October 2008 Edition

partnerships

Dress rehearsal for robots

Collaboration makes its IMTS debut with model of air-cooled engine

When the curtain lifted last month at IMTS 2008, it was a debut like none
other for Partners in THINC.

While its roots go back 10 years, the partnership has only been "in business" since 2007. The partners decided the booth at IMTS would be a reproduction of a full manufacturing floor in 4,800sqft of space that produced a model air-cooled engine assembled by robots.

The concept of Partners in THINC is built upon the Okuma THINC control (THe Intelligent Numeric Control), an open architecture, Microsoft Windows-based platform, and how more than 30 partners collaborate through Okuma’s Charlotte, NC, facility to bring out the best of the control’s capabilities for their advanced manufacturing customers.

Not only did the IMTS cell demonstrate a number of equipment capabilities from Okuma and more than 20 participating partners, it showcased process flow — complete from order entry to shipment invoicing — all through the THINC control.

In a nutshell, six different cells produced a total of 10 parts in a cycle time of about 33 minutes. Though a manufacturing engineer collected the parts from each machine to take to robots for assembly (due to space restrictions in the booth), this process could be automated by parts catchers, automated guided vehicles, and/or conveyors, according to Jeff Estes, director of Partners in THINC.

"It takes about 17 minutes for the two Fanuc robots to assemble the motor and package it," says Estes. "This includes thorough inspection of every component by the Fanuc vision system, including fasteners, and then putting the completed product into a box.

"Now, human hands do actually close the box, insert the packing list and the invoice generated by SAP and/or JobBoss — we’re using both — and then the pre-printed FedEx
label is applied," he adds. "This process could also be automated with further investment into available packaging and shipping systems — I’m thinking about $30,000. We just didn’t have the space at IMTS to do this."

The power of THINC

"The THINC control is Ethernet-ready and offers plug-and-play compatibility to Okuma machine tools and industry peripherals required in manufacturing," Estes says. "The control is designed to optimize productivity through the availability and adaptability of real-time information for our end-users."

Taking the process and capabilities of the collaboration to the next level and showcasing the collective strengths at IMTS was the vision of the Okuma America Corp. Engineering group.

"The vision of the Partners in THINC booth is simple," says Brian Sides, director of Engineering for Okuma America Corp. "For the first time, collaborating Partners presented our customers with a real factory setting within a trade show setting — right down to not having carpet — which demonstrated the reality of business, automation, and quality systems connecting and communicating to provide productivity improvements and real time visibility of the manufacturing process from order entry through finished goods shipment."

The THINC control is compatible with SAP Manufacturing Integration and Intelligence (SAP MII) platform creating "seamless connectivity" between all machines and systems without additional engineering required, according to Bryan Newman, director of information systems at Okuma.

"SAP MII is an example of a perfect match for making Okuma machine tools the most efficient and adaptable on the market," he explains. "Customers can get a unified view of manufacturing data through synchronized manufacturing operations and back-end business systems. Being able to access data and analyze opens up opportunities for greater efficiency and mitigates operational risk."

Equipment integration

With the Okuma machine tools and THINC control at the center of each cell of the simulated manufacturing facility, Partners who demonstrated include Marposs, Exact JobBoss, Midaco, Iscar, Sandvik Coromant, ABB Robotics, Kennametal, Gosiger Automation, LNS Turbo, Shell Lubricants, Renishaw, Fanuc Robotics, Caron Engineering, SAP, Schunk, Royal Products, Blum, ExtrudeHone, BigFix, Symantec, Trend Micro,WebEx, ChipBlaster, Zoller, Iemca, and Infinity Rebuild.

Highlights of the Partners in THINC booth included a process that began with the MB56-VA that produced the head and connecting rod on the three-axis vertical machining center. A Midaco pallet changer was utilized to maximize spindle-cutting time and Renishaw On Machine Verification (OMV) software and probing systems are used for quality assurance.

The ChipBlaster high pressure/high volume coolant system ensured high production and thorough chip removal. The Extrude Hone ECM CoolPulse proceses unwanted material without harmful, corrosive compounds on the head component.

The engine case and cylinder were machined complete on the four-axis HMC MA-400H with a Fastem container system that demonstrated the ability to load multiple jobs onto the cell with almost zero changeover time from one part to another. Marposs provided 3DSI, CAT 40 Probe and Quick SPC software that were compatible with the THINC control. In addition, there were two choices for tool management systems.

"If a system like this were purchased, the customer would have a choice between the Iscar Matrix or Kennametal ToolBoss tool management systems," says Estes. "They are both compatible with the THINC control and the Zoller presetter. It’s just a matter of the customer’s preference, and we want to give them options."

A timing pulley was machined complete on the four-axis LU-400M lathe with milling function turret. The Iemca bar-fed material extended unattended operation while the Marposs post-process Bluetooth gaging ensured part compliance. Caron Engineering’s AutoComp software automatically controlled tool offsets and tracked toolwear.

The Twin Millac 33T machine cell used multi-function vertical machines to complete the Op 10 / Op 20 piston. An ABB Robotics loaded, transferred and unloaded to and from both machines through special automated doors integrated by Gosiger Automation. Both Sandvik Coromant (tooling) and Kennametal (tooling and rotating tools) were used for metal removal.

The crankshaft and the spark plug are produced on the LT-200MY through integration of the Gosiger Automation slider system with Fanuc Robot that would load/unload the crankshaft while the spark plug was bar-fed by the LNS barfeeder. Caron TMAC7, a tool monitoring adaptive control application created by Caron Engineering, monitored spindle horsepower in real time during the cutting cycle. It is capable of dynamically adjusting axes feed-rate to maintain an optimum torque curve for each cut, thus maximizing tool life, minimizing cycle with the ability to monitor coolant flow to insure steady tool load through each pass.

The display base for the model engine was machined on a refurbished LC-40, four-axis lathe from Infinity Rebuild originally manufactured more than 20 years ago. The LC-40 was upgraded with a THINC OSP-P200 control, making it more compatible with the refurbished ABB Robotics cell and the entire ERP system. Trumpf laser marking was used to add logos to the base (and a serial number to the piston).

Assemble and ship

Two Fanuc robots, integrated by Fanuc robotics, assembled all the components manufactured in the booth to complete the model air-cooled motor and package it for shipping. Customers could win units produced daily by registering at Partners booths which featured the THINC control simulator, all linked via Internet. The drawing was at random.

"We shipped finished motor assemblies daily from the Partners in THINC booth per a production and assembly schedule for customers who placed orders generated by visiting our participating Partners’ booths," Sides says.

"Pulling this together within a trade show environment is a testament to the power of the Partners made possible by the intelligence and openness of the Okuma THINC control," he adds.

Partners in THINC

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