More is better

A recurring theme at IMTS 2014 could be summed up in the words, “more is better.” More machine tool companies are offering 5-axis machines, machines with multiple spindles, and machines with more capability thanks to robotics and palletized workpieces – all to achieve the goal of more productivity.

Two companies, DMG MORI and MC Machinery Systems, now offer hybrid machines that combine direct laser metal-deposition additive manufacturing and traditional subtractive milling operations in one unit.

To keep up the pace of production, the tool makers are offering more choices in specialized equipment to better cut, drill, mill, or grind the growing list of once exotic materials – titanium, nickel, super-alloys, and carbon-fiber reinforced composites – that are increasingly becoming mainstream.

And to manage the increasingly complex tool paths required by the multi-axis, multi-spindle machines, CAD/CAM software companies are offering even more extensive simulations. A bigger presence in the cloud, announced by companies such as CNC Software (makers of Mastercam), Widia, and Kennametal, will make it easier to select tooling and track work progress.

More data on machine health and status is becoming available, with software dashboards full of information or critical alerts available on mobile phone, laptops, and office PCs.

The event itself echoed the phrase “more is better”as IMTS 2014’s total registration reached 114,147, which is 14% more than registered in 2012.

A Guinness World Record was broken during the event by Sandvik Coromant, for the “World’s Largest Coin Mosaic.” More than 214,000 coins were arranged to depict a manufacturing worker holding a gear surrounding a globe, highlighting North America. Covering 841ft² and weighing more than a ton, the $65,000 in coins graphically represented the dollar amount that manufacturing contributes to the U.S. economy each second. It surpassed the previous coin mosaic record holder by 24.76ft².

The silver-, gold-, and-coppered-color mosaic filled the 29ft x 29ft space with approximately 60,000 quarters; 55,000 dollar coins; 50,000 pennies; 10,000 nickels; and 10,000 dimes. The sum of the coins – plus an additional $18,456 from sponsors including Haas Automation, the Gene Haas Foundation, Amazon, Blackhawk Industrial, Doosan Infracore Machine Tools, Okuma, and Quality Mill Supply – was donated to The Manufacturing Institute, a not-for-profit organization to aid science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and promote the growth of manufacturing careers.

More than 120 hardy souls took to the windswept, rainy course alongside Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive to participate in the inaugural Miles for Manufacturing 5k run, co-sponsored by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology and GIE Media. The event raised $20,000 toward manufacturing education for students at Chicago’s Austin Polytechnical Academy.

Also, the Smartforce Student Summit almost doubled in size from 2012, with 17,767 elementary, middle, and high school students in attendance. One overheard comment from a young student attendee leaving the Smartforce Student Summit: “This is the coolest field trip ever!” What more could you ask for? – Eric