Published 3/23/2017

TIMTOS Takeaway: Smart Manufacturing Is Automated

Data-driven manufacturing was the stated theme, but Taiwan’s largest metalworking exhibition was also an excellent showcase for the automated equipment that this technology supports.

Matt Danford

Former Senior Editor, Modern Machine Shop

The entrance to the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, one of three show halls in Taipei occupied by TIMTOS. Organizers hope to consolidate future editions of the growing show into this hall and a new one that’s currently under construction across the street. Scroll through the rest of this picture gallery for an overview of technology displayed at the biennial show, which returns in 2019.

Traffic was steady throughout the show, with record numbers of attendees and exhibitors alike. The Taiwanese industry is highly focused on exports. Although exports to the United States declined almost 5 percent last year, this country remains the most popular destination outside of mainland China (which accounts for 30.8 percent of total Taiwanese machinery exports, versus 12 percent for the United States).

Displayed by Far East Machinery Company (FEMCO), this fully self-contained wheel-manufacturing cell demonstrates the real-world possibilities of data-driven manufacturing technology. The cell is designed to produce multiple wheels with different characteristics and volumes without requiring complicated change-over procedures. To that end, it leverages the company’s patented Automated Virtual Metrology (AVM) technology. Individual wheels are tracked via QR codes, with real-time measurements of vibration, temperature and more indicating whether the process is on track compared to the production of an ideal part measured previously on a CMM. This technology eliminates the need to inspect single pieces for process conformance, a strategy that can lead to CMM bottlenecks and the production of bad parts continuing until the measurement is completed.

Configured with partners Siemens and Kuka Robotics to produce customized cellphone cases, this robotic cell was one of six data-driven manufacturing demonstrations at the massive booth of Fair Friend Group (FFG). A founding member of the German Industry 4.0 working group, FFG leverages a gateway to integrate various brands of controls, robots and other machinery through the OPC-UA open-architecture communication protocol. Booth representatives report that the company is developing its own CNC system that promises similar advantages and more, although that project is still in the early stages. Machines visible here include a model from Feeler, a brand available in North America via Methods Machine Tools, and a model from Leadwell, sold in North America through various dealers.

This display highlighting YCM’s iDirect system offers a good overview of where many machine tool builders see the potential of the Internet of Things (IoT) in manufacturing applications. Designed for real-time monitoring and control, the system tracks overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), factory utilization, equipment maintenance and production status. The system reportedly enables users to link various CNC controller and machine types, including manually operated equipment.

Supporting IoT management and monitoring platforms like YCM’s i-Direct (previous slide) requires smart technology on the plant floor, too. To that end, YCM’s NFP 500A-5AX five-axis, double-column milling and turning VMC features the iProx MX intelligent CNC, which offers functionality for optimizing parameters, maximizing tool life and monitoring the health of the machine. Beyond “smart” functionality, the machine offers sufficient torque and rigidity for efficient cutting of heat-resistant materials like titanium. Along with high precision, this is said to make it particularly useful for aerospace applications, a particular focus of Taiwanese builders. This machine won a TIMTOS Award for Excellence in Research and Innovation in the machining center category.

It was almost difficult to find a machine on display without some form of automation, and Quaser showcased what booth representatives said is a relatively rare species: a five-axis machining center with a pallet changer, shown here cutting one part while another waits just outside the workzone. Booth representatives explained that integrating pallet changers can be challenging on five-axis machines because the rotary axes make it more difficult to ensure rigidity as well as interference-free motion. That’s why the UX630APC is designed with what is said to be a particularly rigid casting structure. It's also why the machine’s trunnion table incorporates large bearings, and why the machine was initially conceived with pallet-changing capability in mind. Quaser, which sells through a dealer network, plans to announce the opening of an office in South Carolina this month.

Space savings were touted as a key benefit of part-loading automation systems from Luren, a manufacturer of precision grinding machines and other gear-processing equipment. Another benefit of stacking components in this way is capability for the machine to run for longer periods of time before the part loading system is restocked with work, particularly when compared to conveyor systems.

Machining spiral bevel gears is a complex process that typically requires complex, expensive machinery. Luren aims to change that with its LVC-100/LVG-100 five-axis machining center, which reportedly uses numerical analysis software and the power of modern computing to optimize cutting paths and enable roughing, finishing and even online measuring in a single setup. Notably, this machine consists entirely of locally made, Taiwanese components, even including machine accessories like the Hiwin robot. This is a trait shared with many of the machines and exhibitors throughout the show. Indeed, organizers touted a tightly integrated supply chain as a key advantage in responding to global economic headwinds as well as in developing data-driven manufacturing technology.

Many of the robots seen in every corner of the show were sourced from Hiwin. However, robotics isn’t this Taiwanese company’s only forte, and its contribution to other displays wasn’t always visible. Hiwin is also a top Taiwanese manufacturer of linear guideways, roller bearings, servomotors and drives, torque motors and rotary tables, and more. In keeping with the show’s data-driven theme, this display showcases a “smart” ballscrew, which features an integrated sensor to provide real-time, actionable information on temperature, lubrication and vibration levels.

On the “smart” manufacturing front, EDM manufacturer Chmer highlighted its Intelligent App System, which tracks work history, consumables and utilization, among other data-mining and monitoring functions. The booth also highlighted various forms of EDM automation. Here, a drill (for start holes) and wire-cutting machine are linked via Hiwin robot. Designed with high-production automation in mind, the AD4LT’s ability to share water tanks with other machines adds to the space savings provided by its compact footprint. Other displays linked EDM machines with the company’s high-speed mills, which offer spindle speeds as fast as 50,000 rpm for graphite electrode production. In the United States, Chmer technology is available through EDM Network.

Chmer’s RV853L wire EDM features a new E8 controller offering machine diagnostics, maintenance notifications and consumable management. Other notable features include a moving-column structure driven entirely by linear motors, automatic wire threading, and an intelligent water-level control system that aids workpiece cooling and de-slagging. The winner of a TIMTOS Award for Excellence in Research and Innovation, this machine—like all others from Chmer—consists almost entirely of components produced in Taiwan.

Not all builders touted complex, multi-axis, Internet-linked machinery. True to its name, E-Tech Machinery’s Easy line of surface grinding machines features a touchscreen conversational control for fast, on-the-fly toolpath generation. It also offers automatic continuous wheel dressing, compensation and more.

Booth representatives at Victor Taichung, represented in North America by Fortune International, said its VC P106 three-axis VMC was a particularly good seller in the United States last year. They attribute this to the inclusion of various features as standards rather than options, including a 12,000 rpm spindle and a fully enclosed, protected workzone—including a cover for the automatic toolchanger—that enables taking full advantage of high-pressure coolant.

Alongside more traditional lathes and mills (see previous slide), Victor Taichung highlighted this massive turn-mill cutting one of the company’s very own machine spindles. Featuring twin spindles, the machine offers two 12" chucks and 12,000-rpm, 37-kW milling head to facilitate single-setup, 4+1 machining routines. Y-axis travel of 420 mm, a roller-geared, swivel tool spindle with Curvic coupling, and an HSK-T63 interface are among the attributes contributing to large-part machining capability.

Additive manufacturing was conspicuous only by its absence at TIMTOS 2017. One exception was the AMH-350 hybrid machining center, the result of a collaboration between a machine tool builder, the Tongtai Group (represented in the United States by Absolute Machine Tools), and U.S. additive manufacturing firm Optomec. Along with a traditional milling spindle, it features a direct-deposition additive head employing the latter company’s Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS) system. LENS uses a high-powered laser to build freeform structures layer-by-layer from powdered material blown directly into the beam.

One notable feature of Tongtai’s AMH-350 hybrid milling/additive machine is the ability to feed multiple powdered materials with different properties into the same workpiece. This can be used to create a gradient, as seen on this workpiece, only one half of which is magnetized. According to Optomec, this capability is particularly useful for implants and other medical applications. Another notable feature cited by booth representatives is the ability to precisely control the size of the melt pool, which they say can be critical to ensuring quality material in the final part. The user selects a size, and the system uses real-time sensor feedback to automatically adjust laser power, feed rate and other parameters accordingly. This and other Tongtai machines are available in North America from Absolute Machine Tools.

Advantech-LNC highlighted the IFC6900, visible attached to the control of this VMC. This system is an assisted intelligent control platform that provides direct connection and communication with FANUC CNCs via Ethernet. The system can also link rotary tables, robots, sensors, vision systems and other accessories; offers cloud connectivity; and features built-in apps for functions including RFID authority control, DNC and NC file transmission, spindle load monitoring, power consumption management, and more.

Chemseiki, a relatively new player on the Taiwanese machine tool building scene, doesn’t even bother with simpler models, opting instead to focus almost entirely on large five-axis gantries (the one shown here was characterized as one of the smaller models). A major player in the energy industry, the company started making its own machine tools to produce power generation components. In more recent years, it evolved into making (and making machines for) aerospace parts ranging from engine components to blades and shrouds to frames, spars, supports, fittings and other structural components. The company hopes to broaden its machine tool horizons beyond Taiwan and even mainland China to eventually find a representative in the United States, a key target for future growth.

Soco, a large manufacturer of tube-processing equipment, showcased the first Taiwanese-built laser bevel-cutting machine. Notably, the SLT-152 Fiber 3D is also suitable for drilling, marking, slot-machining and virtually any other operation facilitated by 3D laser cutting capability, which makes it a versatile choice for work ranging from household furniture to musical instruments.

As is customary in Asia, virtually every exhibitor had floral gifts on display, lending a dash of color and a measure of tranquility to an event characterized by shiny metal and whirring machinery.

There wasn’t much time to examine the intricate orchid blossoms lining the halls of the show floor before a blaring speaker called the diverse pack of reporters to attention. Italy, Germany, Turkey, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico—all these countries and more were represented among the eager faces of the international trade press, waiting with notepads and cameras ready for the week’s first formal appointment. All had been invited to Taiwan’s largest metalworking trade show largely to see technology innovations like the one touted by the man with the microphone: a networked cell with machines automatically adjusting parameters based on real-time sensor feedback.

Highlighted by the Far East Machinery Company (FEMCO), this cell was just one of many displays focused on data-driven manufacturing among the 5,340 booths comprising TIMTOS 2017. It also ranked among the most ambitious. Tellingly, however, even the more modest “smart” manufacturing exhibits assumed a certain level of technological capability among the show’s 55,000 attendees, the purported users of this technology. In short, simpler, commodity machines seemed rare, and automation was everywhere. Although there's promise in data-driven manufacturing for virtually any manufacturer (if only on the level of basic machine monitoring), these exhibits suggested its full potential may well be reserved for highly automated, technologically sophisticated operations.

Yet, TIMTOS also demonstrated the extent to which data-driven manufacturing is really all about supporting automation. After all, the end game is essentially the same as installing a robot or pallet changer: to trust tasks—in this case, data mining, analysis, and even decision-making—to technology rather than human beings. All in all, the Taiwanese suppliers provided an excellent showcase for the kinds of technology and processes increasingly required to not only become a true part of what has been touted as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, but to compete in the modern era in the first place.

Bursting at the Seams

Hosted March 7-12 in Taipei, the island nation’s biggest city and home to a third of its roughly 24 million people, the 26th edition of TIMTOS was bigger than ever despite a modest global machine tool sales slowdown in 2016. Exhibitor and attendee counts both set records for the biennial show, and traffic was robust by any measure, with throngs in seemingly every booth exchanging business cards (two-handed with a slight bow, as is customary in Asia) and filing carefully around the aforementioned floral arrangements (gifts to exhibitors from happy customers and other business relations).

Still, there was plenty of space to move around, largely because the show was so spaced out. Attending TIMTOS means taking (thankfully short) bus rides among three different locations in Taipei. Show organizers TAMI, the Tiawan Association of Machinery Industry, and TAITRA, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, acknowledged in a press conference that this situation is unfortunate. However, representatives added that the problem will soon be remedied by the pending completion of an entirely new hall, adjacent to the main one, that will keep all exhibitors in the same area. The new hall will also help accommodate more booths for exhibitors that are reportedly eager but currently unable to participate in Asia’s second largest and the world’s fifth largest manufacturing technology trade show.

Betting Big on Big Data—and the Underlying Tech

In addition to worldwide market trends, the Taiwanese embrace of “smart” manufacturing is being driven by the government. Another priority for further innovation is national defense, and judging from the prevalence of aerospace-focused technology on the show floor, machine tool builders are responding to a government push for domestic production of military aircraft. Show organizers made clear that both areas are top priorities in the continued development of Taiwanese machining technology.

Government aside, organizers claimed that Taiwan’s strong information and communications technology (ICT) industry, responsible for much of the country’s rapid growth during the past four-odd decades, provides a natural edge in developing and implementing data-driven technology. They also noted that Taiwan is rich (and known for cost-competitiveness) not just in machine tools, but also in the components and secondary systems upon which those machine tools rely. (TIMTOS was also rich in these offerings, with one of the three show halls largely dominated by these exhibitors.) Close integration between the two industry segments was cited by show organizers as a competitive edge in effectively developing and implementing data-driven manufacturing technology.

A tight-knit supply chain exchanging information and resources has long benefitted the domestic industry’s global competitiveness in a more general sense as well. And, the machines incorporating these components are becoming ever more advanced. Although many offer general-purpose machines, most exhibitors seemed more eager to tout technology developed for specific applications and industries. For example, multiple machines on display offer both high-torque and high-speed operation to satisfy aerospace demands. Linear motors were a relatively common option for motion, and many CNCs featured touchscreens with customized HMIs. Multi-axis and/or multitasking machinery was the highlight of most builders’ booths. Perhaps most notably, it was rare to find a machine not tethered to a robot, pallet changer or other form of part-handling automation. Suffice it to say, TIMTOS exhibitors aim to compete on more than just price.

Following this path makes sense for Taiwan. After all, a “factory of the future”—one that relies on technology to obtain and perhaps even act independently on data—is automated by definition. It’s hard to imagine that automation being limited to only the data-driven side, and it’s equally hard to imagine such operations running competitively without the kinds of technology described above.

There may be a new Industrial Revolution underway, but plenty of manufacturers aren't quite ready to start setting up cloud-based networks of interconnected machinery. For them, shows like TIMTOS can demonstrate not only what's possible, but also the technology and processes that can help prepare an operation for getting there. Scroll through the picture gallery above for notable examples of both.