Southern Manufacturing gears up for 2016

01 December, 2015

Exhibitions can provide a very time-efficient way to research new products and meet new vendors, and this is certainly true of Southern Manufacturing, which packs-in an extensive choice of companies under one roof. With 800+ firms participating, the show is without doubt one of the UK’s key market places for engineering equipment and services.

Ideally situated close to the M3 in Hampshire and well-served by public transport, the event is easy to get to and the concentration of vendors makes it possible to cover a lot of ground in a very short time period. Technology trails assist visitors around the three main areas of the show – manufacturing, electronics and automotive/aerospace engineering – enabling them to make the best use of time at the exhibition and locate what they need rapidly.

Fluid power and related equipment

Southern is a major marketplace for big-name machinery manufacturers to give live demonstrations of their latest offerings. However, the show is also a key event for OEM products, sub-assemblies, sensors and components. The areas of motion control, fluid power, controls, sensors, HMI’s and electromechanical components are traditionally very well represented. Big-name component distributors returning for 2016 include RS Components, Finder PLC and Phoenix Contact. There are numerous vendors of OEM products, such as Trans-Tronic, Delta Line and Bernstein, featuring its selection of machine safety sensors, as well as many a huge selection of firms of special interest to individuals associated with motion, fluid power and pneumatics. A few examples include Perfect Bore Manufacturing, igus UK, Kabelschleppe Metool, Hepco Motion, Ondrives, Atlas Copco, Filtermist, KNF Neuberger UK among many more.

On display on the Bowers Group’s stand will be the new Sylvac Scan Vision System and the Baty R400 with FT2E Touch Screen Display, complementing the range of Sylvac products, including Bluetooth Data Transmission hand tools such as Calipers, Micrometers and Digital Indicators along with the Ultra Light Digital Caliper and Ultra Light Digital Universal Beam Gauge. A selection of New Bowers XT3 Bluetooth and XT Analogue Bore Gauge systems will also be on display.

Lee Products will be exhibiting all three ranges of its fluid control components: The Microhydraulic component range includes restrictors, flow controls, nozzles, safety screens, check, relief, shuttle and solenoid valves for high pressure applications in aerospace, down-hole oil tools, and industrial gas turbines. Industrial Microhydraulic (IMH) components include check valves, Betaplugs, safety screens, shuttle valves and restrictors for high-volume industrial applications. Lee Products’ Electro-Fluidic Systems include miniature chemically-inert, solenoid valves and pumps for medical and scientific instruments.

As always, the machinery line-up is an impressive feature of the show. Matsuura UK returns for 2016 to demonstrate the MX-520 – one of the fastest selling 5 axis machine tools in the firm’s history. Over 50 UK companies have now invested in the versatile MX-520, which the company says offers an easy upgrade path for customers moving from 3 to 5 axis machining. The MX-520, equipped with a single table, 20,000rpm spindle and 60 tools will be machining components live throughout the show.

Free seminar programme

Along with the exhibition and demonstration areas, Southern 2016's free seminar programme is a highly popular attraction. Two programmes run in tandem in two theatres over the whole three days of the show, focusing on manufacturing and electronics respectively, covering discussions on technical advancements, commercial management, marketing and also the current commercial regulation.

Free access to this type of high-calibre engineering and business expertise is a strong added cause for engineering professionals to reserve a place. The full variety of seminars can be located at www.industrysouth.co.uk

Admission to the event and the technical seminars is free to business visitors, and FIVE Farnborough offers ample complimentary car parking and easy access by road or public transport. To register for tickets, visit the website.

www.industrysouth.co.uk