The International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS)—September 9–14 at Chicago’s McCormick Place—is the largest manufacturing technology show and marketplace in the Western Hemisphere, and it’s right around the corner! With visitors from more than 110 countries, IMTS is where the creators, builders, sellers and drivers of manufacturing technology come to connect and be inspired. But with more than 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space, where do you begin? Here at Gear Technology, we do our best to help you make the most of your show experience by assembling booth previews that will be worthy of your attention.
Instead of waiting until the beginning of next year to make a resolution to learn more about emerging technologies, I suggest taking advantage of the learning opportunities available right now. Engaging with AGMA’s emerging technology (ET) initiatives will help you stay current, expand your knowledge base, and potentially add to your itinerary for IMTS.
The International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) September 9–14 at Chicago’s McCormick Place is fast approaching and, for newcomers and veterans alike, it is always worthwhile to plan as much as possible in advance to make the most of it. For Gear Technology readers looking for gear manufacturing equipment such as gear cutting, forming, and finishing, as well as broaching, shaping, and slotting machines, you must first visit the Gear Generation sector in the North Building, Level 3.
Rego-Fix USA will spotlight two new tool clamping/unclamping units for the company’s powRgrip toolholding system and a new spindle drawbar force testing tool at IMTS 2024 in Booth 431822. The new units are the PGA (automatic) 9500 and the powRgrip Single, while the ForceMaster tool is the latest addition to the company’s family of metrology products.
D:PLOY automatically discovers and configures all the components in a robotic cell—including any leading collaborative or light industrial robot arm and tools—while also integrating external I/O from sensors and machines. D:PLOY will be available for all common robotic applications, making deployment up to 80% faster.
The tedious task of loading and unloading parts into machines has long been a bread-and-butter application for cobots gaining significant traction in the industry. With its 1,750 mm (68.9 in) reach and 20kg payload (44.1 lbs.), the new UR20 from Universal Robots greatly expands automation opportunities such as the ability to reach further into machines, tend several machines in the same cycle, and handle 25% heavier parts. Despite being UR’s heaviest robot, the UR20 is the lightest cobot in its class, weighing only 64kg (141.1 lbs.) making it both a versatile technical tool and a manual laborer.
Hyperion Materials & Technologies manufactures hard and super-hard materials for a wide variety of industries and applications, including cemented carbide blanks for gear cutting and hobbing. Hyperion will showcase its gear tool blanks and many other products and manufacturing solutions at IMTS 2022, Sept. 12 to 17 in Chicago.
At IMTS 2022, Stäubli Robotics will exhibit advanced robots used to help manufacturers meet new challenges and changing market demands across a range of industries worldwide. The company will present live demos recreating real-world applications in industrial manufacturing, with an emphasis on robotic machine tending.
Workholding solutions increase throughput which generates uptime because they greatly reduce setup and changeover times. Operators can change workpieces in a highly repeatable manner which significantly increases the quality of the finished part. The primary function of streamlining production is to develop a workholding solution that optimizes the machining of multiple parts at once while maintaining tight tolerances. Below you will find a cross-section of companies that will be showcasing their approach to workholding systems at IMTS from Sept. 12–17 at McCormick Place in Chicago.
The new ANCA MX7 ULTRA can manufacture large volumes of precision endmills and other cutting tools. The minute size of a micron is beyond the human eye, but by moving from micrometers to nanometers, ANCA will offer the highest accuracy and quality in a cutting tool in the market.
I'm presuming that you'll be attending IMTS at McCormick Place, Chicago, September 11–17. I mean, why wouldn't you? If you’re reading this magazine, then you're somehow involved in the world of gear manufacturing, and whether you're a design engineer sitting at a computer every day, a machinist working on the shop floor or an inspector working in a quality control lab, you need to understand how gears are made to do your job well.
Here's a close look at some of the exhibits that will be of interest to gear manufacturers at the upcoming IMTS 2022 at McCormick Place, Chicago.
Electric vehicles or EVs are increasingly popular options for people who want to save money on gas and decrease their reliance on fossil fuels.
IMTS 2022 will host a variety of technologies that will set the tone for manufacturing innovation in the years to come. At the forefront is the integration of data for process control, providing outstanding solutions to manufacturers. Wenzel America and Nidec’s collaboration started with the mutual drive for serving their customer with excellence through data management.
Oelheld US will be located in Booth #237475 in the North Hall. Oelheld technical experts will be on hand to discuss grinding, erosion, precision machining, and filtration, among other topics.
Forming tools are expensive, often made from carbide and tool steel. Carbide grinding is often the first choice today because customer requirements have increased and continue to increase in terms of complexity, dimensional accuracy and reproducibility. Apart from that, production must also be significantly more economical.
IMTS visitors can experience live machining with the WFL M50 MILLTURN/3000 mm. The multifunctional turning-boring-milling center is designed for complete machining of complex chuck and shaft parts up to 670 mm swing over bed. Turning, milling, drilling, hobbing, shaping, gun drilling as well as ID machining can be performed under any angle of the tool.
Verisurf Software, Inc. will be demonstrating a universal approach to measurement and inspection at this year’s IMTS Show in Booth #133345. Verisurf software provides measurement and inspection workflows with inspection plans that can be created once and used across the manufacturing enterprise on any portable or fixed CMM.
EMAG will highlight productive, and at the same time, flexible manufacturing solutions for electromobility at IMTS. Among other things, the focus is on the vertical pick-up lathes of the VL series, which EMAG now delivers IoT-Ready.
Mahr Inc. recently introduced a new generation of electronic digital comparators, the Millimess 2000 W(i) and 2001 W(i). The new digital comparators combine practical and reliable operation with maximum precision. Using a unique inductive measuring system, measurements are more precise than ever with added probe linearization—whether it’s a static or dynamic measurement task.
The ANCA Integrated Manufacturing System (AIMS) optimizes cutting tool production through streamlined manufacturing, automation, and connectivity. With ANCA and AIMS, customers can achieve continuous, unattended production that dramatically reduces non-productive machine time, with smart automation that connects sequential tool production processes and offers connectivity across the whole factory.
MC Machinery will showcase its latest EDM and precision milling technology, including wire and sinker EDMs, machining centers and automation during IMTS 2022.
Kapp Niles will highlight a variety of machine tool technologies at IMTS 2022 for areas like mobility, automation, energy, and more.
Helios Gear Products will debut two state-of-the-art gear manufacturing solutions at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago, September 12–17, 2022.
Klingelnberg will be featuring the latest gear production, calculation and measuring technologies during IMTS in Booth #236935.
Blaser Swisslube returns to IMTS 2022 with a line-up of new metalworking fluids and a team of experts with diverse industry and applications experience. Visit Blaser at IMTS to learn how metalworking fluids, often thought of as a commodity, can be leveraged as a strategic tool in the manufacturing process.
Liebherr Gear Technology will be displaying a variety of technologies at Booth #236914 (North Hall) during IMTS 2022.
The metalworking community comes together during IMTS to celebrate and promote manufacturing technology. Pavilions include Abrasive Machining, 3D-Printing, Controls, Fabrication, Gear Generation, Machine Components, Metal Removal, Quality Assurance, and Tooling and Workholding. The show is co-located with Hannover Messe USA. The following article looks at a few of the products and technologies offered this September at McCormick Place in Chicago from September 12–17, 2022:
Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a space that is maturing at insensate speed—the growth and innovation in materials and technology are staggering. Because of the inherent process of 3D printing, it may allow for a renaissance in the physical design of gears (i.e., integral channels for cooling, lightweighting, and other possibilities) but also holds the potential for gear repairs. Gear Technology spoke with JEOL, Nidec, and Fortify about the technologies they will be on-site to discuss at IMTS 2022.
At IMTS 2022 in Booth #135621, Marposs will be demonstrating OptoCloud EDU (Electric Drive Unit), its latest generation of 3D precision inspection solutions designed for the electrical vehicle industry. Using multiple laser heads in tandem with contact sensors for measurement and vision inspection, OptoCloud EDU reconstructs the 3D model of complex and articulated workpieces in less than a minute to ensure accuracy of the produced component. For example, it can validate 240 electrical contacts of a motor stator in only 30 seconds, which is 100 times faster than a traditional contact system.
Star Cutter Company will be displaying its newest generation automated NXT 5-axis tool grinder in Booth #237013 at IMTS 2022 featuring detailed graphics that enable visitors to take a self-guided tour of the machine, which will be shadow grinding during the show. The display system will feature the 28 kW spindle option and four-station wheel change capability. It will be equipped with a robot loader and flat blade/insert clamping fixture for live demonstration of automated production. Videos to showcase tooling for form cutters, boring bars and medical hip rasps will also be on display.
The Big Kaiser EWA Automatic Fine Boring System from Big Daishowa performs closed-loop boring operations without a human operator. This breakthrough eliminates the need to stop the spindle to manually adjust the boring tool, which results in considerable time savings. Also, eliminating human interaction reduces cost, improves accuracy, and minimizes scrap. The adjustment range of this fine boring head allows for the handling of multiple bore sizes with the same tool and ensures a repeatable boring process.
At IMTS 2022, United Grinding North America will be featuring the STUDER S131r cylindrical ID-radius grinding machine for I.D. grinding operations where maximum precision is paramount.
Nidec Machine Tool (Wixom, Mich.), responding to the needs of the industry, is debuting the new GE15HS gear hobbing machine at IMTS 2022 in Booth #237036. Emphasizing high speed, precision and efficiency, the new machine produces gears for electric and hybrid cars, as well as for robotic and automation applications.
LK Metrology, Inc. will be exhibiting a variety of new products in Booth #135230 in the East Building, Level Three at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL for the 2022 IMTS Show, September 12-17, 2022.
At IMTS 2022, Norton ׀ Saint-Gobain Abrasives (Booth #237042, North Hall) will offer a portfolio of gear grinding products specifically designed by category to provide higher profile accuracy, supreme form holding and burn-free grinding in worm, profile, and bevel applications. Highlighting the range is an innovative dual-worm wheel design that enables two operations in one grinding wheel, substantially saving time and cost.
The L.S. Starrett Company has enhanced its AVR300 Multi-Sensor Vision System with a large 2.36" (60 mm) FOV-dedicated 0.14x telecentric lens for micron-level resolution and accurate field-of-view (FOV) measurements. This is the largest FOV to date for Starrett. IMTS attendees can see the AVR-FOV at Booth #135044 located in the Quality Pavilion, East Hall in McCormick Place, Chicago IL from Sept 12- 17, 2022.
Wintriss Controls Group has announced it will be demonstrating new, advanced features in its ShopFloorConnect OEE and Data Collection Software at IMTS Booth #135073 located in the East Building, Level 3, in McCormick Place, Chicago IL from Sept 12- 17, 2022.
At IMTS 2022 in Booth #431822, Rego-Fix will showcase innovations that extend the company's Swiss precision beyond toolholding. Featured technologies include the 3D-EdgeMaster measuring device and MasterBar test arbors – two new product entries for setup and test measurement.
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Our company manufactures a range of hardened and ground gears. We are looking into using skiving as part of our finishing process on gears in the 4-12 module range made form 17 CrNiMO6 material and hardened to between 58 and 62 Rc. Can you tell us more about this process?