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With the TMS Tool Management Solutions software from ZOLLER, manufacturing companies can quickly and easily create a comprehensive database for digitized tool management.
Christoph Zoller, CEO of the family-owned technology company E. Zoller GmbH & Co. KG, based in Pleidelsheim, Germany, which specializes in the economic management of cutting tools, responds to the reservations of medium-sized manufacturing companies regarding the digitization of tool organization and management: With our TMS Tool Management Solutions software, users can transfer data from individual tables, catalogs, and the Internet at the touch of a button». This allows them to quickly and conveniently create the basis for comprehensive digitization of internal processes related to the use of cutting tools. «
The most notable advantages of digitalized tool management include:
All areas involved in production benefit from these advantages: purchasing, CAD design, CAD/CAM programming, tool preparation with measurement, adjustment, assembly and disassembly, tool storage, and machine adjusters. Production itself minimizes downtime and the risk of damage to machines and tools due to collisions.
Robin Bender, project manager for ZOLLER's TMS Tool Management Solutions software, comments on the creation of master data for digitalized tool management: "Our software can be flexibly integrated according to individual requirements. Master data can be transferred quickly and easily, for example, from frequently used tables in standard Excel software». ZOLLER provides a standardized table (a template) for this purpose. Using this template, the TMS Tool Management Solutions software reads the tool data in a very short time and stores it in the designated data fields. The data from the existing individual tables only needs to be converted to fit the ZOLLER standard table, i.e., entered in the corresponding columns. «Of course, we help our customers with conversion software. To do this, we only need the formatting of the individual tables. The tool data is then transferred to our tool management software at the touch of a button», explains Robin Bender.
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Robin Bender describes importing data via the ToolsUnited internet platform from Cimsource in Aachen (www.cimsource.com) as another very convenient and fast method of data acceptance. It can be accessed directly from the ZOLLER software. There, you can make a primary selection of standard tools from a wide range of international tool manufacturers. With a click of the mouse»,« you can select each one individually and start data acceptance», reports Robin Bender.
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The ZOLLER software has an integrated interface for this purpose. Individual tools can be transferred using the manufacturers' reference numbers/item numbers. If desired, you can select by machining process and display complete lists. The selection can be refined using additional criteria such as diameters, lengths, or number of cutting edges. With a single keystroke, the selected tools are imported into the TMS Tool Management Solutions software. To do this, you only need to enter an individual
identification number.
If desired, this can be automated for complete tool lists. In this way, with minimal effort and in a very short time, a wide selection of standard tools can be entered into the tool management software. A particular advantage is that the standardized parameters of the manufacturers' tools are included and, if desired, 3D graphics for current CAD/CAM programming and simulation systems. When investing in ZOLLER software, you only need to purchase a (temporary) license for the ToolsUnited internet platform.
If manufacturing companies work primarily with tools from a single manufacturer or a few manufacturers, it is also worthwhile to perform automated data acceptance directly from their digital catalogs on the Internet. However, data acceptance depends on the options made available by the respective manufacturers. Robin Bender comments: "Some tool manufacturers only make complete catalogs available as data sets, while others also offer selection criteria, for example, based on characteristics. In the latter case, individually predefined tool lists can be transferred». This is possible because the master data for the tools is stored and designated in a largely standardized manner.
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Robin Bender adds: "Of course, specialists can still individually edit the tool data automatically entered in the ZOLLER software. This allows them to assign their own master data numbers using the editing function or add additional fields for list selection».
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If manufacturing companies work with individual tools, these can be defined and saved in the TMS Tool Management Solutions software using input fields with a wide variety of parameters and criteria. First, the staff selects a machining process for the tool to be created, for example, milling. A master data sheet for milling tools then appears on the screen. This includes the parameters and geometries that must be defined for this tool category», explains Robin Bender. «
First, an identification number must be assigned, followed by the data describing the tool in question. Robin Bender comments: "The advantage of our tool management software is that data that does not necessarily have to be determined individually is already specified with standard values. Therefore, a few parameters are usually sufficient to define a tool appropriately for use in tool management». These include, for example, some basic dimensions. Other details, such as the angle of incidence on the cutting edges and similar geometries, can be specified more precisely at a later stage, as far as this is necessary for use in CAD/CAM systems, presetting, and CNC machines.
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This individual data entry is available in the TMS Tool Management Solutions software, which can be selected for monoblock tools, e.g., solid carbide milling cutters, and for complete composite tools. In the case of the latter, automatic plausibility checks in accordance with DIN 4000 ensure that only complete tools that are reasonable and technically feasible are specified and stored. In this way, ZOLLER software guarantees maximum process reliability.
If the tool management software already includes components, complete tools can be created in a partially automated manner. To do this, the staff only has to select the desired components, for example, the tool holder, the collet, and the solid carbide drill bit. After checking that the geometries are suitable, the ZOLLER software automatically assembles the complete tool. To save it, a master number is entered and a separate data set is created. The tool management software automatically creates a 3D model (volume model) for CAD/CAM programming and simulation.
Of course, ZOLLER specialists help professionals in manufacturing companies to install the TMS Tool Management Solutions software and to select and create master data
. We want to pave the way for complete digitization with all its advantages, especially for small businesses. To this end, we provide you with our extensive technical knowledge and practical industrial experience. Users can fully rely on the expertise of our qualified specialists. We provide detailed advice on the best procedures for entering data into our software. In addition, we have designed the software to be very intuitive to use. This means that even staff with little experience in using software can successfully and profitably implement our tool management software in a very short time after minimal training», emphasizes Christoph Zoller. «
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