Returning to the IMTS show floor this year, Sept. 8-13 at McCormick Place in Chicago, the Emerging Technology Center will again host many of the latest research and development efforts in science-based manufacturing and innovative process developments.In addition to the many concepts that the university and research laboratories will exhibit, the ETC will be showcasing MTConnect, a new open communication protocol standard for interconnectability between machines, independent systems, devices and higher level applications.“MTConnect may be the most exciting development in our industry since the introduction of NC almost 40 years ago,” said Peter Eelman, IMTS vice president — exhibitions. “We are mirroring the success occurring in the information technology world; that is, allowing devices, equipment, and systems to output data in an understandable format that can be read by any other device using the same standard format to read the data.“MTConnect will enable everyone in the production supply chain to be part of making the manufacturing enterprise more productive,” Eelman added.MTConnect will reportedly be open and royalty free to ensure the widest possible acceptance and utility, and it will be featured at IMTS in a number of ways. A video presentation will be available for attendees to explore MTConnect in detail. It will also be the subject of an international student competition that challenges universities to demonstrate new and innovative concepts for its use. Finally, approximately 20 exhibitors will be connected via the internet and an illustrative computer dashboard that will demonstrate MTConnect live.Look for a comprehensive preview of IMTS in the August issue of Plant Engineering , and watch for more news about the show here at PlantEngineering.com. More information about MTConnect and IMTS is available at www.imts.com .

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