The Carfulan Group has reported its busiest trade show ever, with thousands of people flocking to Birmingham’s NEC to witness the full range of complementary manufacturing technologies it offers.
The Derbyshire-based group hailed MACH 2018 a huge success, with hundreds of potential new customers discovering ground-breaking solutions covering multi-sensor inspection equipment, 3D printing, offline tool pre-setting and inspection and turned-part measurement.
This year, Carfulan opted for a crosshair-shaped open-plan stand that allowed visitors to flow freely between four areas hosting each of its companies – OGP UK, SYS Systems, ZOLLER UK and VICIVISION UK.
Seated hospitality areas proved extremely popular, allowing visitors to speak more in-depth to engineering experts about their specific manufacturing applications and challenges. Some orders were placed there and then.
Carfulan Group Managing Director Chris Fulton said: “We really took things to a new level this year with the quality of the stand, which reflected the best-in-class products that we supply to businesses keen to make better products with maximum efficiency.
“People responded by coming to see us in their droves, with many pleasantly surprised to find that more than one of our companies had technology that was relevant to improving their manufacturing processes and taking them forward towards Industry 4.0.
“For example, our 3D-printing experts from SYS Systems were able to demonstrate how printing jigs and fixtures in tough, durable materials can save significant amounts of time and money across a whole range of operations.
“It was a fantastic week and the feedback we’ve received has been nothing but positive. We’re already planning for and looking ahead to the next MACH in 2020.”
OGP UK’s flagship Vantage 450 SmartScope system proved a big hit at MACH, which ran from April 9 to 13. Visitors brought along their most complex parts to find out how the multi-sensor, non-contact Vantage could measure them with the highest standards of accuracy, repeatability and speed, giving real-time results via intuitive ZONE3 software.
Alongside its best-in-class tool pre-setting and inspection devices, ZOLLER UK’s new Smart Cabinets range went on public display in the UK for the very first time at the show.
This diverse range of manual and automated solutions record, manage and store tools, perishables, accessories, fixtures and test devices ergonomically and intuitively, meaning no more manual searching, no more incorrect storage and no more down time due to missing items.
VICIVISION UK, a supplier of high-performance optical and non-contact measuring machines for turned parts, used MACH as the launch platform for its impressive Techno series and new Metrios 2D measurement system.
Using touch-screen technology, the Metrios takes digital optical measurement to a new level by performing accurate and objective part-quality tests directly in the production room, increasing productivity and reducing costs.
SYS Systems, the UK platinum partner for Stratasys, displayed the Fortus 450, which 3D prints jigs, fixtures, factory tooling, end-use parts and functional prototypes faster than ever before.
The machine uses a vast range of engineering-grade and high-performance thermoplastics such as carbon-filled Nylon 12, an ultra-tough material primarily used in aerospace, automotive and consumer goods industries.