Mazak Corporation encourages those involved in the metalworking industry to attend its DISCOVER 2015 technology and education event, taking place October 27 – 29 and November 3 – 5 in Florence, Kentucky. Here, the leading machine tool builder plans to spotlight new technologies and trends that will drastically change how part manufacturers operate, including unconventional ways to drive operational efficiency via additive manufacturing, CNC technology and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) concept.

Additive manufacturing is creating a shift in the way engineers and designers think about product development, and Mazak is leading the way with its additive-capable INTEGREX i-400AM. The HYBRID Multi-Tasking machine will make its North American debut at DISCOVER 2015, and attendees will experience how it uniquely integrates laser cladding with advanced full 5-axis milling and turning capabilities.

Mazak recently started outfitting its Multi-Tasking machines with the new MAZATROL SmoothX CNC, which offers the fastest processing times in the industry. The CNC will be featured on several of the machine tools at the event so attendees can see how it significantly shortens machining cycle times, especially in fine increment programs for simultaneous 5-axis operations and free-form die-mold machining.

With reshoring on the rise, domestic manufacturers must find new ways to deliver products faster and of higher quality than ever before to remain globally competitive. Such pressures have given rise to IIoT where “smart” components (data storage, controls and software), automation and advanced connectivity between machines and external data sources work hand-in-hand to significantly improve manufacturing productivity, reduce operating costs and much more.

Mazak, an early adopter of IIoT, will give tours of its revamped North American Manufacturing Plant that incorporates what the company refers to as the iSMART Factory concept.

The iSMART concept involves the use of advanced manufacturing cells and systems together with full digital integration to achieve free-flow data sharing in terms of process control and operation monitoring. The MTConnect® open communications protocol works with process support software and provides connectivity and the capability to monitor then harvest data from all the different production floor machines, cells, devices and processes.

In addition to getting a first-hand look at IIoT – which is expected to be a significant driver of manufacturing productivity and growth over the next decade – attendees will leave the event with a greater understanding of how shared intelligence and access to real-time information can optimize their processes in ways never thought possible.

Overall, more than 30 of the latest Mazak machine tools will perform real-world cutting demonstrations throughout the event. Applications experts will be on standby during the demonstrations to discuss total manufacturing solutions as well as part-processing improvements with attendees. The company will also offer a series of seminars that will teach attendees the latest metalworking tools, trends and techniques for improved productivity and profitability.

Machine vision is increasingly international. Industry satisfied with new two-year rhythm

Machine Vision, the leading world trade fair for machine vision, held during November 04-06, 2014, witnessed a rise in number of exhibitors and visitors. “Our expectations were exceeded by far,” said Thomas Walter, Manager of Industrial Solutions Department at Messe Stuttgart, delighted. The 26th edition of VISION produced not only a record number of exhibitors (432) with a high number of foreign exhibitors (54% / 2012: 37, 49%) but also a record number of visitors. Over 8,700 trade visitors came, equivalent to a growth of around 25 per cent compared with the last event in 2012. “An especially pleasing fact is there was also a rise in international visitor interest in VISION,” stressed Walter. At the last event 36 per cent of visitors came from abroad. At this event 40 per cent came from 54 countries (2012: 53). Foreign visitors mainly came from Italy, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Belgium, Spain, China and Japan. It is interesting to note the strong contingency of visitors from Asia.

Ultimately the success of VISION 2014 is due to the new two-year rhythm. “It was a total success,” confirmed Dr Olaf Munkelt, Chairman of the VDMA Machine Vision Group in Frankfurt and Managing Director of MVTec Software GmbH. “We are highly pleased with the number and quality of trade visitors. We have received very positive feedback from all branches of industry. Due to the new two-year rhythm we were able to make much better presentations of our innovations. In addition we are extremely satisfied with the high number of international exhibitors and visitors. It simply shows that VISION is number one internationally in machine vision,” emphasised Dr Munkelt.

Exhibitors at VISION 2014 came from 31 nations – all types of company were represented, ranging from start-ups to key players. They presented their new developments in machine vision components and systems, such as cameras, image sensors, processing units, frame grabbers, software tools, lighting systems, lenses, cables, accessories and complete application solutions. For the first time, the focus was on industry PCs (IPC) and embedded PC systems which are ideally suited for complex, demanding machine vision applications. The first-time special stand IPC 4 VISION, on which eleven renowned manufacturers participated, was extremely well visited, as exhibitors confirmed: “We had many positive experiences: highly international visitors and excellent technical talks. We are very satisfied. For us the IPC stand was an excellent platform since we were also able to speak to industries which are otherwise a little further away from our core business,” said Martin Krenzer, Marketing Manager Siemens, Simatic IPC/PC-based Automation. Klaus Rottmayr, General Manager of ICP Deutschland reported, “We were satisfied with the many visitors but were highly impressed by the quality of visitors. They came with very specific enquiries – trade specialists who know exactly what they want.”

Machine vision is encroaching in more and more fields of application and this is reflected by the leading trade fair VISION. The event featured new focal points such as Traffic VISION and VISION 4 Automation and therefore addressed these niche markets for the first time. So it is hardly surprising that 60 per cent of trade visitors came to VISION for the first time, according to surveys. This is a rise of four per cent compared with the event in 2012. VISION targets a broad spectrum of industrial sectors. However, 75 per cent of visitors (2012: 76%) came from industry, whereby the machine vision sector itself leads with 35 per cent followed by the automobile and automotive supply industries, mechanical engineering, the electrical and electronics industries, medical technology and pharmaceuticals.

As always, the hallmark of VISION is the constantly high quality of trade visitors. Visitors come mainly from development followed by research and members of corporate management. 82 per cent of respondents (2012: 84%) said they were involved in purchasing and procurement decisions in their company.

Trade visitors also indicated a willingness to invest, a trend that is virtually uninterrupted. As a result 84 per cent of visitors to VISION 2014 (2012: 86%) intend to invest and the majority of them within the next six months. This also underlines the upwards trend in market growth and the promising outlook for the machine vision sector which experts generally rate as good. When viewed from the aspect of technology, visitors to VISION were primarily interested this time in machine vision components and applications, although turnkey systems were still in high demand.

This shows that VISION is on the right road with the trend to enhanced application orientation. Nearly 93 per cent of visitors are already looking forward to VISION 2016, which will open its doors from 8 to 10. November 2016. They intend to return.

“Messe Stuttgart would like to thank all partners who helped to make VISION into a global leading and unique information and presentation platform for machine vision,” said Thomas Walter.

The fourth edition of the increasingly popular HaasTEC Open House took place on 16th-19th January to widespread acclaim from the event’s 1,500 attendees. Staged in Navi Mumbai, a rapidly expanding township in western India, visitors came from across the vast state of Maharashtra.

The new HFO facility at Navi Mumbai provided the venue for HaasTEC 2014, where visitors found a wide selection of Haas technology on display, including many innovative yet affordable CNC machines. These included the dual spindle DS-30Y turning centre with Y-axis, and the ever popular DT-1 Drill Tap machine. All the Haas machines on display were under power, underlining the event’s theme ‘Innovative Demos’: Haas machines cutting parts you haven’t seen before.

Terrence Miranda, Managing Director, Haas India, “The enthusiastic response and widespread participation of our customers and global partners in the recently concluded HaasTEC show highlights the usefulness and importance of these events in India. They provide a platform to comprehensively showcase the latest trends in CNC machine tools, tooling, CADCAM, measurement and workholding solutions.”

As with previous HaasTECs, a number of Haas Automation India’s industry partners, some 14 in total, supported the event. Among their number was Renishaw, a leading global specialist in metrology.

“We feel immensely satisfied having participated at the HaasTEC in Navi Mumbai,” says Renishaw’s Shreyansh Hippargi. “All the Haas team put in a lot of effort to ensure that customers and partners were at ease. Congratulations to the entire Haas team and we wish them the best of luck for future HaasTEC events!”

Nitin Wakode at Mastercam was equally complimentary: “Technology is a great tool but the people who support it make a difference…Haas have both. HaasTEC was a great show in all aspects.”