Hardware Cologne

Economic, ecological and with a highly promising future: when the discussion turns to energy-saving lighting, then the LED is a clear winner. A gigantic worldwide market is now opening for new technologies and lighting. weiterlesen…

A team of specialists is already at work on the organisation, planning, preparations and decorations, so that exhibitors and visitors to Cologne’s forthcoming International Hardware Fair will find an innovative platform for all branches of trade and industry. But how well did they do at the most recent event; what did exhibitors and exhibitors really think? To find out, the Cologne Fair ran a survey – with interesting results. These and other interesting International Hardware Fair facts are published in the latest issue of Hardware Cologne. weiterlesen…

Friesach in Austria is the location for an ambitious research project now underway by Klagenfurt’s Alpen-Adria University. Since 2009, a research team and 30 craftsmen led by Johannes Grabmayer have been building a castle using only the tools and materials that were available in the Middle Ages. The only source of non-human power is a horse, to pull heavy loads: no cranes, no trucks. weiterlesen…

The Euro 2012 football championship is about to get underway, and around the continent fans will be glued to the television to follow the sporting highlights. Many matches will take place during the evening hours, for which reason the organisers needed to install suitable lighting. Not exactly new: the internet encyclopaedia Wikipedia states that Sheffield Football Club used four arc lights around their pitch as far back as 14 October 1878. But in an age of HD screens, television needs custom-made lighting to reveal and capture every last detail and emotion. weiterlesen…

When a white ship approaches over the horizon anywhere on the globe, enormous smiling red lips painted around the bow immediately identify it as one of eight AIDA cruise ships. On board are more than a thousand equally smiling passengers. And so that the smiles continue both night and day, the shipbuilder Meyer-Werft of Papenburg in North Germany entrusted Hymer-Leichmetallbau with the construction of lightweight metal bed frames for the passenger cabins.

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Will we soon see Tarzan and Jane swinging on vines between high-rise buildings? A dream from the Jungle Book? Not necessarily, if you live in Singapore. And this kind of sustainable architecture is now spreading green shoots through Europe, creating a great new opportunity for the tool industry. weiterlesen…

Railways have become one of the most important means of transport in many nations around the world. The Indian Railways network is that with the greatest amount of track under a single management with a route network of 63,940 kilometres. Unfortunately, much of the track is in poor condition and now requires overhaul. weiterlesen…

It is 100 metres wide, 52 metres deep and 40 metres high. The angle of inclination on the upper terraces is 37 degrees – just about the same as a ski jump. Here, is where hearts beat and fans shout from the south stand of Borussia Dortmund football club. Up to 24,454 regularly stand cheek by jowl and blend into the ‘yellow wall’ on Europe’s largest standing room only spectator terrace. Just imagine the loads imposed on the structure and material when 48,908 boots stamp in time with the singing fans. weiterlesen…

Whether the task is to secure furniture during transport, tow water skiers behind a speedboat, broken down automobiles, support a suspension bridge, or anchor the Queen Mary 2: wire ropes, cables and chains have to be capable of withstanding extremely high loads. weiterlesen…

The developers of Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie concert hall decided it should be seen as the undisputed symbol of the harbour city. But whether they attain this objective will depend in large measure on future progress with the construction. To date, there have been numerous explosions in cost and missed completion deadlines; construction of the so-called ‘Glass Wave’ has been the subject of public comment. No decision has yet been announced as to whether taxpayers will be asked to cough up the extra: the initial quote was for 77 million Euros, and now costs have risen to at least 323 million Euros. weiterlesen…