Text & Photos: Bhargav TS
The 11th edition of ACMEE 2014 showcased the powerhouse of the manufacturing industry by bringing in the latest machines that help in improving productivity and efficiency. The participants in the event focused on multitasking machines, which are helpful in enhancing productivity, achieving consistent accuracy and a higher working life of products. The 5-day event, which recently concluded at Chennai Trade Centre, Nandambakkam drew more than 450 participants, comprising 125 exhibitors from 30
countries including Austria, Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UK and the US.
Delivering his inaugural address, Srivats Ram, Managing Director of Wheels India said, “Th e industry is looking to revive soon and the industry must gear up for the growth phase and invest in getting ready for the upturn. Better times are ahead of us, and with the new government taking lot of initiatives to boost industrial growth, we as the industry must also do everything possible to ride the curve. Around 60% of machine tools are bought by component manufacturers, therefore, I urge the machine tool manufacturers to upgrade machine design to incorporate advancements like digitisation and adaptive controls, which will make systems more transparent, reduce cost and changeover times.”
Participants to the show encompassed CNC machine manufacturers, CNC & PLC controls, CAD / CAM systems, cutting tools and accessories, special purpose machines, pneumatics, hydraulics, industrial robotics, instrumentation, low cost automation, machinery & machine tools, welding equipment, material handling systems, environmental machinery and energy saving solutions. In addition, there were exhibits covering sheet metal \press, laser cutting, cleaning systems, cold forging machines, co-ordinate measuring machines, control devices, power tools, system consultancy, subassemblies services, testing & measurement
equipment and related IT & consultancy services.
The Chairman of ACMEE 2014, S Chandrasekaran said, “ACMEE provides an excellent opportunity to the Indian machine tool manufacturers to understand the changing requirements of Indian users when it comes to manufacturing equipment. The machine tool manufacturers from Japan have participated in a big way to showcase their machine tools covering 11% of the exhibition space.
ACMEE 2014, thus, is a mammoth affair catering to a range of interests useful for the industries – both exhibitors and buyers,” he added. This biennial industrial exhibition for engineering goods helped manufacturers exhibit their products to more than a
lakh of visitors. The event also provided opportunities for visitors to have a choice of products, latest technology and current market information. Chandrasekaran is optimistic of generating over Rs 250 crore of business based on the discussions that took place during the event. This is due to the exhibition also focusing on international sourcing of machinery and material. The event also witnessed new product launches from companies like AMS, Arrow Machine Tools, Fanuc India, Autotech, Mazak India, Mitsubishi, Murata, Schunk India and Transtecno. Fanuc India launched the World’s 1st Tamil CNC machine in ACMEE 2014.
According to a company official, operators in Tamilnadu are struggling to cope with a long list of commands in English, a language they can neither understand nor read. By translating the commands into Tamil, Fanuc believes that it will improve the overall efficiency of such operators. Earlier in IMTEX 2013, the company had launched the CNC in India’s national language – Hindi. It
has also introduced the latest cost economic CNC, the FS0i-F with enhanced multitasking capability. It provides seamless connection with the FS30i series in operability, maintenance, network connection and PMC functions.
Muratec exhibited its latest award winning Motorum series for automotive manufacturers. The CNC servo motor driven ram turret punch press Motorum-2048TE is designed to meet sheet metal challenges. It comes with a simple new drive ram mechanism
resulting in higher punch speeds and productivity; it maximises stability during operations, decreasing maintenance
and increasing longevity. The Motorum servo motor drive mechanism uses energy only at the time of punching thus making it an environment friendly eco-machine.
Ace Manufacturing Systems (AMS), manufacturer of CNC vertical machining centres, launched its latest twin spindle technology Gemini Mini-L Next Gen Twin Spindle Machine. The machine is equipped with a single motor that runs both the spindles,
increasing the productivity by twice in machining parts. It also displayed its VTL 25L that machines components which are difficult to machine on horizontal lathes. Schunk Intec India showcased its wide range of clamping technology and gripping
systems like ROTA-S flex manual chucks, Profinet module and TRIBOS polygonal clamping. The ROTA-S chuck,
a lightweight chuck, combines proven Schunk lathe chucks of the ROTA-S plus series with extended guideways that turn them into usable large chucks. The company has also developed the SPM plus 138 fixture membranes made of aluminum, where workpieces of various clamping geometries are clamped from all sides with a pull-down effect. The clamping unit is suitable for light machining
of various material and workpiece contours for the secondary operation. The machine can accommodate a maximum
workpiece diameter of 120 mm. Japanese machine builder, Yamazaki Mazak launched its newly developed Quick Turn Primos, Horizontal Centre Nexus 4000-III and Integrex i 200. The company officials said, Quick Turn Primos provides a compact, highperformance turning centre with unsurpassed productivity. The machine is suitable for turning operations to meet
the requirement of the automotive industry for machining smaller components.
Integrex i 200 series incorporates all machining processes from raw material input to final machining – in just one machine. It provides the ability to reduce production lead time, improve machining accuracy, reduce floor space and initial cost; it lowers operating expenses and reduces operator requirements. This further helps in 80% reduction in the number of processes and 75% reduction in production lead time compared to the conventional machining process.
The Horizontal Centre Nexus 4000-III is designed to provide unsurpassed performance, productivity and reliability. The event also witnessed live demonstrations of latest machine tools by the world’s leading brands like Bharat Fritz Werner (BFW), Lakshmi Machine Works (LMW), Janatics India, Fein Power Tools, Jyoti CNC Automation, Vanjax, Carl Zeiss India, Igus, Fibro, YCM, Hurco, Fagor, Dalmec, Sandvic, Tespa Tools, Muratec, Haas Automation and UCAM.
