Warming up for IMTS: General Industry Coverage

Being an even-numbered year, it’s time for another IMTS (International Manufacturing Technology Show). I can’t wait to see what’s new.

The trade show takes place Sept. 8-13 in Chicago and will present more machine tools, cutting tools and other manufacturing equipment in one location than anywhere else except EMO (Exposition Mondiale de la Machine Outil) in Europe. Because I haven’t figured out how to get someone else to pay the tab for me to travel to EMO, the odd-numbered years are a little disappointing.

To help prime metalworking professionals and whet their appetite for IMTS, various regional trade shows and manufacturers’ events are available. Some of the events I have attended or plan to attend include the following:

In March, machine tool distributor Morris Midwest hosted its third annual Morris Madness event in Roselle, Ill. It featured live cutting demonstrations and exhibits by tooling and accessory vendors that partner with Morris Midwest. The partners had product specialists on-hand to answer questions, and a barbeque and door prizes added to the appeal.

In May, DMG Mori USA presented Chicago Innovation Days at its facility in Hoffman Estates, Ill. Right next door was BIG Kaiser Precision Tooling Inc.’s Breakfast & Learn event. The events played off of each other rather well.

Each morning for 3 days, BIG Kaiser conducted two different technical presentations to educate attendees and highlight its products. As the event name implies, the company provided a complimentary breakfast. Also, the showroom was open throughout the day, with staff available to answer questions.