At next week’s International Manufacturing Technology Show, Makino says it will demonstrate the broadest range of automation possibilities it has brought to any IMTS so far. Six different approaches to automation for unattended loading and unloading of machines will be operational in the company’s booth. Why so much attention to automation? Mark Rentschler, Makino’s head of marketing for the Americas, says automation is increasingly important to machining facilities for at least three reasons.

First is the skills gap. Among high-value manufacturers across all industries, finding qualified, skilled personnel is a challenge. This is perhaps the most obvious reason automation is in demand. However, a second factor is the ongoing move, also throughout various industries, toward higher-mix and shorter-leadtime production. The right automation system is an aid to rapidly shifting between part numbers, Mr. Rentschler says.

The third factor he cites is the increasing sophistication of North American manufacturers. Variables in a manufacturing process are sources of expense. Machine tool automation saves cost by eliminating variation in setup time (which otherwise would depend on the fluctuating pace of a human operator) and variation in machine utilization (which otherwise would be subject to the operator’s breaks and interruptions). This connection between variation and cost is something the largest manufacturers have long understood, but now a significant portion of smaller manufacturers appreciate this as well.

The different automation solutions shown in the booth will include well-known options such as robot loading and pallet systems for individual and multiple machines, plus options that are more unusual, such as:

• A die/mold cell devised in conjunction with Erowa. The cell (shown) will include machines for graphite milling, hard steel milling, wire EDM and sinker EDM, all fed by a robot. Steel blocks enter this cell, and finished mold cores or cavities leave.

• Five-axis automation. Because automated loading and unloading require automatic workholding able to repeatably clamp and position the work, five-axis machining is considered challenging to automate. The company’s a51nx-5XU machining center will be seen using a workholding device that is essentially an inverted 50-taper toolholder receiver. Workpieces mounted on this taper will be loaded into the machine by a device resembling a toolholder.

• Aerospace automation. The company’s a61nx-5E machinining center will be automated with a multi-layer pallet pool applied in a context where it might not be expected. High-power, high-speed machines cutting aluminum aerospace workpieces achieve short cycle times that require workpieces to be delivered to the machine quickly. The demonstration will show how modern pallet-pool automation provides the speed to achieve this.

Makino’s free Lunch & Learn program also returns to IMTS this year. The company says it has doubled the space available for the lunches featuring presentations by successful manufacturers.