Like each year, IMTEX saw a throng of visitors, exhibitors and customers from all across the country, where the entire Indian metal cutting industry came together to trade, meet and network. Besides the fact that IMTEX hit half a century this year, it made sure to explore and talk about the latest happenings and trends in the metal cutting and manufacturing industry, from bringing the industry and academies to work together to creating jobs in the industry.
At the IMTEX inauguration ceremony, Jamshyd N Godrej, Chairman - Exhibitions, IMTMA, said that he has seen the quality of IMTEX getting only better with each year and thanked the Government of Karnataka and other developments that have been instrumental in its progress. P Ramdas, President, IMTMA, said, “Manufacturing is seeing good growth in the country, which will open doors for research, creating a robust and competitive environment in the industry.” V Anbu, IMTMA Director General, informed that with the addition of a newly constructed state-of-the-art hall measuring 17,500 square metres, IMTMA was able to provide more space for exhibitors to showcase machines which in turn translated into more orders and enquiries than ever before for the exhibition. Shri K J George, Minister for Large & Medium Scale Industries, Government of Karnataka and Indradev Babu, Vice President, IMTMA, were also present at the exhibition.
Vikram Kirloskar, Vice Chairman, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, extended a warm welcome to the audience. He threw light on how the auto industry has been doing really well because the machine tool industry is progressing as well. He cited, “We are going to invest a lot in design and ideas in order to meet stakeholder expectations in this area. We also see a lot of youngsters showing off all that they have invented, which is very motivating. It takes a long time to produce and develop excellent products.”
Subsequently, Ram Venkataramani, President, ACMA, spoke about how the auto component industry is a driving factor for the machine tool industry. He informed, “Over the years, the auto component industry has seen progressive growth. However, it faces challenges, such as emissions, environment protection, safety and more. It is getting ready to face these challenges, which will eventually impact the entire automotive value chain.” Venkataramani also gave his views on the machine too industry, asserting that the industry needs to take up sustainable approaches to turn to environment-friendly manufacturing.
Creating employment
Up next, expressing his joy and respect over the 50th year of IMTEX, Shri R V Deshpande, Honourable Minister for Revenue, Government of Karnataka, pointed out that we did not even have grounds 50 years ago for exhibitions, but have reached there today because of sheer commitment, where the exhibition is held in a very dynamic environment. “IMTEX 2019 has seen tremendous participation, including that from overseas countries, from Germany to Taiwan,” he elucidated and went on to tell the audience that the Government is committed to solve several issues faced by the industry, a significant one being the lack of employment. “By 2025, we will be a country with the youngest population,” he explained and continued, “So it becomes our responsibility to make sure that the youth has work. This means that we have to create more jobs. Hence, the government is focusing more on skill development and I would like the industry to do the same.”
Agreeing on this, George also further stated that the state has been in the forefront of many ventures, such as, setting up the world’s largest solar park, launching booster kit for start-ups, setting up an exclusive machine tool park, etc. He called upon the manufacturing industry to do their business in the state, including their capacity expansions.
Adding his thoughts, H D Kumaraswamy, Honourable Chief Minister, Karnataka, said that the Government also aims to create lakhs of jobs and set up industrial clusters. The global machine tool industry has been keen to participate in IMTEX and the Government targets to bring in sustainable growth, an aim which IMTEX tends to help achieve.
International Seminar on Machining Technologies
Another attraction at IMTEX 2019 was the 8th International Seminar on Machining Technologies. Tim Shinbara, Vice President - Technology, AMT, spoke about digital strategies during the keynote address and pointed out that anything one puts up on one’s site, it all comes down to how one markets and brands oneself. Here, Jose Varghese, Director Technology, DMG Mori India, spoke about the challenges in large part manufacturing, such as, long cycle times, chip volumes and unstable parts.
Besides, David Conigliaro, Product Manager, Mastercam’s Mill Product Line, USA, threw light on how tools perform. “Tool performance depends on feed, speed and motion to manage chip load. Plus, too much heat destroys protective coating and creates physical damage,” he enlightened.
So how does one know when a tool is machining effectively? Conigliaro answered, “There are umpteen indicators that the tool is machining effectively. The most prominent ones include the chip size being consistent, good chip coloration, and good machining sounds (no chirping or squeaking).”
The need for automation
Automation was another significant topic at the seminar. Automation, without a doubt, has become a necessity than a need. It has become a part of revolutionary technology. Peter Wiedemann, Sales Director, Liebherr-Verzahntechnik GmbH Germany, averred, “Automation has become a must in many types of industries. We face a shortage of skilled people in many industries which are being replaced by automation.”
Sameer Kelkar, CEO & R&D Head, Grind Master, shared his thoughts as well. He said, “Robotic machining is applicable in robotic milling/engraving, robotic grinding, finishing and polishing, etc. For the manufacturing industry to deploy robotics, it needs a combination of technology and management, where technology focuses on process/ applications development, control and programing softwares, etc, while management puts its attention to turnkey solutions, knowledge building and so on.”
Moving on, Udo Stolz, Vice President - Worldwide Sales & Marketing, Gleason Corporation, stressed upon the difference between honing and threaded wheel grinding. “Both are partially competing processes and choosing the right process requires the consideration of many criteria, such as, goal of hard finishing, surface requirements, process chain and application, target cost and more.”
Academic focus
One of the topics brought up recurrently in the manufacturing industry is that of the industry and academies working together, preparing students for what lies ahead for them in the industry and giving them the exposure for it. So, to develop this bond further, IMTMA provided academic institutes a platform to exhibit their innovations and get closer to the industry. Although most institutions presented R&D projects through posters, some presented live demonstrations of their inventions. 50 engineering colleges were introduced to exhibit their pioneering developments, of which some have already received sponsorship from the industry.
But it wasn’t just academia that had made its place in this year’s IMTEX. India is a country with tremendous potential in the manufacturing and metal cutting industry and many countries look to reach out to it, one such country being Spain. IMTEX saw over 10 Spanish companies as exhibitors this year. The Spanish machine tools sector has been especially recognised for its large scale and top-precision machinery. Over 200 Spanish companies have their presence in India, with a large number of them belonging to the machines tool sector.
Besides, to make the Indian manufacturing community aware of the benefits of smart technologies, a seminar on Factory of the Future was also organised. The seminar presented a global and Indian viewpoint for Industry 4.0, creating a complete view on the significance of IT infrastructure, data security and IIoT, and demystifying myths related to its implementation.
