Beckhoff UK to Showcase Flexible Manufacturing at Smart Manufacturing Week 2026

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Beckhoff UK has announced that it will showcase its automation and control technologies at Smart Manufacturing Week, held from June 3 to 4, 2026, at the NEC in Birmingham. As a Platinum Partner for the event, the company will present control cabinet-free automation and advanced transport systems for machine builders and manufacturers at Booth M140.

Smart Manufacturing Week brings together the players, technologies, and ideas driving the UK's manufacturing and engineering sectors. Beckhoff's booth will highlight how PC-based control, EtherCAT communication, and integrated motion control help engineers design more flexible machines without adding unnecessary complexity.

At the heart of the exhibition is Beckhoff's MX-System, a modular automation platform for control cabinet-free machine design. Visitors will also see demonstrations of the XTS linear transport system and the compact dual-unit XPlanar, showcasing how flexible product handling can be integrated into a single, scalable control architecture.

Neil March, MX-System Product Specialist at Beckhoff UK, stated that the MX-System integrates industrial PCs, I/O, drive technology, and system components onto pluggable base plates that can be mounted directly onto the machine. He added that this approach eliminates much of the control cabinet work that slows down project timelines, while providing machine builders with a cleaner, more modular path to automation.

Beckhoff will also sponsor one of the robots competing in FightFest, an event held adjacent to its booth. This live robot combat competition offers visitors an interactive example of engineering, motion, and control technology.

Mark Richards, UK Sales Manager at Beckhoff UK, noted that FightFest will bring energy to the show floor, being both highly competitive and technical, while also serving as a reminder that exciting engineering outcomes are still built on good design, robust control, and reliable motion. He stated that the event generates significant show floor energy and provides a natural way to discuss the possibilities of high-performance automation with engineers.

During FightFest, Beckhoff will monitor the status of its robot using a condition monitoring and interaction system designed by its engineer, Dominika Stachowska. This system monitors temperature before and after fights to indicate stress, and provides vision-based comparisons to detect visible changes. Sound monitoring is also integrated to visualize crowd reactions during each round.

Beckhoff's technical team will be available throughout Smart Manufacturing Week to discuss new machine designs, retrofit projects, and control cabinet-free automation.

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