The science of managing cutting tools is gaining bigger traction, with numerous solutions offered to customers. There are many stand-alone products such as Wintool, tdmsystems, machining cloud etc. that are specifically used by companies to manage cutting tools. However, while most tools do a decent job of managing the inventory of the cutting tools, new times dictate new demands for all kinds of manufacturers. Simply planning machining operations and maintaining a record of available tools is not enough – the modern metalworking industry requires virtual, non-material solutions that will be an essential feature of product lines of tomorrow.
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform can be leveraged to manage the cutting tools efficiently and to take it to the next level with options such as:
- Applying a lifecycle to tools
- Managing redundant or obsolete tools
- Managing changes in a formal controlled way
- Classifying tools into libraries with a central location that cab be shared across different manufacturing locations
Needless to say, having a centralized repository of the latest available tools that could be managed online on any mobile device has an immediate appeal to almost anyone in the manufacturing realm.
In the attached video, I have created a library of cutting tools, and have further created different classes for a variety of tools. Kindly note that the samples provided are for sparking ideas in the reader’s mind. By no means are these libraries comprehensive, but they could be built really well and robustly with every possible attribute applicable to the tools.
The video shows how tools that are classified into libraries could be easily filtered based on specific attribute values such as tool diameter or material. Once identified, users can simply drag & drop the tools into a viewer such as 3DPlay. Imagine the simplicity of this! A procurement specialist or an inventory manager not only can identify tools by their numbers, but can actually see and take basic measurements! This takes away the ambiguity that is so common when ordering new tools.
Further in the video, I also show how the users can leverage the classification of tools directly in the cutting tool builder app in DELMIA. It’s the same concept.. search the catalog, apply the needed attribute filter, and once the correct tool is identified, just insert it into the PPR context in the session.
When a new tool is created, it can be easily saved into the platform and classified into the appropriate class. What I haven’t shown in the video is how the attribute values that get generated when a tool is created, get saved into the appropriate library. This is achieved through configuration that maps the attributes from the tools to the library classes.
Lastly, many vendors of cutting tools such as ISCAR regularly provide files that could be directly imported into the databases. These exports are based on ISO 13399 standards or many such identical standards. Our platform has the ability to import the tools directly from such vendors. And once imported into the database, they could be classified into appropriate classes.
Manufacturers can then standardize on these tools across their entire departments and branches.
The benefits of this are immense. In addition to bringing uniformity across all divisions, it helps eliminate ambiguity in tool selection, and makes the shop floor manager’s life much more enjoyable.
