Quality Control

Brankamp CMS-02 System for Collision Monitoring

Marposs Corp. has announced the availability of its new Brankamp CMS-02 stand-alone system for collision monitoring and crash damage mitigation in machine tools. The system employs a ceramic strain sensor to detect irregularities in the production process by measuring elastic deformation in the range of 0.1 microns, and both slow and dynamically increasing forces which have damage potential. It then reacts extremely fast--in the range of 1 millisecond--by sending a stop signal to E-STOP helping to alleviate or even eliminate machine crashes that can result in high repair costs and long downtimes.

Establishing an effective machine tool and spindle service program

If a spindle breaks down, what is your company’s plan of action? Is it the most practical and efficient way to deal with a down spindle? Spindles need maintenance at varying intervals based on the length and design of their operation. Normal use of any machine will cause wear and tear, the spindle being the component that receives the majority of the wear. It is necessary for spindles to run at the right speeds and feeds to minimize wear. Because of this, a good spindle program should consider the specific operational information of each individual spindle.

In digital manufacturing, the supplier's real product is intellectual property

In the digitized manufacturing world being born, the product that a job-shop produces is less a piece of engineered metal and more a piece of intellectual property. So said Tom Kelly, the executive director and CEO of Detroit’s Automation Alley. That difference brings risks but also unprecedented opportunities for those who are ready.

Getting started with IIoT

I attended ‘Integr8,’ an Industrial Internet of Things conference hosted by Automation Alley at Detroit’s Renaissance Center last month. At numerous breakout sessions, a common question from participants was, “How do I get started with getting my shop floor connected?” This was an event full of experts enthused by the possibilities that IIoT hold for manufacturers, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear many of them reply, in effect: “With moderation.”