Here’s how the process works: As with conventional welding, an arc torch melts metal wire directly onto a base material and/or part. The two materials (wire and workpiece) can be dissimilar. This enables the machine to generate exceptionally precise sealing coatings or produce near-net shape part features while the workpiece has been mounted for machining, the company says. The method can also be used to repair costly, complex components such as impellers, turbine blades, or tool and die parts.

The machine’s hot-wire head has the same five-axis capability as its milling spindle, which provides the maneuverability to build new part features or weldments on all of a workpiece’s surfaces. According to the company, it is well-suited for high-volume additive manufacturing and helps to minimize equipment and material costs. The head incorporates an automatic wire feeder system that feeds welding wire to an argon gas nozzle. The head provides a deposition rate of three to four pounds per hour with a 98-percent material utilization rate.

In addition, the machine offers five-axis machining capabilities. It has a trunnion-style rotary/tilt table for processing small complex parts. It features a CAT-40, 12,000-rpm spindle suitable for steel, aluminum and cast iron.

The Vertex Hybrid G 55-5X machine on display has two larger siblings in the family, the 75-5X and the 100-5X. The show machine is demonstrating its capabilities with a combination of milling and grinding operations on a D2 steel plate, hardened and heat-treated to 60 to 62 HRC. A form milling tool is roughing and pre-finishing corner relief, followed by a form-grinding wheel for finishing. After a rounded triangular pocket is milled in the part’s center, a variety of grinding wheels form critical step features.

“We are claiming it has CMM-level precision because the engineered accuracy and rigidity meet volumetric calibration according to ISO10320-2 using the latest FANUC 3D volumetric compensation features, while enabling us to apply in-process 3D measuring capability traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology,” Hudson says. He adds that the machine’s structure, which features hand-scraped guideways, is configured to attain positioning accuracy in the X, Y, and Z-axes of 0.000040 inch (0.001 mm), ±6 arc seconds in the A axis, and ±4 arc seconds in the C axis.

“But the grinding aspect of this machine is the cool part,” Hudson says. “It’s not tacked-on. We have automatic, in-process grinding wheel dressing, size measurement and wheel calibration, plus an advanced thermal compensation system to enssure size consistency”

Hudson invites attendees to check out the machine for themselves. “They can see that this is not just a spin we put on the story.”

According to the company, more and more small manufacturers are investing in flexible automation systems that enable them to dedicate the talents of their workers towards more complicated tasks. This enables shop owners to benefit from their employees’ skills, while the workers can further develop their abilities. 

Attendees can see the Liebherr vision system on display at the company’s booth.

These efforts are on full display in its booth, where visitors can see Sodick’s latest hybrid metal 3D printer, the OPM350L. A larger-capacity version of the OPM250L that debuted at IMTS two years ago, the 350L direct metal laser sintering powder-bed printer combines a 500-watt ytterbium laser with a 45,000-rpm linear motor spindle, which can perform milling operations during pauses in the printing process that allow access to internal features that otherwise would be inaccessible when the part is finished. The OPM350L also includes parallel mode technology, a recent addition that optimizes the machine’s 500-watt laser path by allowing it to target four points simultaneously within a build. Available as a recommended option with the 350L is Sodick’s new materials recovery system (MRS). This system automatically delivers powder into the 350L’s’s material feeder for use in the additive manufacturing process. As excess powder is delivered to the powder receptacle, the MRS unit conveys this material back for sieving and return to the material feeder. By continually recycling powder, Sodick says that the MRS unit allows the 350L to run continuously for up to a week using just 30 kg of material.

But Sodick’s ongoing commitment to additive manufacturing via the OPM line doesn’t mean the company is any less committed to its core business. Debuting at IMTS this year are two EDM models: the ALN800G wire EDM, which the company says is the world’s largest drop-tank EDM model, and the VL6000QH wire EDM, a high-column economy EDM specifically targeted at the additive industry.

Sodick has also changed the way these machines and other products are displayed at its booth this year. The company has organized its booth with discrete sections targeting specific industries, including aerospace, carbide machining and additive manufacturing. In its aerospace display section, Sodick is debuting the prototype of its new multi-axis hole drill, which, according to Evan Syverson, additive business development manager, includes high-precision features at a price that will not break the bank. “This all-linear-motor hole drill is based on extensive research into the needs of American aerospace manufacturers,” he says, “in keeping with the customer-first focus that now defines Sodick’s direction as a company.”

Syverson adds that these changes are subtly reflected in Sodick’s new logo, which is displayed prominently throughout its booth. The angled structures mirror the logo itself, adding some cohesiveness to the experience throughout the booth.

Autodesk can show them new developments such as Fusion Production, a cloud-based system that combines scheduling, production tracking and machine monitoring on one platform. This is Autodesk’s offering in the “smart manufacturing” arena that is distinguished by a practical approach to integrating machine tool data correction, analytics and shop control functions, including access to CAD models and CNC program files. The latest release of PowerMill, the company’s flagship CAM programming system, is also on display.

However, IMTS is also the place for “dreamers,” the current or would-be entrepreneurs looking for inspiration, a boost to the imagination or simply the “gee-whiz factor.” Autodesk can show them a ship's propellor made using a rapid production process combining wire and arc additive manufacturing, subtractive machining, and grinding techniques. Developed for the Port of Rotterdam, this hybrid process can produce critical replacement parts that get cargo ships sailing again in days instead of weeks. Software to program the six-axis robots and machine tools involved in the process came from Autodesk.

Even more eye-catching than the propellor is an electrically-powered motorcycle that can out-race the world’s fastest combustion-engine motorcycle. Conceived and built by aptly-named Lightning Motorcycles, this electric bike has components designed with Autodesk’s generative design software that uses an iterative process to optimize performance. This software rapidly produces hundreds of possible variations based on constraints determined by engineers, such as shape, mass and placement of part features, to find the best combination.

And then there’s the Mono, a supercar that may be the ultimate in custom auto manufacturing. It has a raised spine and sleek contours that maximize downforce for compelling performance on the road or track. The builder, Briggs Automotive Co., uses Autodesk design software to make each car “fit drivers like a glove,” as well as achieve an aesthetic that is as unexpected as it is aerodynamically functional.

“Our goals at IMTS are indeed twofold: We want to show manufacturers the tools we offer to do their existing jobs more efficiently, but we also want to inspire engineers to embrace the future of making things—whether that’s exploring AI-powered generative design, hybrid additive and subtractive manufacturing, a cloud-connected factory floor, or all of the above,” says Stephen Hooper, senior director of manufacturing strategy. “So, yes, in way you can say we want to help make the dreamers doers and the doers dreamers.” .

Judged by members of AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology, the IMTS 2018 Exhibitor Product Innovation Competition awarded extra promotion in print and digital media for winning products. This is said to further the show’s overall goal of connecting sellers and buyers. Products were evaluated on their degree of technical innovation; their benefits for industry, environment and society; ease of implementation and implementation readiness; cost-efficiency; and test results from industrial applications.

The Silent Tools line consists of toolholders for turning, milling and boring. All feature a passive mechanical damper inside the tool body that reduces vibration to facilitate long-overhang machining, improved surface quality and improved productivity. The award-winning Silent Tools Plus (see a video ), part of the company’s CoroPlus platform of interconnected technology, offer additional capability: real-time monitoring of tool deflection, cutting forces, tool load, temperature and more. Via Bluetooth, data are transmitted from sensors embedded near the damper mechanism and cutting tip to a digital dashboard. This facilitates better real-time decision-making, easier setups, improved machining performance and prolonged tool life. 

Divided into bronze, silver and gold tiers, contest winners received extra promotion, ranging from feature stories in the to print ads in promotional materials and signage on the floor.

Rounding out the top three winners were OTT-Jakob’s Power-Check Magazine, a toolholder that automates pull-in force measurement to reduce waste, downtime and damage; and Logic Supply’s CL200 single-board computer (SBC), a system for sensor implementation and data collection on industrial equipment designed for shop-floor-level durability. A full list of Honorable Mention products is available at imts.com/visitor/productinnovation2018.html.

The Student Summit runs every day during the show, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the North Building, Hall C. Students of all ages are welcome to attend, including elementary, middle school, high school and college/technical school students.

“Our industry’s goal for this Student Summit is to shine a light on dozens of career pathways that are available for students, to raise their awareness and get them enthusiastic about the many specific kinds of career options open and available to them in manufacturing today and in the future,” says Greg Jones, vice president of Smartforce development at AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology.

Exhibitors at the Student Summit display smart manufacturing technologies focused on machine control connectivity, the Industrial Internet of Things, augmented reality/virtual reality, additive manufacturing, collaborative robotics, artificial intelligence machine learning and more.

As in years past, IMTS will give back to STEM schools in Chicago and surrounding areas for long after the show takes place.

“With donations from the Miles for Manufacturing 5K run and a new Celebrate Manufacturing event on Tuesday evening at the show, we’ll announce donations in cash and equipment to under-served, under-represented communities in the Chicago Public Schools and nearby suburbs of Illinois.”

Emphasizing the importance of STEM careers and sparking young students’ interests in this field has never been more relevant, as machine shops across the country continue to experience hardships in finding skilled workers. Students need to see that there are exciting opportunities available to them in this career that can pay well, provide room for advancement and don’t require going into debt for years in order to learn the necessary skills. The Smartforce Student Summit is playing an important role in educating students about these opportunities.

AMT’s ETC Digital Transformation features a demonstration of a vertical CNC mill tended by an articulated arm through a Robot Operating System-Industrial (ROS-I) interface. The collaborative robot arm autonomously transfers milled parts to a coordinate measuring machine (CMM). The center also showcases other digital innovations that are well suited for the aerospace, automotive, medical and energy sector applications.

According to Mike Cicco, president and CEO of FANUC America Corp., the robot’s operation of the vertical mill is made possible by MTConnect, a set of royalty-free standards that fosters interoperability between controls, devices and software applications. MTConnect was first demonstrated at IMTS 2008. “Fast forward a decade,” Cicco says, “and you can see a host of automation and machine tool providers demonstrating the benefits of connected devices at IMTS 2018.”

Of MTConnect and the ETC robot, Tim Shinbara, vice president of technology at AMT, says “This many-to-many, interface-enabled system demonstrates how data sharing creates a closed-loop system. Using data from the CMM, the CNC compensates for tool wear by recalculating its offsets to maintain tolerances closer to the median of the specification.”

In short, ETC Digital Transformation shows that automation and connectivity are the next steps in the evolution of manufacturing processes. For companies that want to improve quality, hold tighter tolerances or increase machine usage rates, collaborative robots and connected systems will be necessities in the near future.

Developed in partnership with Cisco, the Porta Multicenter Chatbot is one of the first applications enabling an interactive dialog between a person and a machine tool. In this context, the person (operator, maintenance, manager, even the CEO) can easily interact with the machine without any skill or training needed besides the experience of speaking to a smartphone app.

As a response to a large number of possible questions, you get a streaming answer from the Porta Multicenter with data about productivity, part number currently in production, next change-over timing, maintenance schedule, I/O status, etc. This can be done standing next to the machine or remotely from across the world.

It is not a one-sided conversation, the Porta Multicenter will even, as needed, initiate chat with you by informing you of the next maintenance required, the need for oil change in the next week, or the need to change tools due to projected wear curve or a higher temperature in the spindle.

The idea was born specifically to benefit a lean, high-production environment, where the speed of data and information is key for the Multicenter’s performance and flexibility. Simplify the life of a production department, and avoid the future challenge of fewer and fewer skilled operators by adopting an easier way to interact with your machine tool; that’s the philosophy here.

Grealis has two goals for the future of women in the field: more women in manufacturing and women obtaining higher positions in the field. From annual summits and networking events, to online networking services and training resources, Women in Manufacturing offers its almost 1,100 individual members and 51 corporate members a supportive community and resources in an effort to achieve both of these goals.

“Community is critical. That was one of the reasons we got started, was to provide that community that wasn’t happening organically,” Grealis says. “Because there were fewer numbers of women in manufacturing, they were often the minority at events like trade conferences and trade shows, so we feel it’s critical to have this community to help women connect and to have that opportunity to learn from one another, to support one another.”

Going forward, Grealis hopes to empower women to become leaders and to change the stereotypes surrounding women in the field. “We as an organization are working nationally to try to improve the public perception of manufacturing,” Grealis says. “Too often, parents, students and career counselors don’t realize what modern manufacturing looks like. Much of what we do as an organization is on the marketing and promotion piece, telling people what modern manufacturing looks like.”

Griselda Abousleman, chairperson of Women in Manufacturing and vice president of ISC Fluid Management at Ingersoll Rand, is a leader for women in manufacturing herself. With degrees in industrial engineering and business administration from Stanford University and Arizona State University, Abousleman started her career in the aerospace sector. “I must say those first years were increasingly fun as we experienced numerous learning opportunities and impressive results at the same time,” she says. She built a career around her passion for lean manufacturing, working to create and deploy lean manufacturing practices at a variety of global organizations.

But Abousleman recognizes the challenges that women often face in a field where they are often the only females on a team, and she is passionate about helping young women succeed like she did. “Being a leading woman in manufacturing means that I can inspire and influence others to follow in those steps that may appear more challenging than other options,” Abousleman says. “If I can make a difference in just one or two young girls’ lives, it makes all of life’s hard work worthwhile.”

To aspiring women in manufacturing, she says, “My advice is to follow your passions, even if it seems that there are few like you in the industry. In the end, if it’s truly your passion, you will blossom and won’t even notice that you’re the only woman on the team. Find an inclusive and engaging culture in order to enjoy it to the fullest.”