MT Magazine January/February 2024

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000100101110000110100011 100000000110100100100100 110101000100011000101111 100010101001110010000000 001101000101100011110001 010000011000110001111111 000000001000000000010000 001001000000000000000000 100000101110001011111000 011101000010001111100000 001011100001011011101100 101001000000101111000110 100001110011100001111010 000011100000100100011011 100001110001011100010110 000010010111000011010001 110000000011010010010010 ACHIEVING OPERATIONAL ADVANTAGE THROUGH DIGITAL MANUFACTURING SIEMENS USES THE DIGITAL TOOLS IT DEVELOPS TO ACHIEVE OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE. by Gary S. Vasilash | 13

THE 2 FUNDAMENTALS AND HOW TO ACHIEVE THEM by Douglas K. Woods | 01 SPECIAL STAGE: VEGAS TO FRANKFURT RALLY by Stephan LaMarca | 29

ISO: AUTOMOTIVE TRADING PARTNERS by Chris Chidzik | 32

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024 THE DIGITAL MANUFACTURING ISSUE VOLUME 3 | ISSUE 1

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APRIL 24-26 | ORLANDO Connect with manufacturing technology industry leaders to address key business challenges and provide actionable solutions. Sessions cover a wide range of topics, including workforce, supply chain, leadership, politics, and more.

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A VIEW FROM THE WOODS

The 2 Fundamentals and How To Achieve Them

Since that machine still works, companies tend to want to keep it rather than replace it. You know – “If it ain’t broke, don’t replace it.” However, if you compare the time spent nursing it along to the amount of work that isn’t being done, it would become fairly clear that biting the bullet is a far better decision than continuing to milk that machine. The question becomes not one of “if” but “when.” New equipment can be beneficial in two ways, too: • The obvious one of being able to get more done or to do something that previously couldn’t be done (whether we’re talking 5-axis machining or additive manufacturing) • The ability to gain new business At one point in time, my grandfather’s company had some 1,200 employees and 11 divisions. One of the things he did was make sure that their operations included “showroom facilities,” where manufacturing was being performed with first-rate equipment. Whenever he hosted a visiting prospect, he made sure to show them one of these facilities. This provided the assurance that if he received the contract, then that customer’s important work – and every customer sees their product as important – would be done productively and efficiently. (This is not to say that my grandfather didn’t have some machines that were being nursed along and should have been replaced – but he knew he needed top-notch gear to attain orders and maintain them. It also helped keep good employees; your top people don’t want to have to work with inferior equipment.) What’s more, nowadays, a very powerful tool suite comes under the banner of “digital manufacturing” that can facilitate not only massive gains in productivity (both in terms of output volume and quality) but also produce better products – both of which mean the ability to reduce costs and increased sales. The easy choice when assessing your shop’s personnel and equipment is to maintain the status quo. The people on the floor and in the offices are getting the job done. Some of the equipment may be finicky, but it’s nothing that hasn’t been handled before. So why bother changing? But the easy choice really isn’t a valid choice because every day, when you go to work, the status quo changes; and so, adjusting the levers of personnel and equipment are essential to achieving increased sales and decreased costs.

Although seemingly ever increasing rates of change don’t leave a whole lot of things consistent anymore, two things hold stable for any business owner every day: 1. Wanting sales to go up 2. Wanting costs to go down Of course, it is more than

wanting or wishing. It is working to make those things happen. That is simply the nature of business. That is what an owner or executive is there to facilitate. But let’s not kid ourselves. Doing those things isn’t easy because there are all manner of externalities – from competitors to supply-chain disruptions – that seem to exist just to make sure neither happens. There are also two things that you can do to help achieve these daily drivers. A shop has two types of assets: • People • Equipment and tooling In my experience, people are the most valuable of the two. Whenever facing the need to make operational improvements, the first thing I would do is run an assessment of the staff and determine whether something could be done – and there most certainly always is – to improve the skillsets and capabilities of key individuals, if not everyone. It may be simply an issue of figuring out whether the person is assigned to the right machine or doing the right task. Perhaps it is a matter of providing additional training, whether in the form of bringing back an equipment supplier for a deeper dive into the capabilities of a given machine, or classes at a community college on automation or programming. Sometimes the conclusion is simply that there needs to be an addition to the team. There is a proportional relationship between the capabilities of your people and the ability to increase sales and reduce costs. Recognizing this is important. But then there is that second lever, the machinery and equipment. Here I’ve found that there is also a set of issues that needs to be addressed: • Bottlenecks • Order potential There probably isn’t a manufacturing facility anywhere that doesn’t have a piece of equipment that is generously described as an “operational complication.” You know what I mean: something that’s been around for a long time that still gets the job done – but not in a way that is particularly efficient. (It also takes up the time of a top operator who could be doing more productive things were it not for the equipment in question.)

Douglas K. Woods President AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology

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INSPIRING THE EXTRAORDINARY

o I have visited hundreds of shops. All the top shops take the time to go to IMTS to see what is possible. o o o

ARY VISION Matt Gawlik | 3D Graphite & Machining Inc. #IAmIMTS I AM A

Join me at McCormick Place in Chicago from September 9-14, 2024. WHAT WILL YOU ENVISION AT IMTS? Manufacturing visionaries come to IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show to connect, find inspiration, and discover solutions.

REGISTER NOW

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Masthead

Editorial Team Kristin Bartschi Director, Marketing & Communications kbartschi@AMTonline.org

Executive Team Douglas K. Woods President dwoods@AMTonline.org

Membership & Sales Bill Herman

VP, Sales & Membership bherman@AMTonline.org

Mary Cecile Neville Director, Content mcneville@AMTonline.org

Travis Egan Chief Revenue Officer tegan@AMTonline.org

Technology Benjamin Moses Senior Director, Technology bmoses@AMTonline.org

Chris Downs Director, Audience Development cmdowns@AMTonline.org

Peter Eelman Chief Experience Officer peelman@AMTonline.org

Intelligence Ian Stringer VP, Data Strategy istringer@AMTonline.org Smartforce Catherine Ross Director, Community Engagement cross@AMTonline.org Advocacy Amber Thomas VP, Advocacy athomas@AMTonline.org International Ed Christopher VP, Global Services echristopher@AMTonline.org

Kathy Webster Managing Editor, Content kwebster@AMTonline.org

Becky Stahl Chief Financial Officer bstahl@AMTonline.org

Dan Hong Writer/Editor dhong@AMTonline.org

Tim Shinbara Chief Technology Officer tshinbara@AMTonline.org

Elissa Davis Writer/Digital Community Specialist edavis@AMTonline.org

Jacob McCloskey Graphic Designer jmccloskey@AMTonline.org

Tiffany Kim Graphic Designer tkim@AMTonline.org

Hailey Sarnecki Graphic Designer hsarnecki@AMTonline.org

IMTS

Peter R. Eelman Chief Experience Officer peelman@AMTonline.org

Michelle Edmonson VP, Exhibitions medmonson@AMTonline.org

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Bonnie Gurney VP, Strategic Content & Partnerships bgurney@AMTonline.org

Want to learn more about AMT membership? To learn how to make the most of your AMT membership, email us at membership@AMTonline.org.

JOIN AMT

Mark Kennedy Senior Director, Exhibitor Services mkennedy@AMTonline.org

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AMT provides the tools and resources to capitalize on opportunities. Navigate shifting market conditions with the latest data surveys.Reach your goals with insights from top economic, market, and political analysts and forecasters. Find the insights you need. Learn more about AMT membership at AMTonline.org

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Table of Contents

Click See what’s trending on AMTonline.org

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Manufacturing Matters Get details on the latest industry news

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CAD

achieving.doc

digital_ren

digital_manufa...

AMT Upcoming Events Important manufacturing technology dates and events to bookmark

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analog_digital.doc

Achieving Operational Advantage Through Digital Manufacturing by Gary S. Vasilash

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digital_twins.doc

The Big Picture Standards + Digital = Productivity

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Show Starters: Meet the People Behind IMTS 2024 by Peter Eelman

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Connections Abroad and Back Home by Bonnie Gurney

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Efficient Evolution by Tim Shinbara & Christian Cavallo

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Special Stage: Vegas to Frankfurt Rally 2023 by Stephen LaMarca

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ISO: Automotive Trade Partners by Chris Chidzik

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COVER DESIGN Hailey Sarnecki | Graphic Designer

INFOGRAPHIC DESIGN Standards + Digital = Productivity Tiffany Kim | Graphic Designer

MT Manufacturing Technology (USPS # XXX-XXX), January/February 2024, Issue 1, is published bi-monthly by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, 7901 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 900, McLean VA 22012. Application to mail at periodicals postage prices is pending at Merrifield, VA, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MT Manufacturing Technology at 7901 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 900, McLean VA, 22012.

To manage your subscription, contact Chris Downs at cmdowns@AMTonline.org.

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My TechSpex lets me narrow down my machine tool search based on criteria such as brand, price range, location and specific technical specifications. That means I find the precise machinery I need, tailored to my unique requirements, without wasting my time on irrelevant options. “ ”  “Goes way beyond just basic specs. I’m hooked!” SEARCH & EXPLORE Investigate more than 600 machine tool brands and 7,500 machine models in one premier database. COMPARE & SHARE Save your search data and collaborate with your team members inside the tool. CLICK & COLLECT Request quotes with one click from one or more sellers for simplified decision making.

The Machine Tool Search Engine TechSpex, the world’s largest online database of new machine tools, introduces its refreshed and modern user-friendly interface. Browse by machine attributes including type , size , spindle speed , horsepower , performance metrics , geographical location and more! You’ll find all the important details about machine tool builders and distributors. Set up your free account today and revolutionize how you discover the tools and supplies your shop needs to thrive.

Machine Type:

Specifications: # of Main Spindles: Spindle Direction: Mill/Drill Function:

Machining Center Drill/Tap Boring Mill Milling Machine

techspex.com Your Search for Machine Tools Starts Here ›

ADVANCED SEARCHES | COMPREHENSIVE EQUIPMENT PROFILES EXPERT INSIGHTS & ANALYSIS | SUPPLIER DIRECTORY BUYING GUIDES & WHITEPAPERS | VIRTUAL MACHINE TOOL TOURS | NEW PRODUCT NEWSLETTERS

CLICK

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Click MT Magazine is more than just paper pulp and ink. Explore our content on AMTonline.org and engage with discussions on a wide array of topics affecting manufacturing technology now.

FIRST Robotics Team Engineers Adaptive Tech for Kids With Disabilities

Forget “Hulk smash!” because now Hulk adapts! The Penn High FIRST Robotics team from Mishawaka, Indiana, adapted a Hulk Halloween costume for a boy in a wheelchair. Partnering with ATMakers and Mission to Engineer, the team’s device allowed for the boy, who has cerebral palsy, to have the coolest costume on the block. AMTonline.org/article/first-robotics-team-engineers-adaptive-tech-for-kids-with disabilities

‘Tech Trends’: Deciphered Texts, Sold-Out Printers, and Generative AI

The “Tech Trends” family is growing! Ramia Lloyd and Elissa Davis join Benjamin Moses and Stephen LaMarca on camera for the first time in the video recording for Episode 105. From ancient texts to brand-new generative AI, this episode spans centuries. Now listeners have four Tech Trenders to explore the latest in everything tech-related – talk about making history! AMTonline.org/article/amt-tech-trends-deciphered-texts-sold-out-3d-printers and-generative-ai

Apprenticeship Successes at AMT Member Companies

New talent incoming! National Apprenticeship Week might have been in November, but there is never a bad time to celebrate our members’ successes. Take a deep dive into the apprenticeships offered by Schunk, Okuma, and United Grinding and learn how they benefit these companies – as well as our industry’s workforce. AMTonline.org/article/apprenticeship-successes-at-amt-member-companies

From Stargazing to Part-Making: Building an Entrepreneur

Stars shine bright, and so does Melanie Lang! After tracking constellations for years and being the first in her family to go to college, Melanie went to work for industry giants – and became one herself. We have so many amazing women in manufacturing, and we’re excited to highlight Melanie for Women’s Entrepreneurship Day. AMTonline.org/article/from-star-gazing-to-part-making-building-an-entrepreneur

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NEWSLETTERS Subscribe today at AMTonline.org/resources AMT

THE NEWS, STORIES, AND UPDATES YOU NEED. ALL IN YOUR INBOX.

AMT NOW Get access to essential

TECH REPORT Forget clickbait! AMT Tech Trends podcast hosts Stephen Lamarca and Benjamin Moses pull the news items that matter. Whether it’s 3D printed houses, robots on Mars or Le Mans and F1 racing, the Tech Report always keeps it fun and interesting. manufacturing technology industry content curated by AMT experts. Keep up to date with breaking news, white papers, analysis, market surveys, breakdowns, and actionable items from around the globe. At AMT, we mind your business.

MANUFACTURING MATTERS

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Manufacturing Matters Check in for the highlights, headlines, and hijinks that matter to manufacturing. These lean news items keep you updated on the latest developments.

TECHNOLOGY

Forget Talking — Just Let Us Click and Buy The pressure is on the manufacturing industry to produce more, and manufacturers are quickly moving to advanced technologies to keep pace with customer demand. But receiving finished goods is only one part of the customer’s journey, and the life-cycle starts further upstream. Purchasing in manufacturing, which has shifted to asynchronous processes, can drastically affect delivery time of a product, and embracing a more digital approach throughout its life will accelerate time to delivery. To support these behaviors, a factory will need a digital infrastructure, robot process automation, security, and intellectual property measures to be in place for the entire value stream. While you might naturally focus your digital efforts on the factory floor, don’t forget about the systems upstream.

INTELLIGENCE

Digital Manufacturing Peers Into the Future Digital manufacturing is about the future, literally and figuratively. When speaking about digital manufacturing, we are talking about employing computers using discrete building blocks of information, zeros and ones, as switches in a system where logic is applied to create, store, transform, and transmit information. In contrast, analog systems handle information as waves, which computers are far less capable of utilizing efficiently. Therefore, digital applications in manufacturing, as well as in many other sectors, are preferred over their analog counterparts because they are more scalable, accurate, and configurable. Advances in these concepts literally move the industry into the future. Figuratively speaking, the application of digital technologies in manufacturing offers predictability or insight into the future as well. The processes needed to make statistical inferences for automated decision-making usually require the collection and analysis of large amounts of data. Unlike most other industries, the nature of manufacturing operations lends itself well to the creation of sufficiently large volumes of data needed for that glimpse into the future.

SMARTFORCE

Rev Up Your Presence! IMTS Exhibitors Dive In to Smartforce at IMTS 2024 Don’t miss out on shaping the next-gen manufacturing tech workforce at the Smartforce Student Summit at IMTS 2024, where thousands of educators, administrators, and students will gather from across North America. IMTS exhibitors: Snag your spot now at the hottest venue and show off your tech, solutions, and training gear to the education market. Be part of inspiring, educating, and lifting the industry by connecting with top-tier students, aspiring talent, and tomorrow’s innovators. Hurry – space is limited!

Visit IMTS.com/smartforce for details or contact Catherine “Cat” Ross at cross@AMTonline.org to take the wheel and steer the next innovation wave. Let’s make waves together!

P.S. Let your local MFG educators know: Schools attend IMTS for free! Registration for educators and students opens in February.

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MANUFACTURING MATTERS

ADVOCACY

Global Harmony (at Least for Manufacturing) Digitalization in manufacturing is a worldwide phenomenon and the key ingredient in Industry 4.0. Data, of course, is its critical lifeblood. For digitalization to succeed on a global scale, data normalization is necessary. Standards and protocols need to be harmonized to provide the rulebook and language for devices and systems to communicate effectively, be it across the factory floor or across oceans. They can ensure consistency in data formats, security measures, and overall system architecture. Standards act as the glue holding together the diverse components of Industry 4.0, fostering interoperability, scalability, and security. Industry requires multiple protocols and standards. While there is no one silver bullet, MTConnect offers a strong solution. It is an open, royalty-free standard that provides a semantic vocabulary and information model for manufacturing devices. It is in use in factories all around the world and, as a basic common language model, one of the first you should investigate. For more information, visit MTConnect.org. Calling on Manufacturing Voters This is an important election year, meaning most of the policy work will be done outside Washington. Now is the ideal time to make your case for government initiatives that strengthen manufacturing. The candidates, your elected members, and administration officials are coming to your neighborhood to campaign for your vote. Both parties recognize the critical role of manufacturing technology in economic growth, national security, and global leadership. However, many politicians currently in or running for office need more education to fully understand the impact of their ideas. By using every opportunity to tell your story, you bring focus to the issues that affect your business and industry, such as spending priorities, expiring 2017 tax cuts, advanced manufacturing competitiveness, the workforce deficit, and regulation compliance costs. Of course, any time is a good time to underscore the importance of manufacturing – talk about it, write about it, and take action because you know all about it. Email Amber Thomas at athomas@AMTonline.org if you need assistance with an issue or contacting your officials. INTERNATIONAL

June 4-6, 2024 Pittsburgh

It’s Here — A Smarter Solution INTERSECTION OF TECHNOLOGY, PEOPLE & KNOWLEDGE

EXHIBIT OR ATTEND IN 2024! YOUR SMART EXPERIENCE STARTS NOW 800.733.3976 smartmanufacturingexperience.com

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1/10/24 1:12 PM

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WHAT’S HAPPENING

AMT Upcoming Events Learn more or register at AMTonline.org/events. Your datebook will thank you.

MFG 2024 April 24-26, 2024 | Orlando, Florida TECHNOLOGY

MFG 2025 February 19-21, 2025 | San Antonio, Texas TECHNOLOGY

The Manufacturing For Growth (MFG) Meeting is the ultimate gathering of manufacturing technology minds, bringing together a community of solutions and solvers. Learn how to keep pace with growing demand, make lifelong connections, and see what opportunities lie on the horizon.

Keep it weird at The MFG Meeting in Austin, Texas! For 2025, the birthplace of additive hosts the visionaries, experts, and leaders from across the world of manufacturing technology. Join them for exclusive networking opportunities, educational sessions, and a whole lot of fun!

IMTS IMTS 2024 September 9-14, 2024 | Chicago, Illinois

Formnext Chicago April 8-10, 2025 | Chicago, Illinois FORMNEXT

The largest manufacturing trade show in the Western Hemisphere inspires the extraordinary! Find new equipment, software, and products to move your business forward, connect with industry experts and peers, and attend conference sessions to boost your industry knowledge.

Formnext is known as the international meeting point for the next generation of intelligent industrial AM production. This inaugural show will create one event in the United States dedicated to all aspects of additive manufacturing and industrial 3D printing.

MTForecast 2024 October 9-11, 2024 | Chicago, Illinois INTELLIGENCE

SMART PRODUCTION SOLUTIONS

SPS Atlanta September 16-18, 2025 | Atlanta, Georgia

MTForecast breaks down the latest industry news, forecasts, and trends. Industry leaders, executives, and key decision makers connect and learn better business strategies through customer industry insights, economic forecasting, and deep dives into market data.

SPS is a renowned global trade event for the automation industry and represents the complete spectrum of smart and digital automation – from simple sensors to intelligent solutions, from what is feasible today to the vision of a comprehensively digitized industrial world.

012 NEW YEAR, NEW MEH

Nan0 BYTES

I like the sound of that!

2024 isn’t just IMTS, NanO! I’m hitting the gym and implementing new technologies to work smarter, not harder!

Written by Dan Hong // Illustrated by Tiffany Kim

The next day:

Three days later...

I’m implementing new technologies, NanO. Starting with automation.

New year, new me!

Ugh… Can’t this wait?

Why is this on?

AerO, what happened to working out?

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CAD

achieving.doc

digital_ren

digital_manufa...

analog_digital.doc

digital_twins.doc

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Achieving Operational Advantage

Through Digital Manufacturing Siemens is one of the world’s biggest manufacturing companies – and a company that uses the digital tools it develops to achieve operational excellence.

BY GARY S. VASILASH CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

It has 320,000 employees, generated $85.87 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2023, makes products ranging from computerized tomography devices to smart infrastructure systems – and was established in 1847 in Berlin, based on the invention of the pointer telegraph (a device that improved the transmission of messages when there weren’t ones and zeros but dots and dashes) by Werner von Siemens.

FEATURE STORY

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replicate what’s working well. And digital manufacturing is key. But what is it? Batra: “The integration and digitization of design of products and the digitization of the design of manufacturing processes.” It’s a “convergence of digital and physical technologies.” It’s something that, well, sort of sounds familiar to those who have been involved in manufacturing since the 1980s. Then and Now Once, the hot acronym was CAD/CAM/CAE: computer-aided design, manufacturing, and engineering. Batra notes: “Eighty percent of manufacturing costs are predetermined in the design phase,” so the idea was to “design for production.” So, while CAD/CAM/CAE would address that, “the tools weren’t there to do it.” He explains, for example, that while CAD and CAE allowed for the development of part models of geometry and physical properties, these were essentially static models. How the part would perform in the physical world wasn’t something that was provided. What’s more (or less) is that there was a tendency back then, due to a separation of the strong domains of the CIO team and the manufacturing organization, to have manufacturing take the product design and try to determine how to manufacture it. All of this was time-consuming, not particularly efficient, and most particularly expensive. A key aspect that was missing is true integration between design, manufacturing, and engineering, as well as the ability to simulate all aspects – from the characteristics and function of the part (what if it is an alloy that was then reconfigured to be produced with carbon fiber?) to its operation on the factory floor (how many robots are necessary for material handling given the operational characteristics of the automation?). Why is digital manufacturing important? Because it allows you to perfect things, prove things out, and get high reliability before you do it in a physical environment. Raj Batra President – Digital Industries, Siemens USA

Few companies (Corning, GE...?) have lasted as long as Siemens. And few have the kind of relevance that Siemens has, with its focus on industry, infrastructure, transport, and health care, all predicated on digitization and decarbonization. Not only are those two pillars – digitization and decarbonization – things that its products, software, and systems help its customers achieve, but they are key elements throughout Siemens’ various lines of business. Actual Advantage Consider this: In Nanjing, China, Siemens had three production sites for its R&D, production, storage, and logistics for its CNC business of building controllers, motors, and drives. It recently consolidated all three sites into a single “lean and green digital native factory.” The greenness takes the form of annual energy savings of 5,000,000 kWh of energy, 3,300 metric tons of carbon dioxide, and the reduction of 6,000 cubic meters of water use. Its leanness is evident in a 20% increase in productivity. And the factory was first “built” as a digital twin, which helped make these achievements possible. What’s interesting about Siemens is that it not only provides the tools that its customers use for digital manufacturing but also employs those same tools in its own product and process development and, importantly, execution. As Raj Batra, president of Digital Industries for Siemens USA, puts it: “We’re one of the biggest manufacturers in our own right, so we feel all the pain that our customers feel.” He points out they have manufacturing operations that are in need of modernization and digitalization; they have manufacturing operations that have quality rates of 99.9%, a DPM of 10 or 11, and the ability to handle hundreds of product variations a day. So, they are working to change what they need to and

FEATURE STORY

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Siemens announced in November 2023 a $150-million investment in a new plant in Dallas-Fort Worth to produce electrical equipment for data centers. The company is using its digital twin and automation technologies for the construction and automation of the facility. That investment is part of $510 million being spent to build a new rail manufacturing facility in Lexington, North Carolina, and two electrical products plants – one in Grand Prairie, Texas, and the other in Pomona, California.

(manufacturing operation management) – likely home grown – operates between them. To transform to a digital manufacturing environment, silos need to be eliminated and multidisciplinary teams created where everyone works with the same digital backbone. One of the considerations, of course, is that unlike Siemens, which has developed its own full suite of software tools, most companies have software from various companies. So, just as the various job functions need to work collaboratively, Batra says that there is a need for interoperability between the various types of software in order to get the full value of an integrated digital manufacturing operation. His point about good use cases for the deployment of this approach is based on the acknowledgment that many operations in the United States have been around for several decades, and there is a need to modernize them instead of using this as an

“When you simulate the product, you want the same capability and design tools to design the layout of the plant,” Batra says, adding, “You model the production process along with the design process and put them together on a common data backbone.” The point is: Digital manufacturing, by its very design and nature, provides integration across the product and process development undertaking in a seamless manner and provides information about operational characteristics (of the product and the processes) not otherwise readily achieved. Of course, the big question is: How is this done? “It always starts with good use cases,” Batra answers. “It’s not one-size-fits-all for people.” He explains that, generally, in organizations, the domains of IT and manufacturing are strongly separated, and an MES (manufacturing execution system) or MOM

FEATURE STORY

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opportunity to replace them with something brand new. So, what he suggests is that by starting out by transforming a line or a part of a process and getting people from various functions to work together on this project, there is the ability to more quickly get an ROI, which then can help facilitate the execution of other projects. The Importance of Digital Manufacturing Batra points out: “There’s never been more pressure to manufacture stateside than today.” Some of the pressure takes the form of the supply chain snafus that were experienced during the past few years. Some of the pressure is positive, such as the billions of dollars made available by government initiatives for manufacturing. A major challenge, however, is that much of the manufacturing infrastructure – equipment as well as people – is vintage compared to what’s happening in other parts of the world. So, there needs to be a manufacturing renaissance that is based on not only digital design and simulation tools – and Batra emphasizes that this is product and process design and simulation, including the development of digital twins – but also on a workforce that is digitally savvy.

“Top executives need to advocate for this,” he says, citing the benefits of digital manufacturing, including: • Cost advantages • Competitive advantages • Faster production • Use of less material • More mass customization “It starts with that vision,” he says. “And then it needs to be pushed.” Batra shares a surprising anecdote about software and automation use: “I’ve seen car washes that are using Industry 4.0 in a much more sophisticated way than some Fortune 500 companies.” He explains that the car wash process is holistically designed such that the brushes are “smart,” providing information about how many vehicles have been processed as well as predicting when maintenance will be required. The system monitors the amounts of soap and water that have been used to help with asset utilization. The PLC used is common to manufacturing. The automation systems bringing the vehicles through are similar. The network and software are analogous. But the difference is the vision to make the transformation and to minimize bureaucracy along the way. Nothing, Batra says, that can’t be advantageously undertaken by manufacturing operations of all types and sizes. Werner von Siemens once said, “An innovation’s importance lies in its practical implementation.” And that’s precisely the approach that needs to be taken by companies when it comes to digital manufacturing.

If you have any questions about this information, please contact Gary at vasilash@gmail.com.

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Standards + Digital = Produc

QIF Quality

Information Framework

CMMC Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification

INFOGRA

WIFI

AN ECOSYSTEM OF STANDARDS

OPC UA

LAN

REST

B2MML

BACnet

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ctivity

Standards are the foundation on which digital manufacturing is supported and catalyze advanced technologies to further progress the manufacturing industry.

$1 TRILLION

$1 trillion in global spending in IOT (2023). 1

Digital Twin

75% OF COMPANIES

75% of companies in advanced industries have adopted digital-twin technologies. 2

A platform that dynamically plans and adjusts its path within a structured or semi-structured environment.

Autonomous Mobile Robots

See: ANSI/RIA R15.08-1-2020

Circular process of manufacturing and measuring on a specific part.

Closed-Loop Manufacturing

APHIC

AN EXPLOSION OF USE CASES

$3.9 BILLION

$3.9 billion in venture capital investment in 2021. 3

Augmented Reality

The estimated economic value in manufacturing worldwide is $40-$50 billion in 2025. 4

$40-$50 BILLION

Advanced computational and data analytic techniques enable fundamental understanding and predictive control of new material synthesis, fabrication, and characterization across length scales.

Material Science

Prescriptive Maintenance

Asset alerts end user to potential maintenance decision based on historical data (adaptive/anticipated/informed).

1 – https://www.statista.com/topics/9847/digital-twin/#topicOverview 2 – https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/industrials-and-electronics/our-insights/digital-twins-the-key-to-smart-product-development 3 – https://www.mckinsey.com/spContent/bespoke/tech-trends/pdfs/mckinsey-tech-trends-outlook-2022-immersive-reality.pdf 4 – https://www.statista.com/statistics/1319062/economic-value-from-iot-manufacturing-augmented-reality/

SOURCES:

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Still need a room for IMTS? The Global Housing Solutions Team, powered by AMT, is here to assist! If you have any questions, please email housing@IMTS.com or call 1-800-957-7714.

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Show Starters: Meet the People Behind IMTS 2024

With more than 1 million square feet of exhibit space and just nine months remaining before the show, we thought you would appreciate a look at what team members are focusing on now to ensure that IMTS runs like a well-oiled machine.

BY PETER EELMAN CHIEF EXPERIENCE OFFICER

Michelle Edmonson, CEM, Vice President – Exhibitions

Bonnie Gurney, Vice President – Strategic Content and Partnerships, and Leah Lewis, Partnerships Coordinator “We’re finding experts in particular areas to add excitement, attractions, and sparkle to IMTS. Our vision

“I anticipate the solutions before the problems exist. I spend half my time on current show execution and the other half on future shows. Thinking ahead led to Women

showcases the future of our industry through the Emerging Technology Center and the expansion of our new technology sectors: the Automation Sector, accelerated by SPS – Smart Production Solutions, and the Additive Manufacturing Sector, accelerated by Formnext.” Mary Cecile “MC” Neville, Director – Content; Kathy Keyes Webster, Managing Editor; Michael Mark, Videographer; and Ramia Lloyd, Content Coordinator “All content leads to IMTS 2024. Through articles, videos, and series, we connect our community with inspiring stories of the people who do extraordinary things in manufacturing.”

Make Manufacturing Move, Job Shops Specialty Programs, and the growth of the Software Sector. With 50% new visitors to IMTS, it is essential that we begin each show with a fresh start – making it a new and relevant experience.” Mark Kennedy, Senior Director – Exhibitor Services “After building out over 1.1 million square feet of the IMTS show floor, I am now focused on working closely with exhibitors, the general contractor, and our vendor partners to make sure their displays are ready for opening Jessica Aybar, Senior Manager – Exhibitor Services “I manage exhibitor education like the IMTS 2024 Exhibitor Workshop. I love working with exhibitors, discussing logistics, and marketing activities essential for a successful IMTS.” Allison Konczyk, Director – Exhibitions Operations, and Martha Sproehnle, Senior Manager – Exhibitions Operations Catherine “Cat” Ross, Director – Community Engagement “I’m doing outreach to the superintendents, career and technical education directors, and Skills USA state directors across the country to tell them about the Greg Jones, Director of Strategic Programs and Partnerships at SME “AMT and SME are embarking on a new partnership for the Smartforce Student Summit. I am working on moving the event to its new location in the East “If you enjoyed the flying jet suit at IMTS 2022, thank us for checking safety protocols. We manage thousands of logistical details. IMTS 2022 required 722 graphic proofs and had 148,051 square feet of show graphics.” Smartforce Student Summit at IMTS 2024.” day. And I approve more than 600 hanging booth signs!”

Kristin Bartschi, Director – Marketing and Communications

“We are launching our marketing campaign featuring real-life manufacturers. Our team thrives on creating campaigns that represent our industry’s creative

problem-solvers.”

As chief experience officer, I make sure we stay in the moment and focus on the visitor experience. I contribute ideas to investigate, try out, and reject. I joined show staff in 1996 but first participated in IMTS in 1980 as an exhibitor. I was blown away by the excitement of my first IMTS. I want to replicate that experience with every show. Someone is always going to IMTS for the first time. I want them to have that same exhilaration and a powerful memory with each show.

If you have any questions about this information, please contact Peter at peelman@IMTS.com.

Building, Level 2.”

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LIKE SMART(ER) SHOP ON WATCH EXCLUSIVE CONTENT

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

GET SMART(ER) WHILE YOU WATCH Learn cost-e ective and easy-to-implement solutions that will improve your shop floor immediately in Season 2 of Smart(er) Shop, brought to you by Autodesk. This season, AMT's Ryan Kelly and Autodesk's Adam Allard tackle cybersecurity at MxD, explore connected shops at Autodesk Technology Center at Pier 9, and discover quality control solutions with Rapid Robotics’ rental robots paired with an AI-driven vision system. Now playing on IMTS+!

WATCH SMART(ER) SHOP ON IMTS+ TODAY

IMTS+

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CONNECTIONS ABROAD AND BACK HOME BY BONNIE GURNEY VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGIC CONTENT & PARTNERSHIPS

Smart Ending The “Adventures with:” season ends with AMT President Doug

Traveling always broadens your horizons, and it also helps you to relate more to things back home. “Adventures with:,” the newest IMTS+ miniseries, explores this theme as it follows AMT

Woods and Michelle Edmonson, AMT vice president – exhibitions, exploring the SPS – Smart Production Solutions show in Nuremberg, Germany. With 1,200 exhibitors and

executives and industry leaders at three international trade shows, EMO 2023, Formnext 2023, and SPS – Smart Production Solutions 2023. The series connects with AMT members exhibiting internationally and with industry standouts to discuss the similarities and differences between the shows and cultures, highlights technologies making their world debut, and provides a preview of what might come to IMTS 2024, Formnext Chicago 2025, and SPS Atlanta 2025. Bringing the European Market to the States “Adventures with:” starts in Hannover, Germany, at EMO 2023. While EMO might be a new experience for many American manufacturers, there are similarities with industry sectors and market trends that are explored in this series. Peter Eelman, AMT’s chief experience officer, provides a tour of the Hannover Fairgrounds, while co-hosts Travis Egan, AMT’s chief revenue officer, and Nicole Wolter, president and CEO of HM Manufacturing, interview FANUC America, Haimer USA, HEIDENHAIN, ZOLLER Inc., and RoboJob. They dive into digitalization, automation, robotics, supply chains, labor, reducing energy consumption, and building relationships the European way. For Wolter, the highlight of the trip was her interview with Barbara Colombo, CEO of FICEP S.p.A., a three-generation family company. Colombo holds officer positions at several international manufacturing trade organizations, and she notes that women leaders in European manufacturing face similar challenges with breaking the glass ceiling as their American counterparts. The Gold Standard of AM Events In the second “Adventures with:” episode, Egan joins me and Debbie Holton, principal at Converge Consulting, at Formnext 2023. Held in Frankfurt, Germany, Formnext is the largest additive manufacturing (AM) show in the world, and it covers the full breadth of AM ecosystems. We interviewed several AM luminaries for key takeaways, including former AMT Chair David Burns on the interdependency of digital technologies and Jay Rogers on using AM to bridge the generational gap. Viewers also get updates on Makino’s Formnext debut (with a 5-axis LMD system), an ultrafast quad-laser system from Renishaw, and EOS’ outlook on AM markets.

approximately 50,000 visitors, SPS represents the complete spectrum of smart and digital automation, from simple sensors to intelligent solutions. Excitement Brewing While German in origin, Formnext and SPS will become familiar to U.S. audiences on Sept. 9-14 at IMTS 2024 as a result of the partnerships that AMT, the owner and producer of IMTS, has established with these organizations. At IMTS, they will showcase their respective technologies in the Additive Manufacturing Sector, accelerated by Formnext, and the new Automation Sector, accelerated by SPS – Smart Production Solutions. Each sector will also feature an embedded stage for technical presentations. Save the dates for Formnext’s arrival to North America with Formnext Chicago, April 8-10, 2025, and for SPS Atlanta on Sept. 16-18, 2025. To explore the excitement, register now at IMTS.com/ register.

If you have any questions about this information, please contact Bonnie at bgurney@IMTS.com.

WATCH THE NEWEST MINISERIES

AT IMTS.COM/ADVENTURESWITH

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TECH TRENDS PODCAST Take a listen at AMTonline.org/resources

TUNE IN FOR THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ON TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGIES.

INDUSTRY MARKETS Aerospace, defense, watches, energy, and more. SUPPLY CHAIN Silicon shortages, gas pipelines, reinforcing supply chains from the ground up. TRANSFORMATIVE TECH Machine vision, augmented reality, artificial intelligence. ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AM advancements impacting everything from food production to automotive. ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION Industrial robots, cobots, and lights out manufacturing.

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Efficient Evolution BY TIM SHINBARA & CHRISTIAN CAVALLO (CONTRIBUTING WRITER) CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER April 13, 1970, 9:07 a.m. The crew of Apollo 13 hears “bang-whump-shudder” and then a chorus of alarms. An explosion in the oxygen tanks critically damages the main engine. Over 200,000 miles away, NASA Mission Control in Houston scrambles to diagnose and fix a problem that neither they nor the crew can see. Luckily, we know how this story ends. NASA’s 15 simulators, used to train and prepare Apollo 13 for every kind of issue, became the proving grounds for the first digital twin and played a critical role in saving the astronauts. Today, in advanced manufacturing, the technology offers optimization, speed, and a lot more. More Than a Model A digital twin is more than a computer approximation or simple 3D model – it is an ever-evolving, data-driven digital representation of a system. NASA’s physical simulators have now been replaced by fully virtual spaces where sensor information fills in the details, with no guesswork needed. Digital twins use real-time data aggregation and processing to simulate – or “twin” – a system, providing users with a non-destructive sandbox that mirrors physical assets. Given enough computing power, their scale can span from individual serial numbers to entire business ecosystems.

FEATURE STORY

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exist for small shops or contract manufacturers in digital twin technology. Generating models of every part that leaves a shop becomes a second asset. Contractors can sell the digital representation of their parts as a value-added service, helping to improve the larger company’s digital twin. More than that, shops can increase their throughput by using this technology to optimize their spaces just as larger smart factories do. But there are also challenges. That same 2023 McKinsey & Co. report stated: “Players in the automotive – and aerospace and defense – industries appear to be more advanced in their use of digital twins today, while logistics, infrastructure, and energy players are more likely to be developing their first digital-twin concepts.” Furthermore, a 2020 NIST study on five OEM and SME companies in the automotive and heavy vehicles supply chain concluded that “Organizational, information silos and lack of knowledge of the physical world are obstacles for digital-twin development.” It went on: “Many of the case companies are SMEs without their own IT departments. Therefore, to proceed with this digital-twin concept, they would need to learn more about it and understand the resources (including IT resources) required to implement that concept.” Fully fleshed-out digital twins are still a premium technology; this is illustrated through the top five key market players: General Electric, Microsoft, Siemens, Amazon Web Services, and ANSYS, all of which have multibillion-dollar market caps. Invisible Twin Like Bluetooth or high-speed Wi-Fi, this technology aims to be invisible, non-intrusive, and ubiquitous. In advanced manufacturing, we will see more sensor integration into systems that will help data aggregation efforts to build these twins. Take metal 3D printers, for example: In-situ monitoring

The technology is tied to the Industrial Internet of Things, cloud computing, extended reality, and artificial intelligence. In fact, it is only possible thanks to these other tools, as the systems require in-situ sensor data, immense off-site server resources, and the algorithms to transform it all into something useful. And just like these other tools, digital twin technology is still emerging and maturing, with different sectors harvesting its value in bespoke ways. Twinning Is Winning Manufacturing leads the charge for digital twin adoption. The global market size for digital twins in the manufacturing industry was just $590 million in 2020. It is expected to grow to $6.69 billion in 2025. Manufacturing shows the highest jump out of five other industries: automotive, aviation, energy and utilities, health care, and logistics/retail markets, but all show considerable global growth. MarketsandMarkets reported in 2023 that “North America is expected to hold the largest share of the digital twin market throughout 2023-2028.” This is due in part to the region’s “technologically mature ecosystem with robust digital infrastructure, advanced data analytics capabilities, and a skilled workforce.” The increase in digital twins can be attributed to key enablers of automation laying the groundwork. These include better inspection tools, industrial robotics, data storage improvements, and more effective model correlation and simulation software. A July 2023 report from McKinsey & Co. stated that “in advanced industries, almost 75 percent of companies have already adopted digital-twin technologies that have achieved at least medium levels of complexity.”

Opportunities and Barriers Thanks to integrated and scalable data systems, opportunities