Published 5/30/2017

Hot Temperatures (and Technologies) at Eastec 2017

Eastec’s peculiar Massachusetts venue offered the chance to sample a broad variety of advanced manufacturing technologies. Here is a slideshow and some impressions from the trade show.

Jedd Cole

Former Production Editor, Modern Machine Shop

Alicona’s InfiniteFocusSL applies focus variation to measure form and roughness on this component. Focus variation is said to combine the small depth of focus of an optical system with vertical scanning to provide sharp imaging for topographical information. I was told that the process is precise enough that it can image and measure surface roughness.

This is the screen of Energid’s Actin robotics simulation and control software, here being used with a Universal Robots six-axis collaborative robot arm performing a pick-and-place operation. Niel Tardella, CEO of Energid, told me that among the features that make this software different is its dynamic collision avoidance, which doesn’t wait for the robot to hit an obstacle (such as a person) before arresting motion, increasing safety. The software simplifies programming with interface design (note the colorful blocks representing program steps) and enables monitoring of the robot arm as well as the fixture so that the robot can adapt to position changes in real time (see a video of this capability below the slideshow).

Grob’s G550T HMC features a high-speed five-axis turning table, enabling turning on a milling machine. What makes the machine special is its fully retracting spindle. This is how the machine makes tool changes, which both erases the possibility for tool collisions with the workpiece during automatic tool changes and enables the use of longer tools for better reach.

A selection of GenSwiss’ new Multidec-Lube coolant-through wedges for Swiss-type lathes. As you can see in the two on the far right, these wedges act similarly to through-spindle coolant systems on milling machines to direct coolant directly to the tool’s position during machining.

This sample workpiece at Cogsdill Tool’s booth shows the work of its burnishing tools. On the left is the rough surface from machining; on the right is the burnished surface. The key here is that no metal is actually removed in the burnishing process. It’s quick, too; Cogsdill’s burnishing tool is said to be able to achieve the finish seen on the right in less than 2 seconds.

Distributed by YLM Group, this YL610-B VMC is designed for machining small aluminum components in the die/mold, electronics and automotive industries. It has two linear ways on the base and on each of the three axes. It also features an 8,000-rpm spindle with higher-rpm options ranging to 20,000 rpm.

Koma Precision displayed this TBS 160 four/five-axis rotary table from Tsudakoma designed with a ball drive rather than a direct drive or worm gear. Whereas direct drives offer higher speed but less torque, and worm gears offer high torque but wear over time, Koma told me that the ball drive uses a camshaft and ball bearing design, which enables greater load on a smaller platform, eliminating wear and providing higher torque.

But in lieu of livestock and despite the sweltering heat—it reached 93°F while I was there, and 97°F on the last day of the show—there were plenty of machining technologies to hold my attention at Eastec 2017 this past May 16-18. The slideshow above offers a view of the smallest slice of the advanced manufacturing equipment on display, a slice that certainly filled my time but barely scratches the surface of all that the show had to offer to its attendees.

For example, below is a video I took from Universal Robots’ booth that demonstrates Energid’s Actin robotics simulation and control software with a six-axis robotic arm from UR. Energid’s CEO, Niel Tardella, told me the software represents an attempt to usher in the “next generation” of collaborative robotics, having been used by such government agencies as NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) as well as commercial customers. In the video, note how the robot dynamically both avoids the technician’s wand and tracks the part fixture:

.@URobotsAPAC robot w/ @energid's tracking control software. Note how it tracks the fixture as well as the baton... pic.twitter.com/pn3VM6sqC4
— Jedd Cole (@ Work) (@mms_jeddcole) May 16, 2017

The DV 1000 VMC from MC Machinery, which has recently been updated with more tool positions, uses a dual-winding motor for extra torque to enable job shops to perform hard milling, as seen here:

Greetings from #EASTEC! This is a DV 1000 from @mc_mits doing some hard milling, as I'm told pic.twitter.com/AQUtdFZQqR
— Jedd Cole (@ Work) (@mms_jeddcole) May 16, 2017

If you attended Eastec this year, did you learn anything new? Were you impressed by any technology in particular? Let me know on Twitter @mms_jeddcole.