AFM CLUSTER ATTENDED THE INDUSTRIAL PLATFORM THAT TOOK PLACE IN BEC FROM 6 TO 8 JUNE WITH 70 COMPANIES

Companies belonging to AFM, ADDIMAT, ESKUIN and AFMEC, the four associations that make up AFM CLUSTER attended ADDIT3D, Ferroforma and Subcontratación. The most important industrial meeting of the year took place from 6 to 8 June in BEC. The shows have clearly focused on the digitalisation of industry.

From 6 to 8 June, 70 companies from the AFM CLUSTER have displayed their solutions in the 2,000 metres exhibiting area at the industrial event of the year: ADDIT3D, Ferrforma, Subcontratación, Pumps & Vales, Maintenance, and Fitmaq were held together in the Bilbao Exhibition Centre, with all six shows focusing on Smart Manufacturing.

AFM CLUSTER has gathered together more than 370 companies, including manufacturers of machine-tools, hand tools and industrial suppliers, machining companies, as well as firms from the additive manufacturing industry, all of which make up the main advanced manufacturing cluster that exists in Spain.

FERROFORMA
Fourteen associates of ESKUIN, the Hardware and Industrial Supply Cluster that has been exhibiting at FERROFORMA since the beginning, have shown their innovations in hardware, industrial supply, locksmithing and iron fittings. As occurred at past fairs, and as side events, there has been a space for lectures and conferences, the possibility of B2B meetings as well as a hardware and DIY invention showroom. Presentations have been made to international purchasers from a total of 32 countries of great interest for the sector, noteworthy among which are Algeria, Argentina, Colombia, South Korea, United States, France, Iran, Morocco, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru and Portugal. As a novel aspect this year, Ferroforma has invited around fifty end customers within the framework of the purchasers' programme.

ADDIT3D
ADDIT3D is growing outstandingly and it has displayed innovations in additive manufacturing materials, applications and equipment, and 3D printing, with 31 associate companies of ADDIMAT. The ADDIT3D Conferences have been held as a complement to the fair. These conferences, coordinated by ADDIMAT, have addressed the great challenges and tendencies of the sector, as well as the application possibilities in very different areas. People in charge from companies and entities such as HP, Trumpf, Tecnalia, Addilan, Renishaw, Air Liquide, Mizar, Pixel-Stratasys, Asorcad Engineering, Tumaker, Aimplas, Prodintec, Domotek, Metrología Sariki, Linde, Aiju and Inescop have transmitted their expert views on these issues throughout the three days.

We are experiencing the increasing penetration of additive manufacturing technologies in the industrial world. Evolving from prototyping work, the main use at the beginning, to the manufacture of tooling, costly unit parts, complex materials and morphologies, and finally to applications that cannot be solved with other technologies, or processes which, due to their series or any other reason, are better suited to be industrialised with the additive manufacturing capacities.

SUBCONTRATACIÓN
The industrial Subcontratación fair has, on the other hand, been attended by fourteen members of AFMEC. For the first time since its creation in 2016, AFMEC, the Spanish Association of Machining and Metal-mechanical Transformation, has organised a grouped participation for its associate companies at this fair. A conference programme and a European industrial subcontracting meeting, have rounded off the offer of SUBCONTRATACION, a benchmark forum for those seeking the best and most advanced solutions for their manufacturing processes.

WORKINN
As a side event to the six industrial fairs, the 2nd WORKINN was held on 7 and 8 June. This industrial employment forum of the state is co-organised by AFM CLUSTER and BEC. This year, employment, learning, labour counselling and training were the four main pillars of WORKINN, a meeting place for companies offering jobs in industry, universities and vocational training centres focused on technical studies, recruitment companies, institutions and professionals seeking employment.