MAG dazzles IMTS visitors with show-stopping manufacturing and exhibit technologies

MAG brings an array of manufacturing and exhibit technology "firsts" to IMTS 2010 calculated to make the company's two booths a must-see destination for thousands during the week of September 13-18 in Chicago. The company's machinery and technology exhibits are headlined by a show-stopping holographic technology center in the South Hall booth S-8519 – never before seen at an IMTS show. The holographic technology center gives visitors a high-impact overview of MAG capabilities, plus close encounters with land vehicles, fighter planes, wind turbines and more. In addition, MAG Regional Services will have a separate booth in the West Hall W-1546 where the broad range of CYCLO-brand tools and fluids will be demonstrated, along with machine control retrofits, new productivity solutions, and aftermarket services.

MAG's investments in R&D are reflected in many "firsts" in manufacturing technology that are highlighted at this year's show:

• Cryogenic machining with liquid nitrogen delivered to the tool tip.
• Volumetric error compensation for large machine tools.
• Gear hobbing and grinding integrated on vertical turning centers.
• "Green" machine designs and processes.
• Factory monitoring and management software.
• New composites and automation technologies for the renewable energy industry.
• New titanium cutting tools and machines.

Visitors will not be able to miss the MAG South Hall booth – dominating its heights and the show hall will be a jumbo double-sided LED screen 4.5 m x 2.75 m (15 ft x 9 ft) showing key videos, messages and previews of presentations in the holographic tech center. A 9 m tall (29.5 ft) wind blade also grabs attention. In addition, the interior and exterior walls of the booth are generously appointed with large plasma screen presentations, four video kiosks and interactive tools to allow visitors to drill down for technical details, explore new technologies, "tour" machines and see them in action. MAG's IMTS promotion includes an eye-catching billboard at a key street intersection, video kiosks in the entry hall, print and online advertising, social media and e-blasts to key audiences.

Machine and workpiece displays emphasize complex large-part machining, with examples from aerospace, construction, oilfield, mining and others.

"This show sets a new standard for MAG with a technology-driven experience that we expect will be unmatched," says Mark Logan, Vice President of Business Development and Marketing. "We are also taking the MAG message to a higher level with new exhibit technology, demonstrating to customers that we provide tailored machine and system solutions, up to single-source, green-field factory solutions."
Among MAG's many machine systems and demonstrations at the company's two IMTS booths, Logan cites these as "must see":

• Cryogenic machining – Demonstrated on a MAG VMC, this multi-patent pending through-tool delivery system cools the cutting edge more efficiently than ever before possible, enabling dramatically higher cutting speeds for increased metal removal, longer tool life or a blend of the two advantages. The liquid-nitrogen -196°C (-321°F) cooling system can also be combined with MQL (minimum quantity lubrication) to reduce tool friction and adhesion, enabling even higher metal removal rates or longer tool life.
• 5-axis volumetric error compensation (VEC) – This new system simultaneously corrects tool position in multiple axes to deliver machining accuracies never before possible on large machines that cut complex shapes.
• New NBV 700 vertical mill-turn center – MAG introduces an all-new platform that can be configured for 3-axis to 5-axis/mill-turn work. Its green design eliminates hydraulics, and can adjust energy use to the minimum needed for cutting requirements. The user-selectable ECO-Mode power saving feature automatically levels speed and acceleration for the best balance of cutting performance, energy use and machine-component life. Ideal applications include die/mold, automotive and aerospace impellers and blisks, medical, and general machining.
• New HyperMach™ GTi titanium profiler – This 5-axis aerospace profiler efficiently processes large parts or nested part groups, with a unique fixed-column, traveling table platform covered by extensive patents. Part of the larger HyperMach horizontal family of machines, the GTi series is a green design, virtually free of hydraulics and exceptionally quiet. The modular machine is available with part capacities from 2 x 4 m (6.6 x 13.1 ft) to 2 x 20 m (6.6 x 65.6 ft).
• New VDF 800 DUS "Big Bore" lathe – Designed for oil field drilling components and pipes, it features an A20 spindle nose and 356 mm (14") bore diameter. The VDF 800 DUS offers 7,983 kg (17,600 lb) part capacity, 900 rpm max speed (for finishing cuts on same machine) and 2,042 kg (4,500 lb) Z-axis cutting force. The machine is available for turning length of 1, 2, 3 and 4 meters (3.3, 6.6,9.8 13.1 ft) as standard, and up to 20 meters (65.6 ft) optional.
• HMC 1250/1600 series with new 5-axis tilt spindle – This large-part HMC Series will demonstrate MAG's new Corcom 180,000-position A-axis tilt-spindle and MVM (machine vibration monitoring) system. The new 6000 rpm/46-kW (61.6-hp) high-torque spindle is especially suited for titanium cutting, while live spindle options extend W-axis reach by up to 800 mm (31.5 in), enabling deep cavity milling with shorter, more rigid tool lengths. A variety of unusual 5-axis workpieces and fixtures on the machine pallets will demonstrate the machine's versatility for aerospace and heavy industrial equipment.
• New MAG CYCLO CUT Max-Flute end mills – Demonstrated in MAG's West hall booth, these tools innovate titanium roughing with a 16-flute design capable of high removal rates at low torque. The high-density end mills can achieve removal rates of up to 131 cc/min (8 in3/min) with only 34 Nm (25 ft lb) of torque and 6.75 kW (9 hp). In addition, all MAG machines at IMTS will be equipped with CYCLO-brand tools and fluids for their cutting demonstrations.
• The new SPECHT® 500/630 horizontal machining center – Its green design eliminates warm-up time, allows sleep when idle, minimizes coolant and air-extraction, cuts dry, wet or with MQL, and conserves space at just 1.8 m (6 ft) wide. Totally modular, it is available with linear-motor or ballscrew drives, CAT-40 through HSK-100 tool interfaces, six spindle options, four control options and three 5-axis configurations (including mill-turn) to meet application requirements.
• Grinding and gear hobbing on a VTC 2500 – A new automatically changed grinding attachment will be combined with gear hobbing capability to dramatically increase the multi-processing capabilities of MAG's vertical turning centers. The VTC is designed to produce large bearings, gearboxes and gears needed in heavy machinery applications. The show machine features machine vibration monitoring system (MVM), two-axis programmable rail height and a live spindle, C-axis right-angle attachment.
• Freedom eWARE software suite – MAG's e-tekx business will demonstrate its Freedom software suite for real-time factory monitoring and management. The software will be networked on various MAG machines at the show as well as in a separate area, where all the CAM software from e-tekx for composites and metal cutting will be featured. Freedom e-WARE harvests vast amounts of performance information from critical factory production assets and condenses it in a dashboard of graphic data that allows management to monitor remotely the heartbeat of the entire operation or individual machines.
• MAG Regional Services – Regional Services will have a range of exhibits in the West Hall documenting how MAG’s global support organization can raise machine productivity to highest levels of competitiveness with a network of service centers and 250 service engineers strategically located worldwide. Its process development unit, aptly named Productivity Solutions, specializes in integrating machine- and application-specific tooling, holders, heads, and coolants to achieve higher cutting performance and faster cycle times.

"We are presenting the best of MAG using the best combination of new holographic exhibit technology, new hardware demonstrations, new digital interactive tools and – most important – our energized and excited staff," Logan added. "In one booth we've focused the specialized expertise and engineering creativity of our global businesses on advanced technologies for key market segments. Visitors will be rewarded with a rich experience."

MAG will exhibit a breakthrough in cryogenic machining at IMTS, demonstrating a new U.S. Navy-sponsored development that utilizes a unique through-spindle, through-tool cooling system. This infrared (IR) thermograph shows (horizontal) spindle and tool/workpiece interface in action with through-spindle cryogenic cooling system. IR image shows coldest areas as black, hottest as white. Cutting tool body is -32°C. Hottest area near cut measures 82°C.

MAG's billboard outside the show hall is just one of the promotion tools the company's using to draw IMTS visitors to its booth, where a host of "firsts" in manufacturing technology await.