Networking what belongs together

The shopfloor is and will continue to be the heart of the metal machining industry. Digitization or not, added value is created when chips fly. Despite this, a few things have changed: The "pacemaker," to continue with this metaphor, is digitization. "The requirements of Industry 4.0 have been part of our every day lives for years," emphasizes Eugen Bollinger, Vice President Sales at TDM Systems. The trend is to integrate all systems involved at the production level more and more. The prerequisite is a joint data basis "There's a lot going on here right now," says Bollinger. If we record and evaluate data from machining centrally in TDM, then we know which tools are used with which cutting data for which NC program. There is immense potential here for the customers."

If the reproducible cutting data are stored in TDM for every tool, the NC programmer can access them. This makes it possible to search for alternative, cost-saving solutions as early as in the design phase. An example: The designer plans a hole with a 9.8 mm diameter. In TDM, he sees that there are only 10 millimeter drill bits in stock. A tool has to be ordered. He also sees that comparable drillings in the planned material have had negative effects on tool life so far. He therefore looks for an alternative solution in TDM and noticeably saves production costs. The individually stored feeds & speeds form the basis here. There is more potential in linking planning and production processes: On the one hand, machine utilization, including preparing equipment, can be optimized. On the other hand, communication of the planning and production systems can significantly reduce the turnaround times of a product.

Integrated Solutions with System Partnerships

In the further development of this system networking, TDM Systems clearly relies on partnerships with leading experts. An example: Here, a partner in communication with MES systems is the company Forcam with its "Factory Framework" system. Order data, NC programs, tool statuses, cutting values and machining times are exchanged between Factory Framework and TDM. Within the context of planning production resources, TDM supports the provision of tools efficiently and in the exact amount required, supplies the NC programs and provides the actual tool data for every tool assembly. Users continue to close the gaps of production and planning communication with the help of TDM. If the real cutting values for every tool assembly are stored, NC-planning can plan the machining process optimally because approximately 70% of the product costs are determined by planning!

In the future, simpler, faster and therefore more cost-effective networking between the machine and planning systems will be possible thanks to initiatives in the field of Industry 4.0. This ultimately protects the competitiveness of our customers and increases the attractiveness of jobs.