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Doing business in the global economy has become difficult thanks to recent and ongoing factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical instability and economic volatility. But, according to many exhibitors at the 2025 Taipei International Machine Tool Show (TIMTOS), technology is helping manufacturers and their suppliers stay competitive, even in difficult conditions. At the show’s opening ceremony on March 3, David Chuang, chairman of the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI), noted that despite the complex economic conditions, Taiwan’s thriving machine tool industry is working to serve the global market.

Digital Technologies

AI, AR/VR and digital twins were all prominent across the show floor. Digital technology is advancing and finding its place in the manufacturing industry, ultimately providing benefits in the physical world from shorter cycle times and reduced downtime to improved part quality and lower energy consumption.

The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), which supports industrial development in Taiwan, showcased several uses for digital twins. The institute uses Siemens’ digital twin technology as a base for a digital twin of a machine tool, then adds other information such as dynamics and stiffness to the model using data collected from sensors on the physical machine tool. Senior Business Manager Shuo-Peng Liang says that digital twins of the machine’s control can be used to improve cycle times on part programs, while digital twins of the machine tool can improve part quality. Digital twins of a machine can then be incorporated into a digital twin of a machining cell, which can then be used to build a digital twin of a production line and ultimately, a digital twin of the entire factory. These digital twins can be used for remote diagnostics and support, further aided by AR or VR, Liang says. For example, a manufacturer can give a technician the standard operating procedures and then use AR or VR to help diagnose and fix an issue with a machine. “Only discussion won’t solve a problem,” Liang notes.

Meanwhile, Andy Chu, vice president at Supertec Machinery, said that the company and its Taiwanese parent company, E-Tech Machinery, were mostly using digital twins in quoting as opposed to service and training. Chu said digital twins are useful for building cells with automation (particularly in situations with space constraints) and performing virtual runs.

Factory Automation Technology (FATEK), a member of the Far East Machinery Company (FEMCO) Group, demonstrated its digital parts and equipment manuals. This is a new feature where machine alarms are accompanied by QR codes that, when scanned, bring up information from the equipment manual to help resolve the issue. AR then helps walk users through the resolution process, and they can order any necessary components online in the same environment.

YCM’s booth boasted 32 scenarios for AI and machining and a demonstration of its iCube interactive control, which enables users to control a machine with their voice via an HMI for FANUC controls. YCM’s general manager, Patrick Chen, noted that this demonstration is mostly for marketing purposes (an actual voice-activated machine control would pose many safety concerns in a working manufacturing environment). However, it demonstrated how technology can help novice machine operators learn and make experienced machinists even more productive. He also showed a 360-degree camera powered by Cupola360, which was providing real-time monitoring in the assembly area at YCM’s factory. This provides not only safety, but also traceability and can even become a source of data that can be analyzed to find efficiencies.

At the TIMTOS Keynote x Forum on March 4, Techman Robot CEO Haw Chen presented on AI-enhanced automation. The company’s TM AI cobots have an integrated vision system and native AI engine that can help with part positioning, measurement, part identification (via QR or bar codes) and visual inspection, minimizing the need for manual labor. He cited one example of an automotive manufacturer that used four Techman cobots and 30 cameras to inspect 120 elements of a vehicle in 80 seconds.

Later that day, Christine Herbst-Kubitz, GM of Siemens Digital Industries Taiwan, spoke about how digital technologies such as AI and digital twins will change manufacturing with regards to sustainability. Adaptive control and monitoring (ACM) uses machine learning to adjust cutting conditions during machining for optimized spindle load, increased productivity and reduced energy consumption. Simulating processes using digital twins results in fewer prototypes and therefore less material, time and cost. In production, digital twins can also be used for training and data generation with lower energy consumption.

Custom Solutions

When economic and trade conditions are difficult, global companies have an even harder time competing in the market for ready-made machine tools. Suppliers can have more success by offering custom machine tools and turnkey systems such as automated cells and production lines. Many Taiwanese suppliers at the show were featuring machines that can be customized with different capabilities and integrated automation.

Tongtai, part of TT Group, is known for its range of machine tools from five-axis machines to multi-tasking turning centers, such as the TMS-I880S. The sample workpiece in the machine showcased its turning, milling and gearmaking capabilities. The company also provides custom automation from single-machine solutions to fully automated production lines. Arthur Deng, a project manager in the sales and service operations department at Tongtai, walked me through an interactive representation of the company’s Automation Classification Standards, showing different areas and levels of automation, which the company uses to design hardware and software automation systems that are tailored to the user.

Palmary produces an extensive variety of grinding machines from surface grinders to centerless, vertical, cylindrical and custom models. The company was demonstrating its new PCB-3015-3 CNC centerless grinder, which has an optional four-axis robot for loading and unloading, and an optional automated measuring system. A Mitutoyo laser measuring system measures the parts (in the case of the demo, pins for the automotive industry) as they move down a conveyor belt, and parts that are outside of the set tolerance band are separated from the good parts.

Leantec is a subsidiary of machine control maker Syntec that focuses on automation. Its booth featured multiple automation cells that represented a production line on a shop floor. The final automation cell in the production line showcased a robot that tended a CNC machine, then moved finished parts to a CMM for measurement and finally to a laser marking machine. The components of the cell and the cells in the production line were all tied together by Syntec’s Synfactory software, which has the capability to monitor multiple factories at once for performance, energy usage and more. 

You Ji is another Taiwanese machine tool supplier that, according to overseas sales department deputy section manager Jerry Wu, can design custom and turnkey solutions including machines, tooling and processes based on the part the customer is producing. Its YV series of vertical turning lathes is available with chucks from as small as 8 inches to as large as 40 inches. Tooling options range from time-saving automatic toolchangers to cost-saving gang-type tooling. Other options include twin spindles and milling, drilling and grinding capabilities. You Ji is also expanding its portfolio to include vertical grinding with the VHG800ATC, which premiered at the show. Wu says it will enable aerospace customers to grind bearings.

Between machines that can be tailored as needs and markets change and software that increases throughput and quality while reducing planning, training, downtime and cost, new technologies will help the Taiwanese machine tool industry respond more quickly to changes as they arise.