Having a high level of intelligence is critical if you want your shop to remain competitive in a continuously advancing marketplace. This doesn’t mean you need an Albert Einstein IQ of 160, you just need to understand the value of smart technology and how to best apply it in your operations, especially as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) continues to steadily progress.
Owning a Mazak Multi-Tasking machine is a smart place to start. These machines show signs of proven intelligence that easily make them the geniuses of the part-production world. They can realize optimum machining conditions without requiring a highly skilled operator as well as detect and react to conditions before they become problems.
1. Smooth Corner Control: This function shortens cycle times and ensures high-quality surface finishes by making cutter path adjustments that reduce unnecessary acceleration/deceleration when machining into corners.
2. Intelligent MAZACHECK: This calibration function supports highly accurate 5-axis machining by measuring and automatically compensating for any geometric deviation in the machine’s rotary center.
3. Active Vibration Control: This function contributes to high-quality surface finishes by reducing axis movement acceleration/deceleration vibrations when machining at fast or slow feed rates.
4. Intelligent Thermal Shield: This heat displacement control function contributes to high accuracy machining by detecting and automatically compensating for any fluctuations in temperature.
5. Intelligent Safety Shield: This function promotes safe operation during machine setup and manual operation through the prevention of machine interferences.
6. Mazak Voice Adviser: This Siri-like function helps reduce operator error by providing verbal support during machine setup and confirming conditions are safe for the operator to proceed.
7. Intelligent Performance Spindle: This function monitors the temperature, vibration and displacement of the spindle and provides data that can help prevent machine problems and reduce production loss.
8. Intelligent Maintenance Support: This preventive maintenance function monitors the status of perishable items, including filters and cover wipers, as well as the machine’s operational history to help minimize downtime.
9. Intelligent Balance Analyzer: This detection and analysis function helps eliminate unbalanced machine table conditions.
10. Intelligent Bar Loader System: This function reduces material waste and boosts productivity by using stored data to create a cutting schedule that factors in all the parts that can be processed from the same size bar stock.
These exclusive Intelligent Functions rely on innovative machine design features, advanced CNC processing power and the latest in sensor technology to be able to optimize machining processes.
But this is just the beginning. As IIoT steadily gains traction and big data becomes an even bigger deal, sensor technologies, industrial analytics and intelligent machines will work together at much higher levels, providing information that will forever change our world. So, if you haven’t already, now’s the time to start thinking about how your shop can harness the power of smart-based part production.