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News Release from: Tru Corporation | Subject: Intelligent Tool Management
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 05 April 2002
Tools managed centrally for CNC punch
presses
An intelligent tool management system centrally manages and identifies punches, dies and strippers for CNC punch presses.
Trumpf's new Intelligent Tool Management (ITM) offers a system for the central management and identification of punching tools This makes set-up simple, and correct allocation and storage of punches, dies and strippers is guaranteed
A number of questions need to be answered before production set-up can begin and this preamble can result in a lot of downtime.
Are the tools available? Is the mounted tool properly assembled? Are the markings on it recent, and are they still legible? With ITM the machine detects and identifies the tool automatically.
This means a huge increase in setup safety as well as lower overall costs because of the simplified setup process.
A tool that bears a unique identification cannot get lost if that identification is centrally recorded together with the relevant tool data.
ITM registers each individual part under its own number.
On the tool, this is done by means of a magnetic strip bearing a barcode.
The strip with the code turns every tool component into a unique item in its own right.
Measuring or marking tools is no longer necessary.
A stationary scanner in the machine scans the barcodes and identifies punch, die, stripper and cartridge, plus their locations on the rail.
This information is then compared with the database, and any setup errors are immediately displayed.
When re-grinding of a tool, the changed length is directly detected at the setup terminal, making re-measuring before each new set-up unnecessary.
The tool configuration on a machine can also be stored as a separate list via an interface with the programming system ToPs.
This enables setup-optimised program generation.
Connection to the new tool setting device multiset ITM is also possible.
It automatically detects the regrind length of a tool and transfers it to the system.
One new feature of multiset ITM is detection of the penetration depth of the punch in the stripper.
Multiset ITM is the ideal companion for Intelligent Tool Management, and greatly facilitates handling of punching tools in production.
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