Alliance demonstrates collaboration at MACH

MACH 2006 will witness a dynamic interactive demonstration of how supplier collaboration can deliver in-process improvements and machine tool monitoring benefits.

A dynamic interactive demonstration in real time showing how supplier collaboration can deliver in-process improvements and machine tool monitoring benefits through the use of advanced machine tool probing techniques is to be performed at MACH 2006.

The demonstrations by three leading companies, combining their individual disciplines, will be made using wireless transmission between their separate stands.

The joint venture demonstration by Seiki Systems, manufacturing software specialist (Stand 5566) Renishaw, a world leader in machine tool probing systems (Stand 5572) and GS Productivity Solutions UK, reseller of GibbsCAM and a probing software specialist (Stand 5667), will be developed around a vertical machining centre on the Renishaw stand.

The demonstration will provide an insight for visitors of the advantages and simplicity of off-line component and probe routine programming, in-cycle measurement, remote capture of measured data and machine performance monitoring, all via wireless network report generation within a live manufacturing environment.

The demonstration will show how offline component and probe routine programming can be achieved simply and accurately, and how this will reduce setup times.

On-machine probing technology will control the machining process and provide the means to capture machine status and part quality information.

In addition, with quality data and status data automatically extracted from the machine, offline recording, real-time actions and analysis will be performed.

Using factual data collected from the machining centre, the performance of each job produced can be determined, through a standard measurement, to generate overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) results.

It will also provide information on unplanned downtime to enable production losses to be determined, quality performance to be monitored and full traceability records to be established, enabling positive management decisions to be made against factual events.

The vertical machining centre will be equipped with a Renishaw OMP 60 spindle probe, a TRS1 noncontact broken tool detection system and a table mounted NC4 noncontact laser tool setter, to depict part set up, tool setting and inspection of the part.

Integrated with GibbsCAM, Renishaw's Productivity+ probing plug-in enables GS Productivity Solutions to develop the machining and probing cycles as well as any additional process control logic, taking full advantage of Gibbs CAM's powerful yet simple to use interface.

The inter-stand connectivity linking the individual disciplines will be achieved by using wireless technology supplied by Seiki Systems.

Data captured from the machining process will be collected by Seiki Systems to enable program control and records to be established, data logging, analysis and full report generation.

These activities will be carried out on the Seiki Systems stand.

The data will then be redistributed between the three partner companies in an easy to understand single screen display showing a dynamic representation of events.

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