Page 41 - MetalForming March 2016

Optimized Production
on One or Many Machines
With machine setup and tool mon- itoring now automated and stream- lined, turret punch presses spend more time producing good parts rather than sitting idle or churning out scrap. But there’s more. Today’s machines can be monitored accurately and easily, enabling management to better plan production.
“We walk into fabrication shops and ask what the production rate is on a turret punch press,” explains Angel. “The user will look at cycle times and decide that a particular machine is in use 85 percent of the time. But in reality that machine is producing parts 20 to 25 percent of the time. Users just don’t seem to have a handle on it.”
Numbers don’t lie, and new-genera- tion machines provide the ability to accurately gauge machine productivity.
“Software can analyze information from the machine control, such as
MetalMizer MV2018 The Affordable &
This screen shot of process time—when the machine is running—enables a broad view of machine capacity levels and production trends, and with multiple machines, allows better load balancing across the shop.
Versatile Vertical Bandsaw that Stands Out
• Convenient overhead controls
• 45° tilting saw head
• 18"x20"cutting capacity
• Made in the U.S.A.
Limited Quantity!
Available for Immediate Shipment
800.522.5097 metalmizer.com
Also depend on the METALFLEX blade to meet
your high-quality metal sawing needs.
© 2016 MetalMizer
www.metalformingmagazine.com
MetalForming/March 2016 39
when it’s running, when it’s off, and when alarms occurred and why, then crunch those numbers to create useful, manageable data,” Angel says, detailing one such system, Muratec’s Process- Net. “Management can track that and analyze trends over weeks and months, or identify the common alarms, and from that then target areas for pro- duction improvement. Or, a snapshot
can indicate what machines are down and why.
“With an accurate understanding of production levels, manufacturers can better determine capacity needs,” he continues. “If a company runs a number of turret presses, it can meas- ure productivity across all of them and perhaps undertake load balancing to improve productivity.” MF