Tool Management

Tool Management – For Highest Efficiency

Roed­ers is the leader in tool man­age­ment for automa­tion. The automa­tion, if intend­ed for, serves the machines not only with work­pieces but also with tools direct­ly into the machine tool chang­er. With this the machine tool chang­er is extend­ed with cost effi­cient exter­nal tool places in the cen­tral mag­a­zine of the automa­tion. The tool chang­ers in the machines may be kept small­er and more cost-effec­tive. The oper­a­tor does not need to wor­ry about the machine tool chang­ers. The sup­ply with tools to the machines and back in a cell sole­ly takes place from the cen­tral magazine.

Forward-looking supply

The automa­tion loads for­ward-look­ing required tools into the machine tool chang­er and unloads tools not need­ed any­more or worn while a work­piece is machined.

Tool-ID

The tools are put on pre-defined places in the mag­a­zine. Each tool type has a pre-defined place in the mag­a­zine. Also sis­ter tools are pos­si­ble. High­er secu­ri­ty against mis­takes may be achieved by using a data matrix code. Already when the cut­ter is put into the tool hold­er the code on the tool hold­er is read and there­with the tool type defined. The tool hold­er with the data matrix code may be put on any place in the mag­a­zine. The automa­tion scans and rec­og­nizes it.

Extra wear area

Worn tools are not put back to their pre-defined places in the mag­a­zine but into an extra wear area. A quick visu­al check is enough to deter-mine, whether any worn tools need to be replaced.

Central data base

All tool data in a work­shop, also for sev­er­al auto­mat­ed cells, is stored in one data base sys­tem. This allows check­ing any time, where a tool may be found and what its sta­tus is. Data for tool types may eas­i­ly and cen­tral­ly be edited.

Tool cache functionality

The oper­a­tor deter­mines, which tool types are used often and there­fore should always be avail­able in the machine tool chang­er. The automa­tion con­se­quent­ly imple­ments this. In case such a tool is worn the automa­tion imme­di­ate­ly replaces it by a sis­ter tool. The remain­ing tool places in the machine tool chang­ers are used to sup­ply the machine with tools need­ed for the cur­rent oper­a­tion, if need­ed also with spe­cial tools. This min­i­mizes the num­ber of tool changes between the machine tool chang­er and the magazine.