There was a time, not that long ago, when apprenticeship programs were the standard for developing new manufacturing talent. Young people who had an interest in manufacturing served apprenticeships through which they learned skilled trades. These days you seldom hear of such programs. What we do hear too often is how difficult it is to find qualified machinists and other employees.
In today’s competitive manufacturing environment an idle CNC machine spindle is an ugly thing. Yet the typical stand-alone machining center runs only about 1/3 of the time, while patiently waiting for setup, programming or workpiece loading and unloading. All of which means less cutting time and lost productivity.
That’s why Gosiger recommends the Okuma Automated Modular Pallet System (AMPS). This unique, flexible manufacturing system (FMS) optimizes throughput by managing your production schedule and level loading your machining centers. In addition, AMPS enhanced production lines can often be managed by a single operator, thus reducing labor costs.
An Ethernet-based system acts as a conduit for relaying operational data between the programming software, controller, bar feeder, machine tool and parts unloader.
In today’s competitive manufacturing world, productivity is the key to success, so we invest in people and equipment that can make us more efficient. For managers of any kind, from owner or production manager to supervisor or shift leader, getting the most out of our own workday is often a challenge. There are always interruptions, unexpected problems and fires to put out. So how can we juggle all of our responsibilities and still be productive?
In recent years bank loans and other conventional credit resources have been harder for many businesses to access. As a result, use of business credit cards has risen dramatically, especially for small businesses. Although they can be a handy way to help manage cash flow, there are a number of pitfalls to using company credit cards that you should be aware of.
Morbark, Inc. is the industry leader in heavy-duty wood harvesting equipment known for performance and reliability. So Central Machine Shop Director, Joe Faber wasn’t about to settle for anything less in his CNC machines.
“When we were ready to add some new CNC machines we looked at all of the options and were most impressed with the Gosiger organization’s thorough knowledge of manufacturing and the capabilities of the Okuma products. We checked with other manufacturers who had switched to Okuma CNC machines from Gosiger. Everyone we spoke with beat the drum for the quality of the Okuma products and the technical support and service from Gosiger.” As a result, Morbark now has two Okuma horizontal machining centers and an Okuma vertical mill.
Bill Goodman, President of Inland Tool & Manufacturing, Inc., saw little opportunity to benefit from factory automation. “Along with our production stamping and light assembly businesses, we produce individual prototypes and tooling, or small batches of parts in our machining operations,” he explains, “So automation really hasn’t been much of an issue.”
Things changed, however, when Inland began making production runs of a family of parts for heavy-duty cable clamps used on slings attached to derricks for loading and unloading freight, and in the lumber industry. That’s when they decided to investigate how applying factory automation to this repetitive process might save them time and reduce labor costs. They chose an Okuma Captain L-370MWBB CNC lathe as the centerpiece and worked with Gosiger Factory Automation to create a cell that integrated an LNS Quick Load Servo 80 bar feeder, inbound and outbound parts conveyors, and a Fanuc M-6iB/6S robot to handle parts.
In this brief video Gosiger Factory Automation shows how it used 3-D solids modeling to create a plan view that enabled its engineers to precisely determine the positioning and required movement of a FANUC robot used to load and unload multiple Okuma CNC machines. On-site video then shows the finished production line so the viewer sees how the FANUC robot moves along an overhead rail to flawlessly access each of the machine tool chucks.
When it comes to machining multi-sided parts, a Horizontal Machining Center can save you considerable time and money versus a Vertical Machining Center. Here’s how:
Okuma developed the GENOS series of CNC lathes to be multitasking machines that are affordable and easy to use and maintain. Although they are considered entry-level machines, these CNC lathes provide stability, rigidity and accuracy for a multitude of applications. The GENOS series includes a number of standard timesaving features, and a wide range of specification variations so users can handle everything from simple jobs to highly complex parts.