FEATURE SMART FACTORY TOOLS


New generation of smart plastics adds more intelligence for greater plant availability


Predictive maintenance plays a key role in Industry 4.0 and the factory of tomorrow. igus has added more sensors and monitoring modules to its smart plastics family for more intelligence - warning of potential failure in good time before unplanned and costly downtimes occur


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he new isense EC.RC (e-chain Run Control) monitors the operating


status of the energy chains, especially in guide troughs used on long travel applications. Sensors measure and check the position of the energy chain. In this way, the machine is prevented from continuing to operate when mechanical faults occur, meaning that total loss of the chain or an electrical shutdown do not occur.


CHAIN MONITORING Another new solution is the EC.M module, which is mounted on the moving end of the energy chain and automatically records its status, such as acceleration, speed, temperature and completed number of double-strokes. The distance travelled and the remaining service life of the system can also be derived from this. igus has also improved the CF.Q


temperature and the number of cycles, potential cable failure can be predicted. “Continuous testing in our laboratory


and in customer applications help us to make analysis of the measured values increasingly precise,” explains Justin Leonard, the-chain director at igus. “Real applications in which we are already using our intelligent products and our chainflex cables include, for example, robot gantries for transportation in car factories, where even short unscheduled standstill times can result in very large production losses.” The icom communication module,


which gathers and transfers all the values of these systems, has also been developed further and now communicates wirelessly. It is even easier to integrate into existing production processes, one of the reasons being that only a single icom module is needed for several isense systems. In addition, manufacturers’ data-generating units, which monitor status, can now be connected to the icom module.


module, with which the data of the intelligent chainflex cables are gathered. Due to continuous measurement of the electrical properties, ambient


Solutions for Industry 4.0 smart manufacturing


An example of a digital twin, showing a blend of real life and a virtual simulation of a main shaft being machined on a five-axis machine


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igus www.igus.co.uk T: 01604 677240


P Technology is helping factories of the future prepare for the digital transformation in manufacturing. It is focusing


on a range of solutions to drive automation in manufacturing. The ESPRIT CAM System enables manufacturers to streamline their workflows, prevent silos from forming during the manufacturing process, increase tool life and machine utilisation, and create greater access to practical knowledge. - Digital twin: ESPRIT allows users to create a digital twin of


their machine tools for programming, optimisation and simulation. This virtual machine ensures that whatever happens on screen will also occur on the shop floor. Workpieces and cutting tools are set up virtually, resulting in exacting simulations and greater productivity. - Digital thread: With ESPRIT, a digital thread ties together


each step of the workflow from CAD design to finished part. ESPRIT reads part data from CAD software and creates machine- optimised G-code and setup sheets, which it then passes on to shop floor management and tool data management. - Machine-aware solutions: The CAM system’s ProfitMilling


and ProfitTurning apps represent a fundamental change in the way toolpath is created. ESPRIT machine-aware solutions first


consider the machine tool – its axes positions and their limits, acceleration, and attainable and requested cutting speeds – allowing users to run machines faster, get a better surface finish on their parts and increase their tool life. - Knowledge-based machining: Artificial intelligence built directly into a CAM system makes it possible to significantly cut programming time by


capturing best practices. ESPRIT’s KnowledgeBase solution streamlines part programming by automatically selecting the optimum processes. - Cloud-enabled machining: Cloud-enabled databases suggest factory-recommended feeds and speeds for a given cut, let users quickly find the


tools they need, and provide continuously updated manufacturer product data, including drawings and models of tools and cutting tool assemblies for simulation. Information is stored in the cloud, meaning it is always up to date, available on demand and can be accessed anywhere. DP Technology Europe www.espritcam.com T: +33 467 15 40 41


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SEPTEMBER 2017 | FACTORY EQUIPMENT


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