The rapid manufacturing of prototype parts and molds that can be injected directly were the protagonists of this edition of EuroMold

Moulds manufacturing involves the intervention of numerous industrial sectors; manufacturers of raw materials, engineering design, machine tools, etc. This fact is clearly reflected in EuroMold, a fair in its fifth edition has shown dedication to international trade fair. As evidenced by the presence of corporate booths from Denmark, United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, Korea of the South, Taiwan, Hungary and Spain.

The proliferation of fairs, national and international, related to the processing of the metal sector, and more specifically with the manufacture of moulds, forcing companies to become more selective in deciding their attendance at professional salons.

For this reason, it is interesting to know the characteristics of the different fairs in order to analyze the possibilities that they can offer in relation to the expansion of markets and search for new areas of activity for potentially exhibiting companies. Also, it is important that visitors are aware beforehand the profile of exhibitors and its range of services. This way your visit will be more fruitful.

The five years of age by EuroMold in its last edition allows already make an appraisal of the fair and categorize it as an interprofessional Hall which accommodates all the actors involved in the design, manufacture and the use of molds.

Thus, this Hall may look like a drawer of sastre in which anything goes. However, the increase in the surface of exhibition and exhibiting companies show that professionals are more inclined to interdisciplinary fairs where it is possible to find very specific solutions, up to a range of global services. This type of service, in which a partner only takes care of everything, is possible thanks to the collaboration agreements between companies engaged in various stages of the process. This is the case of some of the Spanish as Clipterplast, Coproin or Naipexhibiting companies.

Clipterplast is a company specializing in plastic injection to collaborate with the Italian sp engineering, Delta , and thema-plast, dedicated to the design and product development and manufacturing of injection moulds. In this way Clipterplast has found the way to give your customers a complete solution, offering them the opportunity to participate with them since the beginning of the development of the piece. People - they affirmed during the fair Carles Gallifa, Director-General, and Xavier Ascón, Director of sales - want, more and more, buy systems." Surround ourselves with these Italian partners gives us the possibility of giving a differential value against other companies of injection"."

With a similar approach, although with a different activity, ran Coproin (Earls industrial processes), a company located in Ibi (Alicante) with more of ten years of experience in the manufacture of moulds and models. As pointed out his Manager, Angel Condés, "provide the customer throughout the process of production, contracting out those tasks for which we do not have media in our facilities." Among others, have means for the realization of fast prototypes, with a machine of 3D Systems Stereolithography and rapid mould"." In this sense, it is important to note that Coproin is licensee of Keltool (3D Systems) technology which offers to the market from this year. Keltool is a system that, from a piece performed by Stereolithography, provides a cast steel A6, even for complex parts, in a time of no more than a week. The system guarantees up to one million of injected parts.

On the same line is Naip, originally a great knowledge of injection and design engineering. Little by little, explained his business manager, Ricard Izquierdo, the company has been expanding its activities and now focuses on the management and development projects. The company has a center of metrology with digital and computerized machinery coupled to 3D measurements, projector profiles, digitization of support and video cameras. Since 1996, Naip collaborates with Fruth Innovative /company, specialized in obtaining parts by Stereolithography and PLT (technology laminated paper). It's a special for large pieces technology that creates models without distortion and with great precision. In addition, following the idea of complete solutions, both companies have created protox technologies for the realization of prototypes and the realization of preserial pieces prototype based on the models of rapid prototyping, with mold silicone, in a time of 2 to 4 weeks, according to the piece.

Overview of Euromold

While in the past leaders of Epsa participated in Euromold through partners, Hofmann and EOS, this time the company had an own stand. EPSA not only sold in Spain EOSmachines, but it has facilities in Barcelona where provides a complete service to the sector in the design and realization of prototypes. The Aquabar, an interesting device to obtain simple sparkling water at home, could be seen on its stand. EPSA introduced him at the fair as an example of what your company can make. After a few initial contacts in June of 1997, in September of the same year already provided the first prototypes. After the final decision of the client, Hofmann made the first eleven molds and already being marketed. We did everything in this device - says Georg Mühle-." Development, prototypes and the first steps for the construction of the mould then built our partner Hofmann. All this in only 8 or 9 months. We use the Stereolithography, the sinter and pieces of silicone"."

eb-rim, veteran of the Hall, It has also expanded its activities since its last participation. In fact, has been formed as a group, with four divisions: Tegraf (design and manufacturing engineering), EB-RIM new applications (manufacture of moulds of nickel), eb-rim euroblocks (production of advanced materials for tools, through collaboration with the German Obo, which supplies plate based polyurethane resins) and MSC (manufacture of composites for the aerospace industry parts).

Seropa presented at the booth examples of the type of executable pieces in their intended primarily for demanding sectors moulds, like medicine or the electrical and electronic.

Fidia has further reduced the size of their controls with the C2

Other Spanish companies which were present in this fifth edition were Hopama, Aurrenak, Hispamoldes, Matrise, Pema workshops and Tromosa.

The Federation of Spanish associations of Moldistas and millwrights, FEAMM, came back with a collective stand involving Tauvi, IMP, Moldinter, Molmat and Vert.

It is common practice that the organizing entities of professional events stand out the presence of companies in order to contribute to the international event. This was no exception in this fifth edition of EuroMold. Diana Schnabel, organizing management of the fair, said during the Conference opening that "EuroMold has acquired a global category". Perhaps this statement is too pretentious, however it is fairly faithful to reality. Evidence of this is the increase of the foreign presence among the exhibitors, which represented 31% of the total number of participation.

In addition to the company booths, professional associations also played a prominent role. They were Danish, of United Kingdom, of Italy, of Portugal, of Switzerland, of Spain, of Korea in the South of Taiwan and institutions, for the first time, Hungary.

In its fifth year of activity, EuroMold has managed to become an important site in the field of professional halls dedicated to the manufacture of moulds. However, the Organization constantly faces new challenges. One of the objectives, say the organizers, is to attract exhibitors from the manufacture of dies. "The truth, says Luis Zilhao, responsible for trade of EuroMold, that although the presence of millwrights is scarce, companies that have attended as exhibitor repeated." In general, they resist, but those who come are very satisfied of their participation"."