Manufacturing Brilliance in the Northeast: EASTEC

Anything that you could possibly need in manufacturing can be seen at EASTEC; you can even take a close look at the heavy machinery and watch the machines run. EASTEC is where manufacturing ideas, processes and products that make an impact in the northeast region, are highlighted through exhibits, education and networking events. According to the show website, the event offers “a unique chance to connect with resources that can solve your company’s most pressing problems, improve productivity and increase profits…. EASTEC brings human ingenuity and manufacturing brilliance together.”

The event is put on by SME – an organization for individuals, students, educators and companies involved in all facets of manufacturing – and they are expecting more than 12,000 attendees from small, mid-size and large manufacturing companies to attend the show. I always find the technical and workplace presentations to be valuable. This year’s keynote addresses will focus on utilizing the factory and technology of today, including industrial robotics and the impact of mobile and wearable technology on the manufacturing industry, as well as what is predicted for future manufacturing.

Speaking of the future, EASTEC also will highlight the Bright Minds Program, designed to educate the next-generation workforce on the advancements in manufacturing that make it an exciting and rewarding career path.

If you’ve never been to EASTEC, be prepared to walk, inside and outside. The show is so big that exhibitors are spread among several buildings. In the Mallary Complex there are two buildings that house the precision manufacturing equipment and systems. Building 3 is in the Young Building, which holds the automation, quality and process improvement systems as well as the plant, energy and environmental efficiency offerings. The Better Living Center holds the design, engineering and additive manufacturing (with 3D printing) equipment, as well as the tooling, workholding and machining accessories. Here’s an online map to help guide you through the different pavilions and 650 exhibitor booths.

We’ll be in booth 3135 in the Young Building demonstrating handheld XRF analyzers with geometrically optimized large area drift detector technology. These x-ray fluorescence analyzers are the ideal tools for in-house QA/QC of alloy materials, coating/plating thickness verification, positive material identification (PMI) of incoming alloy raw material stock, machined and fabricated parts and wear metals in oil. They give users immediate, nondestructive chemical analysis and alloy grade identification, reducing scrap and rework. Users get fast, simple reporting and certificate generation and instant recovery of lost traceability of surplus stock, allowing it to be reused and converted to profit.

If you wax nostalgic for the history of manufacturing instead of the future, less than an hour’s drive away is the Museum of Our Industrial Heritage. Their collection includes tools, machines, taps and dies, and archival materials revealing the social history of the industrial heritage of western Massachusetts. You certainly won’t find any robotics, wearable technology, or portable XRF analyzers there, but you can learn the history of several well known sewing machine companies, foundries, turbine makers, WW2 parts manufacturers, motor vehicle companies, and machine manufacturers, from the museum’s exhibits and artifacts from the 1800s. (Just check their schedule before you go there as hours are limited.)

We hope to see you and many other brilliant manufacturers at the show, but if you can’t make it, you can follow the twitter feed at #EASTEC to find out the highlights of the show.

Show Details:

Eastern States Exposition
Booth: 3135
May 12-14, 2015
West Springfield, Massachusetts USA