DAY 4 THURSDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2019 THE OFFICIAL FABTECH PUBLICATION NORTH AMERICA’S LARGEST METAL FORMING, FABRICATING, WELDING AND FINISHING EVENT SHOW DAILY TODAY’S EVENTS Mythbuster Delights FABTECH FABTECH attendees were treated to an While all of this was lots of fun, he said it was For Imahara, that adventure began with his Leadership Exchange: outstanding keynote yesterday from anima- all in the name of science. first Lego set, given to him by his parents at tronics engineering expert Grant Imahara, age three. Little did his mom and dad know 21st Century Workforce Imahara reflected on the tools and ma- a former host on DiscoveryChannel’s Myth- what they had unleashed. He used it con- — Building Tomorrow’s chines that he designed and built on his Busters. He told tales of how he used his stantly to find new ways to build things with Workforce science-based reality TV show. He made the electronics and robotics expertise during his limited resources. 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM point that the activities of his former line of time on that show, as well as his nine years Lakeside Center Ballroom work present many similarities to that of en- “Lego is an amazing tool for innovation; it working behind the scenes creating special gineers, fabricators, and software developers. makes you figure out how to use what you Smart Manufacturing Hub effects for blockbuster after blockbuster. have to make what you don’t have,” he said. Sessions All Day He is currently consulting for Walt Disney “I want to share some of the things I’ve During Show Hours Imagineering, working on next-generation learned from 10 years of Mythbusting that are The Lego of his day was quite different to that Booth A4138 robots to go into Disney’s theme parks applicable to problem solving in many other of today. Back then, it was only composed of around the world. fields,” he said. “We made things that no one square and rectangular blocks of a few differ- Rest and Recharge Lounge had ever made, few people have thought of, ent sizes. You had to be creative about how to Behind the Scenes at During Show Hours and along the way solved dozens and dozens put your blocks together. MythBusters of problems.” North Building 2.0 Level “This kind of challenge is engineering at its (by McDonald’s) For almost a decade, Imahara was a host of He related that kind of work to the tasks core,” said Imahara. MythBusters. Using a blend of science and engineers, manufacturers, and fabricators He had to learn step-by-step the basics of how fun, he put hundreds of urban legends to face every day. Innovation, he stressed, starts to put those blocks together. Gradually, he the test, sometimes with explosive results. with creativity. Whatever field you happen to figured out how to go beyond the basics and He had the audience laughing as he told be in, creativity is required to deal with the how to take simple Lego pieces to new places. anecdotes from his days on that show. challenges that life throws at you. Being on The FABTECH crowd heard story after story, TV or in movies might provide more fame and “Not unlike the Matrix, there are rules: some each one wilder than the last recognition, but his work boiled down to ad- can be bent, others can be broken,” said • The time he swam with sharks dressing technical and engineering problems. Imahara. • Hanging from the skids of a helicopter This, he said, is no different from the work After his initial schooling in the fundamentals • Firing cheese out of a cannon into the done every day by thousands of technicians of Lego, he attended school with an enthu- San Francisco Bay and engineers across the nation. It’s the atti- siasm for mathematics and science. He went • Allowing 25 tarantulas to crawl on his head tude toward it that counts. If you treat every on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in task and every day as a new adventure, work • Dropping a BMW from an aircraft Electrical Engineering from the University of can be transformed from the daily grind into a • Slicing a car in half using a rocket sled Southern California and is a Senior Member fulfilling activity. • Destroying so many cars he’s of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics stopped counting Engineers (IEEE). continued on p. 28 Preview the world’s most advanced CAD/CAM offline robot programming software. FIND IT AT BOOTH 23004 AD_PP_FABTECHDaily_Robotmaster_10.5x2.25_00638.indd 1 9/13/2019 10:51:48 AM 10KW POWER PART SORTING MAX PRODUCTIVITY FABTECH BOOTH A4202 Mazak leads the way with power and performance. See the power of OPTIPLEX 10kW laser- cutting technology. Direct diode performance will be demonstrated in an automated sorting system. Contact your Mazak representative to learn more or visit www.mazakoptonics.com. 4 DAY 4 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2019 | THE OFFICIAL SHOW NEWS OF FABTECH® 2019 Save the dates for future FABTECH events! FABTECH’s marketing-leading events take place at different times of the year and in different locations across North America. 2020 2022 Mexico City, Mexico | May 12-14 Mexico City, Mexico | May 4-6 Toronto, Ontario Canada | June 16-18 Toronto, Ontario Canada | June 14-16 Innovation Drives Success Las Vegas, Nevada | November 18-20 Atlanta, Georgia | November 8-10 Experience Innovation 2021 2023 at Booth A2122 Monterrey, Mexico | May 4-6 Monterrey, Mexico | May TBD Presenting high-performance solutions that Chicago, Illinois | September 13-16 Chicago, Illinois | September 11-14 are driving fabricators to new levels of productivity, pro tability, and success. THANK YOU TO OUR SHOW SPONSORS PLATINUM SPONSORS: 12kW Fiber Laser! ByStar Fiber 3015 NEW! ByTrans Cross with BySort SPONSORS: NEW! NEW! NEW! Next Generation BySmart Fiber 3015 Xpress 50 FL-170 Tube Laser Processing Xpert 40 with Mobile Xpert Pro 150 Bending Cell Bystronic: Best choice. Cutting | Bending | Automation 800-247-3332 | bystronicusa.com Innovation Drives Success Experience Innovation at Booth A2122 Presenting high-performance solutions that are driving fabricators to new levels of productivity, pro tability, and success. 12kW Fiber Laser! ByStar Fiber 3015 NEW! ByTrans Cross with BySort NEW! NEW! NEW! Next Generation BySmart Fiber 3015 Xpress 50 FL-170 Tube Laser Processing Xpert 40 with Mobile Xpert Pro 150 Bending Cell Bystronic: Best choice. Cutting | Bending | Automation 800-247-3332 | bystronicusa.com 6 DAY 4 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2019 | THE OFFICIAL SHOW NEWS OF FABTECH® 2019 Women of FABTECH Breakfast Yesterday’s Women of FABTECH Breakfast perspectives – that of a major manufacturer tural equipment. “At AGCO, we do not go for the that impacts companies large and small. The served up two excellent presentations. The and a small job shop. This made it very clear shiny new thing, but instead look internally for speakers animatedly discussed some of the first discussed how women could more easily that keeping up with technology applies to areas that can benefit from the latest technol- changes they’ve made within their organiza- keep up with technology trends. It was deliv- everyone, from the largest corporation to the ogies, and then select what gives us the best tions to keep pace with today’s manufacturing ered jointly by two women who have carved smallest startup. return on investment,” she said. advancements. They also shared tactics com- out successful careers in manufacturing: panies of all sizes could incorporate into their Susanne Lauda is Director of Global Advanced From Industry 4.0 to artificial intelligence Susanne Lauda and Gretchen Zierick. They pre- own organizations. Manufacturing Technology at AGCO Corpora- and virtual reality, manufacturing as we know sented the same theme, but from two different tion, one of the largest producers of agricul- it is undergoing a major revolution – one AGCO, for example, is best known as being the first company that used Google Glass smart glasses on a large scale on the shop floor to display work instructions or assist during SAFE SIMPLE CERTIFIED quality inspection steps. In addition, the com- Powerful Venturi 85 CFM @ 77dB pany has started optimizing its line layouts by digitally simulating operations. This is similar THE MOST VERSATILE, POWERFUL, to the concept of the digital twin, which is PNEUMATIC EXPLOSION-PROOF used to provide a model of a large piece of VACUUM IN THE INDUSTRY equipment that is a digital replica of the real Overhead Tool Kit TOOL ORGANIZER thing. The company has implemented a wealth of new technologies to improve efficiency and productivity. It relies on automated guided Static Conductive vehicles (AGVs), robots, digital picking aids, the Air Hose Certified Anti-Static latest scanning and tracking devices, and 3D Hose printers, to name a few. HEPA FILTRATION included with all units For those worried about cost, she had some good news. “Not every disruptive technology SAME DAY SHIPPING comes with a hefty price tag,” said Lauda. Floor Tool and Wand She gave the example of a cobot (collaborative TIFI Du R WET I-STA ER ED Com st FO NT TIC C A robot). If installed in the right area, she found, it meets OSHAOSHA 652 654 484 can pay for itself within a few months. However, COMPLIANT L requirements Y M s E I d F F T r X she added, it is advisable to engage the work- E e a P O T N et d O L IM RA s n R E O RO E WAR NFPA Sta DRY US SION P force before making such decisions. Only if they buy into new technology will it be successful.