Page 42 - MetalForming-Nov-2018-issue

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“telling all of the workcell components what to do.”
And there’s more...much more.
“Today, controls can communicate with robots, transfers and other cell com- ponents,” Phillips explained. “In the past, press controls did not address compo- nents or particular processes if they were not in and of the press. Controls now have expanded their reach, especially given welding, assembly, clinching and other actions performed within the tool- ing to produce a more complete part. They can even alter tooling to improve tolerance on the fly.”
And, as thinking evolves from stamping as an assembly-line process to cellular manufacturing, controls will enable the evolution.
“The integration of ancillary devices into a single-button operation so that all systems are communicating—that’s where controls are heading,” Phillips said.
The evolution of controls and com- munication capability dovetails nicely into another major development over the past few years, the emergence of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). MetalForming has devoted significant coverage to IIoT and Industry 4.0 as well as its impact on MES and ERP sys- tems. Consider this article, Heating Up: The Cyber Age of Automation Controls, in the July 2016 issue.
“We have a computer on every machine and now we have connectivity, which allows us to bring information to the cloud, or cyberspace, and then decide what to do with that informa- tion,” explained Mark Heitbrink, elec- trical engineering manager at Nidec Minster, Minster, OH. “A machine at the
local operator level is very smart. We can get information to the cloud so that it can be processed. We then, for exam- ple, have the opportunity to perform some predictive analysis on why or when a machine will fail.”
Such connectivity also assists should equipment or lines fail or run sub-opti- mally. With so much information avail- able, remote monitoring and diagnos- tics become orders-of-magnitude more efficient—no need to wait for techni- cians to arrive and perform lengthy troubleshooting procedures.
But even with all of the advantages of big data, there are caveats, Heitbrink warned. Besides the need to accurately process data to arrive at informed, cor- rect decisions, data-gathering itself presents challenges, he said. For exam- ple, the ability to tie the equipment to production people so that they can analyze uptime and downtime has advantages, but is limited by the accu- racy of inputs.
“Someone may sit at a desk and monitor a machine or a line, and from the information inputs determine why it is or isn’t running efficiently or prop- erly,” Heitbrink noted. “Operators still may be required to enter in that vital information. It’s the old ‘garbage-in, garbage-out’ adage. For a good analysis of what is happening on that line, good information must be entered. It may be that some operators are less effi- cient, take longer to set up equipment or change tooling and coils, or take longer lunch breaks.”
As long as humans are part of the equation, they’ll need to be skilled and they’ll need to be trained to take best advantage of this communication and
Additive manufacturing can be viewed as an essential tool in many manufacturing operations. Examples of its possible uses include the manufacture of fixtures and tools.
big-data revolution. And, if so, Industry 4.0 offers limitless possibilities for pro- ductivity improvement.
“Simply put,” concluded Heitbrink, “these data advancements allow you to optimize what you do.”
AM: A Metalformer’s Friend
The past five years also have brought a new player to the part-making game, additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D printing. In the August 2017 article, Add AM to Your Arsenal, MetalForming explored ways in which AM can become an important tool in a manu- facturer’s toolbox.
Can metal parts be taken from the presses, cutting machines and other metalforming equipment and instead be produced via printing? Not in the quantities and cycle times demanded by many customers, certainly not in the foreseeable future. Equipment and material costs, combined with the need for extensive post-processing to meet precision tolerances and yield accept- able surface finishes, all argue against a replacement of traditional stamping and fabricating processes. On the other hand, by shifting perspectives, AM can be viewed as an essential tool in many manufacturing operations. Examples of its possible uses include the manu- facture of fixtures and tools.
“We see a wide variety of fixturing and tooling applications in manufac- turing environments,” Alissa Wild, manufacturing aids and tooling lead
Engaging the Industry Beyond Print
Recognizing that information needs extend well beyond what print can deliver, MetalForming magazine’s social-media efforts include regular Facebook posts and live video as well as Twitter tweets intended to provide readers with news and market-trend updates. And, our MetalForming Everywhere app brings the latest to your mobile device.
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40 MetalForming/November 2018
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