Web-based Machine Tool Monitoring - Systems and Software

The company has released the Internet version of the JobPack Machine Tool Monitoring System based on a Web server. Now machine status, real-time events and historical reports of performance and efficiency can be viewed anywhere across the globe via Internet PCs or PDAs, Up until now, engineers and managers had to be on a specific PC, connected to their network to get data. That has changed with the data being resident on the Web server in an HTML format.

Integrate TLC Tool Management - ITC Integrated Systems Inc.'s software with Infimacs II ERP suite for machine shops - Brief Article

The TLC Tool Management System from ITC Integrated Systems, Inc. is now integrated within the Infimacs II ERP suite. It allows companies to more easily enforce discipline and management control over the flow of tools between one or more tool cribs and the shop floor. Without having to build an interface, Infimacs II users can schedule and reserve critical tools and kits for upcoming production. Calibration instructions and periodic maintenance schedules can be analyzed and enforced. Issues and receipt transactions are logged and appear on reports.

The system provides scheduling and maintenance information based on a tool's usage and duration between repairs. Inspection and warning reports inform the tool crib manager when to pull a gauge, fixture or other item for maintenance.

Versions of the system are offered for small, medium and large organizations, and users can migrate from the smaller versions through upgradesThe Independent Tool Code Standard (ITCS) numbering system standardizes the tooling nomenclature to accommodate both shopfloor users and automated tracking systems. An ITCS database and instructional documentation are provided.

Moving Day - Mitsubishi Machine Tool - Brief Article

Mitsubishi Machine Tool has relocated its North American headquarters to Addison, Illinois. Mitsubishi has closed the Hopkinsville, Kentucky, location and concentrated customer support in Addison. The company hopes the location will enhance customer support and communication with distributors

Global industry profiling: Machine tool industry

ABSTRACT: As their businesses globalize at increasing rates, managers need frameworks for analyzing industry activities on a worldwide basis. In this paper, a framework for global industry analysis is presented, using the machine tool industry to illustrate how industry overviews, global consumption and production analyses can be used to gain worldwide perspectives on industry behaviors. Breakdowns by company, segment, region and country markets help strategy formulation and resource allocations in the worldwide marketplace. Obtaining the right sorts of information is the key to insightful global analyses. The globalization of industry trade associations and on-line business news services are major sources of worldwide industry developments.

As world trade and investments have become common in increasing numbers of industries, the old tools of industry analysis have become less relevant. As companies have gone global, so the need to examine industry activities on a worldwide basis has become more acute. Various writers have looked at particular aspects of global industries (e.g., Porter, 1986) but the task of profiling global industries has largely been ignored. Contemporary treatments of industry analysis have traditionally stopped at national borders (e.g., Thompson and Strickland, 1999). But as resource allocations are increasingly made on a worldwide basis, companies should have frameworks to highlight the global dimensions of their industries.

The objective of this article is to present a framework for global 4industry analysis. The machine tool industry is used to illustrate the major facets of worldwide industry analysis, and to provide a framework managers can use for strategy crafting activities.

WHAT MANAGEMENT NEEDS FROM GLOBAL INDUSTRY ANALYSES

Managers need global overviews of industries to craft their international resource allocation strategies and to gain insights about market developments and competitor activities. Such overviews should include the following:

* Global Industry Overviews show how industries are structured from a national perspective (which countries are major players), a company perspective (leading firms), and where country and product expertise lie on the global market spectrum.

* Global Consumption Analyses show worldwide patterns of demand in aggregate, and at regional and country levels. Additional insights can be gained by looking at: market sizes and machine tool expenditures per capita; key market profiles; and country sales by major product groupings.

* Global Production Analyses show which countries are major producers and how firms deploy their resources to maximize their global sales impacts. Figure 1 summarizes the strategic significance of these analyses.

Vision-Based Tool Presetting Machine - Brief Article - Product Announcement

The Smile V300 vertical automatic cutting tool presetting machine provides consistent, user-independent measuring of virtually any type of cutting tool geometry, according to the company. It is installed on plant floors next to CNC machine tools.

The machine can accommodate tool length (Z) of 15.72" (400 mm), radius (X) of 4.88" (125 mm), and diameter of 9.76" (250 mm). Heidenhain measuring scales, one hand control linear axis movement and electronic axis fine adjustment assure precise positioning of the cutting tool

Vision-Based Tool Presetting Machine—Zoller, Booth D-4521 - Brief Article

The company will introduce a new vision-based tool presetting machine. The Smile V300 vertical automatic cutting tool presetting machine provides consistent, user-independent measuring of virtually any type of cutting tool geometry, according to the company. It is installed on plant floors next to CNC machine tools.

The machine can accommodate tool length (Z) of 15.72" (400 mm), radius (X) of 4.88" (125 mm), and diameter of 9.76" (250 m). Heidenhain measuring scales, simple one hand control linear axis movement and electronic axis fine adjustment assure simple, rapid and precise positioning of the cutting tool. The machine permits consistent presetting of boring bars to a nominal position, with convenient right hand orientation adjustment.

The company integrated a calibration edge to the left of the spindle nose in all adapters, eliminating the need for a separate zero gauge to calibrate

A 50-taper high precision spindle is standard, and ISO 50 steep taper, HSK and straight-shank adapters are available, as are 30, 40 and 45 taper adapters. For presetting turning tools, such as VDI tooling, an indexing device permits rapid 4 x 90-degree spindle positioning.

Capabilities of the system include 35x magnification; display accuracy of 0.0002" (0.005 mm); measurement in radius or diameter mode; and storage of 99 adapter zero points band at least 300 tool data records

Machine tool Data Transmission Unit - Systems and Software

The company announces its new Data Transmission Unit-III (DTU-3), which is said to provide a reliable method for DNC plus the ability to collect machine events, both automatic and manual, in one shop-hardened Ethernet device.

Thc unit collects data from the CNC with options for operator manual input. Data is presented via a Management-Administration module, featuring realtime status, event timeline and historical analysis reports via Microsoft Excel about what your machinery has been doing, what it hasn't been doing and why.

Simmons Machine

Simmons Machine Tool Carp, now offers Mobiturn[R] Wheel Truing Services[R]. The company provides seasonal and/or incremental maintenance wheel truing to customers in their own facilities,