INDUSTRY NEWS
Blechexpo 2023 is fully booked
Celebrating an iconic band
A new and colourful instalment , created by Wirral-based Diamond Precision Engineering in the UK , has been protected from the elements “ with a little help from its friends ” at Merseyside Galvanizing Ltd .
Last year , Paul McCartney celebrated his 80th birthday and The Beatles Story Museum at Albert Dock , alongside Hofner Guitars , commissioned a sculpture to commemorate his six-decade career . The guitar , which is four metres long and three metres high , pays homage to the iconic Liverpool band , The Beatles , and is to take pride of place in Liverpool City Centre ( UK ).
Oliver Pitt , Director , Diamond Precision Engineering , commented : “ We were tasked with fabricating this incredible guitar figure to celebrate Paul McCartney ’ s 80th birthday . Both the guitar and panels surrounding it are made from 6mm mild steel , which we laser cut and secured to a box section frame . We then sent it over to the team at Merseyside Galvanizing to protect it from the elements , before it was powder coated and wrapped in vinyl logos .”
At Merseyside Galvanizing , the guitar sculpture was entirely submerged , and hot-dipped , in its large molten zinc bath . Coating the metal completely , this process allows the piece to be protected from corrosion , preparing it for its permanent placement in the city centre .
Richard Smetham , Sales Manager , Merseyside Galvanizing Ltd , explained : “ It has been an incredibly exciting project and a privilege to have been asked to protect this fantastic piece as a tribute to Paul McCartney , and The Beatles , in their hometown . Thanks to the protection against corrosion that galvanizing provides , it will be rust-free in another 70 years and so can be admired and enjoyed by passers-by for the foreseeable future .” n
Preparations for the 16th Blechexpo international trade fair for sheet metalworking , together with the 9th Schweisstec international trade fair for joining technology , are running “ at full bore .” The trade fair duo will take place from 7-10 November 2023 , showcasing modern , forward-looking sheet metal processing and entire process sequences . The event is supported by a supplementary programme including “ Best- Award 2023 ” and the “ Blechexpo Steel Convention 2023 ”.
Trade fair promoter , P . E . Schall , has now announced a full house for the show . The nine halls at the Stuttgart Exhibition Centre are fully booked , reported Georg Knauer , project manager of Blechexpo / Schweisstec .
“ Interest in Blechexpo / Schweisstec is once again enormous ,” confirmed Knauer . “ Most exhibitors booked again immediately after the last event in 2021 , and even requested additional booth floor space for 2023 .”
The trade fair team has structured the current layout of the nine halls for Blechexpo / Schweisstec in a targeted manner . Sheetmetal , pipe and profile processing will be in halls 1 , 3 , 5 and 9 . Halls 4 and 6 are reserved for stamping technologies . Cutting , joining and fastening technologies will be presented in hall 7 . Hall 8 will focus on pressing and forming technologies . Steel and metal services , as well as surface finishing technology , will be addressed in hall 10 .
Held every two years , the trade fair presents issues covering all aspects of thermal and mechanical sheet-metal processing , along with system peripherals including controllers and software , as well as solutions for handling and quality assurance .
“ The sheet metalworking industry is currently facing the challenges of energy efficiency , resource conservation and costeffectiveness , which is why high priority is being placed on ever greater degrees of digitalisation and automation to optimise processes ,” commented the show organiser . Blechexpo / Schweisstec ’ s “ Best-Award
2023 ” for outstanding innovation will be
presented for the sixth time in cooperation with trade journals Blechnet and MM Maschinenmarkt . The five award categories are : 1 ) sheet metal , pipe and profile processing 2 ) stamping technologies 3 ) cutting , joining and fastening technologies 4 ) pressing and forming technologies and 5 ) steel and metal services , as well as surface finishing technology . Exhibitors are invited to submit their entries to www . blechnet . com Submission is free of charge . The winners will be chosen and the innovations unveiled at a ceremony on the first day of the trade fair .
The “ Blechexpo Steel Convention 2023 ” will take place as a highlight at 1 p . m . on the first day of the trade fair . In keeping with the theme “ Challenges in the Steel Markets in 2023 ”, attention will be focused on the issues of climate protection , the green transformation , decarbonisation and the costs of steel production . Speakers from leading companies with international operations will address these issues . Interested parties are requested to register bindingly with full name and telephone number by 15 October 2023 at hgd @ stahlkommunikation . de
A “ futureSteel ” congress has also been scheduled for the second day of the trade fair , in cooperation with Marketsteel Media from Düsseldorf . The event will focus on the future of the steel industry and the issue of green steel . Research institutes will also present their projects in theory and in experimental practice . n
. blechexpo-messe . de