Catch Up on PMTS 2017’s Live Demonstrations with This Video Playlist

Along with reading print magazines like Modern Machine Shop and Production Machining, trade shows provide ample opportunities for job shops to learn about and appraise new developments in machining technology. Think about it: Sometimes, you have to see things yourself, hold them in your hands, and talk to the engineers and product experts who know the most about whatever workholding system, hybrid machining concept or rotary transfer platform is making waves at any given time.

So, it’s no surprise that Gardner Business Media’s 2017 Media Usage in Manufacturing survey confirms that the majority (65 percent) of equipment acquisition influencers and approvers see trade shows as the most useful way to learn about new technologies, with print magazines coming in second. While Google search or trade websites are useful for finding information about specific technologies you already know about, trade shows are one way to expose you to new things. After all, you don’t know what you don’t know.

Whether you were not able to attend the 2017 Precision Machining Technology Show (PMTS) or you just want to revisit some of its content, Production Machining has created a YouTube playlist with videos of live show-floor demonstrations that were offered by machine tool builders in the exhibit hall. The videos span workholding, rotary transfer machines, five-axis part production, hybrid machining and more.

Each video is between about 10 and 20 minutes long. Here are some brief synopses of the demonstrations in the playlist.

• Hardinge: Rick Schonher first demonstrates a matched-set, quick-change chuck receiver system that enables a robot to switch between a collet, a three-jaw chuck and an ID expanding system, and then moves on to showcase the FlexC quick-change collet system.
• Hanwha: Kevin Miller talks about Hanwha’s XD26II-NH, a 26-mm Swiss-type lathe for making drone parts. The machine’s stability enables it to perform rigid tapping.
• Davenport:Standing next to a pre-production prototype, Sandro Belpanno discusses Davenport’s super-precision hybrid concept combining mechanical accuracy and the flexibility of a multi-spindle CNC system.
• ZPS America: Representing ZPS America, Olaf Tessarzyk introduces what he says is the first FANUC-controlled five-spindle multi lathe with a Pietro Cucchi bar feeder.
• Index Traub: Mark Saalmuller demonstrates the Index G200 turn-mill with Y axis, a five-axis machine capable of six-sided machining and the ability to simultaneously bring four tools to the workpiece to churn out complete parts.
• Hydromat: As Rodger Boswell explains, Hydromat’s Epic II variation of the Epic R/T rotary transfer machine platform boasts enhancements related to machine monitoring, including production reporting, downtime analysis, troubleshooting and preventive maintenance interval scheduling.
• Absolute Machine Tools: Discussing the potential of parallel processing, Greg Knight introduces the Lico LND 65D turn-mill, available from Absolute Machine Tools, which can use five tools simultaneously for processing multiple parts at the same time.