IMTS 2018 Showtime: Tooling & Workholding Systems

IMTS 2018 is the 32nd edition of the premier manufacturing technology show in North America. More than 2,400 exhibiting companies are expected to occupy 1.37 million net sq ft of exhibit space at the McCormick Place complex in Chicago, IL. This event is held every even-numbered year in Chicago and attracts more than 115,000 buyers and sellers from over 117 countries. This year’s show runs from September 10-15. On-site registration opens Monday, September 10 through Saturday, September 15, in all four buildings of McCormick Place:

• East Building Level 2 & West Building, Level 3 Annex 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
• East Building Level 3 & West Building, Level 3 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
• North Building Level 3 & South Building, Level 3 10:00 am to 6:00 pm

To help you plan your trip to the show, here are technical reviews of some of the cutting tools and tooling systems that will be exhibited in the Tooling & Workholding Systems Pavilion to help you navigate the show floor and manage your time while you’re there:

High Performance Taps, Drills and End Mills
GARANT MasterTap from Hoffmann guarantees reliable thread machining in a wide range of materials, including steel, stainless steel, aluminum, brass and cast iron.

Industry 4.0 Tooling Technology Couples with Advanced Cutting Tools
Power Clamp i4.0 series shrink fit machines from Haimer are network compatible and Industry 4.0-ready for communication of tools and machines on the shop floor, with tool scanning capabilities to read and automatically set the shrinking parameters via Data Matrix codes.

MQL System Delivers Process Control and Performance
The Quantum minimum quantity lubrication system from Unist interfaces directly to machines to give shops reliable digital control of cutting lubrication down to a fraction of a drop to fine-tune machining processes, accurately measure and control usage, and share settings between multiple machines.

Premium Tool Presetting and Measuring Technology
The Venturion presetting and measuring machine from ZOLLER provides changeover accuracy of just 1 micron, ensuring consistent measurement results regardless of who is operating it.

One Cutter, Many Choices: Versatility in Indexable Milling
With 54 options in a single cutter, the ISOD05 cutter from Dormer Pramet expands indexable milling with an adaptable option to support a wide range of insert shapes and operations from roughing to finishing.

Shaper Up for Socket Machining
The Shaper Duo system from NTK Cutting Tools cuts into the material with up sharp corners, creating less tool pressure than rotary broaching for hexagon sockets up to 12 mm, square up to 8 mm sockets, and 6-lobe socket machining for T6 up to T30.

Punch Tap Technology for Faster Threading
The Punch Tap from Emuge produces threads extremely fast in a single synchronous, helical movement of feed and rotation, creating a shortened tool path that produces internal threads in under half a second, using significantly less energy during machining.

Entry-Level Presetting System
The Speroni Essentia tool presetting and measuring system from BIG KAISER allows users to efficiently measure tools offline and perform high quality measurements right next to the machine tool using a concise and easy-to-use control that optimizes all tool presetting and measuring operations.

Coolant-Thru Micro Toolholders
With increased use of micro tooling that operates at higher speeds in more compact tooling zones, Ti-Loc micro end mill holders and other coolant-thru capable micro toolholders from GenSwiss help solve the need for more efficient machining operations while extending tool life.

Live and Static Tools for Swiss-Type CNC Automatic Lathes
The Citizen tool program of live and static tools for Swiss-type CNC automatic lathes from Heimatec is made especially for longitudinal turning lathes and optimized to the required machine parameters so that shops can now use the tools for maximum efficiency and cost-effectiveness.