Lights out turning - Doosan 2100LSYB - Aluminum - requesting best practices
Hi all, we are about to 'dip our toes' into lights out turning. We are new to this and are looking for some tips that we would rather not learn the hard way. A bit of background on the situation and what we are trying to achieve:
We currently have a Doosan 2100LYSB with an FANUC 0i-T control, LNS bar feeder, sub-spindle, parts catcher, and parts conveyor.
The goal of this unattended machining is to utilize the equipment for more hours per day. Currently only running ~ 10 hrs/day.
Reliability is the main objective, I'm not too concerned about squeezing every last second out of the cycle time, I would be ok with a lower cycle time if it meant there were fewer production interruptions during the unattended machining.
Here are a few of the issues we haven't quite figured out yet:
1. Tool life management
According to our Adams rep, we can retrofit the automatic tool presetter arm on our machine. Can this be used to verify cutting tools are still in working condition prior to the proceeding of machining? Is it possible to use if/then statements to stop the program if tool breakage is detected? Or better yet, move on to a backup tool if the preferred tool is broken?
2. Finished part storage / accumulation
We currently only have the standard parts conveyor that came with the machine. It is roughly 3 ft long and would only store maybe 15 parts (2.5" OD x .5" tall) before they would fall off the end of the conveyor. These parts cannot fall onto each other (cosmetic req.) so dropping them all into a bucket is a no-go. I have seen the Royal Rota-Rack to solve this issue. Does anyone have any experience with this type of equipement? What is the preferred method for part accumulation these days? How does a part accumulator compare to something like a UR robot that just places them into a grid compartment style part storage? Pros/Cons?
3. Chip management
One of our operators mentioned their concern regarding preventing 'birds nests' during the turning process. Any good methods out there to prevent too much build up while running unattended?
What else am I missing? Are there any good resources on lights out turning you would recommend? I'm sure we havent thought of everything...
Thank you for your input!
Hi all, we are about to 'dip our toes' into lights out turning. We are new to this and are looking for some tips that we would rather not learn the hard way. A bit of background on the situation and what we are trying to achieve:
We currently have a Doosan 2100LYSB with an FANUC 0i-T control, LNS bar feeder, sub-spindle, parts catcher, and parts conveyor.
The goal of this unattended machining is to utilize the equipment for more hours per day. Currently only running ~ 10 hrs/day.
Reliability is the main objective, I'm not too concerned about squeezing every last second out of the cycle time, I would be ok with a lower cycle time if it meant there were fewer production interruptions during the unattended machining.
Here are a few of the issues we haven't quite figured out yet:
1. Tool life management
According to our Adams rep, we can retrofit the automatic tool presetter arm on our machine. Can this be used to verify cutting tools are still in working condition prior to the proceeding of machining? Is it possible to use if/then statements to stop the program if tool breakage is detected? Or better yet, move on to a backup tool if the preferred tool is broken?
2. Finished part storage / accumulation
We currently only have the standard parts conveyor that came with the machine. It is roughly 3 ft long and would only store maybe 15 parts (2.5" OD x .5" tall) before they would fall off the end of the conveyor. These parts cannot fall onto each other (cosmetic req.) so dropping them all into a bucket is a no-go. I have seen the Royal Rota-Rack to solve this issue. Does anyone have any experience with this type of equipement? What is the preferred method for part accumulation these days? How does a part accumulator compare to something like a UR robot that just places them into a grid compartment style part storage? Pros/Cons?
3. Chip management
One of our operators mentioned their concern regarding preventing 'birds nests' during the turning process. Any good methods out there to prevent too much build up while running unattended?
What else am I missing? Are there any good resources on lights out turning you would recommend? I'm sure we havent thought of everything...
Thank you for your input!