| AMS Controls Newsletter | July, 2009 | | Welcome to the July 2009 issue of the AMS Controls
newsletter!
As you may have guessed from the gap since the last edition,
we've been busy with a number of new and interesting projects. Although overall
the global economy is still hurting, there have been a number of bright spots
and these seem to be multiplying.
One area that continues to be
of interest is scrap reduction and
scrap tracking. Please take a look at the article on scrap tracking in this
issue. We've also seen an upsurge of inquiries about our Pathfinder folding
machine controller. We've included an article that describes how easy it is to
find parts in Pathfinder's practically unlimited part library.
We hope your business is starting to see positive signs for
the future. Please let us know how we can help you
increase the productivity of your operation.
Best regards,
Andy Allman
President
| Feature Spotlight: The Pathfinder Part Library
|
Some common complaints about existing folding machine controllers on the market
today are that "My current controller's Part Library doesn't hold enough
parts," and "...it's too
difficult to find the parts when the exact name isn't known." This can be
frustrating and time consuming for the operator. Plus, if the controller has
reached its maximum number of parts
stored in the library, the operator must delete parts to free up more storage space. With Pathfinder, AMS has designed virtually unlimited part storage into
the software (Pathfinder has been tested with 10,000+ parts) and finding that
"needle in a haystack" part has never been easier! The profile searching and
filtering in Pathfinder is an extremely powerful tool that allows very fast and
flexible methods for finding your part.
First, let's start with the
layout of the screen itself. The upper section contains the filtering drop-downs
that allow the operator to filter the thumbnails to only show certain profiles.
For example, if the operator only wants to see gutter profiles, one way might be
to select "Gutters" from the Category filter. The list of profiles would
immediately be filtered by only those that have "Gutters" as the Category. If
further filtering is needed, the Sub-Category and Material Type filters could
also be used.
Figure 1 - Pathfinder Part Library
Screen
If the operator knows the name of the profile, but doesn't want to use the Up
and Down arrow keys to scroll through all the pages of parts to find it, they
can simply touch the Keyboard icon in the lower-left corner to display the
on-screen keyboard. Then, as the operator types the name of the profile, the
list will automatically begin filtering with each key press. As the operator
continues to type, the list filters further until the profile is found. The
same method is used to search by Description if the Description button is
depressed. Once finished, the operator can touch the keyboard icon again to
hide it.
The right-hand side of the screen contains information about
the currently selected thumbnail, as the selection changes, the description
information changes with it. This information is very useful due to the limited
space available for additional profile data on the thumbnail.
Beyond the
powerful filtering and searching capabilities, Pathfinder also includes some
nice conveniences that make performing common tasks a snap. If the operator
would like to create a new part based off an existing part, they would simply
highlight the thumbnail of the part to be copied and touch Copy Part. The
resulting screen will give options for renaming the part as well as converting
it to a non-graphical part if desired.
Figure 2 - Pathfinder Copy Part Screen
Deleting a part that is no longer needed is just as simple - highlight the
thumbnail of the part you wish to delete, and then touch the Delete button. For
added safety, the user will be prompted to confirm the deletion. Once
confirmed, the part will be removed from the database.
There
are two options for loading a part from the library. The operator may choose to
double-tap the thumbnail of the profile they wish to load, or they may choose to
touch the thumbnail once and then touch the Load Part button in the
lower right-hand side of
the screen. Either method will result in the part being loaded into the Profile
Editor screen.
Finally, if the operator would like to view more or less
thumbnails on the screen at one time, they can use the three buttons on the
left-hand side of the screen to display a grid of 3 x 3 thumbnails, 4 x 4
thumbnails or 5 x 5 thumbnails.
For a video demonstration of designing a part on Pathfinder, click here.
|
Scrap Tracking
|
One of the benefits of computer integrated manufacturing
(CIM) on a roll forming machine is the fact that the machine controller knows a
lot about the material that is run through the machine. When properly configured, the controller
knows every bit of good or scrap metal that is processed on the roll
former. This information can be recorded
and tracked for subsequent analysis.
With CIM, you can see how much scrap is generated, the reasons behind
the scrap, and possible correlations (with machines, operators, products,
vendors, etc). This information can be
used to:
-
Determine actual profitability
-
Support continuous improvement projects aimed
at scrap reduction
-
Review material vendors' performance
-
Justify capital improvement spending
-
Improve operator performance
-
Direct maintenance efforts
The XL200 machine controller and Eclipse production
management software from AMS are perfectly placed to help manufacturers see
exactly how much scrap is being produced and the causes for this. At the machine, the XL200 monitors every
millimeter of material that goes through the machine. Every machine operation that creates good
parts or scrap is carefully tracked and recorded. In cases where significant scrap is created,
the XL200 will require that the operator indicate the reason for the scrap.
Click here to read more on scrap tracking, including reasons for scrap and how scrap is generated.
| Selecting The Best Marking Technology
|
Since the beginning of the year there have been a number of
questions from customers about printing technology for part marking. These
questions were all related to how one should select a printer for a particular
application. We presented a paper several years ago at the Metalcon roll
forming conference on the subject of part and bundle marking and thought it might
be helpful to include it in this newsletter.
The paper reviews the most common reasons customers add
marking systems to their roll forming operations. It also goes into detail
about the various technologies used for marking on these machines (ink, paper,
embossing, burning, RF) and practical limitations of each. It concludes with a
series of questions that should be asked when trying to select the best marking
system for an application.
We hope you will find it useful! Click here to read "Application of Identification Equipment."
| AMS Now Offers New Flash Update Features For Your XL200 Controller
| AMS Controls' new Flash Wizard utility update, available for free, allows you to update your machine control software without the need for a code! As long as you provide us with the serial number of the XL200 controller you want to flash, Flash Wizard will do its job without requiring authorization from a service tech.
Worried
about "losing the program"? As long as you can connect to your
controller (version 3 and higher*) from a laptop, and the two can
communicate, you don't need to worry about interrupting the process.
The controller software can always recover.
* To verify version, from XL200 series controller go to "diagnostics" and then "System Information".
Download Flash Wizard here.
| | AMS Corporate News |
Metallist Selects AMS
AMS is pleased to announce it has been selected to provide
an integrated manufacturing system to the Russian metal building component
manufacturer Metallist. This project includes
upgrading a large number of roll forming machine controls to the XL200 as well
as the implementation of the Eclipse production management software with all
machines.
Metallist
already owns and operates several XL200 equipped machines purchased through AMS' European channel
partner Formia. These machines were originally purchased new with the
AMS-XL200 already installed. The project is coordinated AMS GmbH with Formia providing both technical and logistical support.
Eclipse, Webinar Training
Schedule
Please click here and scroll down to view more training options and to register for this webinar.
AMS to Expand Sales and Marketing Efforts in South
America
AMS Controls is seeking channel partners to increase its customer base in South America. Interested sales
representatives should contact Brad Poole at AMS, bpoole@amscontrols.com to discuss
operational focus and opportunities.
Find out about AMS' shipping policy, including information about AMS' preferred logistics provider.
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