In part three of our ongoing coverage this week, IMT brings you highlights of the 28th edition of the International Manufacturing Technology Show, the premier manufacturing tech show in the Americas and one of the largest industrial trade shows in the world.

The total value of United States manufacturers’ machine tool and related equipment consumption rose to $266.08 million, up 10.1 percent from June and up 72.6 percent from the total of $154.13 million reported for July 2009, according to the latest U.S. Manufacturing Technology Consumption report, released by the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association and the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) at the start of IMTS 2010.

With a year-to-date total of $1.47 billion, U.S. consumption of manufacturing technology in 2010 is up 58.9 percent over last year.

Much of the industry has survived almost two years’ of business-closing, bankruptcy-considering, livelihood-crushing concerns: Markets have changed; materials have changed; machining methods (toolpaths) and processes have changed; and volumes and frequencies have changed.

In a statement, AMTDA President Peter Borden said that this week’s trade show “will be a key indicator of the ongoing strength of the manufacturing recovery that we have seen gaining momentum since January.”

So, what is IMTS 2010 indicating? Despite the enormous difficulties created by the dramatic drop in equipment sales over the past two years, it seems that many machine tool builders and equipment suppliers have managed to keep their new product-development programs on track. The results are visible at this year’s show.

The last IMTS event, in 2008, posted its strongest showing since 2000, with more than 90,000 attendees assembling to check out pretty much every type of manufacturing machine, tool and technology being used on the shop floor. At this year’s show, more than 92,000 visitors are expected to interact with leading manufacturing equipment buyers and sellers from 116 countries.

Image credit: Oscar Einzig

I will be posting updates throughout the day, so check back regularly.

Update 1:
Pervasive throughout this year’s show is AMT’s Manufacturing Mandate, which, unveiled last year, calls for Congress to establish policies that:

• Incentivize innovation and R&D in new products and manufacturing technologies;
• Assure availability of capital;
• Increase global competitiveness;
• Minimize structural cost burdens;
• Enhance collaboration between government, academia and industry; and
• Build a better educated and trained “smartforce” workforce.

At the end of 2009, the Obama administration came out with its own manufacturing agenda, A Framework for Revitalizing American Manufacturing, which in many important ways mirrors AMT’s agenda. The National Association of Manufacturers, too, recently released its own plan outlining policies that lawmakers can adopt and advocate to keep manufacturing competitive: Manufacturing Strategy for Jobs and a Competitive America.

Combined, these strategies make a strong case for action to support the nation’s manufacturing industry. So far, Congress has been slow to embrace any of the plans.

Update 2:
Speaking of President Obama, a positive sign for manufacturers came from the president just this morning, when he insisted that his goal of doubling exports within five years was achievable and vital to repairing not only the U.S. manufacturing industry but the fragile economy as a whole. The initiative, first announced soon after Obama took office, initially drew skepticism from some trade analysts, but he has told his Export Council — a group of key industry figures and officials — that he would not back off the target.

The council issued a report on its progress so far, noting that exports were up almost 18 percent in the first four months of the year compared to the same period last year, though from a low base. In July, the government initiative started to show positive results and appeared to be on track to meet long-term trade goals.

“In a conference call with reporters yesterday previewing today’s event, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke said exports — which are up roughly 18 percent this year — are leading the recovery from the worst recession since the 1930s,” Agence France-Presse reports. “The president said today that if exports grow at 14 or 15 percent a year, the goal of doubling them in five years would be achievable.”

Update 3:
The Emerging Technology Center (ETC), presented by IMTS in partnership with the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, is a great highlight here, showcasing the most innovative technological developments in the manufacturing industry.

The ETC, which made its debut at the 2004 show, showcases the following four technologies that are revolutionizing manufacturing:

• Additive manufacturing — Using a material deposition process to go directly from CAD to physical prototypes, models and even low-volume parts production without tooling.
• Cloud computing – Internet-based computing where users don’t have to worry about the IT infrastructure.
• MTConnect — An open, royalty-free communications protocol standard for interconnectivity between devices, equipment and higher-level applications (including CNC machines).
• Nanotechnology and micro manufacturing — Developing products on a tiny scale, particularly for medical and electronics applications.

The ETC is showcasing the topics of this year’s theme, “Knowledge-Based,” in 3-D and live demonstrations.

Earlier IMTS 2010 coverage

IMTS 2010 from the Floor: Wednesday

IMTS 2010 from the Floor: Tuesday