Notes From the Show: IMTS Stresses Production Efficiency

Cautious optimism was the order of the day at IMTS 2008, with machine-tool exhibitors generally upbeat. Among the time-saving introductions at the show, ) punch-and-die Fas-ner system uses the fastener itself as a punch. The hardened hourglass-shaped insert shears through the two metal parts being joined. An in-place coining operation flows the parts into the concave recess of the fastener, locking it in place. The resulting joint is flush with the part surface, burrfree, electrically continuous, and Continued on page 32 corrosion resistant. The fasteners can join similar and dissimilar metals for a final thickness of 0.075 to 0.360 in. The company also supplies electromechanical and hydraulic automatic-feed presses designed for the Fas-ner system. ) is taking automation a step further with TrueView vision guided robotics. A video camera images parts ready for pick-and-place. The robot’s vision guidance computes the location and orientation of the next part to be picked and adjusts the robot’s path so it can safely grasp the part without damage. With this guidance, the robot can repeatably place parts within ±0.20 mm for precision-machining operations. To help improve production-machine operations, ) created the IndraMotion MTX Cycle Time Analyzer. It records CNC commands, PLC events, axis signals, and I/O data to reveal any bottlenecks in the work flow and help increase overall performance. Results are synchronized