At IMTS in Chicago, the industry comes together for six days to showcase the best, brightest and most productive in manufacturing technology.
Are you looking for a CNC lathe or machining center? How about a cylindrical grinder, a band saw or, most important of all to those struggling with today’s labor-starved machining environment, a robot to tend these and many other machine tools? If so, you’re in luck—there’s still time to drive, fly or take a very expensive Uber ride to Chicago’s McCormick Place and the International Machine Tool Show (IMTS), where once again the industry comes together for six days to showcase the best, brightest and most productive in manufacturing technology.
Much of the equipment listed just now sits on Level 3 of the North and South Buildings. Step into the latter and you’ll immediately see Haas Automation, which continues to expand its already expansive product lineup with numerous new models, among them a handful of palletized machining centers, live-tool lathes with integrated robotics and articulated head verticals. With that are all manner of Haas brand toolholders, laser markers, offline presetters and even cutting tools, suggesting the Oxford, Calif. machine builder aims to take home the One Stop Shop award.
Across the aisle there’s Mazak. Known for its multitasking and “Done in One” focus, visitors might be surprised to find that Mazak has moved into the Swiss-style lathe market. It also introduced the second iteration of its SmartBox network communication and edge computing device. Walk a little farther and you’ll see that Okuma America is showcasing its OSP-500 CNC control, JTEKT has two new CNC cylindrical grinders and DN Solutions has a new twin-spindle, twin-turret lathe, the PUMA TT2500SYB.
And that’s just the first row. Continue cruising through the South Building and you’ll find Makino, Hurco, FANUC, Hwacheon and dozens more, all offering the latest and greatest in machine tools and accessories. Once you’ve taken some notes, grabbed some candy, and shaken a few dozen hands, turn your tired dogs around and head north. There you’ll find a host of grinding machinery from United Grinding and Rollomatic, gear-making equipment from the likes of Liebherr, Gleason and Helios, as well as what’s perhaps top on the shopping list for many: robots, robots and more robots (and several integration companies to help make them sing and dance).
That’s not to say there aren’t any robots on the South side of McCormick Place. There are, in spades. What’s different is that practically all of the machine tool builders listed previously (and many others) have either partnered with one or more robot providers to deliver an integrated automation solution or have developed their own. Either way, there’s plenty to choose from, just as there’s far more to see—North, South, East, and West—than this brief outline has provided. Happy shopping.
