Really big show: Turning Performance

IMTS, the premier U.S. metalworking show, is expected to be one of largest ever.

The 29th edition of the International Manufacturing Technology Show is on track to rank among the top five largest IMTS events, according to its sponsor, AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. The trade show will cover close to 1.2 million sq. ft. of exhibit space, displaying wares from more than 1,800 exhibitors. The show will be held at Chicago’s McCormick Place Sept. 10-15.

CTE has coverage of 190 of the products that will be on display at IMTS 2012, including tooling and workholding products, machine tools and accessories and metalworking products.

All IMTS images courtesy AMT

IMTS 2012 is expected to draw from 85,000 to 90,000 people at Chicago’s McCormick Place.

IMTS is expected to host 85,000 to 90,000 manufacturing industry professionals from more than 119 countries, who get a chance to view 15,000 new machine tools, controls, cutting tools, software, components and manufacturing systems and processes, according to AMT. They also gain valuable ideas and insights from the world’s leading equipment producers. Attendees come to look, learn, buy and network.

IMTS hours vary from building to building. The Lakeside Center (East) and West Building hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; the North and South Building hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

Partnership with IANA

IMTS has partnered with Germany-based trade fair organizer Deutsche Messe AG to co-locate the first-ever Industrial Automation North America show with IMTS. IANA will showcase products and solutions for production automation, complementing IMTS’ focus on manufacturing technology and metalworking.

“We are thrilled to reinforce the international nature of IMTS by having one of manufacturing’s premier trade show organizers join with us,” said Peter Eelman, vice president of exhibitions and communications for AMT. “This is a major step in expanding and strengthening the range of solutions available to IMTS visitors.”

IMTS offers several educational opportunities in conjunction with the show, returning to its roots. “In the early years, IMTS was actually an educational event and only turned into a buying/selling forum after World War II,” Eelman explained.

Along with the IMTS 2012 Conference, the show is co- locating six conference programs:

The IMTS 2012 Conference (Sept. 10-14) focuses on five topic tracks with 72 industry-specific sessions. The conference focuses on materials, manufacturing technology, alternative manufacturing processes, quality/metrology and plant operations.

IANA Global Automation & Manufacturing Summit (Sept. 12-13) is a collaboration between CFE Media and Hannover Fairs International, presenting a 2-day, senior-level conference. Key topics in global automation and manufacturing will be highlighted, including enterprise asset management, process optimization, energy management and sustainable manufacturing. Case studies on how plants have automated for profitability, improved performance of existing assets and reduced maintenance costs will be presented. The conference is located in McCormick Place’s East Building.

The International Society of Automation (ISA) will team with Hannover Fairs International to bring 1-day training and educational workshops for all attendees at IANA and IMTS (Sept. 13-14).

The Motion, Drives & Automation Conference (Sept. 10-11) will present two conference tracks, Motion Control in Automation and Hydraulics and Pneumatics in Automation.

EHS Today’s America’s Safest Companies Conference (Sept. 11-12) includes keynote speakers, panel discussions and 18 sessions across three industry tracks.

TRAM³ Aerospace Conference, or Trends in Advanced Machining, Manufacturing and Materials (Sept. 12-13), explores issues in the aerospace industry.

Midwest Clean Tech 2012 takes place Sept. 12 and focuses on clean technology based on energy efficiency, reduction of waste and pollution and other means.

IMTS Pavilions

The show theme for IMTS 2012 is “Be There,” which AMT says is a call to action for industrial decision makers to get ideas and find answers to manufacturing problems and challenges. To help guide visitors, IMTS is organized into 10 pavilions:

Abrasive Machining/Sawing/Finishing features technology for tight-tolerance and precision surface finish applications, including grinding, sawing and cutoff machines and finishing technologies.

Controls & CAD-CAM focuses on automation and software that can optimize plant operations and cost efficiency.

EDM focuses on CNC wire and sinker EDMs, which are typically used in making tool, mold and die and specialty components.

Gear Generation focuses on gear cutting, forming and finishing, as well as broaching, shaping and slotting.

IANA-Industrial Automation North America focuses on all areas of industrial automation. Industry-specific conferences and workshops are part of this pavilion.

Machine Components/Cleaning/Environmental focuses on the parts required to monitor and service machines in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.

Metal Cutting focuses on innovations in equipment to cut metal, including machining centers, turning centers and other machine tools.

Metal Forming & Fabricating/Laser targets metal forming, fabrication, waterjet and laser-based machining. Welding, metal treating and marking equipment are also included.

Quality Assurance features metrology equipment and systems and equipment that checks machine accuracy.

Tooling & Workholding Systems focuses on cutting tools and workholding solutions that help shops reduce setup and machining time.

Emerging Technology Center

The IMTS Emerging Technology Center will feature a Local Motors rally fighter car being built live on the exhibit floor. Local Motors, Chandler, Ariz., is a “collaborative manufacturing” firm and its car designs come from an open-source design community.

Other ETC presentations focus on additive manufacturing; MTConnect, the open-source communications and interconnectivity standard for manufacturing equipment and devices; and MTInsight, a customized manufacturing business intelligence system.