The KwaZulu-Natal Industrial Technology Exhibition (KITE), being held at the Durban Exhibition Centre between 18 and 20 July 2023, helps to drive the innovations of its exhibitors into the market. “One of the areas where we have seen tremendous growth is in the information technology field, with the advent of Industry 4.0, artificial intelligence (AI) and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) increasingly gaining momentum. KITE provides exhibitors who offer products and services in this sector with a platform from which to address an audience that is eager for solutions that will provide them with maximised productivity and optimised uptime,” says Charlene Hefer, portfolio director at Specialised Exhibitions – a division of Montgomery Group.
According to Forbes, “Strategic implementation of technologies supporting digital manufacturing continues to evolve, and implementing them will be a differentiating factor for companies in 2023. A digital manufacturing partner can help your company leverage the power of digital tools, streamline workflows, and make your team faster and more productive.” Hefer says that, together with various other industrial technology products and services, KITE 2023 will showcase several IT solutions.
Product efficiency with intelligent packaging software
To ensure that every product is assigned to its correct packaging, Pyrotec PackLink’s software (Stand C17) is a customisable solution that is fully integrated with production lines, to provide packaging intelligence and track waste, labour and resources, while increasing line visibility. The result is improved operational and equipment effectiveness, and the ability to expedite critical decisions. It makes automation easy with:
• System integration for overall equipment effectiveness.
• Product identification for packaging intelligence and quality control.
• Track and trace (RFID and serialisation).
• Markem-Imaje software for connecting centralised product data.
3D measurement software
Aberlink’s new range of CNC bridge-type CMM, named the Horizon, is supplied with the company’s Aberlink 3D measurement software. Widely regarded as the easiest to use software on the market, Aberlink 3D will construct a representation of a component on the monitor as it is measured. Dimensions between measured features can then be picked off and appear exactly as they do on the part drawing. The software incorporates GD & T dimensioning, RPS alignment and SPC data analysis. Further modules are also available for off-line programming of parts from a CAD model, and also for comparing measured results to the CAD.
Aberlink CMM customers of Caldeaz Manufacturing Technologies (Stand D3) are entitled to free-of-charge upgrades of their Aberlink 3D measurement software for the life of their CMM. The latest version of software is always available to download from the Aberlink website, and there are no software maintenance charges, thereby ensuring that the cost of ownership is also minimal.
Computer aided manufacturing
Modena (Stand E14a) has been Autodesk’s largest partner, and their only Platinum Partner in Africa. Autodesk provides customers with a portfolio of products that holistically drive the digital prototyping methodology. Digital prototyping in a nutshell is the concept of taking a new idea digitally through the Conceptual Design> Engineering Design> Simulation> Documentation> Visualisation phases, thereby reducing the need for an iterative physical prototyping process. Modena believes that this helps to drive improved business results by getting better quality products to market, faster and more cost-effectively.
Most of the latest technologies, such as generative design, are cloud-based and leverage immensely powerful cloud computing. However, working with large local datasets such as 3D point clouds and large complex assemblies puts a significant amount of strain on the designer’s workstation. Modena’s Powerful CAD workstations help its customers boost productivity by being able to handle these datasets with ease. This makes for a far more productive product design workflow. Modena has also partnered with Dell to provide the latest Dell server and workstation technologies and has developed its own brand of custom CAD workstations.
Manufacturing software (CAM) enables companies to manufacture the products that they have designed, and this is done through either subtractive or additive manufacturing processes.
The technology and services exhibited at KITE are complemented by the SAIMechE free-to attend Seminar Theatre, which covers diverse topics by industry spokespeople. In a similar vein, the Lifting Equipment Engineering Association of South Africa (LEEASA) conference is targeted at industry delegates interested or involved in the latest trends and regulations within the lifting industry.
© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved
printer friendly version