Extrusion International 6-2023-USA

34 Extrusion International 6/2023 FAKUMA 2023 Fakuma 2023 – Innovation Fireworks The 28th Fakuma successfully took place from 17 to 21 October 2023, according to organiser P. E. Schall. With 1,636 exhibitors – 10%more than at the previous Fakuma 2021 – in twelve exhibition halls and several foyer areas, the trade fair was a fully booked celebration for plastics – full house, satisfied exhibitors, 39,343 enthusiastic expert visitors, forward-looking topics. The figures of the pre- Corona year 2018 were not reached (47,650 trade visitors and 1,933 exhibitors), but the résumé is impressive. 1,636 exhibitors showed lots of new products on 85,000 m2 and, above all, gave many confident outlooks for the future as far as the degradation possibilities and recyclability of plastics are concerned. The overall themes of the fair were based on digitalisation, automation, flex - ibility, energy efficiency – and sustainability. The estab - lishment of closed material cycles, product optimisation for recycling and the processing of recyclates for high- quality applications were often at the top of the agenda. Overall, the new technologies follow the current chal- lenges of resource conservation and net-zero emissions. 44% of the exhibitors came to Friedrichshafen from abroad – 134 companies from Italy, 120 from China, 79 from Switzerland, 70 from Austria, 58 from Turkey, 55 from France. There were enthusiastic and positive voic- es throughout. "Because this is where the industry meets", is the concise and unbeatable participation argument of Daniel Römhild, General Manager at WIS Kunststoffe. "Fakuma is an ideal place for us to exchange ideas with customers and to highlight the advantages of coopera- tion", affirmed Rüdiger Dzuban, Head of Marketing at ONI-Wärmetrafo in Lindlar. Bernd Schäfer, managing partner at Deifel Buntfar- benfabrik, described Fakuma as "the trade fair par ex- cellence! It's a super platform for us to network with customers and expand our network. Here we are always close to the customer." Fakuma 2023 has supported an essential develop- ment: The holistic design of products and the promo- tion of recycling and degradability. degradability. Design for recycling – that's the motto from now on. Because plastic is a valuable resource that must be perceived as such much more by the public. The round table discussion "Plastics – Valuable Material in- stead of Problem Material" showed impressively that a lot of education is still needed here. Circular economy is neither waste management, nor is it environmental policy, nor is it industrial or just economic policy – it is everything together. That is why all those involved are needed to tackle the challenges together. Now the sector is rolling up its sleeves to tackle the tasks of the coming months with vigour. And it looks forward to seeing you again in Friedrichshafen with many further developments and future-oriented solutions at the 29th Fakuma from 15 to 19 October 2024. www.fakuma-messe.de (Photo: VM Verlag / Bettina Jopp-Witt) Broad Competence Network and In-House Manufacturing The Reifenhäuser Group exhibited at Fakuma 2023 and showcased its latest blown and flat film technolo - gies as well as components for extrusion and injection molding. At Fakuma this year, the Reifenhäuser Group focused on its broad competence network combined with a high vertical range of manufacture. Reifenhäuser manufactures all important core components in-house, which means that the customer always receives a per- fectly coordinated overall system. For this purpose, the group of companies has highly specialized business units, three of which have been on site at the booth: Reifenhäuser Blown Film, Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coat- ing and Reifenhäuser Extrusion Systems. Reifenhäuser Extrusion Systems (RES) is the expert for melt-guiding and forming components. As a spe- cial highlight, RES showcased its highly wear-resistant Reiloy screws and barrels at Fakuma, which regularly set benchmarks in terms of quality and performance. The components offer a demonstrably longer service life, thanks to precise matching of raw materials and addi- tives. With the alloys developed exclusively in-house at Reifenhäuser and optimized for the process, processors of injection molding and extrusion products benefit from the best cost-benefit ratio in the industry. RES also showcased its extruder and die portfolio as well as its multi-vendor upgrade and refurbishment program. Reifenhäuser Cast Sheet Coating (CSC), as a supplier of complete flat film lines, exhibited at Fakuma, among other things, its latest automation option PAM (precise, autonomous, mechatronic) for coextrusion adapters and dies. Using automated screwdrivers, PAM enables autonomous and mechatronic adjustment and control