The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA) notes with optimism the increase in the seasonally-adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) released for April 2019, as the rebounding indicator is encouraging for production processes, Chief Economist Michael Ade said today.
Based on a survey of purchasing executives, the composite PMI data for April 2019 show an improved level of industrial activity, recording 47.2 points compared to 45.0 points in March 2019. A reading above 50 indicates an expansion, while one below 50 indicate a contraction, compared with the previous months. The improving trend corroborates data released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) earlier this year, which still reflect a positively trending year-on-year growth in manufacturing volume, albeit slowing down.
“Encouragingly, the latest seasonally-adjusted preliminary data arrest a declining trend in vthe composite PMI since the beginning of the year, with the numbers moving from a nondescript 49.9 to 46.2 and a lower 45.0 points in the respective months of January, February and March of 2019. Moreover, the deterioration in production activity during quarter one of 2019, as a proxy by the aggregate PMI, contemporaneously mimics the slump in key indicators such as the business expectation, business confidence and consumer confidence indices.
“The current performance of the PMI is also against the backdrop of a rebound in expected business conditions in April 2019 and is reassuring,” Ade said.
Of greater concern, though, according to Ade, is the high volatility and heightened uncertainty in the trajectory of the PMI subindices – namely business activity, inventories, suppliers’ performance, employment and new sales orders – which do not provide much confidence to purchasing executives. He said particular references are made to the slight dip in suppliers’ performance and employment indices and the acute decrease in the inventories sub-index, recording 53.4, 41.9 and 42.5 points respectively.
Ade said the April reading of the inventory sub-index indicates a sharp contraction from an expansionary zone in March and is worrisome. He said the trend could delay or even clog chain manufacturing processes, thus spelling serious trouble for manufacturing production lines in a subdued domestic economic growth environment.
“Typically, manufacturing entails division of tasks and capital or labour is supposed to complete a particular task before a product moves to the next position in the production chain. In a situation where there is nonperformance by contractors, shortage of material, inventory or labour, including partial delivery as reflected by the divergent data of the PMI sub-indices, there will be a negative impact on a set of sequential manufacturing operations.
“These include negative effects on production lines in smelters, mills or factories, where inputs are refined to produce intermediate or final products, with grave implications for the broader economy,” Ade said.
He added that the improved performance of the composite PMI is encouraging, given the tough economic environment for local businesses, which must also worry about galloping petrol prices as well as rising energy and input costs, while planning production processes.
This is according to Prof. Marcia Mkansi, an Associate Professor at the Department of Operations Management at UNISA and one of the organizers of the upcoming African Operations Management Conference, to be staged alongside Africa Automation Fair in June this year.
Prof. Marcia Mkansi, an Associate Professor at the Department of Operations Management at UNISA and one of the organizers of the upcoming African Operations Management Conference.
Mkansi says South Africa still lags world automation leaders such as Germany and China and even fellow BRICS country India in terms of industrial automation progress. “We shouldn’t fall behind and become consumers and adopters of foreign intellectual property. We need to see sectors such as mining, agriculture, manufacturing and healthcare innovating to address challenges unique to our continent.”
Mkansi says that while South Africa has made slow progress, lacking the necessary skills, scale and business confidence to build globally competitive factories, there are still significant opportunities for 4th Industrial Revolution progress, “there is still a chance for South Africa to take the lead in Africa, but it needs a national effort,” she says.
She notes that automation cuts across all sectors and is not limited to manufacturing or industry. “Automation is the future – it is the basis of the 4th Industrial Revolution. You see it in the service industry, for example, where airports use scanners instead of staff to check passports and where restaurants have automated payment terminals.”
To make 4th Industrial Revolution progress, South Africa needs to embrace a triple helix approach in which government, industry and academia make a coherent commitment to work together to support the country’s ambitions, she says. “We need more emphasis on STEM skills and innovation development at grassroots level. We need industry and academia to collaborate to ensure that skills meet industry needs,” she says. Mkansi notes that UNISA is currently collaborating with the Society for Automation, Instrumentation, Measurement and Control (SAIMC) to introduce South Africa’s first formal automation qualification, to be delivered through UNISA’s department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.
“Our partnership with Africa Automation Fair is another example of us being proactive in bringing together stakeholders across academia, industry and government to improve collaboration,” she says. The African Operations Management Conference will run alongside Africa Automation Fair for the first time this year, allowing conference delegates access to the Africa Automation Fair exhibition area and networking opportunities.
The African Operations Management Conference will bring together over 100 industry giants and experienced academics to exchange ideas, concepts and research. Speakers at this year’s conference will include the likes of Professor Norman McLennan of the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, who is a trusted business improvement advisor across the breadth of commercial and supply chain activities and is currently advising the China Ocean Engineering Shanghai Co; and Simon Carpenter, Chief Technology Advisor at SAP Africa responsible for leading SAP Africa’s Digital Transformation initiatives with a focus on Business Innovation and Thought leadership and providing direction to SAP’s customers and partners on emerging business and technology issues such as OT/ IT Convergence, Big Data, Business Network Transformation, Mobility, Cloud Computing and Business Process Management.
The 2nd African Operations Management Conference will be held from 4 – 6 June 2019 at the Ticketpro Dome in Northgate, Johannesburg. Running alongside Africa Automation Fair, the African Operations Management Conference will be presented by UNISA and supported by the National Research Foundation. The theme for this year’s conference will be ‘Competitive Operations Management for Driving Automation in Africa Forward’. For more information, please visit www.aomc.co.za
The Connected Industries Conference at Africa Automation Fair 2019 will focus on the economic impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0 / IIoT) on South – and Sub-Saharan Africa, and how to bring this technology shift to South Africa. The Africa Automation Fair 2019 exhibition and conference will illustrate ways to overcome manufacturing stagnation and fast track growth, by showcasing the latest technologies, solutions and models for next generation manufacturing.
Africa Automation Fair is a focused networking platform for the Automation and Control Industry and works closely with industry associations including the IIG and SAIMC. The fair targets senior buyers from South Africa, the rest of Africa and invites participation from international buyers. Presented by Reed Exhibitions, Africa Automation Fair and the Connected Industries Conference will be staged from 4 – 6 June 2019 at the Ticketpro Dome, Northgate, Johannesburg.
CECIMO, the European Association for the additive manufacturing (AM) sector, welcomes the introduction of a new classification provision for AM machines in the product nomenclature, used by more than 200 countries.
Maintained by the World Customs Organizations (WCO), this product nomenclature is technically known as Harmonized System and is used by authorities to classify goods in international trade. The introduction of this new classification code, initially proposed by the EU on the basis of CECIMO’s inputs, will improve the collection of statistics on international trade of AM machines by material used. It will also facilitate the inclusion of AM machines in bilateral or multilateral trade deal talks across the world, as this product nomenclature is used as common language in trade negotiations.
“Standardization is of vital importance in the industrialization of AM. Work is progressing on standards on materials, processes and applications. In addition to standardization, we are glad to have contributed to the inclusion of AM machines in the systematic list of commodities applied by most trading nations in the world. This action will fill another vacuum in the standards’ landscape, leading to greater official intelligence on AM machine market dynamics and therefore, helping to draft more accurate strategies for the AM sector’’, said Filip Geerts, Director General at CECIMO.
Officially approved by parties adhering to the WCO’s Harmonized System, the new classification code for AM machines will enter into force from 1 January 2022 as part of a revised product nomenclature. CECIMO is now supporting EU custom officials on the formal definition of an AM machine, which will intend to describe the new code.
Microsoft Corp. and online education leader OpenClassrooms are announcing a new partnership to train and prepare students for artificial intelligence (AI) jobs in the workplace.
The collaboration is designed to provide more students with access to education to learn in-demand skills and to qualify for high-tech jobs, while giving employers access to great talent to fill high-tech roles.
OpenClassrooms is the leading online education-to-employment platform in the world, with millions of students across 170 countries. OpenClassrooms will recruit 1,000 promising candidates throughout France, the UK and the U.S
The masters-level online program combines OpenClassrooms programming with Microsoft content and project-based tasks tailored to the AI roles that employers are aiming to fill. The fully online program is intentionally designed to produce high-quality graduates in large numbers by leveraging OpenClassrooms’ popular platform together with up-to-date content and built-in connections to employers looking to fill AI roles. This model benefits students and employers, who gain a cost-efficient pipeline for recruiting new talent.
The demand for next-generation artificial intelligence skills has far outpaced the number of candidates in the job market. One estimate suggests that, by 2022, a talent shortage will leave as many as 30% of AI and data skills jobs open.
“The demand for AI and machine learning opportunities has never been stronger,” says OpenClassrooms co-founder and CEO Pierre Dubuc. “We’re excited to be an innovation partner to Microsoft to usher in new tactics that will bring top talent to the workforce.”
Students who complete the program are guaranteed a job within six months or they will receive a full refund from OpenClassrooms. They will also earn a masters-level diploma accredited in Europe through OpenClassrooms, which is based in Paris, France. The company is actively seeking accreditation in the U.K. and U.S.
“As AI is changing the way we work and the nature of jobs, we have a responsibility to ensure graduates are prepared for the workplace of tomorrow,” says Jean-Philippe Courtois, Executive Vice President and President, Global Sales, Marketing and Operations at Microsoft. “We are excited to partner with OpenClassrooms to help equip people with the skills and opportunities they need to thrive in the digital economy.”
Microsoft and the BMW Group announced recently, a new community initiative to enable faster, more cost-effective innovation in the manufacturing sector.
In manufacturing today, production and profitability can be hindered by complex, proprietary systems that create data silos and slow productivity. The Open Manufacturing Platform (OMP) is designed to break down these barriers through the creation of an open technology framework and cross-industry community. It is expected to support the development of smart factory solutions that will be shared by OMP participants across the automotive and broader manufacturing sectors. The goal is to significantly accelerate future Industrial IoT developments, shorten time to value and drive production efficiencies while addressing common industrial challenges. Built on the Microsoft Azure Industrial IoT cloud platform, the OMP is intended to provide community members with a reference architecture with opensourced components based on open industrial standards as well as an open data model. In addition to facilitating collaboration, this platform approach unlocks and standardizes data models that enable analytics and machine learning scenarios – data that has traditionally been managed in proprietary systems.
Utilizing industrial use cases and sample code, community members and other partners will be able to develop their own services and solutions while maintaining control over their data.
“Microsoft is joining forces with the BMW Group to transform digital production efficiency across the industry,” said Scott Guthrie, Executive Vice-President, Microsoft Cloud and AI Group. “Our commitment to building an open community will create new opportunities for collaboration across the entire manufacturing value chain.”
With currently over 3,000 machines, robots and autonomous transport systems connected with the BMW Group IoT Platform, which is built on Microsoft Azure’s cloud, IoT and AI capabilities, the BMW Group plans to contribute relevant initial use cases to the OMP community. One example is the company’s use of their IoT platform for the second generation of its autonomous transport systems in the BMW Group plant in Regensburg, one of 30 production and assembly sites worldwide. This has enabled the BMW Group to greatly simplify its logistics processes via a central coordination of the transport system, creating greater logistics efficiency. In the future, this and other use cases, such as digital feedback loops, digital supply chain management and predictive maintenance, will be made available, and in fact, developed further within the OMP community, with the BMW Group retaining ownership of its pre-existing business Intellectual Property (IP) and data.
“Mastering the complex task of producing individualized premium products requires innovative IT and software solutions,” said Oliver Zipse, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, responsible for production. “The interconnection of production sites and systems, as well as the secure integration of partners and suppliers, are particularly important. We have been relying on cloud services since 2016 and are consistently developing new approaches. With the Open Manufacturing Platform as the next step, we want to make our solutions available to other companies and jointly leverage potential in order to secure our strong position in the market in the long term.”
The OMP is the next evolution in the BMW Group and Microsoft’s long-standing technology partnership and mutual commitment to innovation and creating industry-wide opportunities for collective success. Through the OMP, community members will have greater opportunities to unlock the potential of their data, allowing them to build and integrate industrial solutions more quickly and securely and in turn, benefit from contributing to and learning from other organizations.
The OMP will be designed to address common industrial challenges such as machine connectivity and on-premises systems integration. This will facilitate the reuse of software solutions among OEMs, suppliers and other partners, significantly reducing implementation costs. For example, a ROSbased robotics standard for autonomous transport systems for production and logistics will be contributed to the OMP for everyone to use. The OMP is compatible with the existing Industry 4.0 reference architecture, leveraging the industrial interoperability standard OPC UA.
“This is very good news for the manufacturing industry,” says Stefan Hoppe, President and CEO of the OPC Foundation. “The use of open international industry standards such as OPC UA in the OMP community enables manufacturers, machine builders and suppliers to integrate their existing equipment and systems efficiently and securely. For a long time, companies have promoted proprietary, closed ecosystems – the OMP commitment to open development will shape tomorrow’s manufacturing”.
The underlying platform will continue to evolve over time, along with manufacturing requirements, to incorporate new innovations including areas of analytics, artificial intelligence and digital feedback loops.
The broader OMP community is being formed now, with recruitment of additional partners underway. The OMP Advisory Board is expected to be in operation with an initial set of 4-6 partners in place and a minimum of 15 use cases rolled out into select production environments by the end of 2019. The two initial partners, Microsoft and the BMW Group, encourage other manufacturers and suppliers including companies from outside the automotive industry to join the community.
Umati, universal machine tool interface, has chalked up further major successes on its way to becoming an internationally recognized standard interface for machine tool communication with higher-level IT systems.
“Our newly founded OPC UA Joint Working Group (JWG) started work in mid-February, and we have also succeeded in encouraging two other well-known control manufacturers to come on board: B&R Automation from Austria and Mitsubishi Electric from Japan,” said Dr. Alexander Broos, Head of Research and Development at VDW. umati is also supported by the control producers Beckhoff, Bosch Rexroth, Fanuc, Heidenhain and Siemens. “We now have all the major manufacturers of CNC controls for machine tools on board with umati,” said a pleased Götz Görisch, umati project manager at VDW.
The VDW launched umati in 2017 together with eight well-known machine tool manufacturers as part of the Connectivity for Industry 4.0 project. A major demonstration installation with international partners is planned for EMO Hannover 2019. “There is still a lot to do before then,” said Görisch from VDW. The OPC UA specification for machine tools will need to be available by then, and the necessary prerequisites and adaptations must also be in place in the participants’ machines and controls. The first use cases will then be showcased in Hannover. In the meantime, 130 employees from 60 companies in twelve countries have registered to participate in the JWG.
Andreas Argubi-Wollesen, LaFT, “Support elements are pneumatically stiffened,
relieving the jacket wearer of the need to
bear weigh in certain positions.
Photo: Nikolaus Fecht
Notable regular guests at EMO Hannover include scientists who are there not only to pick up new ideas, but also to inspire exhibitors with their work. Among these visitors is Prof. Jens P. Wulfsberg, who develops interdisciplinary technical support systems for production at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Hamburg.
“OK, so what you’re talking about is ergonomic weapon systems.” “That’s exciting – you’re turning Bundeswehr soldiers into Ironman.” These were typical comments from my friends when they heard that I was researching into The development of exoskeletons at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Hamburg”. “The development work is not being carried out for the military,” explains Wulfsberg, head of the Laboratory of Production Engineering (LaFT) at Helmut Schmidt University in Hamburg, a few days later. Ergonomic Smart Assist aids are being developed at LaFT in an interdisciplinary team. According to a LaFT flyer, these are technical support systems that people are really interested in. More than 20 different exoskeletons have already been developed – from ankle orthoses to muscle gloves.
Exoskeletons should be affordable, portable and lightweight
“The aim of our exoskeletal systems is to help reduce workplace injuries,” explains sports scientist Andreas Argubi-Wollesen, senior biomechanic at the LaFT-Institut für Konstruktions- und Fertigungstechnik (LaFT Institute for Construction and Manufacturing Engineering). “Our systems are designed to take the muscular strain out of certain tasks and not to cause additional problems through their own weight.” The sociologist Dr. Athanasios Karafillidis is not only interested in the acceptance levels of the eventual wearers of the exoskeletons, he is also involved in developing related ideas and classifications. “It was not our intention to create a superhuman Ironman in the form of an exoskeleton,” emphasizes the deputy head of the Smart Assist working group. “The request was for an affordable, portable and easy-to-apply support system that features as little technology as possible.”
Facilitating overhead work
“We didn’t set out to create an exoskeleton. We were given the task of developing support components,” says the LaFT manager, looking back. “The first request came from the Airbus plant in Hamburg, which wanted to relieve the strain on its workers while carrying out overhead work.” The first functional models were tested there back in 2016. The main focus is on prevention, i.e. reducing the number of days lost to sickness, through the avoidance of overexertion. Actually creating such a system was initially difficult because no-one had any idea about the possibilities. The team set about the task in an interdisciplinary and pragmatic manner: it developed the first components, which it then tested directly on site. In order to reduce development times and costs, the Hanseatic researchers also apply the Lego principle in their work: the components should be modular and capable of being combined to form customized systems.
The researchers’ interdisciplinary playground is located in the basement of the university. Argubi-Wollesen demonstrates a jacket, “we are planning the use of intelligent clothing with individual support elements which are pneumatically stiffened under negative pressure. The garments relieve the wearer of the need to bear weight in certain positions.” Pneumatics, electric motors or memory alloys which deform when electrical voltage is applied, can be used as drives.
Acceptance plays an important role
Acceptance is important in all this. Some people welcome the systems as cool, hightech gimmicks, while others reject them as crutches which supposedly make them look weak. Such reactions play a role, especially in conspicuous systems such as Lucy. Argubi- Wollesen helps me into the backpack-shaped exoskeleton. I raise my arms, it hisses – Lucy engages pneumatically to support the weight. I suddenly feel stronger and more powerful and realise that I can now hold a heavy object over my head for longer. I lower my arms and the pneumatic assistance dissipates. “Lucy is a typical active system that is only deployed for specific applications,” explains the biomechanic. “We can adjust it individually so that it only activates in certain positions with individually adjustable force levels. When you reach for a smartphone or a tool, for example, it turns itself off.” This is because complete assumption of all work would result in weakening of the musculature and that is not the purpose of the support systems.
RFID sensors to detect tools
In order to develop practicable systems, the researchers examine typical work processes with the aid of sensors and so-called 3D motion caption systems. “This enables us to see how much muscular effort is involved in certain movements,” explains Argubi- Wollesen. “Then we test the exoskeleton to see how much support it gives the wearer. Laboratory tests with power support reveal an average of 20 to 30 per cent muscular relief. In practical measurements conducted at automobile manufacturers such as Ford, individual alleviation levels of up to 50 per cent have already been achieved with heavy tools.”
The system can now be adapted for specific applications such as drilling, grinding or milling. Karafillidis, “in the future, intelligent exoskeletons will presumably be able to detect the degree of individual strain directly via sensors and adapt the level of support accordingly.” However, the method also raises questions about data monitoring: what do we want to capture and what is allowed? “For us as ethical researchers, it is not acceptable to monitor employees in this way – nor is it legal. As with all modern technologies, there also needs to be social consensus on how to deal responsibly with the technological possibilities which this opens up,” continues Karafillidis.
Jens P. Wulfsberg, Head of the Production Engineering Laboratory (LaFT) at Helmut Schmidt Universityy, Hamburg, “We didn’t set out to create an exoskeleton. We were given the task of developing support components. Photo: Nikolaus Fecht
The Hamburg researchers also have their sights set on machine assembly: Wulfsberg leads me to an assembly site where an internally developed small machine tool feed unit with two degrees of freedom driven by two piezo actuators is being assembled (travel range: 1.6mm x 3.5mm, accuracy: 1μm). The drive element is intended for use in the construction of small machine tools required for microproduction, the manufacture of very small components such as those used in medical technology or the watch industry. The technician is assisted by movable elements that support his arms while he is working. These are tailor-made grip plates that LaFT produces by means of 3D printing. The Hamburg-based researchers use a robot to monitor the assembly processes. The robot’s sensors can be used to record the paths travelled and the forces. Wulfsberg: “we can use the recorded motion sequences to refine the assembly process.” Practical application in the field of medical technology is already planned.
Head of LaFt, Jens P. Wulfsberg, demonstrating how 3D-printed arm supports can aid fitters in their work, based on a feed unit for mini 2D machine tools. Photo: Nikolaus Fecht
Research at EMO Hannover 2019
The scientist is certain that support systems will become more important in the field of occupational health and safety in the future. In his capacity as an exoskeleton researcher, Wulfsberg is not only interested in systems for occupational safety at EMO Hannover 2019, but also in small machine tools for microproduction. After all, LaFT has already conducted research into small machine tools for small workpieces in its DFG SPP1476 programme. Wulfsberg, “I am also keen to discuss the construction of small, inexpensive machine tools for microproduction with manufacturers in Hanover. So it will be interesting for me to visit manufacturers of micro machining centres, for example.” This is certainly a possibility, as the EMO homepage currently lists 20 manufacturers in the category micromachining centres. Chiron, Benzinger, Datron, Fehlmann, GF Machining, Hermle, Kern, Kummer, Schaublin Machines, Sodick Willemin-Macodel and Yasda are some of the possible candidates.
ISCAR is expanding the range of BHD MB boring heads with a digital display by extending their connection sizes with MB32 and MB40, adding to the MB50, MB63 and MB80 sizes that are already available.
The clear digital display features a mm/inch value display selection that helps prevent human errors, Ø0.002mm (.0001 in) high adjusting accuracy, and a simple pre-loaded adjusting process, a 5mm (.2 in) mm radial stroke and 40 bar maximum coolant pressure. The displays are waterproof and coated with hard touch highly resistant coating.
For more information, please contact Iscar South Africa – Tel: 011 997-2700.
The 4th Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) is driven by the rapid growth in processing, communication networks and data storage capabilities.
Industry 4.0 focusses on the intelligent, horizontal and vertical networking of people, machines, objects and ICT systems for the dynamic management of complex systems.
But what are the benefits of these systems and what is driving the 4.0 revolution?
There is a need for flexibility and flexible machines. The ability to quickly change production to react to customer demands. Multi-purpose machines, must be able to produce a range of product types on a single machine, with short changeover and set-up times.
While there is the need for transparency, all machines and company systems must be able to communicate through one network and protocol. The complete production process must be visible, in order to optimize monitoring and improving maintenance processes.
There is a need for flexible machines that can produce small batches, customized on a make to order basis and a need for maximum machine availability, early detection of faults and reduction of unexpected machine events, culminating in systems for simple fault finding and self-correction with maintenance carried out on an as required scenario based on actual machine state feedback. Spare parts are ordered and stocked according to real time information.
Resources need to be used efficiently with minimization of waste. The interface between human and machine is simple, comfortable for flexible machine control, using the latest technologies such as IPads and cell phones.
How do such requirements affect the machine builder and automation blueprint? Machines providing ease of use, flexibility and optimal efficiency will, in themselves, require more design input and use of the latest technologies.
All designs are now being produced in 3D CAD using digital software platforms. This has greatly improved accuracy as well reduction in design time. Such designs can now simulate and animate the machine function while it is possible to check the interaction between machine functions. At this level the animation is controlled by the design platform. From CAD designs as well as machine design requirements, it is possible to design the automation platform including motors, gearboxes, control logic, sensors and function. Taking both the CAD design and the automation platform, the motion, control, visualization, network and other software are developed.
The next major step with I 4.0 is combining the CAD and automation platform so that the machine animation is controlled by a simulated automation control system. The end result of combining these two platforms is called a digital twin.
The concept of a digital twin in future automation systems includes machines that are developed and designed in modules. Such modules are combined in digital format to simulate a production line. Complete simulation prior to manufacture allows for testing, improvements, checking human interface and many other benefits prior to manufacture. As actual manufacturing times and costs can then be reduced, it is also possible to train line operators on digital platforms.
Machines will have a large quantity of sensors providing direct feedback to the local network via OPC UA. This is now a universal standard protocol for such communication. For example, motors will directly transmit temperature, pressure transducers transmit pressure to name a few. All devices will transmit information.
Another change in Automation includes the digital twin operating in parallel to the actual machine. The machine has its own control system. The digital twin is given the same commands. The digital twin is also receiving all the data from sensors and installed devices and compares this data to expected data. The digital twin can then determine if corrections need to be made to the control settings of the actual machine control. Machines will then self-correct and optimise. The control system, sensors and digital twin can send data to local edge devices or the cloud.
For more information, please contact Reef Engineering & Manufacturing – Tel: 011 864-1730.
While many assume press brakes to be mature technology, AMADA continues to push the boundaries of what can be achieved with this core metalforming process.
As a result of recent developments, the company can offer a number of important automation advancements that are designed to deskill and reduce costs for fabrication shops everywhere.
A piece of integral technology able to advance productivity is AMADA’s innovative ATC (automatic tool changer). The HG-ATC is the company’s flagship press brake and is unique in the marketplace. ATC technology facilitates the automatic locating and precise loading of punch and die profiles using an independent four-axis tool manipulator, delivering dramatic time gains. In fact, using a clever algorithm to guarantee the best set-up time means the HG-ATC can load even the most complex tool layout within just 3 minutes.
HG-ATC press brakes can also be equipped with AMADA SF75 sheet followers. These handy devices, which fit to the front of the machine, make it easier to handle large, heavy parts, which perhaps would have previously required two operators. As a result, labour costs can be immediately halved.
Of course, most people associate automation with robotics, and here AMADA’s latest offering is the HG-ARs. This robotized bending cell, which is equipped with the new AC-300 automatic pallet changer and ATC, perfectly illustrates all the productivity and flexibility gains that can be achieved using the latest automation technology. Material load/ unload and bending functions are performed by a seven-axis articulated robot, which is capable of a complete range of motions.
A seven-axis robot also features in AMADA’s HG-Rm press brake system for bending large-scale parts featuring complex rib and panel shapes. Here, special grippers dedicated to rib parts are used to process complex shapes in short cycle times. The automatic re-gripping device, which does not require any manual set-up, is equipped with two motorized arms and automatic scissor supports.
From a software perspective, AMADA can offer its advanced VPSS 3i suite for the provision of streamlined workflow from initial 3D CAD model to finished product, taking in processes such as cutting, punching, bending and welding. The key to the success of the VPSS 3i system is the constant data link between the separate software modules (such as Blank CAM, Bend CAM and Weld CAM), the machines and the central database. This database stores all parts, machines, tools, materials and technology-related information in a consistent way, distributing the data quickly and reliably. All of AMADA’s automation solutions incorporate the latest digital technologies in line with smart factory concepts.
For more information, please contact AMADA – Tel: 011 453-5459.
