Where Dreamers & Doers Connect
Our team set out to the annual International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) at McCormick place last week and saw state of the art machines and talked to different tech builders and manufacturers, getting the full scope of what’s to come in the machinery industry. The 32nd annual show drew nearly 130,000 visitors and thousands of exhibitors ready to learn and showcase the future of manufacturing.
DMG Mori – Global Innovation
We connected with DMG Mori while at the show and got to see their massive XXL DMU 200 Gantry up close and personal. Specifically designed for machining of large workpieces, the DMU has great flexibility while having a vertical spindle of 30,000 rpm. The working area concept is a fixed 88.6 x 78.7 ” table capable of loading 22,046 pounds with chip conveyors on both sides of the table. With no side walls, visibility is maximized making it the perfect working area. The low gantry design has an impressive 1,968.5 inches per minute rapid traverse.
DMG is a global company, bringing together two powerhouse countries in engineering: Germany and Japan. With 68 years of experience from Mori Seiki and 148 years from Gildemeister, the success of the company shines through their alliance and combined 7,400 employees and their sales and service centers in 76 countries. They also proudly offer training through their DMG Mori Academy. For 25 years the Academy has offered in-depth training courses for customers and technicians and offered professional qualifications for their employees in 13 locations worldwide.
Reinventing Prototyping – 3D Metal Prints
HP made a strong showing at ITMS again this year with their Metal Jet technology infused printers. Their 3D printing capabilities got a boost with the addition of metal parts. With the same rapid production and low cost as the traditional 3D printer, the Jet Fusion turns out extreme dimensionally accurate and detailed prints. The printer also has an automated materials’ prep and post-processing station adding speed and cleanliness. The HP can place up to 630 nanogram-sized drops per second and produces up to 100,000 parts. Compared to metal injection molding, which can add up to 20 hours of workflow, HP does not use this time-consuming solvent debinding process. Thus, making it a faster, stronger, and more reliable machine.
Environmentally Conscious Machining
Brother has over 70 years of experience and forward thinking in the printing and business solutions market and brought their S100X1 out to the Windy City. The machining area of the #30 has an increased X and Y axes travels creating a larger jig mount, something not typical in other, more traditional #30 machines. Due to the low power and air consumption, the S100X1 features a power regeneration system and energy saving functions making it the greener option amongst competition.
Tiny Machines, Big Impact
Swiss company, Tornos, had their SwissNano running at McCormick. With its tight kinetmatics, sound ergonomics, and precision, it is the perfect tiny machine that packs a big punch. Tornos also debuted their SwissDeco G, the “future of bar turning.” The Deco G is double platen and equipped with nine linear axes. It has up to 38 tool positions, most of which have the option to be rotating.
Stratasys Streamlined
Here at Beyond, we have our own Stratasys 3D printer in-house. It was great to see their newer models at the show and the continued innovative strides they make year after year. The Fortus 380CF was especially impressive. The specialty printer is for carbon fiber materials in an effort to move toward production environments.
Proven Production
Founded nearly 30 years ago, EOS has grown to be a leader in industrial 3D printing with high-end solutions in additive manufacturing and pioneering direct metal laser sintering technologies. The EOS m 290 creates metal parts quickly and inexpensively directly from CAD data with a building volume of 250 x 250 x 325 mm.
Heavy Duty Grinders
The Usach 100-T4 CNC grinding machine is the ideal machine for grinding both IDs and ODs. The machine can accommodate up to four high frequency spindles with speeds ranging from 6,000 to 120,000 rpm. The machine can be equipped with swing diameters up to 17.71″ and is offered with the latest Siemens 840D sl control and Usach Open Architecture software programming system.
Lack of U.S. Presence
We noticed a diverse range of companies at IMTS, notably missing was an American presence at the Chicago show though. With the technologies gearing up and growing in places like Japan and Sweden, the U.S. seems to have outsourced their needs elsewhere. Although we saw an interest in bringing it back to the U.S., there is a long road ahead to catch up. Part of this issue, and adding to the popularity of automated machines is the lack of high school and college prep. With fewer classes churning out graduates with machine and shop experience (and a lack of these in general), there is a signifigant human labor shortage.
‘President Barack Obama delivers remarks following a tour of the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa., June 24, 2011. The President spoke on the need to focus on cross-cutting technologies that will enhance the global competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing and speed up ideas from the drawing board to the manufacturing floor.” Official White House Photo by Pete Souza).
Until Next Year
We were impressed with the leaps and bounds the manufacturing industry has made and can’t wait to see what IMTS brings next year. For a look at our 3D printed projects, please visit our work page or drop us a note at info@beyonddesignchicago.com. Thanks for reading!
The intricacies and precision of 3D printing continues to impress us year after year (as seen above).
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