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News Release from: Tru Corporation | Subject: Laser profiling based sheet-metal FMS
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 09 July 2002
Innovative laser FMS integrates cab
production
Most comprehensive laser profiling based sheetmetal FMS has a number of European and UK 'firsts' to reduce production inventories for cabs and other products and save on shopfloor space.
The sheet-metal FMS installed by Trumpf at the Northampton factory of Airflow Streamlines in Summer 2001, is the most comprehensive laser-based system installed in the UK to-date and contains a number of UK and European 'firsts' Trumpf's flexible manufacturing cells and systems are modular in concept
The designed format of this particular system however arose from a joint exercise between Airflow and Trumpf.
Although it contains many proven elements from earlier systems installed on the continent, it was in its final form unique.
It contains hardware and software innovations, that are now destined to become new standard modules.
Airflow is particularly known for its manufacture of cabs and other fabrications for well-known agri-con companies such as Caterpillar, John Deere, and CNH.
Although much of this work was in the past produced on press-tools, a growing demand for flexibility led Airflow to purchase a Trumpf laser-profiler in 1997.
Increasing client resistance to 'up-front' investment in 'hard-tooling' for new models, combined with a successful laser experience lead inevitably to the serious consideration of not just a second laser, but a laser-based FMS.
These factors were augmented by a strong management desire to reduce inventory further and also save shopfloor-space.
High rack storage of their large (3m x 1.5m) sheets of raw material was an obvious space-saver and with the integration of the associated materials handling in and out of the store, further savings could be obtained.
The format of the high-level store chosen meant that some 200 tons of material could be both stored and handled within a 20 square metre 'footprint'.
The close-coupling of production machines to the store delivers further savings.
Pallets of the appropriate material can be fed out to 'LiftMasters' - machine load and unloading devices.
The required number of sheets can, in turn, be lifted from the stack and fed into the machines for production.
After cutting, the complete sheet of finish-profiled components, with the associated scrap pieces and residual 'skeleton', can be lifted from the machine tables by LiftMaster and stacked aside for subsequent separation and sorting.
Unused raw-material can meanwhile be fed back into the store, stock levels can be re-calculated, and re-ordering automatically triggered as necessary.
Proven hardware and software for the above procedures had existed for some time.
However, Airflow wanted Trumpf to go further.
Many of their flat profiled parts require subsequent bending and a greater integration of the follow-on operation would yield even more of the required inventory and floor-space savings.
Therefore an integrated shuttle-cart facility - with associated control software - was specified to carry profiled blanks from a laser to a press-brake.
A novel sheet-metal FMS was therefore created, comprising an 8.4 metre high, 56 location, automated material store, two Trumpf L3030 laser profiling machines - each loaded and unloaded by LiftMaster - and a TrumaBend V85 press-brake.
This was linked by automated cart to the unload station of one of the LiftMasters.
To minimise disruption to production, the system installation was phased in over a period of more than a year.
In the summer of 2000 two new L3030's were installed as stand-alone machines and the current 1997 machine utilised at another site.
In the summer of 2001, the store, the two LiftMasters, and the press brake were installed in a major new development on Airflow's Northampton site.
The two laser machines subsequently moved to their new location and were commissioned sequentially to minimise production loss.
The system now runs for more than 112 hours per week and has more than met both internal and external criteria.
One big contribution to inventory reduction has been achieved through the 'kitting' - or nesting - of related items on the same sheet.
This does not necessarily yield the best material utilisation but it does minimise work in progress.
It also reduces waiting times at assembly by ensuring that balanced families of parts are always available for building - both deemed by the company to be more important than potential material savings.
Nesting has helped in other ways too.
It has lead to machine-cycle times which are normally between 20 minutes and 3.1/2 hours, and means that one operator can easily manage the two laser machines.
Also, because even the shortest cycle-time is greater than five minutes, the machines are never waiting for a new material delivery from the store.
In order to protect themselves, automated machines - which are designed for unmanned operation - are also designed to shut themselves down at the slightest 'irritation'.
Airflow have therefore determined that the 'cost' of this risk is greater than the cost of employing a man on nights, so the system is never run in a truly unmanned or 'lights-out' manner.
However, with the right product mix, it is possible that a press-brake operator can - at night or weekends - oversee the lasers that provide the parts that he needs to bend.
The machines and the store are networked to a server, and are modem linked to Trumpf's Teleservice facility.
However, because of the systems reliability and the fact they have a fully trained in-house maintenance team, Airflow have rarely found the need for outside service support.
The system has not only enabled Airflow to meet all their project criteria, but also enabled them to pull back in-house, jobs which they previously sub-contracted, and even to take on additional work.
This new work has helped to fill spare capacity within the FMS, and generate 'downstream' operations.
This can be carried out by labour freed from old methods, on floor-space freed up by the high-density store.
The system has been carefully designed to meet the company's existing and perceived future capacity requirement.
Its well conceived format and location within the fabrication shop mean that should the type of product or product mix change, an extra press-brake can easily be incorporated into the system.
And should the total work volume grow significantly then the number of machines linked to the store could even be doubled.
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