950 exhibitors demonstrated technological innovation at TIMTOS x TMTS 2022

TIMTOS x TMTS 2022, the first co-branded machine tool mega show in Taiwan, closed on February 26 with huge success. The physical exhibition was held in Taipei Nangang Exhibition Halls 1 and 2 over six consecutive days while the online exhibition remained open until March 21. Organizers Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI) and Taiwan Machine Tool & Accessory Builders’ Association (TMBA) informed that the show had attracted more than 40 000 online and offline visitors at home and abroad. Notably, the online exhibition reached visitors from more than 20 countries/regions.

Featuring 950 exhibitors in 5100 booths, TIMTOS x TMTS was not only the largest trade show held in Taiwan since the outbreak of the pandemic but also the world’s first machine tool mega show in 2022. In response to border controls, the show included an array of online services for international visitors and media, including “On-site Guide for Online Visitors”, “Sourcing Taiwan Machinery”, “On-site Guide for Media Tour”, “Live Tour @ Showground”, “Media Eye on TIMTOS x TMTS”, “Podcast Live”, and TIMTOS x TMTS Online.”Live Tour @ Showground”, “Media Eye on TIMTOS x TMTS” and “Podcast Live” delivered daily live updates from the exhibition floor. The videos and podcast episodes have enjoyed over 25 000 views and listens. Furthermore, major attendees such as Mighty USA, EMIL Macchine, Faustino Pittori SRL, Hommel GmbH and Siemens Turkey, were guided to the showground and made real-time connections with selected exhibitors during 500 online sessions. Processing machines, multi-axis machining centers and laser cutting machines were amongst the most sought after items for foreign buyers.

Mr. Max Martinelli from Faustino Pittori in Italy gave thanks to the organizers, TAITRA, for arranging the “On-site Guide” service and noted that the video guided tour created a great opportunity for him to learn about the latest products from important suppliers and discuss potential cooperation in a timely manner. What impressed Mr. Bo Jean from Mighty USA during the video guided tour was the ability to get a 360-degree view of each machine and converse with the exhibitors at the same time. International media was also deeply impressed by the strong R&D capabilities of Taiwan’s machine tool manufacturers. In addition, the “On-site Guide for Media Tour” proved to be very helpful for facilitating remote interviews during the pandemic.

The machine tool industry is aware of the latest development of future trends and accelerates digital transformation and upgrades. New models and solutions are aimed at emerging business in sectors such as semiconductor industry, green energy, electric vehicles, healthcare and aerospace. This year’s TIMTOS x TMTS welcomed a wide range of visitors from different industrial fields. Among the major domestic visitors were TSMC, AIDC (Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation), Formosa Heavy Industries, Hon Hai Precision Industry, Chang Gung Medical Technology, Nan Ya Plastics, and CSMC (China Steel Machinery Corporation).

During the show plenty of business conversations, networking and deals took place. Many exhibitors were delighted with the orders placed on-site. KAO MING, one of the leading Taiwanese vendors of hydraulic radial drills, sold out all of the drills on display at their booth within the first three days of the show. RONG FU, a leading band saw provider, CASTEK, an expert in EDM drilling machines, MYLAS, an outstanding lathe maker, HEAKE, which is recognised for its 5-axis mill, and SUN FIRM, a leader in flat bed lathes, also received on-site orders.

The online exhibition for TIMTOS x TMTS 2022 kept on running until March 21. The most popular exhibitors at TIMTOS x TMTS Online featured HIWIN, VICTOR TAICHUNG, Hartford, FANUC and SAN YUAN. Overall, exhibitors at TIMTOS x TMTS showcased the very best solutions they had developed over the last three years, both on-site and online. TIMTOS is scheduled to return in March 2023.

Taiwan Machine Tool Industry Awards celebrated technological innovation

The 15th Taiwan Machine Tool Industry Awards for Excellence in Research & Innovation recognized the best products with outstanding design and engineering for research and design innovation across several categories: Machining Center and Manufacturing Cell, CNC Lathe and Manufacturing Cell, Other CNC Machine Tool and Manufacturing Cell, Components for CNC Machine Tools and Other NC Machine Tools.

For 2022, a total of 38 research innovations were submitted from 36 manufacturers. The judges strived to select the best products based on their technology merits that also meet the theme of Intelligent Technological Innovation. Among the recognized honorees, the Supreme Excellence award is given to the highest-rated product in All CNC Machine Tools category. This year, one special prize and three excellent work awards were selected from all entries to recognize the team of this year’s intelligent machine tool or parts research and development innovation.

“The past two years have been a challenge like no other for everyone in the world. We have seen the strain firsthand on our health systems, our schools, our businesses, large and small. But in this time of uncertainty, technology has been a stabilizing, unifying force. The pandemic has sparked astounding innovations in the machine tool technology. There has been an improvement in the research and development level of the core technologies in the industry this year. The judges found the entries more defined; and the total number of submissions in the Components for CNC Machine Tools significantly went up, and many have intelligent functions, which is an improvement”, said organizers TAITRA.

The award ceremony was attended by Pa-Hsi Ko, Chairman of Taiwan Machine Tool Foundation, Leonor F. M. Lin, President and CEO of TAITRA, Larry T. W. Wei, Chairman of TAMI, Habor Hsu, Chairman of TMBA, Chih-Ching Yang, Deputy Director General of Industrial Development Bureau, Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), and Guann-Jyh Lee, Deputy Director General, Bureau of Foreign Trade, Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

Chairman Pa-Hsi Ko, Taiwan Machine Tool Foundation, said, “The core value of a company is R&D, and to win an award requires the company’s competence. Taiwan is moving towards becoming a global high-end production center. Even semiconductor production relies on machine tools. As to net-zero, machine industry can do more and will contribute more.” Chairman Pa-Hsi thanked all engineers working on R&D and bosses who support R&D. “Your contribution makes Taiwan even better,” he added.
Leonor F. M. Lin, President and CEO of TAITRA expressed her happiness to see the show kicked off and the first hybrid machine tool tradeshow in the world during this pandemic. “As of today, about 300 online procurement meetings were completed,” she disclosed. Leonor F. M. Lin projected 700 online procurement meetings will be the final number. She ended her speech by showing her gratitude to all the innovative contributions submitted by the companies in R&D and for keeping Taiwan an important part of the world.

Chairman Larry T. W. Wei of TAMI was in awe by the meticulousness and brilliance of the products at the show. “We can clearly see the diligence and hard work all the companies went through in order to deliver the best product. The judges had a difficult time shortlisting the winners.”

On another note, Chairman Habor Hsu of TMBA believes the TIMTOS x TMTS joint mega show acknowledges the contributions of Taiwan’s machine tool industry not just locally but the whole world. “The last two years have just been unprecedented. Any which way you look at it, the constraints that have been put on the broader society and the economy have been enormous because of the pandemic. But at the same time, the judges were quite stunned by the level of research and development activities all companies who joined shared, despite of all these constraints. And we have the digital technology and platforms to thank for.”

The Supreme Excellence Award went to Yeong Chin Machinery Industries for its UV650-FlexCell Intelligent Multi-Axis Flexible Manufacturing Cell which provides excellent cutting performance and high accuracy for simultaneous 5-axis applications with just one setup. Designed to reduce part handling, setup, and overall lead-time, while improving part quality, precision, and surface finish of complex shapes and contours required for multiple industries such as job shop, medical, aerospace, and die & mold.
Ching Hung Machinery & Electric Industrial was the winner of the Grand Champion Award in the Machining Center and Manufacturing Cell category. The company impressed with its CHMER HM1080L high speed milling machine, designed with a full-moving column structure that will not be affected by workpiece weight. Therefore no machine adjustment will be needed for different workpiece weight during processing. Working hours for operators to calibrate the machine are then reduced and thus finished product accuracy is increased.

Ching Hung Machinery & Electric Industrial also won the Grand Champion Award in the Other CNC Machine Tool and Manufacturing Cell category for the company’s PL6880 high precision linear drive laser cutting machine. Equipped with self-developed patent high thrust linear motor, PL6880 generates zero contact friction and backlash that would come from a ballscrew drive to affect working accuracy. The linear motor drive is a permanent guarantee for no backlash and common wear and therefore provides advantages like high accuracy, high efficiency, high stability and longevity, notes the manufacturer.

In the Components for CNC Machine Tool and Other NC Machine Tools the Grand Champion Award went to HIWIN Technologies for its i4.0BS (intelligent 4.0 ballscrew) which can be used in machine tools and other industrial machinery, the semiconductor industry, automation, etc. The function of i4.0BS stabilizes the machining quality and saves 30% productivity losses, while the smart lubrication saves between 40% to 70% in oil consumption, claims the manufacturer. HIWIN i4.0BS supports IoT applications, allowing multiple users to monitor the status of the machine on a webpage through their mobile device. Moreover, it shows the priority of machines according to critical condition, thus helping the user to arrange the maintenance schedule. HIWIN i4.0BS is also designed to be eco-friendly – all of its parts are in compliance with RoHS. HIWIN i4.0BS won the international innovation award in 2018 and the Taiwan Excellence Silver Award in 2021.

Intelligent Machining Technology Seminar

Looking for the best solution to new tooling requirements can be an overwhelming task, including analyzing current tooling glitches. This year, TIMTOS x TMTS 2022 went a stage further and featured a Tool and Intelligent Machining Technology Seminar, sponsored by Taiwan Cutting-tool Engineering Association (TACEA).
Manufacturing industries are continually overstretched by market demands to manufacture low-cost, high-quality products. Market demands tend to be multifaceted and full of variations, especially in fast-paced industrial settings. To cope with the expanding market demands, traditional manufacturing techniques are forced to develop and adapt advanced practices and methods. However, as developments in manufacturing technology rise, so does the prerequisite to implement them in an effective and cost-saving manner.

The outcome of this pressing need is a combination of traditional manufacturing tools and modern technologies, hardware, or software that transforms traditional manufacturing into intelligent manufacturing. Intelligent machining systems are complex systems in which optimization methodologies are combined with sensor-based control systems. Such intelligent and optimized systems can produce high-quality products at fast production rates and lower cost.
Dr. Chiu Song-Mao of Metal Industries Research & Development Center (MIRDC) had been selected to offer valuable insights into the latest developments across multi-alloy coatings and cutting tools and to provide intuitive market intelligence to the people who attended the seminar and visited this year’s first co-branded machine tool mega show in Taiwan.

Discussing the “Development of multi-alloy coating and cutting tools”, Dr. Chiu said, “Aside from pursuing better performance and price, the market is now asking for eco-friendly options. The production value of cutting tools is TWD 7,3 billion, while machine tools are at TWD 117,6 billion. The aerospace, PCB and IC industries are the major application industries for cuttings tools, and are also a contributor to Taiwan’s economic growth. Thanks to the financial support from the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), Dr. Chiu disclosed that they were able to gather experts from various industries, universities, and officials to form Team Taiwan. The team aims to form a platform to support interdisciplinary exchange and cross-industry alliance.

According to Dr. Chiu, the biggest market for metal cutting tools at present is North America. But he sees a bright future for Asia Pacific in the next five years. He explained that the driving force comes from the automotive, aerospace, defense and 5G.
Moreover, Dr. Chiu explained that physical vapor deposition (PVD) coating material is going to replace chemical vapor deposition (CVD), application of multi-alloy materials – one may observe these trends in the U.S., France, and Japan. Dr. Chiu hopes to align academia and industry to solve their problems in following these trends. The team will also help customize products for domestic companies to amplify their strength.

Photos: TAITRA