The International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago is just a few days away! We will be live blogging the entire event here: IMTS 2012 Live Blog
If you are not one of the 80,000+ people in attendance, don’t worry, we have you covered. All week I will be live blogging from the event to keep you updated on the latest news and stories.
IMTS has been around for 85 years and throughout its time there have been some historical moments:
- September 19-23, 1927: The 1st IMTS, fka the National Machine Tool Builders Exposition
- 1972 The 1st show…
- With international exhibitors
- With non-NMTBA members exhibiting
- At the McCormick Place
- 2004 Celebrating the 25th actual show spanning seventy-seven years
The 2012 show is once again expected to be bigger and better than ever.
Some of the highlights of this year’s show include:
A car being built live and on-site by Local Motors.
A Boeing Fuel Cell Demonstrator Aircraft (FCDA) displayed in the Advanced Manufacturing Center.
The Boeing FCDA is described as “the world’s first manned aircraft that utilizes fuel cells. The FCDA project is part of Boeing’s effort to develop environmentally friendly technologies for aerospace applications by reducing aircraft emissions.”
Accelerating from 0 to 160 KPH and then back to 0 in less than 4 seconds, the Lotus Formula 1 race car is a sight to see. The vehicle, a replica of the one driven by the famous Kimi Raikkonen, will be on display along with the metal and carbon fibre components that make up this race car.
In 1903, the Wright Brothers created and ultimately flew (four times!) what becomes came to be known as “the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve controlled, sustained flight with a pilot aboard.” In “Today’s Technology Center” at IMTS, attendees will have the opportunity to take flight on this aircraft, Flyer I, via a simulator.
The Buckeye Bullet, and all electric race car, will be on display. This vehicle has set the bar for years, clocking in a 303.25 mph in 2009 and breaking its own record in 2011 by reaching 320 mph.
For those in the medical field, or anyone who simply has an interest in the strange, a Synthetic Human Body will be at IMTS. The SynDaver body “bleeds, breathes, and employs hundreds of replaceable muscles, bones, organs, and vessels which are made from materials that mimic the mechanical, thermal, and physic-chemical properties of live tissues.”
These are just a few of the highlights, there are a myriad of in-booth events, speaker presentations and hundreds of booths scattered across the IMTS floor. So don’t miss a thing, follow along on the IMTS blog Sept 10-14!
About Samantha McCollough
