Insights from IMTS 2024: Driving Innovation in Precision Manufacturing at ReNEW
From the moment we entered September’s 2024 International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS), we were struck by the sheer scale of the event. The show’s 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space was packed with cutting-edge vendors and groundbreaking innovations.
Our conversations with some of the thousands of attendees had one clear thread: American manufacturing is thriving.
For ReNEW Manufacturing Solutions, our mission at IMTS was to research manufacturing technologies that could help us deliver even better results for our customers. We approached every moment at Chicago’s McCormick Place with purpose, evaluating each potential investment through the lens of improved efficiency, productivity, and safety.
Robotics and Automation: Driving Efficiency in Our Shops
We’ve long incorporated robotics and automation to enhance the efficiency of our precision manufacturing services, but IMTS 2024 showed us opportunities to further enhance these capabilities. The latest automation solutions add to decades-long improvements in areas like flexibility, capability, and precision. These innovations are critical as we address the manufacturing industry’s current and future labor shortages.
In particular, we were impressed by the more flexible and user-friendly robotic systems that we saw in part-loading applications. Many previous systems were mounted to a single station, but today’s solutions allow them to move between different machines as needed.
By adopting solutions like these in the future, we’ll continue to increase the efficiency of our operations and deliver parts to our customers more quickly. In laser cutting operations, for instance, cutting speeds have increased so significantly that manual loading can be a bottleneck. Integrating new automation in coming years may allow us to reduce our lead times.
The Impressive Advances in Metal 3D Printing
Metal 3D printing solutions at the show demonstrated this technology’s significant progress. While its production speed is still only suited to low-volume manufacturing, the technology has improved in multiple areas.
Materials
In previous generations, few printers could handle more than one or two materials. Now, a single machine can print with materials like cobalt, nickel-based alloys, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, and more.
Tolerance
The latest metal printers demonstrated tolerances that weren’t possible until only recently. This new accuracy will open the doors for a variety of new use cases.
Currently, we offer polymer 3D printing services, which we primarily employ for fixturing in services like precision CNC machining. However, if metal 3D printing continues to advance at this rate, we’ll certainly consider adopting any technology that offers new competitive advantages to our customers.
Searching for Software to Streamline Our Customer Experience
In the Industry 4.0 era, software can drive innovation as significantly as hardware. To maximize efficiency, manufacturers need to integrate exceptional software into every aspect of their operations.
At IMTS, we focused particularly on ERP solutions that could maximize ReNEW Manufacturing's unique multi-facility advantage. With our network of shops offering expansive capabilities and geographic coverage, we're exploring ERP systems that create a seamless customer experience.
Experience Our Precision Manufacturing Solutions
The innovations we saw at IMTS align with our vision for the future of the industry and our company. By staying current with developments and implementing them when they provide the most value, we’ll continue to meet customers’ needs and maintain our excellence as both a metal manufacturer and a partner.
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