Assembly Technology Expo 2005 earns rave reviews
OCTOBER 12--The recent Assembly Technology Expo (ATExpo) has been receiving rave reviews with exhibitors saying they were happy with the quantity and quality of the attendees. The event, held September 27--29, 2005, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL, was collocated with the biannual International Robots & Vision Show (IRVS). The event brought together some 850 suppliers of automation technology including automated and manual assembly equipment, adhesives, robotics, and machine0vision equipment designed to help manufacturers improve product quality, reduce costs, and shorten time to market.
With 560 exhibiting companies, ATExpo had approximately the same number of exhibitors as in 2004, but with an increase of average exhibit space as many exhibitors were launching new products. With the help of the IRVS collocation, ATExpo 2005 drew 12,629 industry professionals looking for new technologies and ideas.
Some exhibitors felt that the growth of the show in 2005 is a positive sign for the industry. "We were very impressed with the quality and strong interests among the attendees," said Lee Ehret, senior field service engineer for Dynatech Technology. "We feel that ATExpo is a good indicator of where the industry is and where the industry is going. We will be back next year with a bigger booth."
Highlights of the event included three keynote presentations from senior managers of NASA, Boeing, and Ford. The multimedia opening keynote, "Robonaut and Future Assembly of the International Space Station," was presented by Michael Lutomski, the NASA Risk and Mission Assurance Manager for the International Space Station. Day two began with Scott C. Strode, vice president --airplane production, 787 Program, Boeing Commercial Airlines, sharing the latest air travel and assembly technologies in "Boeing 787 Dreamliner: Creating the Future of Flight." The third keynote presentation, "Flexible Manufacturing Comes to Life," given by Bruce Hettle, director--vehicle operations manufacturing engineering for Ford Motor Company, demonstrated how Ford responds quickly and efficiently to changing customer needs.
Developed by the industry's leading associations, the ATExpo Conference offered more than 30 in-depth sessions. Organizations that presented conference sessions in the ATExpo conference included The Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC), The Edison Welding Institute (EWI), The Wiring Harness Manufacturers Association (WHMA), ASSEMBLY magazine, ASI magazine, and RFID News & Solutions magazine. Sessions focused on a variety of topics, including the human side of lean, lean sigma, nanotechnology, error proofing, and many more. Electronics manufacturing professionals updated their technical skills with more than 40 sessions and special events at the annual collocated SMTA International Conference presented by the Surface Mount Technology Association.
Assembly Technology Expo is held annually and features exhibits from some 600 suppliers of advanced assembly systems to simple hand tools, fasteners, and adhesives. Assembly Technology Expo 2006 will take place September 26-28 (conference begins on September 25) again at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont (Chicago), IL. The SMTA will present the SMTA International Conference, September 24-28. Visit the Assembly events Web site at www.atexpo.com for updated information and registration to both Assembly events: ATExpo and Assembly East--collocated with NEPCON East/Electro (May 10--11, 2006, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center in Boston, MA.
The International Robots & Vision Show is held every two years and features exhibits from some 200 suppliers of robots, machine-vision systems, and related technologies. For more information on the show as well as other robotics and machine vision activities, visit www.roboticsonline.com or www.machinevisiononline.org.