Schunk Uses The ANCA RFID Process To Lead A New Trend For Automatic Grinding Of Mixed Batch Tools

Schunk has been manufacturing cutting tools since 2010 under managing director Christian Schunk, and has continued to grow in this area since then. Today, the tool business accounts for 60% of the turnover, involving automotive, aerospace, mold and medical industries. In addition, Xiongke offers professional grinding services, including cutting edge treatment and tool coating handling from its own SCHUNK professional coating facilities.

The flexibility of an ANCA system helps Schunk increase productivity and reduce costs.

At Schunk, the grinding of mixed batch tools has been around for more than 20 years, and employees are accustomed to the flexibility of mixed systems. For owners, this means increased productivity and the ability to repair a wide range of tools unattended. This "industrial" mindset is the main driving force for their investment in an ANCA MX7 in 2017. Christian Schunk says the most important thing is that the (ANCA system) maintains the ability to mix feed while improving the accuracy of chuck interchanges. Schunk is now investing in a second MX7 to expand the existing RFID process.

Schunk reduces costs and improves operational efficiency by using ANCA's RFID technology. Their systems classify tools according to production needs rather than customer orders. Any number and any type of tool from different orders from different customers can be mixed when the dedicated programming workstation is ready for grinding. The workstation evaluates each tool and selects and modifies the required grinding procedures by a skilled operator. The grinding program is then encoded into the RFID tool carrier, which is then placed in the tray of the grinder together with the tool. Each RFID tool carrier has a customer name and work number, and it is easy to find the original customer order after grinding.

After the tool is trimmed, the system reads the RFID information and returns it to the original customer order. The RFID tool bay returns to the store and will be used for other operations in the future. During the production process, tool grinding files are loaded by scanning RFID information. Perform all grinding parameters automatically and replace the required grinding wheel set or chuck.

Schunk digitizes the production data for each job using ANCA's RFID technology.

Christian Schunk explains: "Reducing the frequency with which chucks are replaced is important in real production, which means that tools can be categorized by diameter and type, such as end mills, ball mills or drill bits. In this way, we can not only optimize the cycle time, but also extend the life of the chuck and save the chuck adapter. Most importantly, it helps to reduce the beat of the tool. "

Christian Schunk emphasizes maximizing grinder usage. Loaded tool pallets optimize the entire production process, increasing productivity and reducing cycle times with mixed batch loading. In the past, Schunk worked on customer order planning, putting all the diameter tools of a customer together to feed - now they've implemented a mixed-batch feeding system that doesn't rely on orders at all.

How does ANCA's Loadermate and RFID solution work?

Andreas Sommer, ANCA's product manager, explains: "ANCA offers a wide range of solutions for automatic grinding in mixed batches - for example, the FX5 with the AR300 robot uses the Niken chuck to replace both the tool and the chuck. Also, when no one is operating, loadermate is set up as a mixed tool batch. "AnCA also supports chuck replacement and RFID on the MX platform." ANCA's dynamic tool set management software is at the heart of RFID technology, which groups tools according to the type of tool, the operation required for grinding, and the feed depending on the wear coefficient, or assigns tool files individually to individual tools. "

Using RFID, record the required information in the programming workstation and complete the tool matching the RFID label. The tool and RFID tool holder are loaded together on the grinder, which scans the RFID and automatically invokes the grinding procedure, sets all grinding parameters, and loads the correct grinding wheel set. If the chuck needs to be replaced, the grinder will automatically perform the chuck change. RFID is stored on the exchange station when the tool is in the grinder for feeding or grinding. ANCA's RFID solution means that customers can create separate programs for each tool, mixing the tools into pallets. If there is an urgent need, you can also immediately replace the tool in the tray with the desired tool. The grinder allows for automatic grinding without anyone. The automatic operation time depends on the type of feeder and the capacity of the pallet. "

Now, Schunk and ANCA are expanding RFID technology for the upcoming second MX7 to accommodate tools larger than 25mm in diameter. Continuous improvement to meet new market challenges makes Schunk a flexible and innovative company that is well prepared for the future of industrial intelligence.