Mazak and [MC]2

I was extremely happy to see this article discussing Mazak's participation in the upcoming [MC]2 which appeared in Aerospace Manufacturing and Design. 

HUGE Thanks to Brian Papke, Neil Desrosiers and the entire Mazak team! 

Mazak To Participate In MTConnect

Contract Manufacturing, Industry News

Mazak To Participate In First Ever MTConnect Conference Event will provide a clear understanding of the MTConnect protocol and how it increases machine tool utilization and productivity.

Manufacturing Group September 6, 2011

Mazak has been an ardent supporter of MTConnect since its inception several years ago, and that initiative continues with the company’s participation in (MC)2 MTConnect: Connecting Manufacturing Conference, the first ever MTConnect conference.

The event, scheduled for November 8 – 10, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency in Cincinnati, Ohio, is one that will focus on both the business and technical aspects of MTConnect – fostering conversations about implementing the standard, as well as the increased productivity and return on investment it can provide today’s manufacturers.

“Mazak recognizes the significance of the MTConnect protocol, which is why we are participating in the (MC)2  event and why all our new machines areMTConnect enabled,” says Brian Papke, president of Mazak. “MTConnect’s value to our customers is in the ability for them to establish extensive and open channels of communication for plug-and-play interconnectivity between devices, equipment and systems to improve operational efficiency and optimize productivity. MTConnect is a marvelous opportunity to improve machine tool utilization, and we encouragemanufacturers to take advantage of the MTConnect Conference.”

(MC)2 will offer many benefits to a wide range of attendees, including end users, equipment suppliers, software developers, distributors, independent software vendors and consultants. In addition, everyone from C-level executives to students to those who just want to gain a better understanding of MTConnect is welcome to attend.

Attendees will learn from the experts during conference tracks that will be both technical and business oriented. Technical tracks will place a strong emphasis on the “hands-on” side of MTConnect, while the business tracks will focus on quantifying increased productivity. Additionally, (MC)2 will showcase commercially available products that use the MTConnect standard.

For more information and to register for (MC)2 MTConnect: Connecting Manufacturing Conference, log on to http://www.mtconnectconference.org.

  MTConnect: Different Devices, Common Connection

  MTConnect: To Measure Is To Know

25 DaysDays Until Early Bird Registration Ends For [MC]2 MTConnect Connecting Manufacturing Conference

Since its introduction to the manufacturing industry, the MTConnect standard has been revolutionizing the way manufacturing equipment and devices "talk" to each other on the shop floor. Anyone in the manufacturing industry can benefit from learning about this important standard. That's why you must attend [MC]2 MTConnect: Connecting Manufacturing Conference, November 8-10, 2011, in Cincinnati, Ohio. This conference will have something for everyone, from distributors to end users, to manufacturing technology builders, to software developers, to C-level executives, to professors, to students, and to anyone who just wants to really understand MTConnect. [MC]2 offers both business and technical tracks, hands-on technical workshops, panel discussions on the use and benefits of the standards, as well as a showcase of commercially available products utilizing the MTConnect standard. Conference attendees will have the opportunity to learn from the experts to really understand how MTConnect, as Modern Machine Shop said, is enabling tremendous productivity gains in manufacturing.  Those attending will return with new knowledge and skills so they can engage in a deeper dialogue on manufacturing productivity, as well as a much better understanding on what it takes to compete in 21st century manufacturing. Register now! This is an event like no other.

ITAMCO's Modern Machine Shop Big Gears Article

Mark Albert, Editor in Chief for Modern Machine Shop, wrote another great article (he always does) on ITAMCO called Gearing Up to Make Big Gears.

The article discusses ITAMCO's new precision grinding room which covers 33,000 square ft. and has two overhead cranes have been installed, one with a 40-ton capacity and another with 10 tons.  It is amazing that ITAMCO is now able to cut external gear grinding on workpieces as large as 160 inches in diameter and internal gear grinding on workpieces as large as 120 inches in diameter.

You have to check out the article and especially blow up the amazing photos that Mark took as well.

Below is from Mark's excellent article where he speaks with Joel Neidig of ITAMCO on how ITAMCO uses MTConnect -- which is very cool!  Joel is a real thought leader in manufacturing as well as with the MTConnect Technical Advisory Group.  I highlighted below how ITAMCO can monitor 30 different types of CNCs using MTConnect.

Remote Machine Monitoring in Hand

Click Image to Enlarge

ITAMCO’s iPhone app for MTConnect makes remote machine monitoring handy.

Two of the newest machine tools at ITAMCO, the Niles grinders are the company’s first to use MTConnect as the communications protocol for remote monitoring. They will serve as prototypes for implementing a company-wide machine monitoring capability. Joel Neidig says plans call for all of the company’s CNCs to have MTConnect adapters that format internally generated data and codes to MTConnect specifications.

 This formatting enables an MTConnect “agent” on the shop’s network to retrieve data, organize it, and make it available to software applications such as the company’s homegrown shop-data collection system and job scheduler. Although 30 different types of CNCs are currently in use at ITAMCO’s two locations, MTConnect makes it possible for all of them to output data in a common “language.”

 

An early proponent and supporter of MTConnect, Mr. Neidig has been active as a member of the MTConnect Technical Advisory Group. He’s also taken the standard a step forward by creating several applications for networkable handheld devices, such as the iPhone and Android. “These apps can be used to dial up the network address of a machine tool’s CNC and access data available through the MTConnect adapter,” he explains. For example, one app enables him to scroll to various screens—such as the one from his iPhone shown here—to view machine status and performance data.

 

He can also use the iPhone to open the CNC’s live camera viewer to see what is happening inside the machine. “As long as I can access the global phone network with my iPhone, I can monitor our MTConnect-compliant machines from anywhere in the world, right in my hand,” he says.

 

Mr. Neidig will present his company’s experiences with MTConnect at the upcoming MC²conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, November 8-10, 2011 (MTConnect.org/MC2). He plans to review his iPhone apps and explain how they provide highly mobile machine monitoring.