Renishaw’s additive manufacturing (AM) page is an information hub to educate customers and the wider engineering community on the possibilities of AM and its business impact, helping increase the use of AM technology in mainstream manufacturing.

Featured is the beginner’s guide to AM, demonstrating how users can optimize metal AM to take advantage of the design freedom, performance, and efficiency. It also explains how understanding the particular AM process characteristics are essential to waste and cost reduction.

Platform integration for materials information

Granta Design’s Granta MI system for materials information management will be integrated with Dassault Systèmes’ 3DExperience platform. Information from a company’s materials database will be available to teams working on the 3DExperience platform. Designers, engineers, and simulation analysts can access information on materials and properties, and check that requirements on their structural behavior, cost, application, compliance, or sustainability are fulfilled.

Improved and consistent access to materials data throughout the design, development, and manufacturing processes boosts innovation, reduces time to market, and lowers risk of product design errors or poor performance.

3D powder cabinet; controlled cleaning

The ADDvance powder cabinet is atmosphere-regulated to protect powder integrity prior to use, improving reproducibility of additive manufacturing (AM) and other powder metals (PM) processes.

The cabinet continuously tests internal temperature and humidity levels, selectively using a purge gas to regulate the internal atmosphere if changes are detected. When cabinet doors are opened and closed, a high-volume flow of purge gas is triggered to quickly remove moisture, and then a lower volume gas stream keeps humidity levels consistently low.

Also available is ADDvance Cryoclean technology, which uses a combination of CO² snow particles and a blasting abrasive to remove particles and difficult residues from 3D-printed parts. The system produces CO₂ snow on-demand by feeding liquid CO₂ into a cleaning chamber, making it environmentally friendly and cost-effective with no additional cleaning requirements. Without moisture to corrode metals, there is no need for drying and no wastewater.

Acquisition expands 3D printed connections

Xilloc Medical B.V.’s acquisition of OTN B.V. expands its product portfolio in the orthopedic market. Xilloc currently uses 3D printing to produce patient-specific implants, and OTN’s Click Safety Adapter makes the solid, safe connection between an implant and the patient’s prosthetic leg. Prior to the acquisition, Xilloc and OTN’s collaboration led to the development of an improved version of the Click Safety Adapter.

Expanded coverage in North America

PostProcess Technologies has signed agreements to expand its channel partner coverage in North America. 

Partners representation by region are:

AdvancedTek, a Platinum Partner reseller for Stratasys and Desktop Metal 3D printers, will represent in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and North and South Dakota. 

Cimetrix, a division of Javelin Technologies, is a Canadian AM solutions provider specializing in supporting applications with stringent requirements, including high-performance prototypes, tooling, and manufacturing aids, as well as end-use parts. 

Fisher Unitech, one of the largest providers of Stratasys 3D printers, will represent in the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and New England. 

Technical Laboratory Systems Inc., a provider of additive manufacturing solutions, skills training equipment, and software for advanced manufacturing, industrial maintenance, and engineering segments, and a top 30 Stratasys Platinum reseller that also represents Renishaw and Desktop Metal, will represent in the South-Central U.S. 

One show, 1.4 million square feet of exhibit space, and four days of educational conferences – that’s what attending IMTS 2018 and the IMTS Conference sessions offer.

This year’s program is designed to provide attendees with tangible insights to take back to company operations for immediate implementation. From improving productivity and part quality to understanding Industry 4.0/the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), overall equipment effectiveness, and developing a workforce, the IMTS 2018 Conferences deliver solutions to manufacturing challenges by providing knowledge in this fast-paced industry.

Registering to attend the IMTS 2018 Conferences offers the opportunity to expand your knowledge through interactions with peers and experts throughout four days of intensive education, running concurrently with IMTS 2018. Opportunities throughout the sessions offer the chance to learn about challenges others have faced and overcome, and you may even relate to some of those scenarios within your operations. Engagement with those who have struggled with similar situations is the best way to develop a plan for improvement.

This IMTS 2018 Conference Guide is your path to manufacturing improvements. The following pages detail each day’s schedule, separated into five tracks with specific focuses for each one; how to register; and more about the presenters and the companies they represent.

This years’ IMTS 2018 Conference looks at:

Process Innovations

• Composites
• New/Exotic Materials
• R&D
• General Cutting
• Grinding
• Tooling/Workholding

Alternative

• Additive/3D Printing
• EDM
• Fastening/Joining
• Laser
• Waterjet
• Welding

Plant Operations

• Cost Justification
• Energy Efficient
• Government Initiatives
• Lean Manufacturing
• Lifecycle Management
• Training/Workforce

Quality/Inspection

• Inspection
• Measuring
• Optical/3D
• Standards
• Testing
• Vision Systems

Systems Integration

• IIoT/Industry 4.0
• Motion Control
• Robotics
• Software
• CAD/CAM
• Connectivity

After learning more about the IMTS Conference, don’t forget to flip over the IMTS 2018 Conference Guide to review the second event we are co-organizing – the 2018 Integrated Industries Conference, taking place Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2018. This one-day conference ties in closely with technology on the show floor, and features Motion, Drive, & Automation; Industrial Supply; and Surface Technology.

Registration is open for all conferences – www.IMTS.com/Conference – I hope you will join us for these educational learning sessions while attending IMTS 2018.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Engler Modic Editor
emodic@gie.net

When you attend IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show, you get more than a chance to see the world’s most advanced manufacturing technology. You also get a pulse on the industry, a first-hand look at where we are today and where we are headed in the future. You join a community of peers who are passionate, energized, and ready to meet new challenges.

I am a lifelong manufacturing professional who is dedicated to keeping our industry as the most innovative in the world. There is no doubt that manufacturing is moving through a revolution unlike anything seen before. The rapid changes present both challenges and opportunities, and the businesses that thrive will be the ones that embrace transformation and leverage its possibilities.

This is just the beginning of a transformational era in manufacturing technology, and I hope you are as excited to be a part of it as I am. Welcome to Chicago and thank you for attending IMTS 2018.

Cheers,
Douglas K. Woods
President AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology

Session Topic: Trends in Manufacturing

The way manufacturers do business is constantly changing, and those who adapt have the competitive advantage.

Right now, substantial changes are taking place:

• Software in the cloud, including ERP
• Industry 4.0
• Mobile devices are everywhere – including the manufacturing floor
• Artificial Intelligence
• 3D printing
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• Predictive Analytics (Big Data)

Each trend will have an impact on manufacturers, whether a 10-person shop or 10,000-person shop. This presentation will extrapolate on each trend in some detail and explain the advantages of having an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and how it can help address these issues.

Acumatica Manufacturing Edition offers a complete, multi-site manufacturing control and planning system for make-to-stock, make-to-order, engineer-to-order, project centric, job shop, batch, and repetitive manufacturing. It was developed in partnership with JAAS Systems. Manufacturing Edition provides one solution to run an entire business by integrating with Acumatica’s financials, distribution, commerce, field service, customer relationship management (CRM), and project accounting products. Acumatica, the fastest-growing cloud ERP company, offers flexible licensing and deployment options, priced by resources used, enabling a system to grow as a business grows.