Plastics for the Future

Remaining booth locations are filling up in the exhibition halls in Friedrichshafen for the 28th Fakuma international trade fair for plastics processing. All involved parties are eagerly awaiting new impetus from the world’s leading trade fair for the injection moulding industry. With great innovative strength and dynamics, combined with a practice-oriented trade fair format, the premium event for the fields of extrusion technology, thermoforming and 3D printing will focus above all on circular economy. The entire industry has saved the trade fair dates from the 17th through the 21st of October, 2023!

Fakuma is regarded around the world as the leading trade fair highlight in the field of injection moulding. It’s the industry and technology barometer in the fields of extrusion technology, thermoforming and 3D printing, and this year’s event will once again focus on the issues of digitalisation, process automation and energy efficiency. “Above all for our industry sectors, circular economy and sustainability are not just buzzwords,” notes Annemarie Schur, Fakuma project manager at trade fair promoters P. E. Schall. “It has become plainly apparent that manufacturers and users are focusing on making plastics production and processing as sustainable as possible. Companies are concentrating on top-quality, durable high-tech solutions which are used in a broad range of industries where they’re indispensable, for example in solar modules, e-mobility, construction and technical components, as well as in the consumer and furnishing sectors. None of it can be done without plastics,” points out the project manager. “Fakuma will once again demonstrate that the highly complex subject of plastics can be incorporated into climate protection and circular economy, and that it’s forward-looking in a very special way.”

Success Factors: Practical Relevance, Focus and Continuity

Energy efficiency, sustainability, recyclable design and AI-based solutions will be addressed extensively at the trade fair. Another important objective of Fakuma involves the presentation of plastics processing in the intelligently networked factory of tomorrow. “The event is distinguished by its high levels of practical relevance,” stresses Nicolai Küls, managing director of technotrans solutions GmbH. “Technological trends and their implementation in series production are frequently exhibited at Fakuma. This is an important argument for an innovative, applications-oriented company like technotrans.

In our opinion, practical relevance, focus and continuity are also key ingredients in the recipe for future success.”

“As important megatrends, climate protection and society’s growing environmental awareness, constantly changing legal requirements such as specifying the use of less environmentally harmful refrigerants for process cooling in the future and e-mobility will ensure that energy efficiency will continue to be a driving factor in product development in the future,” affirms Nicolai Küls. “Moreover, intelligent interaction between machines, tools and peripheral technology – especially in the field of thermal process management – still offers lots of potential for savings.”

Future Issues: Processes, Products and Business Models

Countless sustainable solutions and products are simply not possible without plastics. The significance of plastics, their importance for everyday life and future demands will be on the agenda at Fakuma. As a result, the trade fair is the ideal platform for the presentation of new products and technological solutions, and for expert discussions regarding current and future challenges. Advanced machines, optimised processes, new products and forward-looking business models will also be in focus.

“Fakuma 2023, with its practice-oriented format and informal atmosphere, will once again be an exciting and essential milestone for discussing solutions to the demanding tasks currently faced by the industry sector,” emphasises Annemarie Schur. “Fakuma has long since established itself as a meeting place for an international expert audience. We expect that more than 40% of the exhibitors will come from outside of Germany again in 2023. The high levels of internationalism, the intrinsic quality of the expert discussions and, of course, the exciting subject of plastics with its relevance for the future make Fakuma a unique business meet – not least of all for maintaining customer relations, acquiring new customers and for an exchange of ideas with business partners, students and institutes. The exhibitor forum with world-class expert presentations will also deliver inspiring impetus for all relevant topics.”