Haas Automation, Inc., reports that its recent HaasTec open house was a complete success, attracting more than 3100 attendees to the company’s headquarters and manufacturing facility in Oxnard, California. The 4-day event drew visitors from the U.S., Canada, and around the world, with attendees from 51 countries, including China, India, Korea, Latin America, the Middle East, and many European countries. In addition, more than 700 students – from regional high schools, colleges, and universities – attended the event.
Held October 10 – 13, HaasTec included machine demonstrations, extensive tours of Haas Automation’s 1-million-square-foot facility, a catered lunch, and 42 industry-partner booths, with representatives from major CAD/CAM, tooling, automation, and workholding manufacturers. As an added bonus, attendees also saw one of Haas F1 Team’s racecars from their 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship debut, and Stewart-Haas Racing’s No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet, driven by Kurt Busch in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Visitors to HaasTec often arrived in large groups, accompanied by representatives from their local Haas Factory Outlet (HFO). More than 30 HFOs worldwide arranged trips to the event to personally show customers and potential customers what goes into making a Haas.
There were 16 machines on display and running demos at HaasTec, including the soon-tobe released UMC-1000 Universal Machining Center, the CL-1 Compact Lathe, and the reengineered EC-400 HMC. Attendees also got to see more than 200 Haas machines in action on the factory floor, making parts to build more Haas machines. Of the 296 chip-making machines in the Haas factory, 211 (71 percent) are Haas machines.
A number of Haas rotary products were also on display, including the new TRT70 ultracompact dual-axis rotary table. With a maximum speed of 410° per second on both axes, the TRT70 provides high-speed, accurate, 3+2 positioning for machining small, complex parts. The unit’s ultra-compact size makes it the perfect 5-axis solution for small machining centers, like the Haas CM-1 Compact Mill.
Providing visitors with a historical perspective, HaasTec also included a display of the company’s very first VMC – VF-1 No. 1, fitted with an early Haas rotary table. Today’s VF-1 still sells for less than the 1988 machine’s introductory price of $49,900, proving that Haas is the industry leader in machine tool value.
As usual, HaasTec 2017 received rave reviews from visitors and vendors alike.
“We have had a booth at each HaasTec since its inception,” said Tom Resler, Guhring Inc., and I believe it’s one of the best in the industry. At no other show do we receive as many potential leads.
“Something that really stood out this year was the number of students that came through. Our industry is in dire need of a skilled labor force, and the outreach that Haas is putting forth is unprecedented. To compete in a global economy, we need more companies to follow suit, as well as more vocational and apprenticeship programs. It’s clear that Haas gets that. My co-worker overheard a student who had just finished the plant tour say to his friend, ‘One day, I’m going to work for Haas.’ He said it with as much excitement and pride as someone saying, ‘One day, I’m going to be an astronaut.’ Hearing that was the highlight of the week for me.
“Thank you so much for a great event,” said Mat Evans, 5th Axis. “We met a lot of great current and potential customers at HaasTec 2017, and being able to spend time with sales and applications managers from all the HFOs was extremely valuable. You guys did a great job, and we look forward to participating in the next HaasTec!
“All-in-all a great show,” said John Hosmon, Refresh Your Memory, Inc. “Lots of quality attendees, and the Haas dealers brought their good customers to us, and helped us explain machine monitoring to them. We like this event much more than the SME WESTEC show, and will continue attending HaasTec as our only Southern California marketing experience.
By all accounts, HaasTec 2017 was an overwhelming success, providing attendees an opportunity to see first hand what goes into making a Haas machine, and why Haas Automation is America’s leading machine tool builder.
For more information about Haas Automation and Haas products, call 800-331-6746, or visit www.HaasCNC.com.
