In a first for the Southern Manufacturing & Electronics exhibition, which has been running annually since 1997, the organisers – Easyfairs – have selected from more than 500 exhibitors this year 19 firms that its panel of judges regards as outstanding innovators. They have been allocated a separate page on the show website: www.southern-manufacturing-electronics.com/en/product-category/innovation-gallery
Event director Simon Farnfield said, “Having just taken over ownership of the event, Easyfairs is keen to maintain the intimate look and feel of Southern and its approximately 50-50 split between mechanical and electronic engineering. So 2025 will be very much business as usual, but we have also been innovating to make the visitor experience even more user-friendly.
“For example, we have introduced smart badges so people are automatically emailed literature, saving them from having to carry heavy brochures around all day. There is also a new app, Southern Connect, for matchmaking with other visitors. Our innovation gallery is yet another new feature, designed to steer our more than 9,000 visitors to some of the most ground-breaking developments around the showground.”
The innovation winners
Haimer UK will present its Automation Cube One automated cobot cell, which has 12 CNC axes for autonomous shrinking and unshrinking of tools and for precise measurement and presetting. The world’s first power chuck with a built-in boring ring, the Samchully JBM/JBH, will be on the Thame Workholding stand. The X-DIAS I/O compact, modular input/output system for customised circuit boards from SIGMATEK Automation UK is an electromechanically-adapted expansion of the company’s customer-specific printed circuit board designs.
The ever increasing complexity of machined components has prompted Powdertech Surface Science to introduce INTRICOAT 3D, a bespoke masking system designed using CAD to prevent burrs and other imperfections, a service that it has extended with a separate facility for small parts. A next-generation, shop floor hardened, non-cartesian coordinate measuring machine with a delta kinematic structure and five built-in temperature sensors is how Aberlink describes its Extol CNC CMM, which won the King’s Award for Innovation last year.
A major distributor of plastics across Europe, Plastoplan Polymers will introduce visitors to PK SAXAKETON Polyketone, a strong, tough, ductile polymer with a tensile yield stress of 60MPa, good stiffness retention, a tensile and flexural modulus of 1.5 to 1.7 Gpa, and very high elongation at yield of 25%, making it ideal for snap-fit assemblies. CREAT3D will offer innovative Formlabs and Markforged additive manufacturing machines and the latest high-performance nylons, carbon fibre composites, metals and flexible materials, plus insider tips on how to successfully integrate additive manufacturing in-house or benefit from outsourcing it.
SiTEST will explain how by providing accurate and reliable test results, its Saifon module tester for batteries used in electric vehicles, energy storage systems, consumer electronics and industrial equipment helps to ensure the safety, performance and longevity of battery systems. On the Plastek UK stand, the Seaweed Chip Fork is a 100% biodegradable fork made from seaweed and plant based materials that can even be eaten, the perfect alternative to single-use plastic forks. A new line of Notoxicom low-toxicity flame-retardant materials will be featured by Polymer Compounders, avoiding the harmful chemicals in traditional flame-retardant polymers that pose significant health and environmental risks.
Integrating adaptive AI capabilities with optical hardware, Tinius Olsens’ ground-breaking Vector technology represents a step change in extensometer technology, replacing multiple contacting and non-contacting sensors with a single instrument capable of automating the process of capturing strain and improving measurement accuracy and operator safety. Matta’s Grey-1 is another AI system designed to revolutionise manufacturing, especially3D printing, by leveraging advanced machine learning algorithms to optimise production and enhance part quality.
OnTrak wireless precision lubrication from UE Systems revolutionises bearing maintenance with an integrated system harmonising ultrasound, vibration and temperature monitoring in a unified sensor to deliver not just data but also decisive action. Heat exchanger and cooling plate components manufacturer Advanced Chemical Etching gains a place in the top 19 due to the company’s expertise in the use of chemical etching technology to manufacture intricate and precise parts, such as printed circuit heat exchangers, cold plates for cooling electronic components, heat sinks and custom components.
The UK’s official supplier of products made by PMT Technologies, Manchester Metrology will show the GAMMA Series of portable measuring arms with 5G Wi-Fi connectivity. With the world’s first external decoupling and internal balancing system, they are designed for usability, efficiency and flexibility and feature an innovative dual suspension support structure that offers enhanced stability and usability. Frequency control products and battery solutions provider Jauch Quartz UK, whose portfolio includes quartz crystals, oscillators, MEMS timing devices, and lithium-polymer,-ion, -thionyl chloride and -manganese dioxide batteries, will announce its new, in-house battery certification centre for conducting tests such as the UN38.3 transport test and the IEC62133 safety standard.
The new DeepReview 3D automatic optical inspection process, an AI-based, automatic defect classification system from Mycronic, makes it possible to apply full test coverage to any product mix of printed circuit boards without fear of false calls, as interested parties who call on the stand will learn. Ecotile Flooring’s modular, low-maintenance, interlocking floor tiles solve damaged flooring problems and can be fitted without disruption. Developed over a 2-year period working exclusively with the Ministry of Defence, the company has created a new, ultra-low resistance, dissipative flooring solution for use in explosives processing facilities and other areas where static shocks could be lethal.
These and hundreds of other cutting-edge engineering solutions and general products and services, all designed to make manufacturers’ operations easier and more profitable, await visitors to Southern Manufacturing & Electronics 2025. There is free car parking at the Farnborough site, which is well served by road and public transport links. A regular, complimentary bus service runs between the two local railway stations and the showground. Admission to the exhibition is also free and registration is open at: https://www.southern-manufacturing-electronics.com
Easyfairs organises and hosts events, bringing communities together to visit the future.
We currently organise 110 market-leading event titles in 12 countries (Algeria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom) and manage eight event venues in Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden (Antwerp, Ghent, Mechelen-Brussels North, Namur, Gorinchem, Hardenberg, Malmö and Stockholm).
We are passionate about “easifying” the life of our customers and increasing the return on investment and return on time for professional communities through our all-in formulas, advanced technology and customer-centric approach. Our digital features and initiatives provide these communities with excellent opportunities to network effectively and do business throughout the year.
The Easyfairs Group employs 820 highly committed talents, deploys the best marketing and technology tools and develops brands with a strong appeal to our stakeholder communities.
For the sixth year running, Deloitte conferred “Best Managed Company” status on Easyfairs in 2024.
Visit the future with Easyfairs and find out more onwww.easyfairs.com
For further information, please contact:
Easyfairs UK Ltd
2nd Floor, Regal House
70 London Road
Twickenham, TW1 3QS
Tel: 020 3196 4300
Website: www.southern-manufacturing-electronics.com
Media enquiries:
Chris Wright: chris@therightimage.net