Exhibitors flocked in Malaysia's etalworking event

 By Lyn Cacha

 Metaltech in partnership with MTA Malaysia 2011 kicked off at the Putra World Trade Centre on 4 May and for five days, offered the local and international visitors, business or trade professionals, a look into the metalworking industry at large and its boundless opportunities. The show highlighted the latest machining technologies, precision engineering capabilities and innovative solutions for industries including the aerospace, electronics, energy, medical technology, and oil & gas/marine offshore.
 A convenience that tradeshows offer is the opportunity to see all the machines up close in just one venue. Most of the exhibitors at the tradeshow brought with them the latest machines and products for customers to view and inspect. Among them TRUMPF Pte Ltd, a high-tech company that specialises on machine and power tools, laser technology, electronics, and medical technology.
 I spoke with the marketing and sales executive, Carina Albrecht, who shared with me the latest technology from TRUMPF. To address customers' part costs and profit concerns, TRUMPF has developed the world's first punching machine, which does not leave a scrap skeleton behind. Called skeleton-free punching, this technology is featured on the TruPunch 3000, which has attracted many buyers at the show.
 "Material costs make up the bulk of the costs per punched part and thus provide the greatest leverage for cost reduction by optimising the sheet utilisation," explains Albrecht. This space-optimising machine is energy-efficient and has an average power input of just 5.9kW. Moreover, it is extremely operator-friendly. According to TRUMPF, the skeletonfree processing helps business to significantly boost ROI. It optimises material utilisation by 10% on average and 14% savings on operational time leading to savings by 15% on average on total part costs.
 

Some of the exhibitors I spoke with position themselves as business solutions partners than just ordinary equipment providers. "Manufacturers around the world are hungry for cost-effective, dynamic, and business intelligent solutions," says George Lim, vice president for marketing of Makino Asia Pte Ltd. "That's why we prefer to talk first with our customers and discuss their business operation concerns, and develop the machine for the application."
 Makino caters machines and solutions to a wide spectrum of the manufacturing industry – from miniature size parts for the telecom industry to huge parts for the aerospace and alternate energy industries. A leader in metal cutting technology, Makino is a turnkey solutions provider with products that include highperformance machining centres, CNC wire and die sinking EDM systems. Lim says, "Compared to competitors, Makino offers long-term commitment to support its customers. Our best-in-class machines may come in expensive but the ROI is evident as we have clients who are now benefiting from the technology."
 The UPV-3 is Makino's highlight of the show. The oil-based dielectric wire EDM meets the growing demands of surface finish and shape accuracy in the machining of tungsten carbides tooling for precision stamping, fine blanking and powdered metal forming. Asked how they find the MTA event, Lim said that the MTA2011 has helped promote and enhance their image in Malaysia, particularly in high precision networking.

 If you're a manufacturer looking to save on cost and increasJunior