include a dedicated CADCAM set-up and more
machine tools. And the facilities will also be
used to support its partnership customers’
apprentice training needs.
So, it is against that backdrop of an outof
the-ordinary engineering supplies
distributor that the June Industry 4.0-themed
event should be seen. Boasting some 12
partners on the day, key displays were the
WillFill coolant management system and
WinTool tool management system, both
newly introduced, plus Grob’s Industry 4.0
software and CIS’ own in-house coolant
management software.
Taking that last one rst, CIS Coolant
Care, developed by CIS, is a simple package
that “is written for the factory, not to sell
coolant” – CIS is a Rhenus coolant reseller.
The package is coolant-agnostic and can be
employed across multiple sites. It is
intended to aid companies maintain
compliance to HSE regulations, allowing
record keeping and the capture of data
sheets, for example. It was not a main
element of the event but provided another
interesting insight into the areas into which
CIS is expanding.
AUTOMATIC COOLANT CONTROL
As it happens, this did have a link with a
central technology presented, WillFill, an
automated metalworking uid control
system. Shawn Reader is fronting the push
on this for CIS and also raises HSE
requirements and worker safety concerns as
likely drivers. Indeed, that has been the
direction from which most interest has so far
come, he says. In addition, he adds that
coolant is the one thing in the production
process that is not tightly controlled and so
potentially could be a factor in process
variability, particularly on critical machines
where maintenance of tight tolerances over
extended running periods is demanded.
The device has its roots in a real world
shop oor problem. Explains Reader: “WillFill
has been developed by a traditional, fatherand
son machine shop in Belgium that
operates half a dozen 5-axis machines.
The son, Pieter Dierickx, has grown up in the
environment and is a typical engineer that
sees the world as a series of issues that
need solving. One of those concerned
problems around coolant, so he set about
providing a solution, since he couldn’t nd
INDUSTRY 4.0 & AUTOMATION DOWN TO EARTH DEMONSTRATIONS
anything off the shelf.” The result is WillFill,
a new-to-the-UK system that monitors,
reports on and adjusts the condition and mix
of metalworking uid, automatically. Already
some 50 units have been supplied into the
home market since origination some three
years ago, with well-known Tier 1 companies
within that number. One issue solved relates
to a tight tolerance part running through the
night. In the morning, an operator was lling
up the coolant tank and this was affecting
tolerance, due to thermal shock. With
gradual topping up via WillFill, that was
eliminated.
Fully automatic, the WiFi-connected
equipment monitors seven parameters:
pH levels; oil/water concentration; water
hardness; coolant temperature; oil usage;
water usage; and coolant level. It responds
and provides: lling to the set level and
maintaining a de ned concentration;
calibrating the sensors to the uid and
water; an online dashboard for offsite
monitoring; a record of water and emulsion
consumption; detection of abnormal uid
levels; and noti cations about events.
Measurements can be scheduled at any
Grob Machine Tools’
managing director,
Louis Hill, holds a
demo part being
machined at the
event and, inset,
showing a ‘Grob-Net4
Industry’ dashboard
interval desired, while the system also
constantly aerates the machine’s coolant,
keeping it well mixed. “Once initially set up,
the unit just sits there in the background,”
Reader emphasises.
The list of claimed bene ts is long: tool
wear reduced; workpiece erosion and
staining eliminated; reduced emulsion and
water consumption; coolant odours reduced;
operator skin complaints cut; machine
downtime minimised; elimination of need for
outside company coolant monitoring
services; productivity and pro t up; data
capture that satis es HSE requirements;
manual mixing eliminated; plus a historical
record of condition alerts.
Reader puts gures against the bene ts
by considering: the time taken to undertake
daily checks and re lls across ve days
(£5,200/annum @ £20/hour); sump cleaning
(oil cost of £250 + disposal cost of £200 +
eight hours @ £20/hour, giving £610 per
clean); reduction in tool spend (£400/month
reduced by 10%, giving £480/year or more,
depending on actual gures); and coolant
spend reduction (£100/month reduced by
10%, giving £120/year or more).
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