PM Blog

With everything that goes on in an exhibitor’s booth at a trade show, it can be difficult for attendees to see live demonstrations of the latest technology. PMTS has scheduled a number of opportunities for attendees to see equipment being demonstrated live in exhibitors’ booths, without other distractions like people asking for quotes, making connections or retrieving basic information on the technology.

On April 3 at 10:30 a.m., Greg Knight, VP of sales at Absolute Machine Tools, and Phillip Judt, applications engineer for Production Turning Points, will give a demo in Absolute’s booth (#305003) called, “When Swiss isn’t the Answer: Game-Changing Turning Platforms.” The presentation will show how parts from multi- and single-spindle screw machines and CNC Swiss-type lathes can be done more efficiently and economically on B-axis mill-turn centers and multi-slide single-spindle machines.

For shops that want to implement data-driven manufacturing, it can be difficult to know when and where to begin. The article “Developing a Platform for Data-Driven Manufacturing” illustrates how Pioneer Service Inc. saw the opportunity to lay the foundation for data-driven manufacturing during its transition from manual to CNC machining.

As the shop began acquiring CNC Swiss-type lathes to replace its manual screw machines, it realized a need to replace its enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. Its previous system was not suited to its newer machines and was limited in the data it could provide. A new software package from Global Shop Solutions enabled the company to build its own system, choosing which data to gather to meet its needs.

Hydromat Inc.’s 40^th Anniversary bike, designed and built by Orange County Choppers (OCC) and unveiled at IMTS 2018 last September, will be featured in the first 2019 season episode of ‘American Chopper,’ on the Discovery Channel February 12 at 10 p.m. EST/PST. The unveiling will be a part of the upcoming show that will also include scenes from OCC’s visit to Hydromat’s campus in St. Louis, along with OCC’s famous design and building processes. The anniversary bike will also be on display at PMTS 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio, April 2-4. 

This year, Hydromat is celebrating its 40^th Anniversary (1979 -2019). As part of this celebration, the company engaged OCC to build a custom motorcycle to commemorate this milestone. The bobber-style bike is themed in the classic Hydromat logo style. The OCC head designer, Jason Pohl, also used the red color theme of the new Hydromat Eclipse 12-100 machine to tie the past to the present.

Are you planning to attend PMTS 2019 this year? If so, don’t miss the PMTS Tech Talks for a deep dive to learn more about a specific product or process.

On April 2, from 3 to 3:30 p.m., for the first time, Bill Bither, CEO, MachineMetrics will present, “Benchmarking Performance: Where Do You Stand Versus Your Competition?” He will share insights from the company’s real-data driven benchmarking reports on machine performance. The release of this new capability allows MachineMetrics customers to understand their machine performance relative to their peers that can be segmented by type of machine and industry.

Heidenhain has announced Community College of Denver’s (CCD) Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC) as the first Heidenhain authorized training partner (ATP) focusing on its CNC controls in North America. At this facility, both students and industry stakeholders alike can access and train on the manufacturing equipment.

To become a Heidenhain ATP, CCD staff completed several rounds of advanced training on the 5-Axis Heidenhain TNC machine controls and successfully passed an extensive exam.