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More Options for the Workshop

Depending on requirement, users can choose between manually operated, semi and fully automatic variants – and of late, also between different cutting ranges. To achieve this, KASTO is extending the range by three further models.

The KASTOmicut is designed for cutting tubes, sections and solid materials to length and for mitre cutting. Workshop operators benefit particularly from the high cutting accuracy and quality with different materials and the attractive price-performance ratio of the saws. In 2016, KASTO presented the first models of the new series with a cutting range of 260mm for round material and 310 x 260mm for flat material. Users can choose between the manually operated base model KASTOmicut P 2.6, the KASTOmicut E 2.6 with hydraulically controlled saw feed, the semi-automatic KASTOmicut U 2.6 with hydraulic material clamping and the fully automatic variant, the KASTOmicut A 2.6. With its intelligent accessories, this enables efficient, extensively unattended operation.

Newly incorporated into the portfolio, KASTO now has two models with a larger cutting range: Die KASTOmicut E 4.6 saws round material up to 335mm diameter and flat KASTO HIGHPERFORMANCE BAND SAW REDUCES CUTTING TIMES BY UP TO 50 PERCENT The fully automatic machine is optimised for bimetallic and carbide blades and can be applied in areas such as the steel trade, steel production, forging mills, machine manufacturing and the automotive industry. material with dimensions up to 460 x 335mm. It is specially designed for single-sided mitre angles and is suitable for cuts from 0 to +60 degrees. The saw has a hydraulically controlled feed. Blade and material tensioning is carried out mechanically. The cutting speed can be continuously adjusted between 20 and 110 metres per minute. This opens up a wide range of possibilities for the user with different material qualities.

With the KASTOmicut U 4.6, users can even process flat material up to 520mm wide. With this saw, the material is also clamped by means of a horizontal hydraulic vice. This simplifies handling and increases the output in the case of small batches. The continuously adjustable cutting speed lies between 12 and 150 metres per minute. Like the smaller models of the KASTOmicut range, mitre cuts from -45 to +60 degrees are possible. The mitre angle can also be continuously adjusted. A heavy and torsionally rigid welded structure for the saw frame provides extremely stable support for the saw blade, ensuring excellent cutting quality even with hard-to-machine materials.

KASTO has extended the range with the addition of the KASTOmicut P 1.8. The saw has a cutting range of up to 180mm and is likewise suitable for straight and mitre cuts from 0 to +45 degrees. It features manual material clamping by means of an easy-tooperate and easily adjustable clamping device. The saw blade is also tensioned manually. The feed rate is determined by manually guiding the saw frame and a cutting rail serves as material support. An efficient three-phase motor delivers a drive power of up to 1.5 kW and ensures high cutting quality. Like other models in the KASTOmicut range, the saw also scores with its small dimensions and excellent accessibility. It can be easily picked up by a lift truck or forklift and positioned as needed.

Depending on the design, the shortest possible cutting length is six to ten millimetres and with a remnant piece length of 15 to 30mm for individual cuts, users can make maximum use of the material to be sawn. A highly efficient worm gear mechanism provides top performance and the sophisticated design ensures a constant cutting force for excellent results with all materials.

For more information, please contact Retecon – Tel: 011 976-8600.

KASTO High-Performance Band Saw – Reduces Cutting Times by up to 50 Percent

The metal sawing and storage technology specialist KASTO offers a high-performance band saw, the KASTOwin pro AC 5.6.

Users will appreciate its short cutting times, long tool life and intuitive operation. The fully automatic machine is optimized for bimetallic and carbide blades and can be applied in areas such as the steel trade, steel production, forging mills, machine manufacturing and the automotive industry. Besides helping to reduce tool costs, it significantly increases production speed and efficiency. Depending on the type of blade, cutting times can be reduced by 50 percent and more.

TThe KASTOwin pro AC 5.6 is designed for a wide range of applications and delivers top performance with both carbide and bimetallic saw blades. An important feature is its innovative feed system, which is controlled by means of two ball screw spindles, each with a servo drive for precise, infinitely variable control. The KASTOwin pro also has a retraction unit on each side for lifting the band from the surface when the saw head moves back. This makes for particularly efficient, exact sawing with minimal tool wear.

The KASTOwin pro AC 5.6 is driven by an 11-kilowatt frequency-controlled motor, which provides plenty of capacity for use with carbide blades. The cutting range is 560mm and the smallest dimension to be cut is 25 x 25mm. The shortest residual length is ten millimetres for individual offcuts and 35mm for automatic operation, enabling operators to reduce waste to a minimum. Two electrically driven plastic brushes keep the band free of chips. They are easy to replace and are automatically adjusted throughout their service life. The sawing unit has a heavy, torsionally rigid welded structure with vibration-optimized ribbing, ensuring quiet operation with shorter cutting times and a long tool life.

The KASTOwin pro AC 5.6 also has a powerful coolant pump and a large coolant reservoir so that difficult-to-machine materials can be cut with minimal tool wear. In addition, this fully automatic saw comes with EasyControl, a high-performance control unit.

The fully automatic machine is optimised for bimetallic and carbide blades and can be applied in areas such as the steel trade, steel production, forging mills, machine manufacturing and the automotive industry.

It is easy to use and reduces idle times in automatic operation for maximum cutting performance. All parameters can be optimized to match the type of blade being used.

For more information, please contact Retecon – Tel: 011 976-8600.

The DTI Showcasing SA Companies at Africa Oil Week

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies.

The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) will for the first time be showcasing local companies in the South African National Pavillion at the prestigious Africa Oil Week event, which will take place in Cape Town, from 4-8 November 2019. As the leading event for Africa’s upstream oil and gas sector, the dti will be using Africa Oil Week as a platform to outline the department’s commitments to the energy sector and re-emphasize the need for sustainable and equitable growth for local businesses.

The businesses will also be exposed to more than 1 500 senior executives from the oil and gas value chain across the globe, including 15 ministers of energy, key decision-makers from national and international oil companies, oilfield service providers and the investment community.

The inclusion of the South African Pavilion is aligned with the country’s strategic goal of implementing an outward investment-led trade approach which aims to increase the country’s exporting capacity for diversified goods and services to international markets while promoting industrial development, job creation, foreign direct investment and economic growth to position South Africa as a globally competitive investment destination.

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies says the sub-Saharan Africa region is rapidly transforming into a natural gas jurisdiction given major recent natural gas discoveries in the region and the significant potential domestically in South Africa.

“Following the profound experience of reindustrialization of the United States of America on the back of major gas finds and the Qatari LNG development trajectory, the potential for the realization of significant long-term onshore value in South Africa and the region is substantial. Whether or not South Africa discovers its own commercially viable natural gas resources, it will play a major role in driving onshore demand and the development of the regional resources,” says Davies.

He adds that in the light of the opportunities presented in the regional and domestic natural gas sector, the dti continues to refine its long-term natural gas industrialization policy for SA, which would maximize the multiplier effects (both up and downstream) of the natural gas resources domestically and in the South East African region. Appropriate natural gas industrial policy will allow SA and the region to optimize the utilization of natural gas, maximize its multiplier effect potential and drive regional integration.

Collaboration Key to Driving SA’S 4IR Progress

Collaboration across industry, public and private sector and among civil society will be crucial for driving Fourth Industrial Revolution progress, speakers said at the opening day of Africa Automation Fair and the Connected Industries Conference in Northgate recently. Assessing South Africa’s state of readiness for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, experts said that while South Africa currently lagged the world, there were significant opportunities to transform the industrial sector and move into a globally competitive space.

However, collaboration would be crucial to transforming industry, government and civil society to position South Africa to capitalize on the opportunities the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Industry 4.0 offered, they said.

Ilse Karg Chief Director – Future Industrial Production Technologies in the Department of Trade and Industry, said, “Industry 4.0 is about partnerships. We aim to partner with business and to collaborate with education to transform industry and develop the skills we will need to move into the Industry 4.0 era.” Karg said that in order to create the enabling environment necessary to support Fourth Industrial Revolution progress, at least 12 government departments were currently aligning their policies and plans. “It’s not easy, but to make progress, we will need integrated planning across national departments and all spheres of government,” she said. She highlighted the DTI’s work on developing a digital industrial policy framework focusing on building capability and capacity, a supportive legal and regulatory framework and digital industrial transformation.

Karg noted that South Africa had been deindustrializing in recent years. “Manufacturing output volume has increased marginally since 2004, while retail volume has boomed by more than 60% in the same period. Therefore, we are importing more and making less.” In the face of growing unemployment, she said South Africa had to focus on growing manufacturing capability, particularly as each job directly created by manufacturing indirectly creates a further three to five jobs.

While the country faced challenges, she believed its strengths and opportunities lay in the fact that South Africa is an innovative nation, its cultural dynamics, a good economic infrastructure, the potential for incremental change, potential for investment in the education system and development of the country’s young talent base and a fastgrowing small and informal business sector.

Dr. Daniel Visser, Group Manager – Planning & Knowledge Management at the CSIR, said South Africa was making strides in some areas of IIoT and 4IR innovation, with multiple programmes underway to stimulate progress. “South Africa is developing innovation platforms and there is a lot going on in this space,” he said, highlighting initiatives such as the African Centre for 4IR, to be launched later this year and hosted at CSIR, as well as new learning factories – mock production environments for testing and training and regional collaboration networks.

He said South Africa needed to focus on areas such as policy regulation, the ethics of AI and 5G, state support instruments to develop new technologies and an enabling environment for innovation. To achieve this, public-private partnerships would be key. The CSIR itself was taking a more industryfacing focus in line with this, he said.

Echoing these sentiments, Prof Mandla Makhanya, Unisa’s Principal and Vice- Chancellor, said, “when you talk automation, you are talking the future. The future is bright, but collaboration will be key.” With this in mind, Unisa was collaborating with SAIMC to introduce a new automation programme, to address the skills that would be necessary in a 4IR era.

SAIMC’s Annemarie van Coller and IIG’s Barend Niemand also noted that industry role players had to work more closely together to drive 4IR progress.

Africa Automation Fair and the Connected Industries Conference are the African platform for the industrial automation and control industry, working closely with industry associations including the IIG and SAIMC. Presented alongside the second UNISA NRF African Operations Management Conference, the event is the key technology showcase and thought leadership exchange for local and pan-African government representatives, academics and industry.

Ford South Africa’s Growth Strategy Targets Crucial Exports

A struggling economy, political uncertainty, fragile consumer confidence, mounting pressure on disposable income and diminished purchasing power as a result of higher interest rates and fuel price hikes, have all taken their toll on domestic new vehicle sales in South Africa.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom for the automotive sector. According to the latest new vehicle sales statistics released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa (NAAMSA), export sales continue to perform exceptionally well.

In April 2019, export sales at 33,090 vehicles reflected a substantial increase of 11,571 units, or a gain of 53.8 percent, compared to the 21,519 vehicles exported in the corresponding month last year.

NAAMSA predicts that the momentum of vehicle exports over the second half of the year should increase further and industry export sales for the year could reach close to 400,000 units, compared to the record 351,139 vehicles exported last year.

Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa believes that the expansion of already thriving export programmes for locally built vehicles holds immense potential for job creation and an opportunity for long-term sustainability of the sector.

“While domestic vehicle sales are an essential component of business for us, I believe that the real success and sustainability of the original equipment manufacturing (OEM) sector as a whole, relies on expansion of South Africa’s global export opportunities,” says Neale Hill, Managing Director of Ford Motor Company of Southern and Sub- Saharan Africa.

“Over the past two years, we have invested over R3-billion to expand the production capacities of our Silverton Assembly Plant in Pretoria and our Struandale Engine Plant in Port Elizabeth, to meet the growing international demand for our Ford Ranger,” he continues. “We have carefully and strategically mapped our revenue pipeline to target exports and drive export-oriented growth.” Currently, two-thirds of Ford SA’s total vehicle production is exported to 148 global markets, including Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

“Around 400 vehicles leave our Silverton plant each day, destined for local dealers or shipment around the world via 15 to 20 vessels a month,” says Hill. “Up until recently, all incoming and outbound Ford vehicles were shipped through Durban harbour’s Roll On Roll Off terminal. However, this facility has become increasingly congested, so we have adopted a multi-port strategy. We now also ship Rangers to European markets through Port Elizabeth’s harbour, to support our increased export volumes, in order to improve efficiencies and shorten delivery times.” The Ranger is one of South Africa’s top vehicle exports, with volumes reaching an all-time high of 68,364 units in 2018. The bulk of these were destined for EU markets, with Ford of Europe notching up a final tally of 51,500 sales in the 20 traditional EU markets, which represented a gain of 15.7 percent from the corresponding month the previous year.

Latest Vehicle Sales Reflect Welcome Surprise – NAAMSA

The National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa [NAAMSA] said that the latest vehicle sales reflected a welcome surprise on the upside with export sales continuing to perform exceptionally well. The declining trend in the new vehicle market since the beginning of the year came to a halt in April 2019. Reflecting on the new vehicle sales statistics for the month of April 2019 released recently for public consumption via the website of the Department of Trade and Industry NAAMSA confirmed that aggregate domestic sales at 36 794 units showed an improvement of 266 units or 0,7% from the 36 528 vehicles sold in April last year. Export sales had again registered strong growth reflecting a substantial improvement of 11 571 vehicles or a gain of 53,8% compared to the 21 519 vehicles exported in April last year.

Overall, out of the total reported Industry sales of 36 794 vehicles, an estimated 31 945 units or 86,8% represented dealer sales, an estimated 6,5% represented sales to the vehicle rental Industry, 4,1% to industry corporate fleets and 2,6% to government.

The April 2019 new passenger car market had registered an improvement of 935 cars or an increase of 3,9% to 24 989 units compared to the 24 054 new cars sold in April last year. The car rental Industry’s contribution accounted for 8,0% of new car sales in April 2019.

Domestic sales of new light commercial vehicles, bakkies and mini buses at 9 810 units during April 2019 had recorded a decline of 866 units or a fall of 8,1% from the 10 676 light commercial vehicles sold during the corresponding month last year.

Sales in the medium and heavy truck segments of the Industry performed well and at 577 units and 1 418 units, respectively, reflected a gain of 95 vehicles or an improvement of 19,7%, in the case of medium commercial vehicles and, in the case of heavy trucks and buses, an improvement of 102 vehicles or a gain of 7,8% compared to the corresponding month last year.

The April 2019 export sales number represented another admirable performance with export sales at 33 090 vehicles reflecting a substantial increase of 11 571 units or a gain of 53,8% compared to the 21 519 vehicles exported in the same month last year. The momentum of vehicle exports over the course of 2019 should increase further and industry export sales for the year could reach close to 400 000 units compared to the record 351 139 vehicles exported last year.

Although the ABSA Purchasing Manager’s Index increased slightly, for the first time after three successive months of decline, the PMI remained below the neutral 50-point mark which means that factory conditions stabilized at fairly depressed levels. Demand for domestic new vehicles, particularly the new car market, would continue to remain under pressure in the coming months affected by numerous constraining factors. Consumer and business confidence levels are low, household disposable income remains under pressure due to rising costs of living and lower domestic and global economic growth forecasts which continues to signal moderation in new vehicle sales. However, constructive political and economic reforms after the country’s general election on 8 May 2019 could see an improved second half performance in terms of new vehicle sales. The upward momentum on the export remains strong and industry vehicle production levels would continue to benefit from strong vehicle export sales.

Engineering Inspired by Nature

New tram vehicle body concept. Photo: Panik Ebner Design

EMO Hannover 2019 to showcase exciting start-ups. There is an established tradition of young entrepreneurs presenting their new business models at EMO Hannover. CellCore, a company founded by Andreas Krüger and two of his colleagues at the end of 2016, is one of the exhibitors on the joint start-up stand supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. Their business model is based on biomimetic engineering in which highly efficient natural structures, optimized by evolution over millions of years, are imitated (mimesis). The inventors develop these structures technically to enhance various components or products. This can make them lighter, more stable or more rigid – or all three simultaneously. CellCore supports SMEs from different sectors in all aspects from idea development through to the production of actual prototypes.

Bionics experts, engineers and software developers in the Berlin-based start-up CellCore GmbH have jointly developed new software that optimizes technical structures based on the internal structure of bones. This helps improve existing components or create entirely new solutions.

Travelling light into space

A good example is the injection nozzle for small satellite thrusters. Contributing their software and classic topology optimization, CellCore employees joined forces with Trumpf Laser- und Systemtechnik GmbH and the Institute of Space Systems at the University of Stuttgart to design a prototype on the computer by calculating the optimum structures.

Optimized injection nozzle of a satellite
thruster. Photo: CellCore FmbH

The software identified the parts which had superfluous material because of the low levels of tension acting on them and also calculated the parts where reinforcing structures are necessary. The functions of the nozzle – namely supplying fuel and damping vibrations – were factored in during the development process. Once a functional component with optimum properties had been created on the computer, the technicians could produce the first actual injection nozzle using 3D printing. “It took just two development loops for us to create a component that has since passed the required stress tests,” reports Andreas Krüger, CEO of CellCore. “The new nozzle is an impressive 83 percent lighter than the original component.” In the coming months, the biomimetic injection nozzle will be deployed in space.

Boom in lightweight construction

CellCore also has customers in the racing industry, as innovative manufacturing processes also open new possibilities for the weight optimization of individual components. For example, the company developed new wing elements for the rear spoiler of a racing car for the Formula Student Team at TU Berlin. At the heart of the optimized component was a special honeycomb structure which the young entrepreneurs printed in a single piece. The result was not only a 33 percent reduction in weight, but also a 300 percent increase in rigidity. The racing car with the optimized rear spoiler not only went on to achieve the best performance in the competition to date, it also won first prize in BASF’s Best Use of Fibre Reinforced Plastics design competition. The Berlinbased company designed the honeycomb element as a sandwich construction with a top layer of carbon. “What sets us apart is our broad-based application knowledge,” says Krüger, explaining the success of the startup. “We have engineers from the aerospace, automotive and material science industries, but we also have software development expertise in our team.

Supporting inspiration and creativity

For Krüger, the most fascinating things about his job are the variety of topics and the freedom to try out new things. CellCore’s experts are often called upon to help with specific design issues. Sedus Stoll AG – a classic manufacturer of office chairs – wanted new ideas for their chair bases. Up to now, cross-shaped structures have been used to connect the seat to the legs of the chair and thus hold the seated person.

Andreas Krüger, CellCore. Photo: Robert Frank

The CellCore engineers have now calculated a completely new shape. “In contrast to the old, crossshaped die-cast base, they created a structure that is reminiscent of a pelvic bone. This allows us to use 21 percent less material,” reports the CEO. “The development isn’t ready for series production because it isn’t yet cost-effective. But developments like the chair base highlight just what is possible.”

A contract with IndustrieDesignbüro Panik Ebner required similarly creative and forwardlooking input. CellCore was able to help validate a novel tram concept thanks to its experience in handling various structures and running numerical simulations under different loads. The Panik Ebner concept reduces the weight by a significant amount while maintaining the same stability. This makes the tram car easier to move, which in turn saves energy. The tram is more spacious and offers large window surfaces for passengers thanks to the open honeycomb design. “We were able to provide the necessary theoretical underpinning for our customer’s innovative concept with regard to mechanical strength. They can now take our simulation results and talk to potential clients about the concrete implementation of the tram.”

No limits for bionic concepts

CellCore can provide technical optimizations for all industries. The company is currently working with medical experts on developing new types of orthoses – custom-made orthopaedic insoles, in particular. “We wanted to create automated production methods for insoles that are adapted to individual patients’ needs. 3D printing technology can deliver results which are perfectly matched to a particular foot,” says Krüger. “The current manual method of producing custom-made orthopaedic insoles is relatively cost-intensive, meaning that the higher price of 3D printing is not such an issue here.”

CellCore has developed a bionic design for a chair base. Photo: Sedus Stoll AG

CellCore is also exploring potential areas of optimization in toolmaking. With injection moulds, for example, a clever arrangement of cooling channels and the integration of special grid structures can increase production quantity and quality levels. New cooling techniques are also being investigated. CellCore is actively involved in research networks such as the Nowhum S network for optimized tools.

The sky is the limit when it comes to imagining areas in which biomimetic engineering can potentially be deployed. There may still be a number of drawbacks to additive manufacturing, especially with regard to the price, “…but we’re looking ahead and showcasing both what is already possible today and also the ways in which things could develop in the future.” The young Berlin entrepreneurs are already making use of learning algorithms. Does CellCore also work with artificial intelligence? “A clear yes and no!” replies Krüger. “For my taste, the term AI is very often used in the wrong context and accorded too much importance. One thing’s for sure, though: we do enjoy working with natural intelligence.” Author: Gerda Kneifel, VDW

Airbus Celebrates Delivery of its 12000th Aircraft

This Airbus A220-100 delivered to Delta Air Lines at the A220 final assembly plant in Mirabel, Canada is the 12,000th aircraft delivered by Airbus.

Airbus recently celebrated the delivery of its 12,000th aircraft which was an A220- 100, assembled in Mirabel, Canada and handed over to U.S.-based Delta Air Lines.

The aircraft is the 12th A220 delivered to date to Delta Air Lines since the carrier received its first A220 in October 2018. The A220 started scheduled service with Delta in February 2019. Delta is the first U.S. airline to operate the A220 and is the largest A220 customer, with a firm order for 90 aircraft.

This milestone delivery of a Canadianmade Airbus aircraft to a U.S.-based airline highlights the growing presence of Airbus in North America. Since Airbus’ leadership of the A220 programme became effective on July 1st 2018, ground was broken in January this year in Mobile, Alabama for the construction of a second A220 final assembly line, set to start deliveries to U.S. customers in 2020.

Airbus delivered its first aircraft, an A300B2 to Air France, back in 1974. Fast forward to 2010, Airbus handed over its 6,000th aircraft, 36 years after its first. The pace continued to accelerate, taking Airbus just nine years to double that number, reaching 12,000th Airbus aircraft delivery, on May 20, 2019.

NASA Awards $106 Million to US Small Businesses for Technology Development

This illustration depicts how important precision landing is to a successful lunar mission. The identification of level ground near scientifically important and hazardous sites is essential for the success of long-term missions. Credits: Pat Rawlings/NASA

Managing pilotless aircraft and solar panels that could help humans live on the Moon and Mars are among the technologies NASA is looking to develop with small business awards totaling $106 million. In all, NASA has selected 142 proposals from 129 U.S. small businesses from 28 states and the District of Columbia to receive Phase II contracts as part the agency’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.

“Small businesses play an important role in our science and exploration endeavors,” said Jim Reuter, acting associate administrator of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. “NASA’s diverse community of partners, including small businesses across the country, helps us achieve our mission and cultivate the U.S. economy. Their innovations will help America land the first woman and the next man on the Moon in 2024, establish a sustainable presence on the lunar surface a few years later and pursue exciting opportunities for going to Mars and beyond.”

NASA selected the proposals based on a range of criteria, including technical merit and feasibility, as well as the organizations’ experience, qualifications and facilities. Additional criteria included effectiveness of proposed work plans and the commercial potential of the technologies.

The selected proposals will support the development of technologies in the areas of human exploration and operations, space technology, science and aeronautics. The proposals offer a breadth of applications, including:

• Solar panels that deploy like venetian blinds. The technology behind these panels can be used as a surface power source for crewed missions on the Moon and Mars. It offers benefits such as efficient power generation, lower procurement costs and reduced mass and stowed volume.

• Sensor technology for autonomous entry, descent and precision landing on planetary surfaces — a critical advancement for next generation human lunar landers.

• A type of permanent magnet that creates a bonding force between two halves with no moving parts, enabling in-space assembly of large platforms.

• A high-resolution X-ray instrument to analyze surface rocks and core samples on planets and asteroids. This technology could advance our understanding of the Moon, Mars and even Earth by providing unique analysis and reconstruction of samples.

• A suite of technologies for managing autonomous aircraft. The proposed solution aims to have a single dispatcher simultaneously monitor multiple flights, leading the way for future airspace and vehicle concepts.

New Floor Plan for IMTS 2020 Reflects Manufacturing Industry Renewal

Peter R. Eelman, Vice President & CXO at AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology.

IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show has unveiled a new floor plan for IMTS 2020 that dramatically increases the size of the Quality Assurance and Additive Manufacturing Pavilions by more than 10 and 40 percent, respectively. The plan also consolidates the EDM Pavilion into the Metal Cutting Pavilion, which has been renamed the Metal Removal Pavilion. IMTS 2020 runs from Sept. 14-19, will occupy all four buildings of Chicago’s McCormick Place and is poised to offer more than 1.42 million sq. ft. of exhibit space.

“The floor plan for IMTS 2020 reflects a renewal of the manufacturing industry, with growth powered by digitization, additive manufacturing, automation and software,” says Peter R. Eelman, Vice President & CXO at AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, which owns and produces IMTS. “Emerging technologies represented 38 percent of the exhibits at IMTS 2018, an incredible number considering less than 15% of IMTS exhibits just eight years ago were new technology based. That percentage doesn’t include new product introductions by exhibitors in the Metal Removal Pavilion, where connected and digitally-enhanced solutions emerged as the new norm.”

The Additive Manufacturing Pavilion will continue to occupy the space at the entrance to the West Building, as well as expand into the exhibition area on the west side of the hall, which has higher ceilings. This move allows exhibitors to feature larger and heavier systems, use double-deck booth designs and hang larger signs from the ceiling. The pavilion will occupy approximately 44,765 sq. ft. of floor space at IMTS 2020, which is 40 percent larger than at IMTS 2018 and triple the size of its debut at IMTS 2016.

Complementing this expansion, the West 375 Ballroom directly across the concourse from the pavilion will host the Additive Manufacturing Conference on Sept. 15 and 16. Presented by IMTS partner Gardner Business Media, this technical conference runs concurrently with IMTS during show years. It attracted more than 575 registrants at IMTS 2018, the most in conference history.

“Locating the conference and the pavilion in proximity to each other will boost traffic,” says Eelman. “At IMTS 2018, Additive Manufacturing technology providers demonstrated highvolume production capabilities and other solutions that appeal to mainstream industrial manufacturing, and this trend will grow even stronger at IMTS 2020.”

The number of exhibitor booths in the Quality Assurance Pavilion, located in the East Building, grew from 90 to 144 in eight years. We anticipate an 11 percent expansion for a total of 128,975 sq. ft. at IMTS 2020

“The capabilities of quality assurance systems and software continues to expand as manufacturers seek to reduce waste and bring products to market faster,” says Eelman. “Rather than a discrete activity that ends a process, metrology equipment has become an essential component of closedloop systems.”

AMT’s Emerging Technology Center demonstrated the benefits of physically and digitally connected systems with a robot arm that autonomously transferred a milled part from a CNC milling machine to a CMM. Using data from the CMM, the CNC compensated for tool wear by recalculating its offsets to maintain tolerances closer to the median of the specification.

HANNOVER FAIRS USA, produced alongside IMTS since 2012, will remain in the East Building. The number of companies exhibiting as part of HANNOVER FAIRS USA has grown from less than 100 to more than 500.

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