IMTS provides an opportunity to showcase the latest Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence technologies and innovations, interact with current customers and create new relationships across the manufacturing industry. This year was no exception, with a record-breaking attendance of over 130,000 attendees arriving at the doors of Chicago’s McCormick Place throughout the week. One Hexagon employee, Burt Mason, celebrated attending every IMTS for nearly 50 years after stepping foot into the show for the first time as a new engineer in 1970.
Entering the East Hall, it was impossible to miss the pair of airplane wings standing 20-feet above the show floor, proudly displaying the Hexagon logo. Drawing attendees in instantly, Hexagon’s booth was bustling from the moment the doors opened with those searching for solutions to help them rethink quality throughout the product lifecycle with solutions from multiple Hexagon businesses. This included demonstrations from MSC Software (CAE), Vero Software (CAD/CAM), and newly-acquired NEXTSENSE, in addition to well-known metrology hardware such as TESA precision instruments and software including PC-DMIS and SpatialAnalyzer.
One of the major highlights of the week was the unveiling of Hexagon’s newest innovations. The new Absolute Arm was released just three weeks prior to the show, and attendees were among the first in the world to see, touch and demo this newest iteration. With all seven sizes on display featuring measurement radiuses from 1.2 to 4.5 metres, attendees were eager to talk with Hexagon experts about their specific application to find which arm is right for them. In addition to the new arm, attendees were able to experience the Optiv Performance 322, a customizable benchtop coordinate measurement machine, for the first time at a US show.
Hexagon also featured an on-site product launch with the 360° FMC-Tracker. The solution, available exclusively in North America, is a laser tracker-based configurable automation cell, designed to measure mid-to-large sized parts with a Leica Absolute Tracker AT960 and the Leica T-Scan 5 laser scanner. Another automation highlight in the booth was the TIGO SF automation system, where the TIGO CMM was partnered with a collaborative robot for part loading.
Mid-week, Hexagon was proud to sponsor Modern Machine Shop’s Top Shops Workshop, a day-long event hosted right at the show. The day was filled with opportunities to learn about advanced manufacturing, automation and data-driven manufacturing from industry experts.
It was a great week for all. We’re eager to continue developing the connections made this year and looking forward 2020! To learn more, explore how Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence challenged customers to Rethink Quality at IMTS and beyond through this three-part blog series:
Part One – Designing Quality
Part Two – Producing Quality
Part Three – Measuring Quality
