Proactive Manufacturing Increases Competitive Advantage in the Honing Machine Industry
Improving process to increase relevancy within the industry.
COMPANY PROFILE
Manufacturer of precision honing machines, tooling, abrasives that serves such industries as aerospace, automation and cylinder manufacturers.
BUSINESS SITUATION
The honing machine company wanted to continue to be an industry leader and was looking to be proactive in their manufacturing practices. They saw a decline in industry margins and that there wasn’t any one company that was differentiating themselves in the market. They were looking to improve manufacturing speed and inventory control as well as achieve less wear and tear on their machines. Additionally, they wanted to be able to troubleshoot situations that arose more quickly with alarming and machine feedback as well as remote technical support.
TECHNICAL SITUATION
The process of honing cylinders was very slow and had to be checked regularly by machinists to verify (mechanically) how close the finished product was to the needed specification. This was due to an older control system that was not meeting their needs. As a result, they were seeing, slow production times and a very manual process. Their control system was not providing them usable data or feedback. Their primary objective was to eliminate or reduce the time and effort needed to manufacture their products. They also wanted better feedback, more usable data, and historical information all based around a more standard control system that was widely used in the manufacturing industry.
SOLUTION
Partnering with Rockwell Automation, an industrial control solution was designed for their panel and machine sensors. This solution will help to differentiate them from their competition. There is also a large time savings for their customers when problems arise by having a “Smart System” that can be remotely supported. The Rockwell Automation Lifeline Cable Pull System was also integrated into their larger machine platform. This helped further differentiate them from their competition and add value for their customers. Moving forward, McNaughton-McKay will continue to help the honing machine company design safety solutions for their other machine platforms which will help them solidify their position as an industry leading in the honing industry.
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES USED
- Industrial Control – Conversion is in process of the Panel and Machine Sensors
- Safety – Cable Pull Switches and Light Curtains
- HMI – PV5500
- PLC – CompactLogix
- Servo Control – Kinetix 5700 Servo Drives with VPL Motors
- Remote dial in kits