A strong economy, dynamic advances in technology, and an energized manufacturing industry all came together to make IMTS 2018 the largest show of all time. The 32nd edition of the show drew a record registration of 129,415 people and featured 1,424,232 SF of exhibit space, made up of 2,123 booths and 2,563 exhibiting companies. IMTS 2018 ran from Sept. 10-15 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.
“Connectivity, the digital transformation of manufacturing, automation, additive manufacturing and a strong economy drove record numbers at IMTS 2018,” said Peter R. Eelman, AMT’s Vice President – Exhibitions & Business Development. “Digitization collided with a robust manufacturing industry to create our most dynamic show ever.”
“The velocity of technology change has become different,” said Tim Shinbara, AMT’s Vice President – Technology. “Analog technology yields linear improvements. Digital technology creates exponential growth and transforms how manufacturers and job shops operate.”
Notable growth areas at IMTS 2018 included an expanded Additive Manufacturing Pavilion that featured 51 exhibitors and covered 31,550 SF, the strong partnership with HANNOVER MESSE USA and its four colocated shows and 510 exhibitors, and an expanded Smartforce Student Summit that drew more than 24,000 students, parents and educators — 7,000 more visitors than in 2016.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner addressed IMTS attendees on Sept. 12. “There are four reasons that manufacturers from around the world are coming to the state of Illinois to build great products: people, transportation, innovation and energy,” said Gov. Rauner. “We’re driving great manufacturing growth in this state.” He noted that Illinois is the 17th largest manufacturing economy in the world, generates 600,000 manufacturing jobs, produces $100 billion in manufactured products and creates the “most exciting and dynamic part of prosperity for everyone.” Gov. Rauner toured IMTS and rode Olli, a self-driving, digitally manufactured, 3D-printed electric shuttle made by Local Motors. Olli gave more than 1,400 rides at IMTS 2018.
The Miles for Manufacturing 5K on Wednesday, Sept. 12, drew a record 486 runners. The race generated almost $28,000 in proceeds, which were used to donate 14 Bionics4Education kits from Festo Didactic to STEM middle schools in the Chicago area.
Spotlight on Advanced Technology
The Emerging Technology Center has been featured at several editions of IMTS as a way of highlighting the industry’s most impactful technology transformations. The 2018 show was the first time ever that IMTS featured two ETCs — one focused on digital transformation, and a second focused on additive manufacturing.
As cybersecurity is very much top of mind for manufacturers looking to expand on their digital operations, the digital transformation ETC included information regarding best practices for data security, such as integrating modern security with legacy operating systems. There was also a demonstration of an automated cell that combined a Hurco CNC, a Universal Robot arm, and a Hexagon CMM all utilizing the MTConnect standard. ATHENA, the industry’s first voice-operated assistant, debuted at IMTS in the ETC where visitors could control a 5-axis DMG Mori CNC. ATHENA provides intelligent assistance to machinists to allow them to operate multiple types of controls.
The second ETC featured a “Knowledge Bar” hosted by America Makes, where visitors learned about the development of education roadmaps, an online platform for members to exchange information and establishment of industry-wide additive manufacturing standards and specifications.
To show additive’s speed and versatility, Oak Ridge National Laboratory created a “die-in a-day” demonstration that featured four stages of development: printing the die at Lincoln Electric, machining the printed die at Mazak, molding a part from the die at IACMI and 3D-laser scanning the part at Quality Vision International.
Education, Knowledge, Networking
More than 2,500 visitors attended conference sessions during the week of IMTS. The largest event, in terms of both content and visitors, was the IMTS Conference, which included 71 total sessions. Other colocated conferences focused on digital manufacturing, additive technologies, and a special focus on job shops to help those companies learn about best practices and discuss ideas for growing their business.
“We had very astute attendees coming to IMTS 2018,” says Eelman. “They are more educated about the health of their business and know that connectivity, digitization, automation and knowledge are part of the solution.
“IMTS takes all this, puts it under one roof and fosters connections. By the time we reach IMTS 2020, what visitors learned this week will have already changed their operations. People will come to renew old friendships and uncover new possibilities that will expand their horizons.”
