The Kielce holiday of foundry engineering marked by distinctions, conferences and the business sector giants

2500 trade fair visitors, over 400 conference, congress and workshop participants, life demonstration of machines in operation – for the first time in Poland, and exceptionally large number of medals, distinctions and mentions – the 17th International Fair of Technologies for Foundry METAL, the 10th International Fair of Aluminium & Technology, Materials and Non-Ferrous MetalProducts ALUMINIUM & NONFERMET and the 15th Fair of Industrial Measuring Technology and Non-Destructive Testing CONTROL-TECH

The METAL fair held in Targi Kielce is the biggest fair event devoted to foundry engineering in Poland and one of the biggest events of this kind in Europe.

This year’s edition has brought together over 300 companies from 29 countries of the world – more than half of them are foreign companies or their commercial agencies in Poland; they presented their offer on almost 3000 square metres of exhibition space. The branch range of the fair was really extensive as it was the answer to the trade fair exhibitors’ and visitors’ demand; and this range covered everything what is necessary for foundry engineering. A few hundred exhibition stands of the companies from all over the world were the showcase not only for specialised machines and appliances for foundry and non ferrous metal industries, pressure foundry furnaces, casting machine tools but also for smaller hand and machine tools and software for foundry and casting houses. The exhibitors also put on display raw materials, components and materials used in metallurgical processes, pressure casts of aluminium, magnesium or zinc. For the first time in its seventeen years of history and in the history of Poland’s trade fairs, the exhibition provided the guests with the chance to observe a casting machine working live at the Frech exhibition stand.

This year’s edition of the foundry engineering fair was supplemented with business sector conferences, and among them “The Solidification and Crystallization of Metals” and the symposium on “Crystalline Silica – NEPSI” in addition to specialist workshops and trainings; the events were attended by over 400 people.

Also the list of products and companies which were distinguished with Targi Kielce medals and distinctions was really long this year – the competition jury panels awarded over 30 prizes. However there were additional accolades besides the trade fair laurels – the 17th International Fair of Technologies for Foundry also encompassed the Polish Academy of Sciences’ Foundry Engineering Commission sitting. Granting distinctions to the best MA thesis devoted to this line of business has become an inseparable part of the fair programme and, as Professor Jуzef Suchy, the Dean of AGH said, it has also become the tradition of the exhibition. Professor Sakwa award has been established in two categories; for the best MA and Engineer thesis. The dissertations were assessed against construction and innovativeness criteria, possibility of application, thesis promoter’s and reviewer’s evaluation and the information on the diploma examination itself.

The best MA thesis was presented by Nowak-Dudek MA Engineer from the faculty of foundry engineering of AGH University of Technology; its title is “Optimisation of the cast iron planetary gear EN-GJS-3 production process for special purpose vehicles made in the metallurgical plant of WSK Rzeszуw Sp. z.o.o.”

The METAL fair is UFI associated; UFI – The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry associates the most prestigious fair events in the world. The UFI membership is the proof of the international status of the METAL fair, its high organisational standards and proper promotion of the event; it also guarantees that the fair is attended by the exhibitors and visitors from all over the world.

The 17^thInternational Fair of Technologies for Foundry METAL was granted with the honorary patronage of the Minister of Economy. The CONTROL-TECH fair is organised under the auspices of the Central Office of Measures, the Rector of Kielce University of Technology and the Polish Centre for Testing and Certification. The exhibition co-organizers were the Foundry Chamber of Commerce, the Technical Association of Polish Foundrymen and Foundry Research Institute. The co-organizer of the ALUMINIUM & NONFERMET fair is the Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals from Gliwice.