IMTS conferences connect you with experts

One of the advantages of attending the IMTS 2014 at McCormick Place in Chicago Sept. 8 - 13, 2014, is the opportunity to learn – from manufacturing experts – ways to improve your business, its processes, and profits. One of the best ways to do this is to register for the IMTS 2014 Conference program, which this year includes 69 separate sessions throughout four days that cover topics in plant operations, process innovation, quality and metrology, system integration, and alternative manufacturing processes. Each session is scheduled to be 55 minutes long, including 5 to 10 minutes for Q&A.

The sessions have grown in popularity during the last two IMTS shows, thanks in part to the efforts of someone familiar to long-time readers of this magazine: Tom Grasson, associate publisher for GIE Media and AMD. Along with John Krisko, director of exhibitions, AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, Grasson began organizing the conference nearly a year ago by issuing a call for presentations. The response was immediate, with a large number of inquiries from potential speakers. In January, the list was winnowed down, with inclusion based on the relevance of the presentation abstracts to today’s manufacturing.

“The goal we had in mind was to provide attendees with information that they could take back to their facilities and make use of, to help them to reduce costs, improve productivity, and improve efficiency,” Grasson says. The sessions are designed to offer training, or increase understanding of a technology or process, and specifically are not sales pitches.

“Everyone going to IMTS is going for a reason, how to improve their operation, and the conference sessions fall into those guidelines,” Grasson told me recently. “The speakers know attendees are very serious and are seeking particular information or advice.”

Topics across the five tracks include 3D printing, lean manufacturing, workforce training, machining best practices, and equipment cost justification. Other sessions explore advancements in lasers, welding, waterjets, grinding, robotics, machine vision, and in-line metrology.

If you only attend IMTS to visit the booths and see what’s new in machines, you are missing out on the opportunity to network with leaders in manufacturing processes and knowledge. The conference sessions, which run Monday, Sept. 8 through Thursday, Sept. 11, provide attendees the chance to gain broader perspectives on overcoming challenges from the shop floor to the board room. They are worthy of your consideration.

Additionally, GIE Media, AMD, and Hannover Fairs USA, the U.S. office of the organizer of the HANNOVER MESSE manufacturing technology tradeshow, are coordinators of MDA NA – the Motion, Drive, and Automation North America conference at IMTS. On Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014, this second edition of the MDA Conference will again bring industry experts to discuss best practices in motion control, power transmission, and fluid power. This year’s program will focus on industrial communications, robotic control, guidance and inspection, linear actuators, 3D printing, and 3D machining.

You still have time to register for these conferences, at www.IMTS.com/conference, but I wouldn’t wait if I were you. – Eric