TRUMPF, the high-technology company that offers production solutions in the machine tool and laser sectors, shows how sheet metal processors can boost the efficiency of cutting, bending, punching and welding in a real production environment, with 30 machines connected to each other.
Designed as a fully connected manufacturing environment, TRUMPF’s smart factory also serves as a demonstration center – a place where other businesses can see for themselves how efficient sheet metal fabrication works and how the autonomous machines with smart functions, storage system, automation and software can improve productivity.
Companies of all sizes can discover new solutions for connected manufacturing. For example, small businesses can significantly boost their efficiency by opting for entry-level solutions such as an AI-based part removal assistant. TRUMPF’s smart factory offers the perfect example of how to connect up manufacturing step-by-step in logistics and other areas. Larger companies with more machinery can learn how to set up semi-autonomous manufacturing by studying the smart factory’s seamless integration of punching, bending, lasers, and storage systems.
Connectivity in the new smart factory extends not only to cutting, bending, and welding machines but also to large-scale storage systems and automated guided vehicles. The whole connected manufacturing environment is managed from the control center. This is where all the key performance indicators from the production process are collected in real-time –from the initial order to the finished product. Connectivity helps reduce scrap rates and processing time as well as boosting efficiency.
The best way to improve the efficiency of a sheet-metal production line is to focus on the steps that occur upstream and downstream from the actual machining of the part, especially in our age of decreasing batch sizes, faster response times and increasingly complex parts. Workers in the new smart factory are supported by assistance of TRUMPF’s manufacturing execution system software so they can monitor the entire manufacturing process from wherever they are using a tablet, smartphone or smart watch.
TRUMPF, as an Industry 4.0 pioneer, aims to continue building its reputation as a solution provider for end-to-end production – and that means building partnerships with customers all over the world.
