Refresh Instead of Replace Machine Tools

Hardware for equipment such as CNC machine tools is at an all-time high demand. Manufacturing integrator Shop Floor Automations, Inc. (La Mesa, CA) reports that manufacturers want to make their current equipment last longer and increase utilization without a huge monetary investment. Here are the top four common ways that shops are seeking to improve manufacturing productivity at an economic price:

1. Control of program storage for better drip-feeding. While DNC software systems are not the answer for every manufacturer, hardware can easily fill this need. Low volume job shops that run the same programs for long periods of time can benefit from a portable DNC box. The device helps save time from needing to walk back and forth from PC to CNC. Drip-feeding is reliable when it’s from a USB stick with pre-approved programs on it. This process ensures the wrong program is not being run at machines.
2. Modernizing floppy drives or RS232 ports. Floppy disks have been outdated technology for years. Trying to find them new or refurbished is a waste of time. Using USB sticks is a more convenient and reliable replacement. It is important that manufacturers understand floppy disk emulators do not allow for larger programs to be run, they are purely a means to be able to use current technology on the shop floor. USB hardware, however, can allow operators to run larger programs.
3. Replacing cabling systems. Cables on the shop floor are becoming more high maintenance. Costs are going up, whether buying from a vendor, losing time by assuming Cat5 cables will do the job, or attempting to make them in-house. This doesn’t even touch the insurance costs and potential hazards of hanging cables high up and having to tend to them. Adopting a wireless shop floor system will eliminate all these issues that a rats’ nest of cabling in the ceiling causes to daily manufacturing routines.
4. Enabling modern protocols for legacy equipment. Assumptions that legacy equipment is restricted from joining the IIoT revolution are false. Data can be grabbed from nearly any age, make and model of equipment in order to increase job capacity. The SRC provided by DataXchange or the MDC adapter from Predator Software allows you to use protocols such as MTConnect to view basic utilization information from your equipment.

Shop Floor Automations, Inc., 5360 Jackson Drive, Suite 202, La Mesa, CA 91942-6003, 619-461-4000, [email protected], www.shopfloorautomations.com.