MxD Virtual Plant Tour, Pt. 1
Join the Manufacturing Leadership Council virtually for an opportunity to take an inside look into MxD’s innovation center in Chicago to learn about integrating diverse hardware and software systems for increased agility.
As a neutral space for manufacturing experimentation and demonstration, MxD has millions of dollars in consigned and purchased equipment alongside research project implementations. From quickly mobilizing to manufacture PPE for healthcare workers to retrofitting legacy equipment for remote monitoring, MxD has made disparate systems function and communicate in a variety of scenarios that hold lessons for manufacturers of all sizes and types.
MxD, which stands for “manufacturing times digital,” is where innovative manufacturers go to forge their futures. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense, MxD equips factories with the digital tools and expertise they need to begin building every part better than the last. As a result, its approximately 300 partners increase their productivity and win more business.
Walk Away With Actionable Insights
Attend this plant tour, which will be followed by a panel discussion on the technology integration at various stages of the digital journey, and walk away with actionable insights, including:
- How to combine basic hardware with good software to solve common problems (digital manufacturing does not need to break the bank).
- Different ways to address digital manufacturing gaps in existing industrial equipment.
- Non-invasive ways to gather data from machines that do not damage equipment or void the warranty.
- How integrating digital technologies into manual processes can enhance the productivity of your workforce and save time by bringing real data to bear on pain points.
November 18, 2020
11:00am to 11:05am EDT – Manufacturing Leadership Council Welcome
11:05am to 11:15am EDT – MxD Welcome & Overview Presentation
11:15am to 12:15pm EDT – MxD Plant Tour
12:15pm to 1:00pm EDT – Panel Discussion
Panel Discussion
Moderator:
David Brousell, Manufacturing Leadership Council
Panelists:
Chandra Brown, CEO, MxD; Member, Manufacturing Leadership Council
Tony Del Sesto, Technical Fellow, MxD
Sean Manzanares, Senior Manager of Business Strategy and Marketing, North America and Asia Pacific, Autodesk, Inc.
Federico Sciammarella, President & CTO, MxD
View on Demand
MxD’s innovation center is located just north of downtown Chicago.
Its 22,000 square-foot manufacturing floor allows for testing and demonstration, alongside collaborative office and event space for networking and training.
The Discrete Testbed produces souvenir coins and reports out live data. The line is equipped with a dozen sensors monitoring everything from ambient temperature to machine vibration.
A close-up of the Discrete Testbed shows custom fixtures 3D printed in-house to move the token through post-production processes.
A visual digital retrofit project shows an analog-to-digital conversion that emerged from an MxD research project.
The Assembly Testbed shows the integration of digital training and monitoring features that are overlaid on a largely manual process.
The Autodesk Generative Design Field Lab shows how generative design allows users to select their preferred manufacturing processes at the outset to ensure whichever solution they choose will be manufacturable with the equipment they have.