Show Attendees Excited About the Possibilities

I traveled to Toronto recently to attend the Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show (CMTS), a national show featuring the latest in manufacturing technologies. One of our Canadian distributors, EMEC Machine Tools Inc., had a booth at the show that contained four Okuma machine tools, plus they had a machine in the booth of one of our partners, ESPRIT.

Overall the attendance was good, but what really stood out was the quality and engagement of the attendees. (I heard the same about this year’s EMO show in Hannover). People were asking deep questions about the technology, had active projects they were working on, and were close to making decisions about which machine tools to bring into their shops. And, as you can see below, we had some happy customers take their new Okuma machine tools home with them!

(Left to right) Tim Thiessen, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Okuma America Corporation; Dave Tomassi, Select Tool Inc.; Tim Caron, Area Sales Manager, EMEC Machine Tools Inc. 

(Left to right) Tim Thiessen, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Okuma America Corporation; Stefan Georgiev, Kelk – Vishay Precision Group; Nikola Bilic, Kelk – Vishay Precision Group; Eric Roell, Area Manager, EMEC Machine Tools Inc. 

Emphasis on Automation

As we’ve seen recently in the U.S., there was a strong emphasis on automation. There are many drivers for this trend, including difficulty finding skilled labor, desire to find ways to increase efficiency, and reducing wear-and-tear on operators who need to move parts around all day. Today’s automation solutions are also more user-friendly than ever, and becoming more affordable, which makes it easier to take that first step into using it. Of course, Okuma pays close attention to designing our machine tools to be easy to integrate for automation, especially on the control side of things.

A Thought-Provoking Demonstration

EMEC had an interesting demo on an MU-4000V with 2 APC, which combines high efficiency and accuracy with full 5-axis cutting capability to deliver high quality workpieces. Part of this exhibit showed the maximum size and shape of a part you can run through this machine tool. To the right of the machine, on the pallet in the APC, there was a large piece of fabricated metal that was painted blue to attract the attention of booth visitors. Reading the signage, people could see that the maximum measurements of the part were relatively large, showing that this system has a big part capacity.

Then when you looked into the window of the machine there was another compelling aspect to this demo. There sat a model of a Spitfire airplane still attached to a block of material at the base, so you could see all the detail that was machined from one solid block. Altogether, this was a very interesting and thought-provoking demonstration. 

Spitfire airplane machined on an Okuma MU-4000V with 2 APC

German Shepherd Attracts a Crowd

At the ESPRIT booth they had a nice demo on our GENOS M460V-5AX that definitely attracted a crowd. The part was a statue of a German Shepherd, similar to the popular Leo the Lion demo we did earlier this year. With the lion, one of the unique things we were showing was the extreme amount of detail we could achieve in areas like the mane, with all the flowing creases, resulting in a nice smooth finish right off the machine (no hand finishing required). The way we did the German Shepherd the finished look is more like a digitized version, where a lot of flat spots make up the shape of the dog. Here we were showing the GENOS M460V-5AX’s full 5-axis capabilities and how you can position and machine accurately with a spectacular surface finish. 

German shepherd machined on an Okuma GENOS M460V-5AX in the ESPRIT booth

With Connect Plan, the Answer is YES

A large TV screen in the booth showed Connect Plan, a software-based system that helps users improve utilization by connecting machine tools and providing visual information about factory operations and machining. Not only were all the machines in the booth connected, but EMEC set up a connection to a customer’s shop, Usinage Netur. Visitors could see live data that showed the current status for all 14 of Usinage Netur’s machines in Canada, plus their second plant location in Poland.

Stephane Gagnon, Assistant Manager/Product Manager, EMEC Montreal demonstrates Okuma’s Connect Plan

This prompted many discussions about what else could be achieved using Connect Plan. Viewing operations in multiple plants? Troubleshooting? Impressing customers with state-of-the-art technology? The answer to all of the above is YES.

Excited About What’s Possible

As with last year’s IMTS, there was an intensity in the air at the CMTS 2019. Users are excited about what's possible, what’s becoming more affordable, and what they can take advantage of today in their own shops. “Open Possibilities” means every shop can step up and create a future full of opportunity.

About Tim Thiessen

Tim Thiessen is Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Okuma America Corporation, a world-leading builder of CNC (Computer Numeric Control) machine tools, founded in 1898 in Nagoya, Japan. Okuma is the industry’s only single-source provider, with the CNC machine, drive, motors, encoders, and spindle all manufactured by Okuma. The company also designs their own CNC controls to integrate seamlessly with each machine tool’s functionality.

Company: Okuma America Corporation
Website: www.okuma.com
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