INDUSTRY EVENTS
Conexpo-Con/Agg to present ‘the future’ Conexpo-Con/Agg 2017 will feature the new Tech Experience Pavilion, where visitors can actually step into the future and experience what’s new and next in the construction industry - this is in line with the show’s theme, ‘Imagine What’s Next’. Located in Silver Lot 3, the new 75,000 sq ft area is dedicated entirely to presenting new construction innovations and emerging technologies that will drive change and process improvement across the industry. Conexpo-Con/Agg 2017 will take place at the Las Vegas Convention Centre, USA, from 7 to 11 March 2017. It will be colocated with the IFPE exhibition for fluid power, power transmission and motion control. Both shows are produced by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), which also is a show owner. “The Tech Experience will not only present a vision for the future of our industry, but it will also raise awareness of technologies that enhance safety, productivity and profitability,” said Sara Truesdale Mooney, show director and vice president exhibitions and business development for AEM. “Attendees will explore three key zones: the worksite of the future, the jobs of the future and the infrastructure of the future. We’ll also feature additional engagement zones including a Maker Beta Lab that will feature a collaborative future factory environment and the world’s first fully functional 3D-printed excavator.” The student engineering team from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) has submitted the winning design for an aesthetic and functional excavator cab that will be 3-D printed and on display at the Tech Experience. Members of the UIUC team will receive a US$2,000 cash prize, donated by the National Fluid Power Association (NFPA), and will have the opportunity to travel to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee to observe the printing of their design. Besides the pre-printed excavator, visitors will also get to see a demonstration of the 3D printing technology on the show floor. “Additive manufacturing will revolutionise the way things are designed
Conexpo-Con/Agg 2017 will feature the new Tech Experience Pavilion to showcase future innovations.
and produced in the not-so-distant future,” said Mike Gust, industrial liaison officer at the Centre for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP). “This contest helped to raise awareness of advancements in technology to the next generation of engineers and we’re excited that future engineers are bringing this newly designed machine to life.” CCEFP is working with research teams from Georgia Tech and the University of Minnesota to convert the current excavator design to one that is conducive to and takes full advantage of 3D manufacturing. Graduate engineering students at Georgia Tech will create a boom and bucket featuring integrated hydraulics with the goal of decreasing the weight, materials cost and maintenance, while students at the University of Minnesota are designing a hydraulic oil heat exchanger and cooling system that reduces the size and weight and increase the efficiency of the machine. n Website: www.conexpoconagg.com
Singapore to host ITA Tunnelling Awards 2016 The International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA) is organising the second edition of the ITA Tunnelling Awards, which will recognise and reward excellent achievements and innovations in underground infrastructures worldwide. The event will take place in Singapore at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel, on 10 and 11 November 2016. The first day (10 November) will feature a technical conference focusing on innovation and productivity in the tunnelling industry through eight high-profile keynote lectures. This will be followed by the Awards Conference on the second day (11 November), during which stakeholders of the pre-selected entries will present the last updates of their underground infrastructure projects. The projects are divided into nine categories, which include: Major Tunnelling Project of the Year; Tunnelling Project of the Year; Outstanding Tunnelling Project of the Year; Renovation/Upgrading Project of the Year; Technical Innovation of the Year; Environmental Initiative of the Year; Safety Initiative of the Year; Innovative Use of Underground Space; and Young Tunneller of the Year. ITA is a non-profit and non-governmental international organisation, which aims at promoting the use of underground space
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as a solution to sustainable development. It was founded in 1974 and operates out of Lausanne, Switzerland. According to ITA, Singapore was chosen to be the host country this year as it provides an inspiration in its approach to the use of subterranean space. Furthermore, it is a part of a continent where the tunnelling and underground space market is becoming more and more important (Asia represents 60 percent of the global infrastructure spending by 2025). Nowadays, beyond the parking, offices, shopping malls, restaurants and mixed-use infrastructure, Singapore mostly exploits tunnels and underground spaces as storage of arms and ammunitions, gas and hydrocarbons, for sewerage, power supply, and also as a way of connecting all areas of the country, notably with its underground expressways and an expanding underground rail transport network. The land scarcity of Singapore has made its government to think three-dimensionally, integrating underground space, both in the vertical and horizontal construction. The country has initiated a review of its urban development, in anticipation of its future needs and sustainability of its infrastructure. n Website: https://awards.ita-aites.org