1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,080 Toolmaking is an important industrial sector in Europe. 2 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:17,760 It has a turnover of 11 billion euros and consists mainly of SMEs. 3 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:24,360 Manufacturing of tools for plastic injection moulding is a labour-intensive process. 4 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:30,200 To remain competitive, flexible and low-cost, automation of existing production equipment 5 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:33,680 will be essential. 6 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:37,800 I manage a company that manufactures this kind of mould, which is used to make plastic 7 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:48,720 objects, but which also manufactures computer keyboards, this mouse, this telephone. 8 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:55,760 All the kind of plastic objects we encounter every day by the million. 9 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:58,800 And to be competitive, you have to be fast. 10 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:06,300 Mould and dye manufacturing is a highly competitive international business, with global players 11 00:01:06,300 --> 00:01:14,280 demanding lower prices, higher quality and reduced delivery times. 12 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:17,360 This is the aim of a European project called Fastool. 13 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:21,280 It's a collective research project carried out by industrial associations on behalf of 14 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:24,600 their members. 15 00:01:24,600 --> 00:01:30,800 Fastool comprised the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. 16 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:36,160 In the Netherlands, ERG-Metallonie represents 120 SMEs. 17 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:40,700 In Germany, Enseggesellschaft represents 180 enterprises. 18 00:01:40,700 --> 00:01:51,260 In Spain, ASCAM represents 209 SMEs and in the United Kingdom, GTMA represents 299 SMEs. 19 00:01:51,260 --> 00:01:55,780 The research and development network also extends to the TNO Centre in the Netherlands, 20 00:01:55,780 --> 00:02:02,860 IPT Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, Fatronik in Spain and the CRDM in the United Kingdom. 21 00:02:02,860 --> 00:02:06,660 The total Fastool budget, 3,516,000. 22 00:02:06,660 --> 00:02:11,820 The European Union contributed 1,757,000. 23 00:02:11,820 --> 00:02:16,660 And it's in the UK at the University of Buckinghamshire Chilterns in High Wycombe, at the Centre 24 00:02:16,660 --> 00:02:21,460 for Rapid Design and Manufacture, that a complete workshop prototype was set up in line with 25 00:02:21,460 --> 00:02:23,460 the Fastool project. 26 00:02:23,460 --> 00:02:28,300 Run by the Fastool software, it also includes automation elements, such as this rail-mounted 27 00:02:28,300 --> 00:02:32,580 transporter in yellow or this manipulator robot. 28 00:02:32,780 --> 00:02:40,220 The project is looking at the applications in modernising facilities, in skills base 29 00:02:40,220 --> 00:02:43,300 and reducing programming times. 30 00:02:43,300 --> 00:02:49,860 The role of the trade associations in Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and in the UK is 31 00:02:49,860 --> 00:02:55,900 to disseminate that knowledge on best practice techniques and technologies out to the SME 32 00:02:55,900 --> 00:03:00,300 community on this pan-European research project. 33 00:03:00,300 --> 00:03:05,260 This vertical milling centre is part of the automation demonstration facility, which is 34 00:03:05,260 --> 00:03:07,620 being built at CRDM. 35 00:03:07,620 --> 00:03:13,440 It has a modern controller, but it will be linked with an older Herco machine, which 36 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:17,060 has a very dumb controller. 37 00:03:17,060 --> 00:03:22,660 The third machine that will be linked to this system is an EDM machine with an intermediate 38 00:03:22,660 --> 00:03:24,380 controller. 39 00:03:24,380 --> 00:03:33,340 It is designed to show the feasibility of installing low-cost automation into a workshop. 40 00:03:33,340 --> 00:03:39,700 Any configuration of workshop can be adapted to this system, therefore you do not have 41 00:03:39,700 --> 00:03:47,020 to redesign your workshop in order to include automation as with conventional systems. 42 00:03:47,020 --> 00:03:50,900 In concrete terms, this kind of graphite blank is used to make the moulds. 43 00:03:50,900 --> 00:03:56,100 A machine has to be programmed to shape this kind of object, and until recently, that took time. 44 00:04:00,700 --> 00:04:03,900 What we have done is to reduce the programming time. 45 00:04:03,900 --> 00:04:07,580 For an object like this, it takes about three hours of programming, and we have cut that 46 00:04:07,580 --> 00:04:08,580 down to three minutes. 47 00:04:08,580 --> 00:04:12,780 It is a fantastic improvement, because the people doing this, the people who can program 48 00:04:12,780 --> 00:04:15,380 these machines, are very scarce. 49 00:04:15,380 --> 00:04:20,780 So if you manage to reduce the time they spend programming, it is a great advantage. 50 00:04:20,780 --> 00:04:26,940 We work together with TNO and the Fraunhofer Institute in Aachen. 51 00:04:26,940 --> 00:04:33,220 They work primarily on defining a set of strategies to machine graphite electrodes efficiently, 52 00:04:33,220 --> 00:04:37,100 and ended up really with a paper procedure which defined the steps that you had to go 53 00:04:37,100 --> 00:04:42,740 through to machine the parts, and then our part of the process is to turn that procedure 54 00:04:42,740 --> 00:04:46,940 into an automated piece of software which can be used by pretty much anybody. 55 00:04:47,100 --> 00:04:51,900 So the benefit for the SME is that he can set that process running, he can then concentrate 56 00:04:51,900 --> 00:04:55,900 his efforts on doing something else, preparing the next electrode or actually running the machine. 57 00:04:57,700 --> 00:05:00,780 This is the fast tool control software. 58 00:05:00,780 --> 00:05:07,780 This window we use to enter the details of tool jobs, and this window we use to schedule 59 00:05:07,780 --> 00:05:09,660 the jobs that we have entered. 60 00:05:09,660 --> 00:05:11,420 It is very easy to use. 61 00:05:11,420 --> 00:05:18,340 I can take a part and move it before another part in the schedule, and the next thing that 62 00:05:18,340 --> 00:05:21,380 I might do would be to activate the schedule. 63 00:05:29,180 --> 00:05:34,580 Manufacturing a complex mould involves various machines in the workshop. 64 00:05:34,580 --> 00:05:38,740 The blank, meaning the piece that is going to be machined, is set up on a pallet carried 65 00:05:38,780 --> 00:05:45,260 by the yellow monorail from one machine tool to another in the workshop. 66 00:05:45,260 --> 00:05:50,020 The machine tool is supplied by a cable system, above in our case, because of the height of 67 00:05:50,020 --> 00:05:57,020 the monorail, but in other situations a telescopic arm could be used to feed the machine. 68 00:06:09,740 --> 00:06:13,020 Not all machine tools can be supplied from above. 69 00:06:13,020 --> 00:06:18,340 That's why a robot has been developed to supply them from the side. 70 00:06:18,340 --> 00:06:21,740 This manipulator can put the pallet inside the robot. 71 00:06:21,740 --> 00:06:28,740 It will also make it possible to rotate it and to introduce an electrode inside the EDM machine. 72 00:06:30,460 --> 00:06:37,460 Now imagine you are the machine tool, the robot is going to bring you your pallet. 73 00:06:39,740 --> 00:06:46,740 So, by using the outcomes of the fast tool project, SMEs can expect the following benefits. 74 00:06:50,740 --> 00:06:57,740 A reduction in NC programming times by up to 95%, an improvement in graphite machining 75 00:06:57,740 --> 00:07:04,740 so that it's faster, a reduction in labour costs by extending the working day, a reduction 76 00:07:05,740 --> 00:07:12,740 of machine amortisation costs by increased utilisation of expensive equipment. 77 00:07:15,740 --> 00:07:22,740 In effect, an increase in competitiveness as a result of lights-out operation. 78 00:07:25,740 --> 00:07:29,740 The most important thing is to be able to keep the development of these plastic elements 79 00:07:29,740 --> 00:07:36,740 here in Europe. This means that we also have to be able to keep the manufacture of these moulds too. 80 00:07:38,740 --> 00:07:43,740 And this even if it means using expensive machines and highly skilled workers. 81 00:07:44,740 --> 00:07:47,740 And that's precisely what fast tool allows.