Kooperationen, Kundenportale und künstliche Intelligenz

Die optimale und längstmögliche Nutzung von Werkzeugen ist in zerspanenden Betrieben ein wichtiger Kostenfaktor. Vor allem in der Serienfertigung beziehungsweise bei automatisierten Abläufen müssen Unternehmen dabei allerdings oft einen Kompromiss eingehen. So tauschen die Maschinenbediener Werkzeuge mit definierter Standmenge direkt aus, wenn eben diese Standmenge erreicht ist. Oftmals wäre das noch nicht nötig, denn das Werkzeug hat sein tatsächliches Standzeitende noch nicht erreicht. Allerdings gehen die Betriebe so auf Nummer sicher, um Qualitätsprobleme und die Produktion von Ausschuss zu vermeiden.

Dies ist einer der Punkte an dem das Modul „ARTIS GENIOR MODULAR“ von MARPOSS ansetzt. Die vollautomatische Werkzeug- und Prozessüberwachung, die sich seit Jahren im Markt etabliert hat, erfasst verschiedene Messwerte und wertet sie auf Basis mehrerer Kriterien aus. Das System misst beispielsweise die Kraft, die die Maschine bei der Bearbeitung aufbringen muss. Dadurch erkennt es ein Verschleißen des Werkzeugs beziehungsweise einen Werkzeugbruch. Den aktuellen Status sehen die Maschinenbediener am Bediendisplay der Maschinensteuerung oder an einem angeschlossenen Rechner. So können Werkzeuge bis zu ihrem tatsächlichen Standzeitende genutzt werden. Das gesamte System ist durch die unterschiedlichen Messungen des Moduls geschützt.

Um Nutzern des Moduls einen weiteren Mehrwert zu bieten, arbeitet MARPOSS seit kurzem mit der c-Com GmbH und deren Open-Cloud-Plattform c-Com zusammen. „ARTIS GENIOR MODULAR“ und c-Com tauschen Daten aus. Wenn definierte Warngrenzen zum Werkzeugverschleiß erreicht sind, erhält der zuständige Mitarbeiter dank der Kooperation über c-Com eine Meldung auf sein mobiles Endgerät, beispielsweise Smartphone oder Tablet. Das führt zu einer schnelleren Reaktionsgeschwindigkeit und konsequenterweise zu einer erhöhten Effizienz.

Darüber hinaus ermöglicht der Austausch der Daten Voraussagen über anstehende Werkzeugwechsel. c-Com erstellt eine entsprechende Übersicht, je nach Wunsch in Zeitangaben oder in der verbleibenden Anzahl an Werkstücken. Dank dieser Information können die Verantwortlichen im Einstellraum neue Werkzeuge rechtzeitig vorbereiten. So reduzieren die Unternehmen Rüstzeiten und vermeiden Maschinenstillstände durch noch nicht vorbereitete Werkzeuge. Sie können zudem die Anzahl der vorgehaltenen Schwesternwerkzeuge minimieren und Werkzeugträger einsparen.

Auf der EMO 2019 haben MARPOSS und c-Com erstmals das Ergebnis der vielversprechenden Zusammenarbeit, die weiter ausgebaut werden soll, vorgestellt.

Many tools are re-sharpened and re-coated to make production as cost-efficient as possible and to use raw materials sustainably. During this reconditioning process, the tool passes through several stages, which are usually carried out by different companies. Tools are recorded several times to allow the processing of orders and to enable them to be assigned accordingly. This procedure is very complex for everyone involved – from the machine operators to the staff members carrying out the re-sharpening and coating. Physical product cards accompany the orders throughout the entire process chain. If a staff member responsible for re-sharpening sends a tool for coating, this staff member is often not aware of corresponding order status. This results in frequent queries. Neither tool users nor the coating and re-sharpening staff have an oversight of how many times the tool has been re-sharpened or coated in the past. In some cases, the number of re-sharpening processes is simply marked on the tool shank. Overall, the total benefit is reduced by the very high investment of time and effort required.

In cooperation with Oerlikon Balzers, c-Com has developed an application that enables significantly more effective and transparent order processing. The prototype was showcased at EMO Hannover. The only prerequisite to benefitting from the advantages of digital processing for coating is identifying all tools with a unique ID.

The c-Com application exchanges data with the myBalzers customer portal run by Oerlikon Balzers. This way, the entire order process is digitalised, and all receipts are available online. It is easy to share documents such as delivery slips, invoices or order confirmations, and the status of each coating order can be viewed in real time. There is no longer a need to ask for order updates – a quick glance at the application provides the user with all the information they need.

The speed of the overall order process is also increased as the recorded data is made available for all successive steps. Tools are returned from reconditioning after a shorter period of time. As a result of significantly reducing the manual data input, the process is no longer as susceptible to errors.

On top of that, machine operators have access to all the important information about their tool at all times. Thanks to the collaborative approach by c-Com, they can access all data via the cloud. They know how many times their tool has been re-sharpened and are provided with comprehensive information on the coating. This data is extremely useful for the optimisation of processes. If the tool’s performance drops, the cause of any issues can be established and resolved much more quickly.

Involving coating staff significantly enhances the networking of the entire supply chain and serves transparency. This is one of c-Com’s key objectives for the open cloud platform.

In order for machining to run smoothly, reliably and with optimum results, many cogs have to interact optimally. If poor results or even scrap are produced, there may be several causes. If worn-out cutting is the reason, the following questions arise: What is wear and tear? Why does this wear and tear occur and how can it be avoided in the future?

c-Com has developed a wear detection application to provide answers to these questions. The prototype for the application was presented at EMO Hannover. The application is very simple to use: first, the worn blade is documented using a smartphone and a conventional auxiliary lens for zooming in. The app then identifies the type of wear and suggests corresponding recommended actions. This allows users to prevent this type of wear in future.

The application is based on machine learning, a sub-category of artificial intelligence. This means that the application uses datasets to learn. Together with tool specialists at MAPAL, c-Com has compiled and categorized hundreds of images. Effectively, the algorithm was trained by being shown what different types of wear look like, allowing it to assess whether or not a blade is in good order.

As a result, the application can identify different types of wear, including clearance surface wear, crater wear or a built-up edge. Based on this, the app then provides appropriate suggestions – such as reducing the feed, increasing the spindle speed or using a different kind of coating. At present, the advice and suggestions for how to proceed are still static. However, the c-Com team is working hard on the beta version of the app to enable it to use the application data for each tool to provide specific individual suggestions on what action to take. Put simply, it’s a technical advisor you can keep in your pocket – with numerous potential extensions aimed at making users’ lives easier.