Warwickshire-based Seco Tools UK has announced that the annual Inspiration through Innovation (ITI) advanced-manufacturing best-practice event will take place at its Technology Centre in Alcester on 9-10 October.

This event is firmly established as the ‘go to’ event for manufacturers looking to find out more about the latest innovative technology solutions. There will be over 40 exhibitors this year, plus a varied seminar programme, a new series of best-practice tutorials, and 18 innovative and challenging machining demonstrations.

Mike Fleming, Seco Tools UK’s sales and marketing manager, said: “This year, we’ve put machining demonstrations right at the heart of the event.

“All of them are industry-specific, and all are either ‘customer’ components or based on customer components.”

Although the focus has changed, the emphasis is still very much on collaboration, best practice and knowledge sharing, with every demonstration being the result of a working partnership between Seco Tools and its technical partners.

All the partners — representing machine tool builders and leading CAD/CAM, work-holding, cutting-fluid and metrology specialists — are directly involved in at least one machining demonstration taking place at this year’s event.

Making the machining demonstrations more relevant and partnership-led is not the only change. Mr Fleming added: “In previous years, the machining demonstrations took place in the main exhibition area, surrounded by Technical Partner exhibition stands.

"This arrangement meant that visitors didn’t always have good access to the demonstrations taking place. For the 2018 event, a large and specific machining demonstration zone has been created — totally separate from the exhibition area.”

There are nine leading-edge seminars planned over the two-day event — each one delivered by a recognised industry expert and focused on a relevant manufacturing and/or machining issue.

In addition to the seminars, a new series of tutorials is planned. These tutorials — more focused in scope and scale — will tackle specific challenges, including the best-practice machining of different workpiece materials such as stainless and nickel-based alloys.

Those wishing to attend can register by visiting Seco’s Web site (www.secotools.com/ITI).