A Connected Factory for More Efficient Production Management

Over 60 new features in the Global Release 2019 from Lantek Systems, Inc. (Mason, OH) focus on production management and the integral automation of technology to extract and use data generated in the daily operation of sheet metal fabrication factories to optimize and analyze processes for knowledge-based decision making. “In the current connected world, there is little doubt that data is the raw material that enables progress in manufacturing development, adding value and providing a competitive advantage in the market,” said Asier Ortiz, the technical director of the Lantek’s parent company in Spain. “With this in mind, a major part of our R&D effort has been aimed precisely at how to obtain quality data from different vectors to allow the integral control and management of any cutting machine and process and provide global visibility, raise production levels and increase agility while reducing complexity.” Using the latest technological advances in AI, Cloud, machine learning and other systems that give machines greater connectivity and automation, Global Release 2019 provides users with the following improvements:

• Expert automation and traceability: Over 40 general improvements in Expert CAD-CAM 2D sheet metal cutting software addresses the needs of a market that demands greater process efficiency and time savings on common tasks, such as assisting the operator in the evacuation of finished parts to manage the destruction of holes, skeletons, and remnants. Automated processes have also been introduced to simplify workflow. By automating tasks, routine processes are concatenated and nesting groupings can be improved according to user needs. To resolve part identification and traceability requirements, the possibilities within parts databases have been increased so that parts can be marked with QR codes automatically and semi-automatically in addition to marking metal sheets and remnants. This makes it possible to encapsulate the information associated with the part, such as the operations and characteristics that must be incorporated into the part once it is cut (color, processing, bending, etc.). Data collection and control capabilities are now optimized to increase a cutting machine database that currently includes over 1,200 models from virtually every manufacturer on the market, as well as improving the quality of production data collected.
• Integration with design programs: The integration of the main CAD systems improves integration and management of 3D models for cutting and bending processes and increases the possibilities for working with programs and files incorporating all of the main 3D graphic formats that are currently on the market. The system can now manage different bending parameters for each operation, such as bend length, bend angle, bend radius, K-factor, special bends, rotation or tool change, and is able to generate STL files for 3D part viewing, DXF files to generate CNC code, and LSTC files with all of the bending information.
• Flex3d Tubes increases efficiency in tube cutting: New machine models are incorporated and include the latest different methodologies for laser tube cutting. Optimized cutting depends on the mechanical capacity of the machine and, for the operator, simplification of cutting management, management of remnants and the evacuation of the part.
• MES for efficient production management. Adequate production management and planning is one of the keys to achieving success in manufacturing processes in the factories of the future. MES now incorporates 19 highly significant new features to optimize production. Users can now see production planning fully and in real-time in different views, sequences or Gantt charts with the new MES Monitoring module. The simplicity, power, and immediacy of this module keeps daily production always in the spotlight. Added to this are general efficiency improvements in nesting with sheet metal selection, entire production traceability, data collection and improvement of data quality in more ranges of machines, reports, and filters.

“The goal of these improvements is to help production managers make accurate decisions more quickly and easily,” noted Ortiz. “Our data tracking and analysis brings intelligent manufacturing closer to a sector that needs to move towards Industry 4.0 to remain competitive. To make this a reality, we have transformed our user’s needs into powerful manufacturing and management tools.”

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Lantek Systems, Inc., 5412 Courseview Drive, Suite 205, Mason, OH 45040-2355, 877-805-1028, www.lanteksms.com