CNC West Oct Nov Web

34 www.CNC-West.com CNC WEST October/November 2018 A rapidly transforming industry sparked IMTS 2018 – The International Manufacturing Technology Show, to set all-time records for show metrics. The 32nd edition of the show drew a record registration of 129,415 people and featured 1,424,232 sq. ft. of exhibit space representing 2,123 booths and 2,563 ex- hibiting companies. IMTS 2018 ran from Sept. 10 – 15 at Chicago’s McCormick Place. Previous records were 121,764 registrants (IMTS 1998), 1,415,848 sq. ft. of exhibit space (IMTS 2000), 1,808 booths (IMTS 2016) and 2,407 exhibiting companies (IMTS 2016). “Connectivity, the digital transformation of manu- facturing, automation, additive manufacturing and a strong economy drove record numbers at IMTS 2018,” says Peter R. Eelman, vice president – Exhibi- tions & Business Development at AMT – The Associ- ation For Manufacturing Technology, which owns and produces IMTS. “Digitization collided with a robust manufacturing industry to create our most dynamic show ever.” Historically, years between IMTS lead to incre- mental machine improvements, which are now reach- ing physical limits. “The velocity of change has be- come different,” observes Tim Shinbara – AMT vice president – Manufacturing Technology. “Analog tech- nology yields linear improvements. Digital technol- ogy creates exponential growth and transforms how manufacturers and job shops operate.” Record Breaker: IMTS 2018 Largest Show Ever An Expansive Show Notable growth areas at IMTS 2018 included an expanded Additive Manu- facturing Pavilion that featured 51 ex- hibitors and covered 31,550 sq. ft., the strong partnership with HANNOVER MESSE USA and its four co-located shows and 510 exhibitors, an expanded Smartforce Student Summit that drew 6,000 more visitors than in 2016. “IMTS witnessed an unprecedented degree of collaboration among exhibi- tors to develop additive manufacturing, automation and connected systems,” says Eelman. As an example, he points to the venture between 3D Systems and GF Machining, with their DMP Factory 500 metal 3D printing system unveiled to the public on the first day of the show. Co-Located Shows The HANNOVER MESSE USA co-located show hosted 510 exhibitors from around the world. At the center of HANNOVER MESSE USA was the Solu- tions Theater, which hosted more than 60 learning ses- sions that dove deeply into important topics such as IIoT, intelligent manufacturing and next-generation technology. Dell Technologies, Microsoft and SAP joined oth- er innovators in a new Digital Factory exhibition that showcased breakthrough products and solutions fo- cused on integrated processes and IT solutions for plant operations. The show has increased its exhibition space by 26 percent over IMTS 2016 and by more than 440 percent since its first appearance eight years ago. Two AMT’s Emerging Technology Centers With digital technology, the pace of change makes it difficult to fully grasp the possibilities. IMTS 2018 di- rectly addressed that issue with AMT’s Emerging Tech- nology Center (ETC) on digital transformation, which featured demonstrations of how new science impacts manufacturing. IMTS 2018 will be noted as the year of digital trans- formation, as exemplified by an automated cell link- ing a Hurco CNC, a Universal Robot arm and Hexagon CMM using the MTConnect™ standard.