TOOLING MANAGEMENT
standards. “Some 40-plus years ago, [managers] would roam the manufacturing fl oor to identify bottleneck areas and fi x ‘seen’ problems. Today, these managers are locked in their offi ce digging through unsorted, unfi ltered information in an at- tempt to fi nd what is relevant in this mass of nonrelevant data,” he said. “The focus of Digital Manufacturing or Industry 4.0 is putting this data to work.” Well-known for tool presetting, Zoller recognized what Bigleman describes as the “desperate need in manufacturing for integrated hardware and software solutions for process control.” Tool management, enabled by standards like ISO 13399, GTC, and others, is a vital part of this larger capa- bility. Cutting tools are only one part of the total process. “Components for the entire process—cut- ting tools, gages, fi xtures, CNC program, preventive maintenance—all must be available, or your entire process breaks down,” he said. “Think of the manufacturing process control like an orchestra. Cutting tools could be like the woodwinds section, but you need the brass and percussion sec- tions, plus a conductor, to make it all work.” To illustrate, Zoller offers true digital tool management with a single database that serves the entire operation, according to Bigleman. “Multiple data storage, multiple data entry, and multiple capture points are a thing of the past. True digital tool manage- ment uses one database to manage data for the entire operation—a central hub of information that connects all departments with strong data output,” he said. Zoller’s TMS Tool Management Solutions is a modular solution starting with the Bronze Solutions package for organizing complete tools, individual components and machines. It includes modules for importing tooling data from MachiningCloud, Novo, CIMSource and EWS. “Standards enter the picture here. We can go to the cloud for suppli- ers’ data catalogs, or create a tool from scratch using those standards for interoperability,” said Bigleman. Zoller also offers warehouse management with their Silver package, and the Gold package offers full cost control, transparency of the process chain, and complete organization- level management. Bigleman cites advantages that include monitoring tool performance with notifi cations to the toolcrib to build or service tools “just in time” and reduced inventory cost.
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AdvancedManufacturing.org | April 2017 Data Transformation and the Organization
This move into a new world of open data sharing also points out some of the issues in today’s way of doing things. Undoubtedly more than a few shop-fl oor professionals today are comfortable with using their considerable expertise, or tribal knowledge, “the old way.”
“This is a paradigm shift, a cultural change from tribal knowledge and manual processes,” stated Dan Speidel, director of sales for TDM Systems (Schaumburg, IL). The company’s roots trace to a tooling manufacturer that needed a way of managing their tools more effi ciently. Its solution was eventually spun out into a standalone company offering its manufacturing and tool lifecycle management software.
Ideally, tooling management includes process management as well, such as TDM’s software that keeps track of factors like workplans, presetting, materials, and feeds and speeds.
It is scalable, from a small machine shop to a large multina- tional manufacturer, according to Speidel. He agrees that standards for tooling data exchange, such as ISO 13399, GTC and MTConnect, are vital. “The manufacturers had to move away from proprietary formats because their customers were demanding it,” he said. As important as data exchange standards are, he also thinks it is only part of the solution. It is not just storing the data, but searching and fi nding the right data effi ciently that is critical and providing that data to other systems, according to Speidel. Today, TDM offers a comprehensive tool lifecycle management system, with options that extend to managing the toolcrib as well as interfacing to other
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