Siemens to Unveil ‘Empowering the Digital Machine Shop’ Vision at IMTS 2024

Chicago, US – Siemens will present its extensive machine tool CNC portfolio and digitalization software technology at the upcoming IMTS 2024, at booth 133249, in Chicago, September 9-14, highlighted by the digital native SINUMERIK ONE control platform for machining applications. Also, using a sports theme of ‘Speed, Agility and Endurance’, aimed at the machine shop on its path to digitalization, the company will introduce MACHINUM to the North American market. MACHINUM brings together machine tool controls, digitalization software, and machine shop services from Siemens to help manufacturers optimize their production processes, provide agility for quick adaptation to changing customer requirements and calculated uptime needs, and enable digitally proven endurance to maximize the productivity of the entire machine shop or production department.

Detailing the elements of MACHINUM:

Speed - Siemens adaptive feed-rate control reduces cycle times while maintaining a stable machining process. This results from instantaneous and continuous analysis of the current cutting conditions on a machine tool in real time, automatically optimizing the feed rate.
Agility - Through strategic digitalization and software that seamlessly integrates the machine tool CNC systems and a shop’s internal communications, MACHINUM can significantly boost the agility of a machine shop or production department to accommodate changes in design, quantity output, and even machining characteristics, based upon customer input and overall production and workflow landscape characteristics.
Endurance - Continuing the sports theme, over the long ‘run’, MACHINUM enables a heightened level of maintenance capability with leading ‘edge’ machine monitoring that anticipates potential issues before they escalate. This results in reduced costs and substantially less downtime on machines, due to unplanned maintenance. This feature is especially useful for linked and sequential production lines.

MACHINUM also offers substantial benefits to machine builders, as Siemens integrated digital twin technology allows more streamlined off-machine programming and machining simulation in an office environment. This approach facilitates faster prep time, more accurate design specs on the final machine, faster component acquisition near the build time, and a reduction in costly downtime, due to last-minute design changes, as those are anticipated, simulated, and resolved, all in a virtual world.

MACHINUM also represents the integration of existing Siemens digitalization software such as Create MyVirtual Machine, Run MyVirtual Machine, Adaptive Control and Monitoring (ACM), Analyze MyWorkpiece, and Manage MyMachines.

Under the theme ‘Empowering the Digital Machine Shop’, Siemens will display its digital threads, from the blueprint to the finished part, digital twin to simulation, and part production, as well as the total integration of these processes into the digital factory for job shops and production departments, all brought to life by Siemens hardware automation and digitalization software.

eRod Continues Its Path

Building off the successful rollout of its eRod ‘electric buggy’ at IMTS 2022, Siemens will further demonstrate the end-to-end production of the aluminum wheel rim and gear housing for this electric vehicle on display in the booth. The wheel rim is made by traditional 5-axis and multi-technology machining (mill-turn, turn-mill), and the gear housing is manufactured through additive/subtractive machining processes. At every stage of each part’s development, including machining, displays will take visitors through the digital manufacturing process. From the popular Siemens NX CAM software, which enables the use of 3D models, data, and processes to seamlessly connect planning and shopfloor operations, to the powerful SINUMERIK ONE, the digital-native CNC that permits a digital twin of the machine tool and its full operation in production, Siemens has streamlined machine shop operations as well as leading automotive, aerospace, off-highway, medical part, and myriad consumer durable production facilities worldwide.

Additional highlights of the Siemens booth will include:

Aimed at developing a complete eco-system for the machine tool builder and end-user, the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio brings together the breadth of engineering and manufacturing to provide the optimum solution for customers of any size in any industry.

Digitalization solutions will shorten the machine tool builder’s time-to-market through Digital Twin technology, where all machine design and operational kinematics are simulated prior to the machine being built. This development enables substantial savings for the builder and end-user alike—not only in the design, building, and commissioning but also during the startup and training phases of machine implementation.

With SINUMERIK ONE, Siemens is accelerating the digital transformation of the machine tool industry. The new CNC control platform works with software to create the machine controller and the associated digital twin from a single engineering system and thus contributes to the total integration of hardware and software. Thanks to its seamless interaction between the virtual and real worlds, including high-performance PLC, drive, and motor hardware, SINUMERIK ONE is setting new standards in terms of productivity, performance, and digitalization. It is the future-proof machine controller in the increasingly digital world of manufacturing.

With Create MyVirtual Machine and Run MyVirtual Machine, SINUMERIK ONE is provided with software to create the universal concept of the digital twin, powerful hardware, and integrated IT security, making it a forward-looking CNC. Using Mcenter, the open and modular platform for efficient shopfloors, end-users can seamlessly link all their machine tools and networks with the company’s IT landscape.

Finally, as a fun highlight at this year’s show, Siemens will hold a golf putting contest and raffle two putters twice daily during IMTS 2024. The putter heads will be machined utilizing Siemens CNC hardware automation and digitalization software and feature custom engraving.

Image Source: Siemens