We are looking forward to participating at the MT Series East show — long-known by its former name, EASTEC — which is held in West Springfield, Massachusetts. While our products and technology are at work for users around the world, this is a unique chance to connect with folks who are not only our peers but also our neighbors (relatively speaking; we're based in Marlborough, about 45 miles from the show). If you are planning to attend, be sure and stop by to see us at booth #1453.
This year, our participation is different than other showings we have made as a participating exhibitor over the years. I will be giving a technical presentation as part of the show's Smart Manufacturing Experience (SMX), a conference associated with the exposition.
Titled Drawing the Line on Drawings: Implications of Machine-Readable Data for Manufacturing Suppliers, it's a presentation focused on steps that independent shops can take to adapt to major changes being driven by AI and other emerging technologies and practices, including Model-Based Definition (MBD). It starts at 2pm on the Wednesday of the show (May 14) in the conference area theater. I hope you can make it.
How smart is "smart"?
From smart homes to smart TVs, the word "smart" has come to mean ways that integrated apps can make daily processes more efficient. The change those technologies represent hold a lot of promise. But for most shops, their value in the supply chain comes from their accumulated experience with established manufacturing processes. How many are in a position to change the way they work to take advantage of those "smart manufacturing" efficiencies ?
Our contribution to the conference is aimed at helping independent suppliers find their way to connect their past years of experience with the business demands we can see coming over the horizon, including MBD. The goal of my presentation is to inform those working in the field of the factors shaping these trends, and steps they can take in the here-and-now to be ready for what's coming next.
How much assistance is it really?
The "A" in the trade acronyms CAD and CAM stands for "assisted." That is, the progress these technologies represent were meant to assist the user in getting their work done. A generation-plus later, as product manufacturing information (PMI) associated with CAD files makes manufacturing information machine-readable, it's understandable that some experienced technicians might wonder just how much assistance today's progress is delivering for them.
The demands of practices such as MBD or the idea of the "digital thread" may seem imposing or limiting. It is our belief that, like other manufacturing challenges, it's really more a matter of identifying the correct tools to solve them. Our utilities Validate and Revision are just two of those tools; my goal in presenting is to help bring practical solutions forward.
We look forward to meeting with colleagues and end-users from different areas of the engineering and manufacturing fields to share ways to find new opportunities from these changes.
