Published 5/24/2019

On Display at Eastec 2019

Here is an overview of some of the CNC machining and other technology showcased at the biennial manufacturing trade show.

Matt Danford

Former Senior Editor, Modern Machine Shop

Pre-show estimates put Eastec attendance at 13,000, and the halls were busy.

Among other capabilities, quality software from HighQA automatically extracts GD&T data and balloons design files.

The ShopFloorConnect machine interface from Wintriss makes data-driven manufacturing virtually plug-and-play, even with legacy equipment.

Built for the shop floor, Proshop ERP’s software offers what it says are unusual features, such as cutting tool management. ⁦

Displayed by Hurco, this robotic cell demonstrates the potential of high-mix, low-volume automation. It also illustrates how light curtains can enable using industrial arms without cages.

A new, more powerful CNC, a Y-axis ballscrew and other upgrades enable dynamic high speed milling and more on large-workzone machines from FlexCNC.

Showcased by FANUC and built by APT Manufacturing Solutions, portable cell pairs robot with simulation to make machining real for students and/or trainees.

Anca, an Australian manufacturer of tool grinders, builds its own CNCs as well as its own accessories. One example is the company’s AR300 Scara robot, which offers a cost-effective automation option for users that don’t require the capacity of the FANUC robot option.

Need to grind a part with a donut hole? One of four new accessories from Okamoto is a rotary table that enables reciprocating the grinding wheel across the edge of the part as it spins rather than traveling across the whole diameter.

Emuge’s ZGF-S-CUT thread mill rotates and interpolates in opposite directions for stability and efficiency.

The offset index and sharp edges of PYSTL (pistol) series end mills from GWS Tool Group are among features advantageous for gummy materials like stainless and titanium. The company also offers various special tools.

GF Machining Solutions displayed its AgieCharmilles Cut P 350 EDM from with automatic slug removal system.

Designed for medical and aerospace industry manufaturers, the HDV 500 horizontal comparator from The L.S. Starrett Company automates previously manual measurements and records SPC data.

The FormTracer Avant contour and surface-finish measurement tool from Mitutoyo features easily changeable styli and automatic stops before a valley or hole can trap the measuring unit.

Hosted in the same location as the Eastern States Exhibition agricultural fair, Eastec certainly has a regional flavor.

As metalworking trade shows go, Eastec is a little different. The biennial event is hosted in West Springfield, Massachusetts at the Eastern States Exposition Grounds, where it is not uncommon to see livestock in areas not occupied by CNC machining technology. Nonetheless, that technology is sourced globally, and show attendees hail from all over North America and even abroad. Local flavor aside, even a regional show can reveal much about the state of the broader industry.

For one, the show was busy. With initial forecasts predicting 13,000 attendees, Eastec’s more than 700 booths (not to mention vendors’ coffee and food lines) stayed busy for most of the show’s three-day run May 14-16. Attendees seemed optimistic — an anecdotal observation, but one that is in line with recent economic data about the general mood in the industry.

For another, conversation at the show seemed dominated by a handful of topics: automation (particularly as a means of coping with the skills shortage), additive manufacturing, and the possibilities of interconnecting manufacturing equipment with embedded sensors and computers. Regardless of whether manufacturers’ economic optimism proves justified, their futures will likely depend on their understanding of how advances in these areas can benefit them.

Events like Eastec are a great venue to obtain the necessary education, and to put technology in the proper context. Organized by The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and AMT-The Association For Manufacturing Technology, this particular show returns in 2021. Meanwhile, the picture gallery above provides a glance at some of what you may have missed.