Gruber added, and that data can be displayed on the Web and on mobile or shop-fl oor displays, in a world-class shop-fl oor management system. “For- cam’s technology offers a machine data-collection engine with seamless integration with all machines, regardless of the manufacturer, control type or age of the machine,” said Gruber. The MTConnect protocol has successfully emerged as a standard machine interface protocol that has been widely distributed in North America and some industry leaders in Europe, including Forcam, have begun to globally use this royalty-free standard, Gruber noted. “MTConnect standardizes links between systems, applications, and entire facto- ries with each other to provide an integrated overall manufacturing system. In addition to MTConnect, Forcam’s technology supports a variety of real-time plug-ins to machine CNCs and PLCs, including manufacturer-specifi c drivers such as FOCAS for FA- NUC, THINC for Okuma, OPC-UA and OPC-DA for PLCs, and many other drivers for Haas, Heidenhain, Siemens, and Allen-Bradley.” With Forcam’s Factory FrameWork software, users get more than just a management tool, he added. “It is a system and a philosophy that the whole team, from shop-fl oor workers and supervisors to senior managers, can employ to create a more productive, competitive, secure and profi table business,” Gruber said. “This is a rational response to the challenges from globalized manufacturing that can create a sustainable competitive advantage for manufacturing in advanced economies.”
Tracking Tooling Data
Another critical piece of shop-fl oor data manage- ment is the ability to track manufacturers’ tool- ing usage, and new systems are available to help manufacturers view and access digital tooling data rather than using outmoded paper documentation. “A trend we see is the focus on the entire tool lifecycle,” said Daniel Speidel, director of sales, TDM Systems (Schaumburg, IL). “TDM Systems’ Tool Lifecycle Management [TLM] solution is the IT strategy for production resources and includes tool organization in all phases of planning, simulation, order prepara- tion and production. In doing so, TDM-TLM is a link between ERP, PLM and MES, and it ensures commu- nication between planning and production systems.”
TLM involves not just capturing and providing tool data and tool graphics in CAM and simulation processes, but it also includes the physical organiza- tion of tool circulation on the shop fl oor. “TDM-TLM is not oriented towards individual departments and single processes, but rather it consists of continu- ous communication and data exchange between the involved systems,” he said. “In today’s environment, manufacturers are looking for transparency in the tooling data needed to put their tools together in a consistent way as well as to have the ability to track them logistically. This is a common daily struggle I see every day. Most shops have only part of what is needed to accomplish this.” Shops fi rst need to have a central tooling data-
base, a knowledge-based system, he added. “They need the ability to know where the tools, fi xtures, and gauges are to put them together and deliver them to the machine or cell area,” Speidel said. “Another part of this is how to assemble the tools consistently; this is done with a tool presetter such like a Parlec presetter.” A logistics system, like the one that TDM- TLM offers, gives manufacturers the ability to fi nd or request replacements as the tools wear out. “TDM-TLM manages this data from cradle to
grave,” Speidel said. “The focus of TDM-TLM is link- ing and traceability. The major strength of the TDM software is the ability to become highly integrated into the existing system landscapes of a machining company.” The system offers comprehensive control- ling of tool assignment and tool use through crib in- ventories and inventory turnover, as well as through the results of machining operation. With the results, Speidel said, the use of resources in production can be tracked and continuously improved.
Forcam Inc. 513-878-2780 /
forcam-usa.com
Memex Automation 866-573-3895 /
www.memex.ca
Shop Floor Automations Inc. 619-461-4000 / shopfl
oorautomations.com
TechSolve Inc. 800-345-4482 /
techsolve.org TDM Systems
847-605-1269 /
tdmsystems.com Wintriss Controls
800-586-8324 /
wintriss.com AdvancedManufacturing.org SS27
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