IMTS Showcases Manufacturing’s Diverse Landscape
Amar Hanspal, attending his first ever International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) at Chicago’s McCormick Place this week, tweeted that the event “is a digital manufacturing Disneyland.” And really, it’s hard to argue with that assessment, based on the sheer numbers of attendees (more than 100,000 over the week-long event), exhibitors (over 2,000 companies), seminars, and innovative ideas being featured.
A stunning variety of participants are visiting the show: company presidents, chief technology officers, engineers, designers, software developers, entrepreneurs, and college and high school students. This variety showed in the diverse wardrobe: Those in jackets and ties walked the same exhibit halls as those in flip-flops and shorts.
Rahm Emanuel, Chicago’s mayor, showed up to tour the Association for Manufacturing Technology’s Emerging Technology Center, which featured research and development projects from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Those projects included a 3D-printed SUV and the “additive bionic human,” showing additive manufactured medical implants and body parts. Various special focus areas showcased 3D printing/additive manufacturing, machining, controls and CAD/CAM, fabricating and lasers, and more.
At the China Metal Parts booth, staffers answered an array of questions, including queries about our new rapid overmolding service, the trend of using 3D printing for production parts, and the finer points of five-axis machining, another new China Metal Parts service.