Page 28 - MetalForming-Nov-2018-issue

Fabrication: Japan 2018
The Amada Solutions Center tour included demonstrations of new machines including the Ensis 3015 RI, which enables cutting of sheetmetal, pipes and structural steels in a single machine and employs Ensis advanced laser-beam control technology.
programs for manufacturing, parts- development charts and drawings are backed-up and securely stored. The support service compares a user’s pro- duction plan and actual performance while probing and identifying causes of discrepancies between the two.
The support service’s My V-Factory web- and app-based tool enables real- time communication from anywhere regarding preventive and corrective maintenance, and provides for quoting machine tools and parts while man- aging a history of quotes and orders.
Job Shop Succeeds Via Rapid Turnarounds
Fabricating job shops face chal- lenges from customers on quality, delivery time and price. These chal- lenges exist the world over, as we dis- covered when touring Makino Co., Ltd., located roughly 25 miles from the Tokyo city center in Machida. The com- pany (no relation to the machine-tool manufacturer of the same name), with 45 employees, operates a slew of Amada fabrication equipment to pro- duce parts for customers in the semi- conductor, communication and other industries.
Kenichiro Makino, president of the
form according to material quality and thickness, with advancements enabling stable cutting of material from thin to thick. And, combined with the high- output oscillators, the machine cuts with reduced dross and bevel and improved surface-roughness charac- teristics.
Clean Fast Cut and Easy Fast Cut technology dramatically reduce the consumption of assist gas during nitrogen cutting, according to com- pany officials. It applies a noncontact nozzle that supplies assist gas at a low pressure that reportedly reduces pro- cessing costs while maintaining cut- ting quality.
It features the AMNC 3i control unit, which operates like a smartphone. Adapted to Amada’s IoT V-factory, the unit visualizes machine operating results, including power consumption and processing costs, and enables smart manufacturing through main- tenance and support, thus maximizing machine capacity.
IoT-Driven Remote Support Service
Amada’s new support service, V-Fac- tory, employs IoT technology to link machinery and provide real-time mon- itoring and adjustment. With V-Factory, machines, tooling and software can collect data that are integrated into a safe and secure environment at Amada through a V-Factory Connecting Box.
The company’s newly established IoT Support Center serves as a contact point with users. Through this link, Amada provides measures for prevent- ing production stops as basic support, as well as other support options. These include back-up measures during emergencies, and use of ‘big data’ to improve production efficiency.
V-Factory also supports predictive- maintenance strategies, to help prevent unexpected machine stoppages and to ensure supply of needed spare tools and parts. Also, in addition to data and
Museum Highlights Founder and Technical Achievements
Bordered by a water garden and pond filled with 200 koi, the Amada Museum, on the com- pany’s Isehara campus, opened in 2017 as a 70th-anniversary commemoration project. The museum honors Amada’s founder, Isamu Amada, and highlights the company’s techni- cal achievements.
State-of-the-art audio-visual effects bring the many and varied displays to life. Among the highlights: a single, fire-charred lathe (see the accompanying photo) serving as Isamu Amada’s only piece of equipment when he started the company in 1946 as a mechanical- repair business. In chronological order, dis- plays recount equipment introductions, includ- ing bandsaws, a stamping press, bending and shearing machines and punch presses. Of par- ticular note is the company’s first laser-cutting machine, the LC-644 model, introduced in 1981.
26 MetalForming/November 2018
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