ERROR-PROOFING OPERATORS WITH INTELLIGENT PROBING ROUTINES
PROBING WITH POKA-YOKE SAFETY GATE REDUCES DOWNTIME
A poka-yoke is any mechanism in a lean manufacturing process that helps an equipment operator avoid (yokeru) mistakes (poka). Its purpose is to eliminate product defects by preventing, correcting, or drawing attention to human errors as they occur. The mis-loading of stock is the most common user error at any machine cell. In the few cases where a Fanuc robot is not available or applicable, Central Screw Products looks for ways to use automated technology to error-proof workflows.
Using physical safety gates is an effective method for error proofing the human process in lean manufacturing. The probing routine ensures the part is loaded safely to avoid risk to the manufacturing cell. This procedural “safety gate” is a fast, automated, and reconfigurable way to reduce cost and maintain on-time delivery.
At CSP, we use Renishaw and Blum probes at every milling machine on our shop floor. While familiarity with probing technology has increased throughout modern manufacturing, its application is often resisted due to cycle time contribution. Concise probing routines using both Renishaw and Blum Probes in sequence demonstrate efficiency improvements with only marginal cycle time increases.
Despite the marginal cycle time increase, we create more value on our floor with increased efficiency and fewer operator errors. We developed a simple macro routine for probing stock location to ensure operators follow procedure and eliminate non-conforming part production.
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SUCCESS MEASURED BEYOND TOOL LIFE
USING SMARTER TOOL MANAGEMENT FEATURES IN MAKINO A-51NX MILLS
The Makino brand is universally renowned for high-power, high-speed precision equipment. However, all of this capability comes to a halt without smart tool management.
Central Screw Products use our Makinos to machine demanding super alloys like Inconel 718. Using the tool management features built into our Makino, in conjunction with Haimer holders and OSG drills, our OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) has nearly doubled! This increased uptime in our spindles makes CSP a leader in super alloy machining.
The Makino A51NX provides a sophisticated array of tool management features. For example, we can monitor and replace tools based on time, the number of workpieces, or even active parameters from spindle load monitoring or external broken tool detection.
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