CNC West Oct Nov Web

CNC WEST October/November 2018 www.CNC-West.com 35 “MTConnect is the building block that enables in- telligent systems and decision-making based on data rather than instinct,” says Eelman. “Instead of asking ‘What’s a connected system?’, visitors now say to ex- hibitors, ‘Your systems use MTConnect, right?’” Paul Gray, Hurco’s R&D Manager, notes that the only required connection between machines is an Eth- ernet cable. “Simple connectivity and software com- munication overcomes a major hurdle for job shops that focus on high-mix, low-volume and even custom parts,” he says. Additive Advances “Additive manufacturing is one of the most revolu- tionary technologies ever brought to IMTS, and that’s reflected in the ETC focusing on additive manufactur- ing,” says Eelman. This ETC also featured a “Knowledge Bar” hosted by America Makes where visitors learned about the de- velopment of education roadmaps, an online platform for members to exchange information and establish- ment of industry-wide additive manufacturing (AM) standards and specifications. Additive Presence Grows Exponentially “Every building in McCormick Place featured AM technology,” says Eelman. “Four years ago when we produced the Strati vehicle on the show floor, large- scale AM was a novelty. At IMTS 2018, AM technol- ogy was part of the manufacturing processes used to produce the entrance hall impact units.” Smarter Solutions ATHENA, the industry’s first voice-operated assis- tant, debuted at IMTS in the Makino and OKK booths, as well as in AMT’s ETC where visitors could control a 5-axis DMG Mori CNC. Index previewed its iXworld, an online portal with four distinct service areas under a single interface. Fanuc’s FIELD system, an open platform that collects machine data in real time, was connected to more than 300 machines from 144 companies at the show. SAP focused on how to use blockchain to improve trust and transparency from source to consumption. Smartforce Student Summit The IMTS 2018 Smartforce Student Summit broke its previous record with 23,000 registrants, 6,000 more than IMTS 2016 event. “The national conversation around STEM educa- tion has had a positive influence on our ability to attract more schools to the Student Summit,” said Greg Jones vice president of Smartforce Development for AMT. The 2018 Student Summit gave students the oppor- tunity to experience 25 different job functions available in manufacturing. Technical Conferences In total, more than 2,500 visitors attended confer- ence sessions during the week of IMTS. The largest event, in terms of both content and visitors, was The IMTS Conference. Presented byAMT and managed by GIE Media, The IMTS Conference attracted more than 850 people and featured 71 different sessions, each selected by a review board. Collectively, The IMTS Conference and the co- located events provided IMTS visitors with more than 142 hours of educational programming. “The two most popular themes from the conference sessions were additive manufacturing and connected/ digital manufacturing,” says Bill Herman, director, In- ternational Exhibitions and Sponsorship, AMT. Many conference attendees were looking for ways to begin their “digital journey” within their shops or how to im- plement next steps, as well as how they might harness additive manufacturing into their processes. “The Additive Manufacturing Conference was a tremendous success and our largest event to date with more than 575 attendees,” adds Travis Egan, publisher, Additive Manufacturing magazine. “Our new Job Shops program attracted 405 partici- pants,” Michelle Edmonson, senior director - Exhibi- tions Operations & Marketing, AMT. “With such strong interest at this show, we plan to continue our focus on jobs shop at IMTS 2020.” Presentations included a seminar on the unending search for qualified labor hosted by four job shop own- ers. “The part of the discussion on reaching out to high school-level and community college students was good. I hadn’t thought about going to those sources to find kids interested in manufacturing,” says Aaron Collier, general manager of Liberty Bottleworks in Yakima, Washington. EOS’ “Applied AM – Where Additive Minds Meet” half-day symposium drew more than 300 people. In a sign of how far AM has progressed, topics included a session on AM digital supply chain readiness. Seeking New Approaches Visitors walked the floor of IMTS focusing on tech- nologies, ideas, business practices and face-to-face con- versations that advance manufacturing. “We had very astute attendees coming to IMTS 2018,” says Eelman. “They are more educated about the health of their business and know that connectivity, digitization, automation and knowledge are part of the solution.”