Building smarter machines: key themes for 2025 and beyond

A key trend for those looking to build smarter machines is the growing importance of simulation and digital twins, providing an environment where machine builders can test early iterations of a design before committing to hardware, as well as modifications and upgrades to a machine throughout its operational lifetime. These tools can significantly reduce development timescales, helping to deliver smarter machines that are right first time. Digital twins can also help to accelerate the commissioning phase.

Another interesting trend is the increasing requirement for human-machine collaboration, with modern machines embracing robotics to improve flexibility and productivity.

Building smart machines also addresses maintenance, by integrating predictive maintenance and condition monitoring technologies. Modern sensors and actuators that integrate communications technologies such as IO-Link lend themselves towards this, while control products such as variable speed drives build in a wealth of technologies to monitor not just their own health, but that of the motors they are driving.

These smart technologies offer a dual benefit: on the one hand, they provide end users with assurances of reduced downtime; on the other, they also provide a wealth of information for machine builders looking to add maintenance services to their offering. So-called servitisation' is becoming a revenue stream of growing importance for savvy machine builders.

It is also pertinent to mention AI integration. AI is already being embedded in control technologies for real-time data analysis and predictive maintenance, but it also has the potential to optimise machine operations in real-time.

These are just a few of the themes that visitors to MachineBuilding.Live will be able to explore, with over 200 exhibitors - all leaders in their particular fields - ready to share their expertise and demonstrate their solutions. Click here to register to attend the event.