After world trade in die casting and low-pressure die casting machinery declined in 2016 and 2017, exports increased by 6.5% in 2018. Due to increasing demands on die casting cells and the need for efficient information exchange, experts are working on a standardised open communication interface.

Obstacles to approval under the WLPT standard, which substantially reduced call-off figures were typical problems, the German die casting industry had to face in 2018. New demands on alloy developments and process technologies promise opportunities for foundries.

From 14^th to 16^th January 2020 the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg will once more become the meeting place for the die casting industry. In 2020 the international trade fair will offer the Die Casting Conference with a top quality lecture programme, special shows, the Additive Manufacturing pavilion and the EUROGUSS Talent Award.

The current economic turbulences prompted us to talk to José Javier Gonzalez of the Executive Secretariat of the World Foundry Organization (WFO) about the current economic situation. The focus was once again on the effects of a possible Brexit on all foundry nations.

While some companies are watching global market changes with concern, there is more reason than ever to invest in manufacturing in Mexico.

This may be a very strong sentence, but our point is that High Pressure Die Casting (HPDC) as we know it today is undergoing rapid changes in terms of technology, industrial structure and customer demands. As the changes are so big, we think it is in order to speak about a technology shift that probably will change our industry in a few years.

Industry 4.0 means the intelligent networking of people, machines and industrial processes, by peripheral devices communicating independently with die casting machines. The interface standard OPC UA (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture) is intended to enable comprehensive data exchange between products from different manufacturers.

Gehring places its presence at this year's EMO Hannover under the motto “Technology Openness for reduced CO₂ emissions and fuel consumption”

As manufacturing equipment ages, the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) decreases. Companies who want to succeed in this landscape are identifying equipment investment opportunities to keep production moving and while producing a quality product.

Precisely tailored sensor technology in production is a basic prerequisite for the implementation of Industry 4.0. It captures process data and the machine status and makes them available.