Leading Minds of Manufacturing to Speak at Mazak DISCOVER 2019 Event

Stemming from its various collaborations geared toward the advancement of manufacturing technologies and strategies, Mazak will welcome several of the manufacturing industry’s leading minds as keynote speakers at its upcoming DISCOVER 2019 event.

Scheduled for November 5-7 and 12-13 at Mazak’s North American Headquarters and Manufacturing Campus in Florence, Kentucky, the DISCOVER 2019 technology and education event will feature presentations from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), University of Cincinnati, Lockheed Martin, GE Aviation, Cisco Systems, AMT -The Association for Manufacturing Technology and several others on such industry-critical topics as automation, workforce development, HYBRID Multi-Tasking, digitally connected factories and cybersecurity.

Dr. Lonnie Love, Corporate Research Fellow and Group Leader of Manufacturing Systems Research Energy and Transportation Science Division at ORNL in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, will discuss the lab’s collaboration/CRADA (cooperative research and development agreement) with Mazak. Working on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy, ORNL and Mazak are further developing the use of HOT WIRE DEPOSITION (HWD) in additive manufacturing part production operations.

Upon completion, the project, which involves Mazak’s HYBRID Multi-Tasking HWD technologies as a commercially viable solution, will result in a closed-loop control system with the ability to make on-the-fly adjustments according to sensor feedback during HWD builds. Such in-process adjustability will further ensure the consistency, quality and reliability of HWD additive technology, especially for those manufacturers in the aerospace, automotive and die/mold industries, among others

Also from ORNL, Dr. Thomas Kurfess, Chief Manufacturing Officer, Advanced Manufacturing Program, will speak about his and Mazak’s work in “Adaptive Learning” and on the development of “Smart Machines.” Within that same category, Dr. Jay Lee, Ohio Eminent Scholar and L.W. Scott Alter Chair Professor in Advanced Manufacturing at the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science and founding director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) on Intelligent Maintenance Systems, will explain work being done to achieve worry-free machining via advanced sensors and process monitoring.

Representing two of the aerospace industry’s manufacturing powerhouses, Jan de Nijs, Senior Staff Operations Engineer at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas, and Matthew Foister, Manufacturing Senior Systems Engineer, at GE Aviation in Cincinnati, Ohio, will discuss how digital connectivity has led to significant manufacturing changes at each of their respective companies. For Lockheed Martin that has manifested through an increase in building and production agility via the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and for GE Aviation, optimized machine utilization using real-time collected and analyzed process data.

Also presenting on digital connectivity, Bryce Barnes, Global Lead Internet of Things, Manufacturing and Transportation, Incubation and Global Services at Cisco in Closter, New Jersey, will speak about today’s “Connected Factory.” He’ll discuss the benefits of digital connectivity for equipment monitoring along with data collection and analytics. Mazak worked with Cisco in the development of the Mazak SmartBox – a launch platform that uses MTConnect technology as its foundation to provide easy and highly secure entrance into the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

To address the ongoing skills gap in manufacturing, Greg Jones, Vice President – Smartforce Development at AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology in Washington D.C., will present on AMT’s efforts to build a better educated and trained workforce for the advanced manufacturing industry. DISCOVER 2019 attendees will learn how the association works with educators to assure that funding and programs are available to sufficiently educate young people in career and technical education programs, as well as in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to attract qualified, skilled, critical thinking individuals for careers in manufacturing.

For those DISCOVER 2019 attendees striving to further increase the output of their existing workforces, Michael Cicco, President & CEO at FANUC America Corporation, Rochester Hills, Michigan, will discuss the latest advancements in automation. In particular, he will touch upon how articulated robots provide automation for one or multiple machines as well as part transfers to peripheral operations, while also eliminating the challenges of handling large, heavy or cumbersome parts.

About Mazak Corporation

Mazak Corporation is a leader in the design and manufacture of productive machine tool solutions. Committed to being a partner to customers with innovative technology, its world-class facility in Florence, Kentucky produces over 100 models of turning centers, Multi-Tasking machines and vertical machining centers, including 5-axis models. Continuously investing in manufacturing technology allows the Mazak iSMART Factory™ to be the most advanced and efficient in the industry, providing high-quality and reliable products. Mazak maintains eight Technology Centers across North America to provide local hands-on applications, service and sales support to customers.