Many steel manufacturing companies struggle to keep up with competitors in lower wage countries, and find the right talent to do so. Welding robots are often hailed as the solution to these problems, but the high cost of programming often leads to disappointing returns and idle robots. In this talk, we will explore the different solutions to program welding robots and how to apply them in different scenarios.

In the process from design to manufacturing, many choices have to be made. Suboptimal choices lead to iterations in the process, which has an impact on cost and lead time. In recent years, Flanders Make research has focused on securing design knowledge, which also serves as the basis for automatic design checks that avoid wrong decisions and iterations. To further accelerate, the designs are also automatically converted into work instructions and even product quality checks.

Full colour 3D printing is an advanced 3D printing technology that creates the ability to materialise objects that are sometimes barely distinguishable from real objects due to their detailed colour palette and texture. Prototyping your designs in full colour requires different skills. We will cover these different aspects. Besides scanning and 3D modelling of the prototype, we will demonstrate how colours and textures are added to a 3D design via UV mapping and texture painting. Through colour measurement and the necessary post-processing, colours are reproduced as accurately as possible and a realistic full-colour prototype is created.

If criminals are 3D printing weapons, that might mean something... Is 3D printing really already so accessible, cheap and reliable? Did they even buy the right printer? How can it be done better and safer? Not a weapons printing course, but a critical look at the state and future of 3D printing, and how you can in fact use it usefully and responsibly in your business.

The (manufacturing) industry needs workers with the right skills. Some relevant examples of such skills are welding, assembly, sawing and even polishing (in the context of clean rooms). In this Expert Class, we discuss and illustrate how Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) can be meaningfully used to train these skills. In addition, we also show possibilities in terms of AR-based real-time support for employees while performing their professional activities. All this fits into the Industry 5.0 vision in which the human worker is given a central role.

Bart Vaneeckhout is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Aqtor!, a Belgian orthopedic company specialized in the production and sales of orthopedic shoes, orthotics, prosthetics, mobility aids, insoles, positioning devices, stoma & incontinence and pressure garments & breast prostheses. Aqtor! employs around 360 people. For the development of new products, Aqtor! has been using the Design Thinking process for quite some time. Based on Design Thinking process, Aqtor! has designed its own variant, taking into account the Medical Device Regulatory standards. The challenge in developing new products lies in finding a balance between creativity and regulatory compliance.

Vonken brings people together around the oldest ritual we know: cooking with fire. Vonken's outdoor oven is a mood creator in which you can grill, bake pizza, bake bread and so much more. The result? A Vonken you'll love for a lifetime, and a tradition you'll pass on to future generations. Follow along and get a glimpse behind the scenes of the development story of these young entrepreneurs.

Behind the innovative design journey is a story driven by creativity and passion for design with an eye for detail. Their design transcends mere functionality and is infused with meaning, from material selection to manufacturability, efficient use of materials to ease of use and shaping. During the talk, they share their design journey with various challenges through anecdotes, examples.

As a young company, you have to innovate efficiently and quickly with few resources. Heau won an iF design award as a startup among big brands. We tell our story and the principles we adhered to and hope to inspire you with this.

We all know the frustration: we turn on the shower and cold water comes out. On average, people wait a full minute before stepping into the shower. Have you ever considered that the average person wastes 4,000 litres and 100kWh of energy annually this way? Heau creates innovative shower taps with instant hot water. The tap stores heat from your previous shower session and releases this heat the start of the next one. This is possible thanks to our unique mechanism that works entirely on the power of the water itself, making it easy to install in any bathroom.
>> Discover Heau <<

Discover early DfM integration: Learn how early application of DfM can streamline projects.
Value teamwork: See the importance of collaboration between design, engineering and manufacturing.
Understand simplification: Discover how simplifying and standardising designs can increase efficiency.
Find the balance: Learn how to balance innovation with manufacturability.

Festo is a global industrial player in various industry segments. The company has extensive experience in the fields of industrial motion, gas handling and process automation. The Additive Manufacturing market is in strong development offering opportunities both for our customers and our own production capabilities.

How can complex multi-material products from the local textile and plastics sector be recycled in a high-quality manner and remain in the value chain? This particular challenge is taken up by West Flanders knowledge institutes for 3 specific product types, namely 2K injection mouldings, textile products and non-domestic packaging.

For each product category, we focus on smart dismantling, identification and separation of disruptive components, advanced washing processes, recycling via thermomechanical and/or chemical routes, and eco-design of new products.

Are you facing a similar challenge as a company? Then certainly join this Expert Class!