Vineet Seth, Managing Director – South Asia & Middle East, Mastercam APAC shares his outlook of the Indian metal cutting industry, top trends, growth opportunities and what will be on display at Mastercam’s IMTEX 2019 booth.
Mastercam delivers CAD/CAM software tools for all types of programming, from the most basic to the extremely complex 2-axis machining, multiaxis milling and turning, wire EDM, router applications, free-form artistic modeling and cutting, 3D design, drafting, surface and solid modeling. Mastercam products are sold through its worldwide network of certified value-added resellers. Presenting, industry insights that Vineet Seth, Managing Director – South Asia & Middle East, Mastercam APAC shared with us.
India’s MCMT Industry: Growth Outlook
I believe the Indian MCMT Industry is a little over the Rs 7,000 crore mark, annually. In particular, the past few years seem to have been very positive for this industry, in terms of sales, as well as favorable policies to provide the much-needed impetus to increase domestic manufacturing in the country.
Manufacturing growth is expected to increase significantly in the immediate future and as a result overall machine tool consumption is also expected to go up. This is likely to impact the MCMT industry positively.
Top Metal-Cutting Solutions for Growth
In my view, HMCs, VMCs and Turning Centers are the three metal-cutting machine-tool technologies that will see the largest demand and production volume. Having said so, I also want to emphasize on the fact that probably in terms of growth factor, multi-tasking CNC machines such as Mill-Turns are likely to see a higher growth rate. Many organisations are looking at reducing their machine footprint and are therefore either looking at compact machining centres or multi-tasking machines. This will help them increase their production without incurring a higher cost of production – due to relocation or expansion.
Top Industries for Growth
While I feel that the automotive business will continue to be a growth driver, I expect to see an increase in the demand from the aerospace manufacturing sector. There has been a steady rise in the number of suppliers to the aerospace industry in the past 15 years or so. I believe that the industry is in a position to expand to a larger geography, than it is currently spread across the country. In terms of demand, the largest job creators are the Automotive and Consumer Goods industries. With a focus on smart cities in the country, infrastructure development and growth will fuel a spike in demand from this sector.
Top Technologies for Growth
Undoubtedly, Industry 4.0 and its adoption across MCMT will be the biggest growth drivers for the Indian MCMT industry. The installation of sensors and self-diagnostic equipment is likely to increase – both among machine tools as well as end-user equipment. Obviously, this will generate a lot of data that will need to be saved, processed and analyzed, therefore complementing technologies will also grow alongside of Industry 4.0 initiatives.
Growth Strategy
From an industry perspective, continual innovation and frugal manufacturing are key to sustainability as well as profitability.
Presenting at IMTEX 2019
We will be showcasing our most recent release of Mastercam – version 2019 along with our support for diverse Metrology hardware through the Verisurf product range. We will have experts from both India and USA demonstrating strengths and benefits of our technologies and through this, we hope to initiate productivity dialogues with our prospects and customers.
Mastercam 2019 was developed to streamline the manufacturing process from job setup to job completion. Not only does it increase machining productivity, it also reduces overall production costs with new 2D through multiaxis milling automation features, CAD and model preparation improvements, expanded 3D tooling, Accelerated Finishing™, and powerful turning and Mill-Turn enhancements.
Re-engineered chamfering and holemaking strategies, plus the new Multiaxis deburring provide new levels of time-saving automation and simplicity. New milling toolpath strategies, like the high speed Equal Scallop toolpath, offer both machining performance and surface finish improvements. The new release includes additional support for the Sandvik Coromant PrimeTurning™ method, enhanced grooving, bar feed, and other features for turning and mill-turn applications, plus new lathe and Swiss-style machine support. Mastercam 2019 also includes enhanced CAD functionality and 3D model import support, improved part preparation and fixture setup tools, additional PowerSurface capabilities, and expanded support for Model-Based Definition (MBD). Mastercam 2019’s expanded digital tool library capability delivers accurate, 3D tool assembly models, with access to the latest cutting tool technology and updates for Sandvik Coromant CoroPlus® and MachiningCloud™ platforms. Mastercam 2019 also expands Accelerated Finishing with support for taper and lens style tools aimed at 75% cycle time improvement for finishing operations with superior surface finish quality.
With improvements to toolpath and machine simulation, toolpath graphics, and other verification and analysis tools, Mastercam 2019 provides greater programming assurance and allows for better, more informed decisions before a job is run. These improvements include support for block drilling multiple holes simultaneously and better axis control in simulation, allowing you to easily check machine limits or collision checking.
Mastercam 2019 also improves job documentation and management, while helping to address quality and certification initiatives. New toolpath visualization capabilities and section view tools, improvements to view and setup sheets, and a wide array of system level enhancements improve efficiency in managing job workflow, as well as providing better tools for process documentation.