Extrusion International 5-2023

28 Extrusion International 5/2023 FAKUMA 2023 Fakuma 2023 – Focus on Plastic as a Recyclable Material With excitement and anticipation, the industry is look - ing forward to the 28th Fakuma international trade fair for plastics processing in Friedrichshafen from the 17th through the 21st of October, 2023. The world’s leading trade fair for injection moulding is setting new perfor- mance benchmarks in the fields of extrusion technolo - gy, thermoforming and 3D printing, as well as for circu - lar economy. Roughly 40% of the exhibitors come from outside of Germany. As a recyclable material, plastic is an indispensable constituent of everyday life – in the private sphere, for business and in technology. Innumerable consumer and industrial products would be inconceivable without plastics. Plastics manufacturers and plastics processing companies rely on top-quality, durable high-tech solu - tions for a wide range of industry sectors such as power generation with solar modules, e-mobility components, the construction sector, the packaging industry, tech - nical components, lightweight design and automobile manufacturing, medical technology and the furnishings industry. At the same time, plastics represent a chal - lenge in terms of the consumption and reuse of natural resources. “Many Fakuma exhibitors are addressing the topics of advancedmachinery for the production and re- use of plastics, optimised processes for production and processing, improved materials, newly designed prod - ucts and forward-looking business models,” explains Annemarie Schur, Fakuma project manager at trade fair promoters P. E. Schall. A functioning circular economy, intensified conservation of resources, improved envi - ronmental compatibility and genuine sustainability are thus important topics at Fakuma. “This trade fair with worldwide recognition will make the significance of plastics and their special importance a topic of discus- sion for everyone,” emphasises the project manager. “Plastics will have to meet the challenges of both the present and the future. This is why Fakuma 2023 is an ideal platform for new products and technological so- lutions, as well as for expert discussion of upcoming spheres of action.” The industry sector is being confronted with a vari- ety of far-reaching tasks – amongst others the goal of decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing energy consumption and improving operations at manufac- turing and processing companies. At the same time, the transformation to circular economy must be imple- mented in all its facets. In any case, digitalisation and automation are triggering significant transformation processes which act as beneficial drivers: they support the efficient use of all resources in the production, pro - cessing, utilisation and reuse or recycling of plastics. AI-based solutions will also be increasingly helpful in this regard. “In many respects, Fakuma 2023 will pro - vide important and valuable stimuli for the positive ad- vancement of thought and action in functioning circular economies,” says Bettina Schall, managing director of trade fair promoters P. E. Schall. “The practice-oriented trade fair format in a familiar working atmosphere is an appropriate setting for technical discussions, objective clarification and the demonstration of implementable solutions for a circular economy.” As the world’s leading trade fair highlight for injection moulding, Fakuma also serves as an industry and tech - nology barometer in the fields of extrusion technology, thermoforming and 3D printing. Suppliers and users will explore the exciting, future-oriented topic of plastics from all sides for five days at this well-established indus - try meet. High levels of internationalism, the quality of the expert discussions and the event’s concrete practical relevance mean that forward-looking solutions can be expected for the tasks being faced by the industry sec- tor. Not least of all, the world-class expert presentations at the exhibitor forum promise to provide important impetus for the relevant topics of plastics, the circular economy, efficiency and sustainability. www.fakuma-messe.de