CONEXPO-CON/AGG Set for March 7 to 11 in Las Vegas
CONEXPO/CONAGG co-located with IFPE will take place on March 7 through 11 2017 at the Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas Nevada.
The conference is owned by the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).
The triennial show features exhibits meetings and educational programs for the construction aggregate producing and in the case of IFPE the fluid power power transmission and motion control industries.
Registration this year includes admission to all show halls the new Tech Experience a three-day Monorail pass show deluxe coach transportation to and from official hotels and the Las Vegas Convention Center (except hotels within walking distance) and discounts at various Las Vegas bars and restaurants.
The organizers have grouped like companies in the same areas to reduce the amount of walking and time between exhibits.
The new Tech Experience is a 75000-square-foot immersive showcase in Silver Lot 3 with displays of solar-powered roadways data visualization and interactivity drones robotics and intelligence advancements.
“The future-forward showcase of the evolution in materials machines systems and soft-ware will spark a revolution in how we build where we work and the jobs for years to come” claimed a show press release.
FULL SIZED 3D-PRINTED EXCAVATOR
The centerpiece of Tech Experience will be the first fully-functional 3D printed construction excavator the first large-scale use of steel in 3D printing known as additive manufacturing. In addition to the pre-printed excavator show attendees will be able to view a demonstration of the 3D printing technology.
Two years in the making the excavator is nicknamed AME (additive manufactured excavator). The idea was born when members of the industry/university consortium Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP) saw a 3D printed car at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF). This gave them the idea to pro-duce an excavator on the MDF to demonstrate at CONEXPO/CONAGG and IFPE 2017.
The technology will allow for innovative integration of fluid power. The printed boom will have the fluid flow passages embedded in-side the superstructure. A printed cooling system will increase efficiency and reduce weight.
The design of the cab was the subject of a contest offered to university engineering seniors. The five-student winning team was from the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana. The exterior of the cab is resistant to maximum load from any direction for safety purposes. The team attended the printing of their design at Oak Ridge Laboratory examined it in detail after it was finished. The material used to create it was plastics and composites in the form of pellets which were melted and “printed” layer by layer by the machine’s extruder nozzle.
A Georgia Tech research team is designing the steel boom stick and bucket which will be printed from steel welding wire fed to the printer. A team from the University of Minnesota is developing the oil cooler design which will be 3D printed using aluminum powder. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is developing all processes required to 3D print the components.
“3D printing is the future of manufacturing” one of the Illinois students exclaimed in a video showing the students watching their cab design being printed.
EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS
Attendees can gain valuable knowledge on equipment operation project management and operation equipment safety procedures environmental considerations and much more through dozens of classes offered by knowledge-able professionals in their field. Talks are divided into 15 tracks making it easy for people to find the classes relating to their segment of the industry.
DREDGING-RELATED EXHIBITS
Dredging exhibits are listed under Earth-moving Equipment & Material Handling in the show program. They include manufacturers of dredges and parts and excavating tools. For the first time in several decades the Western Dredging Association will not have an exhibit. Some displays of interest to IDR readers are:
Associated General Contractors of America – GL11279
​Caterpillar – N10924 and G4490
Con-Mech Engineers Ltd. a new exhibitor from the UK manufactures supplies Ground Engaging Tools from high-quality British steel in the form of cutting edges and wear parts for the mining and construction industry.
Crisp Industries – C31095 manufactures aggregate processing and material handling equipment service and parts for Metso BTI Thor Global Cornell Pumps Pioneer Dredge Argonics and AZFAB.
Custom Dredge Works – C31094 designs and manufactures custom and standard dredges including cutterhead chain ladder straight suction and various hybrids. The company has experience with underwater pumps and long ladders for deep digging.
Damen Shipyards – G70016
Dragflow S.R.L. – G71821 has over 25 years of experience in manufacturing heavy duty pumps and complete dredging equipment and equipment for the mining construction and industrial sectors.
DSC Dredge – C20523 offers engineering automation and manufacturing of cutter suction and underwater pump mining dredges; training and timely knowledgeable parts and service support and one-on-one attention to the customer on application details and engineering.
Eddy Pump Corporation – B9501
EIK International Corporation – S6531 specializing in a wide range of amphibious excavators with attachments for long and short boom operation and featuring the patented ‘multi-synchronous hydraulic drive system’ pontoon undercarriage systems for amphibious excavators.
International Union of Operating Engineers – GL10780
JBL Inc. – G3364
Liebherr – G4637 and S84230. 50000 square feet displaying more than 22 pieces of equipment for multiple industries and job applications including hydraulic excavators wheel loaders crawler loaders and tractors deep foundation machines material handlers tower cranes mobile and crawler cranes and concrete pumps. Liebherr will also display components from the mechanical hydraulic and electric drive systems areas at its indoor booth S84230.
Manitowoc Cranes – G3348
National Stone Sand and Gravel Association – GL20803
Pearce Pump Supply & Foundries – C31319. Manufactures dredge pumps in a variety of styles and sizes as well as high pressure hydraulic submersible and vacuum pumps for a range of other applications as well as a full range of aggregate processing equipment.
Pioneer Dredge – S6531. Manufactures cutter suction dredges with 10-inch to 20-inch discharge diameters ladder pump and hull pump designs with a focus on engineering.
Rohr-IDRECO Dredge Systems – C32609. Custom deep digging electric or diesel modular dredges with low energy requirements for sand and gravel mining dam operators governments and contractors.
Supreme Manufacturing Inc. – C30953
Ultratex Machinery Sdn. Bhd. – G72402. Amphibious excavators ranging from five to 40 tons custom made amphibious undercarriages for various brands and models of excavators.
Trimble – N12067- Core technologies in positioning modeling connectivity and data analytics software and services including dredging applications.
Weir Minerals – C31416
