New Technology

When it comes to machine monitoring, there’s a new option on the market that towers above the competition in the developer’s eyes.

Designed and manufactured by Lyndex-Nikken in Mundelein, Illinois, the EZ-SmartTower is more than just a light that signals a machine’s status to shop-floor personnel. Billed as an easy-to-use and cost-effective monitoring system for all machines in a shop, the product is designed to boost efficiency by helping shops evaluate their machine ROI. In addition to tracking machine performance, the EZ-SmartTower provides real-time machine analytics aimed at assisting manufacturers in optimizing their processes, tracking employee performance and maximizing productivity.

Looking like a slightly larger version of a conventional status light, the tower sits atop CNC lathes, mills and other shop machinery. Wired to the machine controller, it features LED indicators that show whether the machine is running, idling or down, as well as current cycle and error times. These real-time status updates help operators make on-the-fly decisions that can boost workflow efficiency.

In addition to a separate tower for each machine in a shop, the EZ-SmartTower system includes an app that allows operational managers to monitor and analyze up to 30 machines from one central computer. The tower is equipped with Wi-Fi technology that enables wireless data transfer from each machine to a master computer in real time. (If other wireless signal traffic in the shop would cause too much interference with the tower’s Wi-Fi signal, connections from individual machines to the master computer can also be wired.) For security purposes, data gathered by the app is not transferred to or stored in the cloud — it stays in the shop.

The EZ-SmartTower system captures and displays a wide variety of machine, operator and part data. This data can be helpful in reducing bottlenecks, improving spindle utilization and improving production efficiency.

The system also offers different ways of displaying data on the shop floor. For example, a large screen in the plant can display what Michael Ricketts, automation product manager at Lyndex-Nikken, calls “the shop shot.” With individual machines labeled by number or name, by the operator’s name or in some other way, the shop shot “is going to show you across the floor how many machines are idling, how many are working, how many are offline, how many are alerting,” he said.

For production managers, Ricketts added, another viewing option is a screen with pie charts showing percentages such as how much of the time each machine on the floor is up and running.

For detailed analysis, the free EZ-SmartTower software also lets users produce reports in chart or Excel format that can provide valuable insights into shop operations. For example, data-driven insights can help plant managers track individual employee performance and provide appropriate compensation based on productivity metrics.

Perhaps most important, data from the EZ-SmartTower can point shops toward economical ways of increasing productivity. “People constantly say they need more throughput,” noted Tom Dang, vice president of Lyndex-Nikken. “Some (think this requires) a huge investment, meaning more spindles, more personnel, expanding your shop. But what if you do a critical analysis of your equipment and realize that you can do more with what you have? That’s what this tool is about.”

about the author: William Leventon is a contributing editor to Cutting Tool Engineering magazine. Contact him by phone at 609-920-3335 or via email at wleventon@gmail.com.