Nope. It stands for International Manufacturing Technology Show, and it's the second largest manufacturing convention in the world (but I only found out about it through a very timely text from a friend who works at Cascade Designs in Seattle). Its soooooo big and obnoxious that they only do it every two years, and it makes sense. There are hundreds upon hundreds of millions of dollars of manufacturing robots, tools, and CNC machines displayed there, in addition to smaller vendors who supply measurement, software, and support systems for the manufacturing industry. The logistics to hook up thousands of 3-phase robotic machines in 1-million+ square feet of convention center must be a pain, not to mention that these machines are being shipped here from all four corners of the earth.
I went there because I'm pursuing employment in the manufacturing industry, and I figured it would be a good way to network and learn more about the industry....and I got all of that and more. In the first of the two days I visited (it's huge: I literally could not see all the booths between 10am and 5pm) I met someone who has since assisted in scheduling one job interview, and on the second day I met in person with the North American Service Manager for the largest CNC machine producer in Japan (and they are one, if not the, biggest in the world) and discussed work in their maintenance/service department. I'm really a nobody at this place, but I was surprised when later that same service manager walked up to me and addressed me by Danny, and gave me back a card he saw me drop on the floor while walking around the convention. Pretty cool fella to remember one unimportant name in a sea of millionaire tool buyers.
Anywho, I learned TONS just seeing 5-axis mills, robotic part scanning and organizing systems, SLA production printers, high-pressure coolant systems, hall-effect positional sensors, 6-degree-of-freedom CAD controllers, large-scale 3D printers (think garages and structures), advanced cutting tools, and piles more stuff that I'm just plain forgetting about. Plus meeting lots of people in the industry who were bored to death with their booths and were willing to share their personal stories and opinions on the manufacturing industry, global and local politics, and the elements that have (and continue to) effect our manufacturing economy.
Fun Fact: Hass Automation, a California-based, "Merican" company produced it's first 3-axis CNC vertical mill in 1988, and is today the largest CNC manufacturer in the United States.
In other news, I've started using a Computer-Aided-Drafting and Computer-Aided-Manufacturing software (CAD/CAM for short) called Fusion 360 by AutoDesk. It's rather revolutionary for me, in that it is free for non-commercial users (and only $300/year if you are commercial), has a seemingly well-developed CAD side, and a really cool CAM side that allows you too do cutting-operation simulations of your toolpaths. This program essentially integrates two pieces of the machining "toolchain" into one software, and the developing team is looking to push the system even further. I attended a post-IMTS "Fusion 360 Meetup, and tour" on Tuesday night at the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation Institute (DMDII), and it was very eye-opening. I talked briefly with a youtube celebrity (John Saunders of NYC-CNC, a channel about learning CNC), and got to experience what it's like to have a bunch of CNC nerds all in one room, at one time. It was great!
In other news, I installed limit and homing switches on the Shapeoko2 at the makerspace, but I've hit a couple roadbumps and am working on debugging some issues with the control software/firmware, so that critter isn't quite ready for tool-changing just yet. The goal is to have a machine that can return to the same zero (XY coordinates) position at the start of every cutting operation, or even mid-operation. But without homing switches to tell it when the cutting head reaches said zero position, you'll be cutting the same pattern in slightly different places every time you start a cut.
In hobby world, I received my DPDT switches for the ROV and sucessfully tested them with 25' of Cat5 ethernet cable, and the results are encouraging. So far I've designed and printed a control switch enclosure on the Printrbot 3D printer, so now I just need to design a frame for the motors, decide on a bouyency system that is somewhat tune-able, and put it all together.
Job-wise, I have interviews next week at a commercial prop-shop that creates large-scale marketing/misc works, and a marketing company that designs and produces it's own product displays. Lastly, I have hopes to hear back from a Chicago-based company called Inventables, who just happens to manufacture the Shapeoko2 (well, the ShapeOko 3 and other, newer products) CNC router that I've been working on for the past few weeks.
Lastly, I agreed to fly out to Seattle to run a week-long trip as Captain on the 120' Safari Quest, as my sister Denee needed some time off and wasn't able to find anyone local to fill the position. It's a bit of a bitter-sweet though, since choosing to run the trip means I'll be missing the Un-Cruise 20th anniversary shin-dig on the 30th, and seeing old friends. Maybe I'll catch some of them on Saturday night or Sunday before I fly home?
Anywho, it's been a great week, and I'm excited for what is to come next!
