhofer IPT also demonstrated how AI optimizes manufacturing processes, reduces testing times, and makes machines more intelligent. AI was on its way from buzzword to standard—visible at more and more stands at EMO.

And yet EMO 2023 in particular showed that networking does not replace personal exchange but enriches it. Under the claim ‘Innovate Manufacturing’, the VDW attracted over 90,000 experts from all over the world to Hannover—around half of them from abroad. The trade fair impressively demonstrated that digitalization promoted dialog. In Hannover, Fecht had come full circle, having stood at his first CNC machine 50 years ago as a curious student worker—and now reviewing half a century of EMO experience as a technology reporter. His exciting question: What happens next?

His research shows that EMO 2025 will once again focus on digitalization, automation, and  sustainability—complemented  by new AI applications. Together with Siemens, DMG MORI will be showcasing an end-to-end digital twin. Sandvik Coromant will launch smart tool holders with real-time monitoring. Supfina will present a new machine concept for surface finishing, and VibroCut will introduce ultrasonic support for machining. At the same time, MAPAL reminds us that classic tool solutions still have their place. Franz-Xaver Bernhard, Chairman, VDW puts it in a nutshell: “The future of production is created where innovation meets experience—and that is precisely the strength of EMO.”

Compiled by Poonam Pednekar Chief Copy Editor Magic Wand Media Inc poonam.pednekar@magicwandmedia.in

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