Fastems product manager
Ilkka Saarimaa says there are a
range of benefi ts and the DMCAPC
enables even higher payload
APC machine tools that do not feature APCs
The new Fastems
DMC-APC can
be used by
metalworking
manufacturers of
all sizes to optimise
their productivity on
the shop-fl oor
Optimising productivity
Fastems held a virtual seminar where it launched a new loader to
the marketplace and also announced upgrades to its manufacturing
management software
Finland-headquartered Fastems (www.
is.gd/bszqfH ) hosted an online seminar
– ‘Productivity Beyond Machine
Tending’ – showcasing the latest
developments in automation and
surrounding technologies to metal cutting
manufacturers.
During the webinar, the specialist in
developing manufacturing automation and
software, launched a new loader – the
Double Mast Crane-Automatic Pallet Changer
(DMC-APC) – that can be used by
metalworking manufacturers of all sizes to
optimise their productivity on the shop- oor.
Product manager Ilkka Saarimaa explains
that the DMC-APC enables even higher
payload machine tools that do not feature
APCs, to be con gured into an exible
manufacturing system (FMS) via the new,
multi-pallet loader that accommodates
payloads up to 1,000kg.
He says the new load handler that can
both load machine tools directly and act as
an APC, is the device on the FMS stacker
crane that moves pallets between storage,
machine and the loading/material stations
in a Fastems FMS.
Using the new DMC-APC, manufacturers
do not need to purchase and integrate costly
APCs to their machine tools in order to
con gure an FMS in their facilities, so
reducing operational costs and boosting
ef ciency.
In operation, Saarimaa says the new the
loader can accommodate two pallets rather
than the typical single pallet. Controlled by
cell management software, the DMC-APC
selects the next workpiece loaded pallet from
the storage system, moves it to an open
machine tool, then picks up the previously
machined workpiece/pallet from that same
machine tool, spins 180-degrees, and places
the new workpiece/pallet into the same
machine tool.
This scenario typically takes about 30-40
seconds. In comparison, the cases where the
non DMC-APC or classic stacker crane
accommodates one pallet instead of two the
loader rst takes the nished part/pallet from
the machine tool, delivers it to the storage
stacker, moves to pick up the next
workpiece/pallet to be machined and delivers
it to the machine tool ready for machining.
This scenario with one pallet takes about
100-120 seconds.
ADDED BENEFITS
According to Fastems, there are several
bene ts now that non-APC machine tools with
higher payloads can be used in an FMS,
namely surrounding speed, machine tool
utilisation and cost reduction.
Saarimaa explains: “The bene ts of the
26 January 2021 | www.machinery.co.uk | MachineryMagazine | @MachineryTweets
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