With the updates to the milling machine fleet at STIHL, the number of individual components and assembled tools is increasing sharply. This makes keeping a central overview of all of the components and data involved in the milling process a challenge. As an established manufacturer of presetting devices, ZOLLER offered the company a “digital outlook” and expandable solution right from the start with its tool management software. Today, centralized tool data management is a reality in test part service at STIHL, and digital process chains in tool handling have been completed – a path that has paid off.
Development-oriented process chain – high manufacturing flexibility
The spectrum of components involved in the STIHL test part service is highly diverse, encompassing almost all components that later make up the finished product. Besides all of the rapid prototyping technologies, shaping and machining processes are also used to quickly and efficiently supply prototypes to development. These processes require short lead and reaction times, a broad variety of materials, and widely varying parts quantities between 1 and 100 in internal NC processing. Because of this, the entire process chain uses high employee and machine flexibility to quickly manufacture individual prototypes at a high level of quality.
Starting point: Machine fleet updates put tool management in focus
Updates to the milling machine fleet in test part service at STIHL, which involved moving from 3 to 5-axis simultaneous processing, have facilitated a considerable increase in milling efficiency and a significant expansion of the component portfolio. An increase in the number of milling tools accompanied the update. Suddenly, 30 to 60 magazine locations were available, putting extra focus on tool management. “With the 3-axis machines, the diversity of tools was still easy to manage, and operators could quickly ask one another which one of them was working with which tool. With the new machine capacities and stronger focus on CAM programming, tools needed to be clearly defined, digitally recorded, and locally assigned,” Patrick Pfeffer, STIHL Project Manager for the introduction of the tool management system, says in describing the initial situation.
In focus: Digital networking
With the investment in presetting and measuring devices from ZOLLER, questions about the system’s capabilities for integration and expansion were in focus. How can measuring devices and software be optimally integrated into existing NC manufacturing at STIHL, and which interfaces to machines, CAM, or simulation systems are required? “Here, ZOLLER simply performed the best for our shop floor environment, impressing us with flexible software customizing,” says Christoph von Hiller, Group Leader in Prototype Construction at STIHL. “With a central tool database, software interfaces, and modular software, ZOLLER offered a digital outlook and clear opportunities for development – including with regard to tool management.”
The challenge: Direct data exchange between measuring device and machine
Direct data exchange with machines was the top priority in selecting presetting and measuring devices. Prototype construction uses about 450 mounted standard tools and almost 1000 individual components. These are available on 220 magazine locations on 5 milling machines and a turning/milling center. ZOLLER »venturion« presetting and measuring device communicates with the machines via Siemens MMT, transferring measurement and specification data for the tools through post processors. Magazine location assignment is called up at the same time and provided to the CAM programming.
The goal: All information in a single central database
Before the expansion of the milling machine fleet, no tool planning and administration tools were used in test part service at STIHL. The tools used were painstakingly constructed in the CAM system for specific applications; manufacturing equipment was neither documented nor inventoried; there was no administration for storage locations, and magazine location assignments were visible only to machine operators. All process knowledge, from tool-specific technology data to componentrelated information, was stored on a local basis by the employee involved. With the introduction of the new milling machine fleet, the goal was to link all equipment and combine all information relevant to manufacturing in a central database: Individual components, complete tools, technology data, fixtures and clamping devices, machines, orders, and capacity planning.
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