Precision Fair: clubhouse, reunion, networking venue, masterclass and an exciting place for wonder
The annual Precision Fair, as always organized by Mikrocentrum, is the pre-eminent place for the entire high-tech manufacturing industry to meet and learn from each other.
Published on November 14, 2024
Bart is the co-founder and co-owner of Media52 (publishing IO+) and a Professor of Journalism at the University of Groningen. He is responsible for all the branches of our company—IO+, events, and Laio—and focuses on commercial opportunities. A journalist at heart, he also keeps writing as many stories as he can.
Taking place this week in the Brabanthallen in 's Hertogenbosch, the Precision Fair brings together high-tech companies, professionals, and scientists to share the latest technologies and knowledge. With over 375 exhibitors, international networking opportunities, and a conference program with over fifty keynotes, presentations, and workshops, the fair offers visitors the chance to learn about and shape the future of precision technology themselves. The fair is pre-eminently a place for networking, but it is also a colossal reunion, clubhouse, and a spot to catch up with each other. It doesn't matter with which of these considerations you entered: all these aspects are covered for everyone.
At the Precision Fair it also becomes clear that although the world of precision technology is growing rapidly, the real stakeholders still know each other very well. If it is not because they once worked together on an ingenious new product, it could also be because they have been watching that particular competitor for a while. On the trade show floor, they run into each other, and most visitors barely manage to get ahead. At every booth, there seems to be a new reason to halt; an old acquaintance to catch up with, or a new contact to make.
Leidse Instrumentenmakers School
The same goes for director Stef Vink of the Leidse Instrumentenmakers School (Leiden Instrument Maker School, LiS). With his booth, Vink's vocational school is wedged between the universities of Delft and Eindhoven, but for Vink it is not just about visibility. “What we want to achieve here is for our students to find a connection with their future work field. In addition, of course, the fair is bursting with networking opportunities for our school. Moreover, we are discovering relevant innovations that keep the school current.”
The fair provides LiS with a platform for its students to orient themselves to their future work environment safely and efficiently. “Our booth is a place where they can land for a while,” Vink explains. “They prepare themselves, know what to look at, and afterward, we discuss what they have seen and how they can continue looking at potential internships.”
The LiS is at the heart of the technical field. As such, contacts with the business community, many of whom attend the fair, are particularly warm. “This is also a meeting place for companies taking in our graduates. When I walk around here, and companies address me with: 'How nice that your students are here again,' then that to me is the biggest success,” says Vink. Reflecting on LiS' role in Quantum Delta Growth Fund projects involving dozens of relevant companies, Vink emphasizes the importance of maintaining relationships. “There are dozens of companies here that are also very relevant to us for that reason,” he says. “By maintaining and growing this network, LiS can continue to link education and business.”
Pitching students
The country's three major technical universities had delegated several student teams on the fair's first day. Six of those teams were allowed to pitch their groundbreaking technological initiatives for the Young Talent Pitch Award. The jury judged them on aspects such as social impact, technical feasibility, and innovativeness. That was far from easy because the projects, ranging from autonomous racing cars and an electric motor to hydrogen-powered airplanes, a South Pole rover, and a real rocket, all excelled in originality. Team Aero Delft ultimately emerged as the winner, closely followed by DARE - Stratos V, also from Delft, which took second place.
Aero Delft is building a retrofit aircraft powered by liquid hydrogen, a sustainable alternative that could turn the aviation industry on its head. The team wants to explore the possibilities of hydrogen as a propulsion method, eventually switching from gaseous to liquid hydrogen. Aero Delft stood out, according to the jury, for its technical feasibility and innovation, marking an important step forward in the quest for cleaner aviation. Koen Pijnacker's pitch was sharp and convincing.
DARE (Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering), TU Delft's student rocketry team, won second place with their project, Stratos V. This ambitious project aims to reach space with an entirely student-built rocket, gaining unique hands-on experience in advanced rocket construction. With innovations such as a reusable parachute for the rocket and a focus on sustainable and reusable materials, Kyle Scherpenzeel demonstrated on behalf of Stratos V their ambition to push the boundaries of space projects.
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International
This year's Precision Fair is dedicated to international cooperation, welcoming a record number of international delegations. “Interest from abroad is enormous, and we therefore welcome groups of fellow professionals from all over the world,” says Bart Kooijmans, program manager at organizer Mikrocentrum. For example, the short-pulse laser society from Lithuania is joining with four companies, and the Irish Precision Tooling & Machining Association is joining with 12 companies. Delegations from Germany, Spain, Italy, and Canada are also represented, as are the Canadian Photonics Association and the Swiss Precision Cluster.
Today is the second and final day of the Precision Fair. Tickets can be ordered for free at this link.