| | | AMS Controls Newsletter | January, 2009 | | | Happy New Year! Welcome to the January AMS Controls Newsletter.
Any way you roll or fold it, 2009 will be a year of transition; transition in government, transition of the economy, transition from the "World is Flat," to the "World is Curved," principles (with reference to two interesting books on the global economy). AMS realizes that the current transitional economy will challenge us all to constantly find new ways to stay competitive and minimize waste.
In spite of all the dire economic news we are bombarded with, there are clear signs that the credit market is finally starting to thaw and interest rates are nearing historic lows. Now is an ideal time to invest in production management infrastructure. When sales are strong, many production and inventory problems can be hidden. As sales slow, these problems become a much more serious issue. Through the use of computer integrated manufacturing (CIM), your company can eliminate mistakes and tightly control key assets such as coil inventories.
This month's newsletter contains information on coil tracking and validation and the tools AMS offers to better understand your own inventory flow. An article on the tailout sensor will explain how this relatively small investment can reduce scrap and improve coil tracking. A case study is included this month that will demonstrate how important your return on investment is to AMS Controls.
There is a lot of great information in this month's newsletter. We thank you for reading through and always welcome your input and perhaps even ideas for future articles.
| | CIM Inventory Management | |
For manufacturers of sheet metal products, managing coil inventory is a difficult but critical task. Inventory represents a huge investment but is heavy, bulky and hard to track. Having the right inventory on hand may be critical to meeting customer needs. It can be difficult and time-consuming to take a physical inventory of coils. The only way to have interim inventory values is to track each coil at the point of usage.  Inventory usage can be tracked manually by the operator. He could use a footage totalizer and manually record the beginning and ending readings. He could also add the calculated footage of the order to the length of scrap that occurred to get the amount of material used. In either case, data must be recorded manually at the machine and again in the office. Manual data entry is time consuming and prone to error. It also opens the door for theft. A better way to manage coil inventory is with Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM). With CIM systems, the machine controllers are linked to a central computer that downloads all orders. The machine controller automatically measures every millimeter of material consumed. It can distinguish between good material and scrap then report both to the central computer. The coil inventory database is updated automatically with a lot less labor. The benefits of CIM are as follows: - Fast and highly-accurate recording of coil usage
- Verification that the proper coil has been selected for each order (eliminates potentially disastrous mistakes)
- Theft prevention tools
- Trace defective materials back to suppliers
- Tag order to a specific coil and supplier for potential warranty issues
| | Coil Validation |
Coil validation has been a feature of the XL series controllers since the early 1990s. Our customers have felt this to be a critical function and rely on it to: - Prevent the wrong coil from being used on an order
- Ensure perfect tracking of coil consumption
- Reduce time wasted manually recording coil information by the operator (and the subsequent time required for data entry into a computer
- Eliminate coil usage data entry errors
How it works: - When the operator has loaded a new coil on the machine (or is about to), he scans the bar code on the coil. This bar code uniquely identifies that particular coil.
- The XL200 controller creates a message for Eclipse requesting validation of that coil ID number. It can also lock the operator out from running production or even manually cutting material with the new coil until the ID has been checked.
- Eclipse checks to see:
- Is the coil ID valid (is it in the coil inventory)?
- Has the coil already been consumed?
- Does the coil's material specification match that of the production order the operator is trying to run? If not, is the coil's material an approved alternative?
- If everything is ok, Eclipse informs the XL200 machine controller that the coil has been approved and it is ok to allow production with that coil. If there was a problem, a message is displayed on the controller that describes the problem. It is possible for a manager to override this with a key if necessary.
- From this point forward, all production data sent to Eclipse will be recorded with the current coil ID.
In most cases, the process takes a few seconds to complete. The coil inventory data that is used for the verification process can be the local Eclipse coil inventory or it can be a corporate SQL table (via ODBC). If you are interested in adding coil verification to your production, please give us a call! | | The Tailout Sensor: An Essential Component in Inventory Management and Scrap Reduction | |
The AMS XL series controller and AMS' Eclipse production management system are two essential components when integrating a roll-forming production line with all available integrated manufacturing tools. To complete this solution and provide the most highly accurate scrap tracking capabilities, addition of a tailout sensor on all machines is very important.
The tailout sensor is simply a material sensor installed near the material encoder. Use of this input can help keep scrap tracking accurate when loading and unloading coils on a roll former, as well as minimize operator intervention when recording scrap data.
The tailout input serves 4 functions to the controller:
- Automatic prompt of load / unload coil screens
- Reference of new coil to avoid reporting of erroneous start-up scrap
- Automatic halt at end of coil
- Proper reporting of scrap at end of coil
| | Case Study: Aluminum Screen Manufacturing Nets Quick Return On Investment With AMS Support |
 In 2004, AMS Controls, a maker of advanced machine controls for the metal roll forming and metal folding industries partnered with Hill Engineering and Aluminum Screen Manufacturing to create a custom solution for a more efficient production process. The project went very well: Aluminum Screen achieved a rapid three month return on investment. | | Pathfinder: New Batch Stop Feature Added | |
Pathfinder Folding Controller Adds Batch Stop Functionality
 Batch stop functionality is an important tool for trim shops that use long folders. Some parts require several handling operations in order to produce them, but many operators have discovered that when the part is very long, the difficult handling operations make more sense to perform with several parts at one time. For example, many folding machine operators have found that they can partially produce a batch of parts and stack them on a cart, then perform one handling operation to the whole cart of parts (rotating from end to end is a good example), then continue folding the stack of parts from there. This can save a significant amount of time, as well as help prevent damage to parts that would have been individually rotated. While this batching technique has often been the preferred method for producing such parts, no folding controller software has addressed this need - until now.
AMS has added a new feature to Pathfinder that provides this ability. The operator can now choose to group together a series of steps that can be repeated over and over until a preset counter has been reached or the operator manually stops it. At that point, the operator can perform the handling operation with the entire stack of partially produced parts. Once the handling operation is completed, Pathfinder will pick up right where it left off, and the rest of the operations can be finished. The controller is flexible enough to allow the operator to start at any point in the program at any time. If there is a need for multiple batch stops in a part program, Pathfinder can accommodate that as well. Each step of the way, the operator is guided through the process.
This flexibility, ease of use and attention to detail helps set Pathfinder apart from other folding machine controllers. AMS is committed to making Pathfinder work with operators, not against them. For a demonstration of the new Batch Stop feature, and to see how it can improve your trim shop's throughput, please contact AMS Controls. Click For More Details On Pathfinder | | Machine Application Type: Open Loop Flying Die | |
Open Loop Flying Die
This article on open loop flying die roll forming lines is the second in the AMS Controls series of basic machine applications. Our first article outlined the four most common basic machine application types. Now, the series continues with detailed explanations of the individual applications.
The open loop flying die machine is a low cost solution that offers high throughput. Line speeds can exceed 500 fpm (150 mpm). Accuracy on this type of machine is usually around ± 0.06" (1.5 mm). Tighter accuracies are possible with this application, but they require precision in the setup of the material encoder, and robust maintenance of the equipment to keep it functioning optimally.
Open Loop Flying Die Key Features
- High Cycle Rates / High Line Speeds (up to 4 hits per second)
- Low Cost
- Moderate Accuracy
- Higher Accuracies Require Regular Maintenance
- Sensitive to Timing / Tracking Variations
| | AMS Introduces 5840 Valve Booster For High Performance Applications |
AMS is happy to announce the introduction of the 5840 valve booster. The DIN rail-mounted 5840 replaces the model 3840 "Slammer" board, which has been used with great success for more than 20 years. 
The 5840 is used to improve the performance of hydraulic and air valves used in open loop flying press control. It makes a valve respond more quickly and consistently by applying a high voltage pulse of energy to the valve before dropping down to the normal 24VDC. The 5840 can be configured to produce 45, 60, 75 or 90VDC pulses.
Open loop flying press operations have two unique requirements: the reaction time of the press must be as short as possible and the reaction time must be very consistent.
More information on the 5840... | | XL220: Ultimate Retrofit Controller Package for HVAC Duct Lines | | AMS Controls Has Designed the Ultimate in Retrofit HVAC Control Systems
AMS Controls, an advanced technology provider aimed at improving production efficiency, offers the XL220 controller as part of a complete retrofit controller package that will extend the life of your HVAC production line by ten years or more. AMS controls offers a modern controls package with CAD integration support, readily available replacement parts all fully supported by a professional
controls company with proven history.
Automatic HVAC ductwork machines have been around for decades. These were some of the first machines to use electronic length control. Decades later, the machine's electronic controls may have become obsolete and repair can be a problem. Many mechanically viable machines will benefit from upgrading out of date controls that in some cases are no longer supported by the OEM. Machines can be brought up to the latest controls technology by retrofitting them with AMS systems.  Does this resemble your rectangular
duct line control panel? | | AMS Corporate News | |
Eclipse Webinar Training Schedule Want to get even more out of Eclipse, AMS' industry leading integrated manufacturing software? Eclipse is a very powerful set of management tools designed with three decades of experience in mind. This training is an opportunity to focus on Eclipse basics such as settings, adding product codes, material codes, setting up machines, controller setup and tool libraries, creating part definitions and orders and "scheduling basics". This easy and informative webinar will be held on December 16 at 3pm Central Time. Leading this training will be Jaycen Rigger, AMS Technical Support Manager. Jaycen is the manager of AMS' training and development program and has managed more than 300-machine integrations during his tenure with AMS. In addition to the December 16 training, AMS now offers a full range of topics to be discussed during subsequent webinars. 02/10/09 - Scrap Tracking - Scrap Tracking/Coil Verification (they're kind of tied into to each other)
- Setting up codes
- Barcode scanning
- Controller procedures for last parts, suggestions for different machine types, etc.
- Reading the reports
03/17/09 - Downtime Tracking - Downtime tracking
- Setting up codes
- How scanning works for time entry
- Reading the reports
04/14/09 - Special Features - Custom Lists
- Query Lists
- Preventative Maintenance
Please email Jaycen today for registration or questions; jrigger@amscontrols.com. Trade Show Schedule January 26 to 28: AMS Controls will be at the AHR Expo in Chicago. Please stop by and see us in booth 1242 for a demonstration of the XL220 HVAC Controller and discuss a retrofit package for your rectangular duct line. April 21 to 22: AMS will be participating in the 2009 FMA World Class Rollforming workshops in Louisville Kentucky.
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