In 2011, the Technology Cinema 3D digital visualization display will be held for the second time at Digital Factory. The display shows how moving 3D images can streamline industrial process design. 3D visualization is a powerful tool for presenting and communicating information that would otherwise be too voluminous or complex to understand or use. The display will feature mono and stereo 3D solutions with and without tracking - as used in all key manufacturing industry processes.

Returning next year for the fourth time, the "RapidX" special display features live presentations of the product development process - from product conception, development and testing to the manufacturing of the finished product. This year Festo is the Premium Partner for RapidX, supported by the Digital Factory exhibitors PTC and CADFEM as well as hardware manufacturers like Electro Optical Systems (EOS).

RapidX will feature a presentation of how the "elephant´s trunk" - premiered by Festo in 2010 - was developed. This "trunk" involves a bionic handling assistant which is capable of gripping and transporting anything from chicken eggs to highly-polished crankshafts. Visitors will be treated to a presentation of how the concept was developed as well as the initial design models generated on the basis of customer requirements. These models are then used to generate virtual prototypes which are tested in terms of their resilience and functionality. Rapid manufacturing then uses the final computer model to create the actual prototypes, which can be deployed and tested by the customer to interactively influence the ultimate design.

The "Festo Fast Factory" will come to life at the exhibition, demonstrating how virtual product development and simulation tools are used to create tomorrow´s innovations today. Festo creates a link between the digital factory and industrial automation, facilitating the convergence of the digital factory with bricks-and-mortar factories.