Product category:
Tool management systems
News Release from: Balluff UK | Subject: RFID automated tool management
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 06 June 2007
Automate tool management and save costs
Comparing manual tool management with RFID automated tool management, Balluff looks at ways to save money, improve productivity and increase cutting tool life.
Balluff compares manual tool management with RFID automated tool management and looks for ways to save money, improve productivity, increase tool life, reduce waste, and increase machine up-time by implementing effective machine tool management * Tool management overview - in today's machine tool world, profit margins are lean and there is a constant need to re-think and re-invent obsolete production processes
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 24 Oct 2000 at 8.00am (UK)
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One area in the machine tool world where immediate and significant increases in productivity, tool life, and return on investment can be achieved is by adoptingeffective tool management systems in the tool room and on the manufacturing floor.
Contribute to a significant loss in productivity, down-time, tool damage, and unnecessary waste in machining operations, are outdated documentation methodology in the tool room, potential tool loading errors on the machine, miscoded tools and potential errors in tool transport.
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* Managing tools manually - in manual data recording operations, a tool is assembled in a tool holder, and measured.
Offsets are documented - often on hand-written tags attached to a transport rack that's wheeled to individual machining centres.
The physical tag creates a huge potential error-point.
Can anyone be absolutely sure that the tag itself is correct? And did the tag even reach the machining centre with the tool? Are individual tools located in their proper position? Mistakes like these can cause excess tool damage, tool crashes, premature tool failure, damage and destroy the machines spindle.
The result is thousands of pounds in scrap annually and even more is lost in machine damage and lost production.
Unreliable technology - in the past, companies have tried with limited success the use of both linear and 2D bar coding combined with central data basing to manage machine tool information.
Because these technologies are optional in nature and are difficult to implement in the machine, they can be prone to the same shortcomings as manual practices above.
Damaged or obscured barcodes can lead to losses in productivity and untraceable information, eliminating any potential savings or even worse, forcing the use of manual methods as backup.
* RFID automatic tool management process improvements - Balluff RFID Automatic tool management systems can instantly provide an alert if a tool crashes.
It will provide with certainty the reasons why a tool crashed, indicating whether or not it was broken, whether or not normal tool wear occurred, or excessive wear is causing premature tool failure.
Balluff RFID automatic tool management systems eliminate several potential points for error.
A tool is assembled in a tool holder, measurements are conducted, and tool data/offsets are electronically registered.
The tools are then inserted in a rack for transport to machining centres.
Dispensing with manual errors such as mis-entered data or illegible handwriting, etc, eliminates the issues of physically losing tags in transport.
* Automotive plant - automatic tool management saved roughly US$2 million/year - a case study revealed savings of roughly US$2 million/year at a North American transmission manufacturing plant (extremely heavy machining operations occur in this segment of the automotive industry).
The following statistical summary regarding overall cost savings in this transmission operation offers a compelling rationale to justify incorporation of automated tool management systems.
Manual paper and pencil information registration versus the benefits of automation are obvious.
* Manual Tracking Broken Tools - Manual Tracking, as follows.
Quantity - 175/year.
Downtime - 10 min Downtime cost - US700/min Broken tool - US1.225 million Tool utilisation, as follows.
Utilisation - <65%.
New tools - >2500/year.
Lost usage - US$590,000.
Tool setters - eight.
Tool setter salary - US$600,000 Total - US1.19 million.
Total cost US$2.42 million.
* Automatic RFID Tracking.
Broken Tools - RFID Tracking, as follows.
Broken tool - US1.225 million Quantity - 20/year Downtime - 10 min Downtime cost - US700/min Broken tool - US$140,000 Tool utilisation, as follows.
Utilisation - <92%.
New tools - >1700/year.
Lost usage - US$91,800.
Tool setters - four.
Tool setter salary - US$300,000.
Total - US$391,000.
Total cost US$0.53 million.
* It's Worth the Investment - in tool management, the points in favour for implementation of automated tool management systems almost always outweigh the disadvantages.
These systems work.
They can be implemented on new or existing machines, have a long history of success, and can provide companies in a wide variety of manufacturing disciplines extremely significant savings.
In contrast, the use of manual or unreliable technologies like barcodes can cost thousands of pounds a year in tooling costs and machine damage, plus higher scrap and lost productivity.
Use Balluff RFID automated tool management to get a grip on your machining process and immediately begin to see real savings and process traceability.
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