The 2014 International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) was well received with an exceptionally strong attendance of over 98,000 pre-registered attendees coupled with another 16,000 show registrants. Total registration for the six day event which ran from Sept. 8-13th at McCormick Place in Chicago, was 114,147 and consisted of 2,035 exhibiting companies covering 1,282,914 square feet of exhibit space.
When asked, what is behind the exceptionally strong attendance and also the particularly upbeat feel of the show? AMT’s (The USA Association for Manufacturing Technology) Vice President of Exhibitions & Communications,Peter Eelman responded “Yes, a better economy has something to do with it, but there is much more going on here than that. Five years ago a lot of people were wondering just how much of U.S. manufacturing would survive” Eelman asserts “IMTS 2014 demonstrates just how affirmatively the question has been answered. Our manufacturing base is stable and the companies are financially strong. Now comes the real opportunity to innovate and grow.“
Todd Drane, Marketing Mgr for Fagor Automation USA stated, “The excitement of this year’s show was seen and felt on multiple levels. The recognition that we have received from OEM’s and Machinery Rebuilder’s has clearly reached a new level. We have always believed our efforts have elevated our status in the North American marketplace and it was refreshing to see our efforts rewarded considering the attention we received from attendees and other exhibitors alike.”
(Booth Traffic was Heavy the Majority of the show)
Highlights of the show included the introduction of the all new Fagor 8060 CNC. In addition, the CNC 8065 TT control was shown demonstrating a dynamic dual channel program. An emphasis on MT Connect was also featured that allows for easy use with aftermarket 3rd party efficiency and monitoring software solutions.
A well received in-depth Predator software demonstration was performed in conjunction with the MT Connect capability. Also featured was a 5 axes custom made machine demonstrating advanced Probing capabilities utilizing Renishaw probing products. Further exposure was seen with our linear encoder products including exposed scales and absolute protocol scales for a variety of CNC manufacturers. The Innova 40i True Vision DRO was prominently displayed, as well as the popular 8055 series CNC in milling & turning configurations with both running advanced programs. As always, the 8055 CNC attracted substantial interest due to its capability combined with ease of use. The 8070 ETX CNC was shown demonstrating custom application capability.
Another keynote of the 2014 IMTS was Fagor’s participation in the show as a conference speaker. Todd Drane delivered a 1 hour seminar entitled, “The Anatomy of a CNC Machine Tool Retrofit”. The seminar was well received and attended by manufacturers such as Boeing & GE Energy among many others.
Based upon a positive review of the customers exhibiting Fagor products, and our own staff experiences, the IMTS 2014 tradeshow was another positive step that the North American machine tool market is currently alive with great optimism. AMT’s theme for IMTS 2014 was “Come together, leave inspired.” This year, they most certainly got it right.
IMTS 2014 registrations: 114.147
Pre-registration: 98,169
– Monday, 8 /9 / 14: 4,656 – Thursday, 11 / 9 / 14: 2,154
– Tuesday, 9 / 9 / 14: 3,325 – Friday, 12 / 9 / 14: 1,351
– Wednesday, 10 / 9 / 14: 3,671 – Saturday, 13 / 9 / 14: 721