Showcasing Advancements

Team MMI is honored to have received an exclusive invitation from the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI) and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) to join in the Taipei International Machine Tool Show (TIMTOS) 2019 Pre-Show Press Conference in Taipei, Taiwan. Along with a fair amount of sneak peek into the fair, the team was also offered insightful visits to Taiwan’s leading companies, making it an experience worth cherishing.

Jointly organized by TAITRA and TAMI, the 27th edition of TIMTOS, to be held from March 04-09, 2019, is making all the right moves to create a new record in the show’s history and emerge as the world’s 3rd largest machine tool trade show.

The biennial trade event is to host a whopping 1,230 exhibitors from 26 countries in 7,000 booths sprawled over a 100,000 sq mt of gross area at Taipei World Trade Center’s Hall 1 and 3, and Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 1 and 2. The estimated number of visitors stood at 52,700 at the time of the conference.

Towards a smart factory

Today’s manufacturing technologies are undergoing an unprecedented transition. To help businesses get familiar with the current trends of automation and data exchange in manufacturing, TIMTOS 2019 will spotlight ‘Industry 4.0 & Smart Manufacturing’ and ‘AI Technologies’.

Pointing to this, Walter M S Yeh, President & CEO, Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), stated, “TIMTOS 2019 aims to offer the visitors an opportunity to closely witness a number of digitalized solutions that integrate machine tools, industrial robots, sensors, IoT, big data analysis, machine learning and AI technologies for whole-plant operations. Adopting these will equip them with the flexibility and efficiency to respond to customers’ needs for high-variety, low-volume production.”

To further aid the visitors in comprehending the impact of these trends on their business and the best way to adopt them, a second TIMTOS Summit has been organized. Industry experts and top executives from firms such as DMG Mori; ABB; Heidenhain; Dassault Systèmes; and Siemens are to provide insight into topics such as ‘Machine Intelligence and AIoT’, ‘Additive Manufacturing’, ‘Automotive Manufacturing Revolution’ and ‘Innovation in Aerospace Manufacturing’.

Showcasing Taiwan’s Strengths

TIMTOS 2019 will once again lay bare the country’s competence in machine tools sector for which the country’s export figures bears testimony to.

“The total export value of Taiwan machine tools reached US$3.034 billion in the period of January to October, 2018, an increase of 12.3 percent over the same period of last year,” reveals Yeh.

The exhibit profile at TIMTOS 2019 comprises Metal Cutting Machine Tools, Metal Forming Machinery, Casting and Forging Machinery, and auxiliary equipment including Laser Punching Machines, Welding, Vibration Grinding, Surface Treatment Equipment, Tube & Wire Processing, Machine Tool Parts/ Accessories, Tools, Controllers & Control Systems, Measuring, Measuring Instrument, Software, Design Engineering, Hydraulic & Pneumatic Components.

Enriching Experience

In their pursuit for excellence, Taiwan machine tools and component producers continue to upgrade their skills and develop new technologies. TIMTOS exhibitors like CHMER EDM; HIWIN Corporation; Fair Friend Group (FFG); Tongtai Machine & Tool Co., Ltd; Chin Fong Machine Industrial Co., Ltd; POSA Machinery Co., Ltd; Cosen Mechatronics Co., Ltd; Goodway; and FEMCO Group have won ‘Taiwan Excellence Awards’ based on their strong R&D capabilities and innovative ideas.

The companies below played a gracious host to Team MMI. To visit them and closely observe their innovations and the best practices that set them apart was indeed an enriching experience.

Chin Fong Machine Industrial Co., Ltd

Chin Fong has its presence in Taiwan, China, and in the USA. “At TIMTOS 2019, we will be displaying the Smart Press OCP with Smart automation, Unmanned Production and Management. Our Quick Die Change System, and Automated Guided Vehicle for Presses will be other highlights. Besides Miniature Presses, KW2-400 High Precision Progressive Chuckle Press, WF2-6500 Warm Hot Forging Press and SE4T Straight Side 4-Point Transfer Presses having Smart Control Centre will also be displayed,” informs Simon Tseng, President, Chin Fong.

Cosen Mechatronics Co., Ltd

Founded in 1976, Cosen has business in countries such as India, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, and Singapore aside from other 80 countries including USA and Europe.

It offers 140 models including Vertical, Horizontal, Miter-Cutting, NC and CNC automatic and customized Band Saws with capacities ranging from 200 to 3200 mm, and cutting materials from steel to titanium, chromium and silicon. In 2016, the company launched the world’s first Industry 4.0 Sawing Performance and Health Prognosis App – positioning itself as the technology leader in band saw manufacturing.

Alice Wu, CEO, Cosen, tells us about the C-Tech Series NC Fully Automatic Bandsaws that the company is to showcase this TIMTOS. “The fully-automatic bandsaws from the C-Tech Series have been designed for cutting solid materials in mass production around the clock. The well-known ‘built to last’ Cosen DNA is again visible in every part of these machines: from the oversized linear guideways, super sturdy saw frames, cast iron vises to the use of world-class PLC and components,” she adds.

Factory Automation Technology Co., Ltd (FATEK) FEMCO Group

A subsidiary of FEMCO, FATEK designs, manufactures, sells, distributes a full line of CNC machine tools including CNC Lathes, CNC Vertical Lathes, CNC Horizontal Boring Mills, CNC Wheel Turning Machines, and CNC Housing Type Plano Mills. Its main markets include China, India, Thailand, Europe and the USA. At TIMTOS 2019, it is to present its automation production with AVM (Automatic Virtual Metrology) system, a new online inspection system to transition the offline sampling method into instant online full inspection.

“FEMCO’s other highlight would be the Exchangeable Facing Head that keeps the head speed same as spindle speed. The Facing Head and other general machining tools have the same exchange interface, so when the general machining tool is exchanged, the main shaft can be used for drilling, tapping, milling, boring and so on,” explains Oscar Hsu, Deputy Sales Manager, International Sales & Marketing, FATEK, FEMCO Group.

Luren Precision Co., Ltd

Invested in the R&D of gear machining since 1994, Luren has extended the cutting tools technologies of mechanical and research laboratories such as the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and integrated the research resources from the best universities, building the production lines of hobs and shaving cutters. For machine tools, its Gear Grinding product line includes CNC Gear Profile Grinding Machines, CNC Worm and Thread Grinding Machines and CNC Hob Sharpening Machines.

According to Shawn Sung, President, Luren, the company will be exhibiting its new GBC-4028 CNC Bevel Gear Cutting Machine with higher efficiency and bigger module capacities. It has an Intelligent Dialogue Window-Based Software to enable machine operators to complete the whole processing procedures in one software. The software can automatically calculate the meshing position in the target area. This will improve productivity and efficiency.

SOCO Machinery Co., Ltd

SOCO is the leading global machinery manufacturer for the Tube, Pipe and Solid Bar industry. It manufactures Tube Bending machines, Laser Tube Cutting machines, Tube and Bar cutting machines and Chamfering machines. Headquartered in the Taichung’s Technological Precision Machinery Park in Taiwan, the main machinery industrial area in Asia, the company has several production facilities around the world, 25 branch offices and over 40 active partners in all major continents. The company also has an agent in India. Kyle Lo, CEO & Managing Director, SOCO, notes, “You may find products produced by SOCO’s Tube Benders, Fiber Laser Tube Cutting Machines And Tube Cutting Machines in our everyday living – transportation (cars, motorcycles, bicycles, ships), comfort furniture (home seating, office furniture), care (wheelchairs, hospital beds) and general (fitness equipment, gardening tools, playgrounds).”

Bigger and Better

TIMTOS 2019 has all the things needed to surpass its previous editions. With an unprecedented number of exhibitors and visitors in its history and an unmatched spread of cutting-edge products and technologies, it is sure to lure tech enthusiasts from the manufacturing space from world over to help them move up another notch in their game.

“TIMTOS 2019 aims to offer the visitors an opportunity to closely witness digitalized solutions integrating machine tools, industrial robots, sensors, IoT, big data analysis, machine learning and AI technologies for whole-plant operations. Adopting these will equip them with the flexibility and efficiency to respond to customers’ needs for high-variety, low-volume production.”

Walter M S Yeh, President & CEO, TAITRA

“It is estimated that the export value of Taiwan machine tools will continue to increase while the global economy is still sluggish. This is an indicator that Taiwan machine tool producers have established an excellent reputation around the world and their investment in machine upgrading and smart manufacturing has paid off.”

CC Wang, President, TAMI

TIMTOS 2019 is to host an estimated 52,700 visitors and a whopping 1,230 exhibitors from 26 countries in 7,000 booths sprawled over a 100,000 sq mt of gross area.