Hot Topics at IMTS (Part 1)

This blog, a collaboration between Okuma President & COO Jim King and Vice President of Sales & Marketing Tim Thiessen, kicks off our four-part series, “Hot Topics at IMTS.” Now that we’ve wrapped up a successful IMTS 2016, we’d like to continue the dialogue on important machine tool enhancements spotlighted by Okuma at the show, and further explore their potential in your shop. Here we provide an overview of our Hot Topics, which will be followed by in-depth explorations of these subjects by Okuma’s experts.

There was plenty of action in the Okuma booth at IMTS 2016. In case you missed the show – or perhaps you were there, but overwhelmed with the onslaught of information! – we’ll recap just a few of the headlines from Okuma.

Get Connected: IIoT

The concept of the connected manufacturing shop, aka the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), was a big topic at the Okuma booth, and in our conference presentations. This will continue to have a huge impact on our industry for years to come, so now’s the time to get up to speed. The good news is, for Okuma users with an OSP-P control, connecting your machine tool is as simple as plugging into the Ethernet or USB port on your controller. No box required, and no complicated installation procedures. 

Watch Our Videos: Industrial Internet of Things - Just the Basics

It’s your choice what you connect to; maybe it’s a smartphone or tablet for the operator, or perhaps a centralized computer that compiles metrics from around the shop. In an even bigger picture, you can connect with cloud-based systems that compute predictive and prescriptive analytics. The insights you obtain by looking at machine data provide the intelligence you need to lower your cost of production while improving quality.

Service and Support: A History of Consistency

Our booth contained a dramatic “Before & After” transformation of a crashed machine spindle, from utter destruction to fully functioning, which typically takes about 32 hours. Thanks to our longstanding partnership with our distribution network – a relationship that’s remained steady and stable for 35 years – we can have parts in transit before the repair work even starts through our Mechanical Exchange program. The big-picture message? Okuma users enjoy the stability and experience of the best machine tool distributors in the industry supported by Okuma America’s extensive Service programs.

ECO suite: Run Smarter and Save Energy

We showed that saving energy isn’t always about scrimping on usage: it can simply be a matter of using smarter control functionality. Let’s say you have a part with a 5-hour cycle time. As it runs without attention, does the inside lighting really need to be on? ECO suite is a control system that allows you to set parameters for various machine functionalities (or auxiliary equipment) that automatically turn off unnecessary energy wasters. You can even see how much energy you’re saving by viewing the ECO Power Monitor on the machine’s display. ECO suite is an easy and smart way to save on energy expenses. 

RELATED: Read our white paper, Energy-Efficient Machine Tool Technologies, For Any Size Shop

Quality In Your Hands

All of these machine tool enhancements are simply a part of the Okuma experience. We put quality in your hands so you can efficiently produce quality parts. We welcome you to contact us to discuss putting them to work in your shop.