The interesting thing about clichés is that they wouldn’t exist unless they contained an element of truth. So it is with the old saw “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This is especially true in the world of CNC machine tool maintenance.
In this video a FANUC LR Mate 200 iC Robot is equipped with a machine vision system that enables it to unpack, process, inspect and repack small machined parts. Watch the video.
You can download two, free white papers prepared by Gosiger Automation by visiting our resources page, www.gosiger.com/resources
Making parts for medical applications is a growing field that opens up opportunities – and challenges – for CNC shops of all sizes. Orthopedic parts, like bone screws, are good examples. Although these devices appear to be relatively simple, efficiently producing a bone screw that meets the required standards of quality isn’t as easy as it looks.
.jpg "Automation Video: One Robot, Two VMCs, 4 Workpiece")
In another example of Gosiger Automation designed robot-based factory automation, this video, demonstrates how a Fanuc M-16iB robot services two Okuma Vertical Machining Centers (VMC). Each machining center is equipped with 4-position, 4th axis indexers. Four workpieces at a time are loaded into precision workholding fixtures, and returned to precision pallets for further automated processing. Note how the conveyor system moves the workpieces into position for the robot arm to pick and load them into the machine tool, then flips the fixture around to deposit the machined parts into the pallets. The machined parts are then moved along the conveyor to the next step in the process.
.jpg "ISM B27 Hybrid CNC multi-spindle bar machine")
Manufacturers need no longer choose between CAM actuated automatic and CNC multi-spindle machines. U.S. machine tool distributor and factory automation specialist, Gosiger, Inc. has partnered with industry-leading Japanese multi-spindle machine builder Shimada to create the new, ISM B27 hybrid CNC multi-spindle bar machine.
.jpg "5 Ways To Improve Your Personal Productivity")
As a CNC factory owner or manager you know the importance of making your manufacturing processes as efficient as possible. To a great extent this means investing in appropriate technology and having a productive workforce. In fact, improving worker productivity should be a continuous activity on every factory floor. However striving to be more productive should not be reserved only for the floor workers. Everyone in the organization from top management on down should be focused on continuously improving personal productivity. So here are 5 simple ways managers can become more productive.
Picture a factory at night, pumping out perfect parts with no one around. No labor costs, lower energy expenses and a customer order ready for shipping the next morning. Is it a dream or reality? Well, with today’s advanced manufacturing and communications technologies, lights out manufacturing can be a reality for everything from the smallest CNC machine shop to the largest factories.
Gosiger software specialists developed this A2P (Application-to-person) messaging system to enable Okuma machine owners to receive text alerts from their CNC machine tools directly to their smart phones. Using SMS technology and Internet access, GO-TextAlert allows multiple phone numbers to receive trouble alarms, status codes and customized data.
Despite all of your efforts to increase productivity through advanced CNC machine technologies, factory automation and smarter machining techniques, unnecessary machine downtime can eliminate everything you’ve gained. That’s why a planned preventative maintenance program (PPM) is so important. And it really isn’t all that complicated. In fact the basics of PPM can be summed up in these 5 actions: