IMTEX 2011 + Tooltech 2011 open at the BIEC later this month as the Indian industry in general, and the automotive industry in particular, is on the upswing

When IMTEX 2011 - the15th Indian Metal-cutting Machine Tool Exhibition with international participation - opens at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) in Bangalore from 20 to 26 January 2011, it will be the largest exhibition of metal-cutting machine tools and manufacturing solutions in South and South-East Asia. The event will showcase an exhaustive range of innovations and technological refinements in the complete product segment of metal cutting machine tools.

IMTEX is organised by IMTMA - the apex body of Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers Association, which is as old as the country itself, having established in 1947. IMTMA is the sole voice of the Indian machine tool industry - its membership constitutes over 90 per cent of this strategic sector in the country.

Exhibitors from nearly 30 countries are participating, some of them in groups, besides the usual group participation of smaller Indian manufacturers under the aegis of their respective regional associations. In fact, so overwhelming is the response that a combined IMTEX was inadequate to do justice to the vast developments in forming technology. IMTMA therefore decided to hold metal cutting and metal forming shows in alternate years. So while the Metal Forming show will be held in even years, the Metal Cutting show will take place in the odd years Concurrent with IMTEX 2011, there is Tooltech 2011 - the 13th International Exhibition of Cutting Tools, Tooling Systems, Machine Tool Accessories, Metrology & CAD/CAM. Tooltech 2011 will feature new trends in cutting tools and tooling systems from across the globe. Tooltech has now become an annual event, concurrent with both metal forming and metal cutting shows.

German company Heidenhain, known for its Contouring Controls for Milling Machines, and having operations in India, is showcasing the well-proven TNC 620 und iTNC 530 controls with many new features and improvements. According to the company's release on its website, at a TNC 620 programming station, it will demonstrate how easily programmes can be written using Heidenhain's plain-text programming language.

With the new LC and RCN absolute linear and angle encoders the company is placing functional safety in the foreground. It will also present encoder solutions for a wide variety of applications, up to and including nano technology. Along with other touch probes the company is also presenting the TS 249 workpiece touch probe, which was developed particularly for the production of single units and small batches on grinding machines and lathes.

Another multinational company with presence in India, Renishaw, will highlight a range of process control solutions that help tackle the increasing drive to lean manufacturing, from new technologies for pre-process machine calibration, to on-line and off-line post-process measurement. New pre-process calibration tools include the QC20-W wireless ballbar, as well as Renishaw's latest advancement in fast 5-axis CMM measurement - the motorised PH20 probe head with "head touch" capability. Rounding out the exhibit will be the company's CMM retrofit service, encoder technologies and demonstrations of software for calibration, machine tool probing and CMMs.

In the following pages Industrial Products Finder presents the views of a cross section of the machine tools industry in India, especially those companies from the medium and small industries, but nonetheless contributing to the overall success of the industry and the economy. What comes across is the quest for better and more cost effective solutions, the hunger for growth and expansion, and the sheer optimism for the present and future course of the economy, which they all believe is going to grow further. The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) has said that the Indian economy is expected to grow by 9.2 per cent in 2010-11 following impressive growth in the manufacturing and services sectors. Expectations are high about an upbeat investment environment in India, and the economy and industry are poised to return to a high growth phase in 2011. So ushering in the New Year with this mega show for manufacturing industry is perhaps the best way of saying Happy New Year!

History of IMTEX

The first seven IMTEX fairs were held within the sprawling vicinity of Godrej Industrial Complex in Bombay (now Mumbai).

In consonance with the ever-growing capacity of the series, IMTEX shifted base to New Delhi's Pragati Maidan - the country's largest fair ground, since 1992. In the year 2004, the event returned to Godrej Industrial Complex, Mumbai, perhaps for the last time.

Now with its own permanent exhibition complex, Bangalore seems to be the permanent venue for the IMTEX series. For the record, this is the 13th Indian Machine Tool Exhibition.

Here is the non-exhaustive chronology of the events:

IMTEX 69 - Dec 14 to 21 1969, Bombay

IMTEX 72 - Jan 30 to Feb 8, 1972, Bombay

IMTEX 75 - Nov 21 to 30, 1975, Bombay

IMTEX 78 - Feb 9 to 20, 1978, Bombay

IMTEX 82 - Feb 10 to 21, 1982, Bombay

IMTEX 86 - Feb 6 to 17, 1986, Bombay

IMTEX 89 - Feb 2 to 13, 1989, Bombay

IMTEX 92 - Mar 7 to 16, 1992, New Delhi

IMTEX 95 - Jan 15 to 22, 1995, New Delhi

IMTEX 98 - Jan 28 to Feb 03, 1998, New Delhi

IMTEX 2001 - Jan 15 to 21, 2001, New Delhi

IMTEX 2004 - Jan 28 to Feb 03, 2004, Mumbai

IMTEX 2007 - Jan 18 to 24, 2007, Bangalore

Source: IMTMA