Automation of mould job shops

11 " later steep fall once, continueing is an influencing factor, but prime cause depends on more and more mould treatment changing the price to inferior abroad, especially China. Does American mould process trade how does the abroad manufacturer of ability and low cost compete? Company of Stolle Technology of a when north blocks Winston-Salem of Luo Laina city new company is a method to gain the market with automation, the company has 20 stuff, achieved the sale growth of 38% last year, predict to be able to increase this year 20% . The company moves only " the value defends somebody " order, automation makes the machine tool can run continuously: Every week 7 days, day and night is ceaseless. Realize low cost, high quality and very competitive delivery time thereby. Graph 1: Situolefu Fu general is successful and main end at automation machine tool, for instance machine of model of mill of this CharmillesRoboform 35 QCRi EDM, can change automatically electrode and tray outfit workpiece. Company president Mr Manfred Situole is in the factory of a few moulds of Germany and Canada to had learned a mould to make, block Luo Laina city to a company holds a post and be acquainted with wife Barbara in north next. Barbara is Sara Lee senior administrator at that time. Before long they decide they open plant of a mould after marriage, make the financial management talent of experience and Barbara with Manfred's mould, a perfect pair will surely succeed. Then, this pair of couples are mixed from an a milling machine, grinder an EDM build up, leave in Winston-Salem remove 2, 000 square foot factory. Plant business of Situole is thriving, dimensions broke up one time, expand to 4, 000 square foot, still increased chance of cut of line of two Charmilles EDM (Robofill 290 AWT and Robofill 290 AWT P) and machine tool of two Charmilles Roboform 35 CNC. Speak of the EDM machine tool that chooses meticulously, situole explains: "The mould need that we create is corner, deep to smaller part diameter the similar feature that groove and other cannot use small norms to carry milling cutter milling undertakes many discharge is machined. " the development as Stolle Technology company, situolefu Fu develops a target in the future that ponders over a company. "We compete on global market, adversary is labor cost low much country. To compete, we must as far as possible " squeeze dry " the labor cost in workpiece, so only way is automation. " Mr Situole says. He still says: "We try for a time old way: Raise yield, increase a number. Increase an order to need to increase a number not only however, and the hand with right need, because they should be in,guidance works below less condition. After 9 months, plan and begin what we abandoned increasing in rotation to undertake operational automation. " after 4 years, stolle Technology company needs older factory building, pitch on is in a disengaged tire storehouse of Winston-Salem, this storehouse area 18, 000 square foot, be apart from original place about 5 miles, the course is transformed, new site of company move to a better place or have a promotion. To Stolle Technology company, automation is meant take necessary step, let equipment can everyday 24 hour, weekly 7 heaven and earth move. Mr Situole says: "We have only ' somebody is operated ' order, but operation personnel is not pure fritter away 8 hours or 10 hours watch equipment to move, spend time however work out program, prepare, mount electrode and other ensure machine tool can the thing that day and night runs. Reduced the labor cost of every job not only so, and can shorten delivery time, we can finish more jobs inside 24 hours. " he still says: "The 12 timeses to 14 weeks of consign had gone, a few companies of foreign have thousands of stuff, can throw a lot of manpower a project, in the 8 moulds that whole set completes inside week. Real central issue of competition is delivery time. " Mr Situole emphasizes: "Present delivery time is the half of the past, to provide competitive delivery time, a company must ground move. But the artificial operation that our burden does not have day and night to keep, even if is we think such doing to also be no good, because we find enough eligible worker hard. The task of our worker is process designing and preparation are finished before come off work, make the machine tool can move continuously below the condition that nobody attend, till morrow people come back to go to work. " graph 2: Roboform 35QCRi can hold 90 electrode and work of 4 tray outfit. He says then: "Same also on the weekend, work schedule requirement, in Zhou Wu afternoon or should make good machine tool be in in the morning Saturday whole full automatic on the weekend weekend preparation. " Stolle Technology company expects a machine tool must for long full automatic move, bought machine of model of mill of two Roboform 35 EDM then, the electrode library that every machine distributes to have a 32 electrode and change device, all EDM of achievable the most intricate work is machined. The treatment of this kind of machine tool to much antrum mould is particularly effective. Every machine tool still has a few prevent interrupt a function: ◆ Pilot-Expert supervisory system, make the machine tool can control oneself move, assure to achieve perfect treatment to repeat precision; Protection system of ◆ SPAC short circuit, avoid short circuit, raise yield thereby; Device of ◆ Power Control Expert, the effective surface according to electrode, decide ideal treatment electric current continuously; Circuit of scintilla of ◆ small treatment, combine detail precision and efficiency look. Because be run ceaselessly continuously,continue to increase, the machine of model of two EDM mill of Stolle Technology company appears beyond the mark and busy, to prevent occurrence bottleneck of this crucial working procedure, this factory ordered a Roboform 35 again. Nevertheless this one new machine tool deserves to have Charmilles QCRi, independent electrode fast change a robot. Before the company two Roboform 35 share the capacity of 64 electrode, machine of model of the 3rd mill deployed QCRi robot, can accommodate 90 electrode, make total capacity increases 154 electrode. Besides 90 electrode, of the robot store makings library still has clamping apparatus of work of 4 tray type. Nextpage pursues 3: Manipulator goes to electrode from shift of QCRi electrode library on EDM machine tool.

Mr Situole explains: "Use tray to change function, the machine tool can machine the pattern that 4 completely different patterns perhaps take 4 insert. Treatment of a workpiece ends, the robot removeds the tray of this workpiece, the others 3 tray load a machine tool medium and restore to operate. Change automatically the unmanned cost that the function of workpiece and electrode raised a machine tool greatly is defended run time. " the machine tool that deserves to have a robot still provided the treatment flexibility that has no before for this company. Situole says: "In mould manufacturing industry, the client often needs to repair a model urgently closely to perhaps process urgent document. Once upon a time to satisfy this kind of requirement, often want to stop a machine tool that moving, undertake installing placing adjustment to urgent document next. Process urgent document, must begin from the beginning sometimes, is not the operation that restores to be interrupted from inactive position directly. " he says: "Mill model machine deserves to go up robot, special facilitating urgent document is machined. Now, simply places urgent document outfit in store on the tray of a workpiece of makings library, interrupt the treatment of the machine tool, can process urgent document. Next, the position that discontinues from before resumes the work. Can offer Chang Baogui of dispute of this kind of service for the user. Our user knows, when having difficulty, can rely on us to get timely help. They are clear also, if buy a pattern from abroad, gave a problem to cannot get quick response for certain, this makes we have significant competitive advantage. " acquire machine of model of mill of the 3rd EDM, solved lade enough electrode, make sure the machine tool is long full automatic operational problem, but posed another problem: How to produce electrode to need in order to satisfy quickly? Before this, this company all the time " take old road " machine electrode with vertical machining center and grinder. Considering the necessity that increases electrode process capability, the company begins Situole seek milling machine of high speed electrode, after undertaking assessment to all sorts of machine tools, the milling machine of high speed of Roeders RFM 600 CNC that bought production of company of Roeders of an United States. Graph 4: ? Milling machine of high speed of San ≧ Oeder RFM 600 is expected up and down by System 3RWorkMaster robot, the machine of model of 4 EDM mill that day and night keeps be StolleTechnology company machines electrode. Continuous when moving, this Roeders milling machine can satisfy Stolle Technology company to be opposite not only the demand of EDM electrode, and the immediate treatment that can be used at mould spare parts. However, this requirement machine tool can expect up and down when day and night moves. The problem is most makings of fluctuation of this machine tool is without the person inside time. Stolle Technology company gradually the advantage that robot of machine of model of ripe cicada mill expects up and down and dependability, search a kind then special agree with the robot of milling machine of high speed electrode, the system of makings of WorkMaster automatic fluctuation that discovers System 3R company accord with the requirement: This system by a few electrode store makings module composition, they discharge circle for the center with the robot. The user can begin from general electrode library configuration, have expansion according to need next. The robot is fore-and-aft the journey 1, 400mm (can amount to to height of different work or material rest) , answer corner to spend 300 degrees (can reach the module form all round it quite store makings is unit) , horizontal journey 1, 250mm (be in electrode store move between makings unit and milling machine) . The WorkMaster of Stolle Technology company but at the same time capture 360 electrode. Situole explains: "If do not have WorkMaster, we have to somebody is defended 24 hours a day change by hand by the machine tool electrode. Had it, electrode milling can implement automation. When our Zhou Wu comes off work afternoon, workMaster store makings library already installed good electrode preform normally, in whole it is Roeders electrode milling machine to expect up and down on the weekend, beardless and artificial interpose. Come back when morning of our week early in the morning when, 360 electrode are good with respect to treatment, can offer every machine of CNC mill model is used. " casual look, the machine tool of Stolle Technology company appears to be run in proper motion, actually, this company costs thousands of dollar every year to groom employee, develop the greatest potential for the sake of letting these advanced machine tools. Situole emphasizes: "If do not have well-trained employee, these equipment are no-good. Undertaking grooming to handlers is sound investment, we groom the ability that employee masters skill and relies on them. Mould job shops always can have pattern of a certain much antrum, it awaits last process through the treatment of a few weeks, and always happen likely " all one's previous efforts wasted " dangerous: A certain employee had not sufferred groom goodly, he may give an error, let whole project be bungled. Avoiding this kind of dangerous best measure is to groom. " graph 5: Personnel of most like Stolle Technology company operation is same, adamBadgett is in with the working hours of 90% the workstation process designing that is far from treatment spot, for " nobody are attended " treatment process is used. The tall automation level of Stolle Technology company decided it is bigger to the dependence of equipment supplier, mr Situole says, "We have 6 Charmilles machine tool now, purchased newly recently can a high capacity, automatic change the machine of model of mill of Roboform 55 EDM of electrode and tray, the service of Charmilles is extremely good, when we have a problem, they can come to a factory, return a help to groom our employee, we two companies are having close relationship. " to retain competition ability, this company still relies on equipment supplier assistance, mr Situole points out: "The job that we pursue is in progress, we always consider how to be done weller. The technology is updated ceaselessly, accordingly, we rely on machine tool supplier to provide finer installation and support ceaselessly, because we must retain competition ability. Be cooperative job makes us more supplier of press close to and client. " when a lot of mould yards go broke, stolle Technology company prospers however flourishing, at present its job shops has 30 jobs about, situolefu Fu basically is attributed to the success the benefit that automation and automation bring in labor cost and delivery time aspect. Finally, mrs Situole sums up: "If mould factory cannot use nowadays already some technologies, they undertake without ability the whole world competes absolutely, accordingly they have no alternative, undertake automation run only, have no way out otherwise! " Stolle Technology, inc.

, a Fledgling Die And Mold Shop In Winston-Salem, north Carolina, is Doing It With Automation.

The Shop Operates Only One Attended Shift, but Automation Keeps The Machines Running Around The Clock 7 Days A Week, making For Low Costs, high Quality And Very Competitive Delivery Times.

CNC Milling