NCEXPERIENCE

SPRING Technologies has demonstrated a connection between work instruction sheets and a machine's CNC. The demonstration presented the company's NCSIMUL Player 9 running on the latest Panasonic Toughpad tablet PC (FZ-G1) and its connection with the FANUC 31i B5 CNC machine tool control.

This technology reportedly brings mobility and ease of use, thanks to touch screen capabilities, and it provides an instant access to the work instruction sheet, in context of the machining process. For instance, when a part machining process requires a machine to stop, allowing the NC operator to take measurements or to verify the machining quality, etc., the correct work instruction automatically appears on the tablet PC. Therefore, machine operators know exactly the tasks to be performed and do not spend any more time searching for process sheets among tons of pdf.

Till now, NCSIMUL users have had to download their documentation as a separate operation. Now they can have their simulation on one part of the screen and the documentation conveniently displayed alongside. The tablet implementation of NCSIMUL Player also offers a breakthrough feature: the ability to monitor machine operation on the screen via a TCP/IP connection with 100 percent touch interaction. According to the company, it is no longer talking about just NC simulation, but about a digital representation of real-world operation.

"Our customers in aeronautics machine titanium parts that require frequent breaks in machining," explains Philippe Solignac, Director of Corporate Marketing. "By instantly displaying the work instructions and explaining the task that has to be done at each break point, operators save valuable time. This will enable us to help airplane manufacturers increase their shop floor productivity and meet their production planes delivery while ensuring high-quality production standards."

SPRING Technologies has signed an ISV (Independent Software Vendor) partnership contract with Panasonic under which it will integrate sales of its Toughpad FZ-G1 into its offering, coupled with its software solutions.