IMTS Day Two: New Products at Tooling & Workholding Pavilion

From the Association for Manufacturing Technology.

Today is day two of the 33rd International Manufacturing Technology Show, which runs through Saturday at Chicago’s McCormick Place.

Sponsored by the Association for Manufacturing Technology, the biennial trade show features more than 2,000 exhibits displayed in nine pavilions dedicated to various technologies. One of these is dedicated to tooling and workholding systems and features more than 400 exhibitors showing fixtures, dies, clamps, cutters, drills, chucks, plates, and more.

To ensure shops are getting the most from their automation investments, exhibitors such as BIG DAISHOWA, Blue Photon, Gorilla Mill, HAIMER USA, and SCHUNK highlight the latest tooling and workholding solutions that improve productivity and cost efficiency while minimizing setup and machining time. Here’s a look at some of the solutions these companies are highlighting this week at IMTS.

Hold tight

Blue Photon Technology & Workholding Systems (IMTS booth 431392) features ultraviolet (UV) workholding technology for tight tolerance machining and inspection of delicate and hard-to-hold parts for milling, turning, grinding, and EDM on hard metals, aluminum, and ceramics. Patented UV-lighted grippers paired with BlueGrip adhesive create a strong bond to irregular surfaces, freeing the workpiece from clamps and the need to design workholding features for clamping.

Blue Photon currently assists customers in the aerospace, medical, job shop, and ceramic industries by allowing them to do things not possible with traditional workholding. The company has expanded its product line with new grip pallets for 52 mm and 96 mm quick-change receivers to allow for holding more applications using existing quick-change fixturing systems in machining centers.

Stay connected

HAIMER USA (IMTS booth 431510) introduces the new i4.0 machine series of shrink fit machines with Industry 4.0 connectivity. The i4.0 machines series is adjustable for all types of tool holders and suitable for solid carbide and high-speed steel tools. The wireless communication exchange helps optimize and customize shrinking parameters for machining processes in an error-free-data setting, as well as track tooling.

With a 7-inch touch display and new intuitive software, the i4.0 shrink fit machines provide a simple, user-friendly interface that allows for outstanding results with less experienced operators. HAIMER shrink fit technology provides time savings per shrink operation, reducing the tool-changing time to less than five seconds due to the precisely metered low-energy-consumption and contact-cooling systems.

Easy changeover

SCHUNK (IMTS booth 432010) introduces the Flex Series of flexible, lightweight chucks for five-axis machining, mill-turns, and vertical turn lathes. The Flex Series has a lightweight design that leaves room for heavy workpieces without moving the machine at the load limit. With an integrated jaw adjustment and quick-change functionality, a Flex Series chuck can adapt quickly and accurately for new tasks.

The SCHUNK booth includes live robot demonstrations of new automated machine-tending bundles for different applications, including an automatic pallet-changing system for smaller batches and an automated part loading/unloading system for larger batches.

Longer tool life

Gorilla Mill (IMTS booth 432446) introduces their WTF end mill coating, which offers superior oxidation resistance, high thermal stability, and exceptional wear resistance for difficult-to-machine materials such as titanium, nickel-based alloys, and stainless and hardened steels.

Hands-off boring

BIG DAISHOWA, formerly BIG KAISER, (IMTS booth 431610) will introduce the EWA Automatic Fine Boring System, which performs closed loop boring operations without a human operator. This breakthrough eliminates the need to stop the spindle to manually adjust the boring tool, which results in time savings, lower costs, improved accuracy, and minimized scrap. The adjustment range of the boring head allows for the handling of multiple bore sizes with the same tool and ensures a repeatable boring process.

Attendees can explore more than 400 companies at the Tooling & Workholding Systems Pavilion, located in the West Building of McCormick Place. IMTS 2022 occupies more than 1 million square feet of exhibit space and all four buildings of McCormick Place.

For more information, visit www.imts.com/show/paviliondescriptions.cfm#tooling.

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