Fakuma 2021: Industry and technology barometer in preparation

The 27th Fakuma – International Trade Fair for Plastics Processing – from October 12 to 16, 2021 is in intensive preparation. The trade show, which is internationally regarded as the first port of call for injection molding, extrusion technology, thermoforming and 3D printing, is expected by the industry to be an indispensable presence platform.

In these days and weeks, Fakuma-Virtuell is currently proving to be a valuable and useful instrument for presenting trade visitors with innovations in materials, machines, peripherals, processes, simulation, procedures, technologies and tools, as well as plastics processing. Many exhibitors use the opportunity to present their trade fair highlights and new developments here and to make contact with the trade public. However, the virtual marketplace cannot and does not want to replace the personal professional exchange between supplier and user. The Fakuma 2021 attendance fair is and will remain indispensable and is currently being intensively planned and prepared.

HNP Mikrosysteme, for example, will make its debut at the 2021 industry highlight: The company will present a new system for metering liquid colors in plastic injection molding. “To this end, we have integrated our pump technology, which has proven itself in other industries, into a system and adapted it to the special requirements of liquid color dosing. We now want to present this system after successful field tests,” says CEO Dr. Thomas Weisener. “We look forward to meeting users at Fakuma 2021.”

The Austrian company Fill will also be represented at Fakuma 2021 and will be using the Fakuma Virtual platform to present innovations until then. Fill develops complete production lines for composite components in mass production. Rotary table plants, for example, are suitable for the mass production of molded parts made of polyurethane. To avoid downtime during mold changes, the company has developed a fully automatic mold carrier mold changer that enables changes to be made in the production cycle. The tools are prepared, changed and cleaned externally. This turns rotary table plants into highly flexible production systems.

As the industry’s technology barometer for plastics processing, Fakuma will continue to attract special attention, especially after this pandemic year. In recent months, a variety of projects and products to contain the spread of the virus – for example, protection and shielding systems, goggles and masks – have been developed and will be presented in a mature form in 2021. In addition to products and solutions for infection control, the topics of environmental compatibility, sustainability, resource efficiency, circular economy and bioplastics are also high on the agenda. Great attention will be paid to the recycling sector – the recyclate market had come under significant pressure in 2020 due to the low-priced virgin material, caused by the fall in raw material prices. Recyclates, for example, have been squeezed out of areas they have worked for over the years; demand for PET flakes has collapsed. Not least in this context, the topic of PET bottle concepts and reusable systems will be discussed at Fakuma 2021.

In the meantime, many companies have sharpened their production concepts in terms of automation, digitization, networking and efficiency and have been able to implement current applications. Fakuma 2021 is thus particularly eagerly awaited as a unique trade show event that is consistently oriented to the plastics processing process chain as a working platform for seasoned practitioners.