Category: Industry 4.0

In precision machining, there is a foundational and fundamental rule-a mantra that inspires shop floor work, conditions investment policies and business positioning strategies: minimize errors.

The variables on which it is possible to intervene to achieve the best result and reduce the incidence of defective components in the total volume, affect both the design and production phases and concern, essentially, the expression of particularly tight tolerances and the use of technologies designed for the purpose of increasing productivity and reducing production waste.

Going into detail about the most effective systems in terms of business profitability, at the first point we find CNC machining centers that should be able to offer performance and competitiveness in all their performance. Solutions that autonomously manage machine tooling and tool change, allowing smooth and fast transitions from one machining operation to another, are those that arouse the most interest among those in the industry.

Multi-pallet machines for example-which we have already devoted an in-depth article to on our blog-allow almost simultaneous operation on different processes, allowing finished and semi-finished parts to be alternated without having to stop the machine.

Pallet changing systems, whether manual or automated, achieve maximum efficiency with zero-point clamping, which allows the workpiece to be quickly clamped and clamped, eliminating the need for complex measurements and adjustments each time machining changes.

The choice of the most suitable system for one's company depends on the type of customer requirements and, consequently, on production needs; however, there are a number of features that would be worth considering beforehand in order to evaluate the return on any investment. We are not just talking about the precision and tightness of anchoring by means of clamps, jaws, mechanical or pneumatic grips. For a clamping system to be truly valuable, it must be: versatile, meaning compatible and adaptable on different machine tools; expandable, to be able to handle parts of varying sizes and geometries; and modular, to be able to work at different heights.

To navigate the choice in short, one must first evaluate all possible applications and clamping situations that the system might face. Positioned inside CNC milling machines and lathes, the zero point is the pivot around which the machine's tools move and work. The more you aspire to special machining with holes, pockets, slots, and irregular contours, the greater the need forwell-rounded tooling.

Depending on the machining to be done, different types of cutters are needed - helical, staggered-tooth, double-angled, flat, candle, chamfering, face - and turning tools - roughers, finishers, cutters or threaders. For drilling, depending on the diameter and finish of the hole, drills with special geometries are required - integral, insert, keeper, cannon - possibly equipped in turn with internal holes for the adduction of coolants. With the aim of satisfying even the most particular requests, PiacenzaMeccanica has for years pursued a structured policy of investment to cut production times and improve the quality of its products; not only through state-of-the-art machinery, but also by implementing its own collection of tools.

How to choose the production technology best suited to one's performance needs? How much and how does the adoption of machinery with certain characteristics impact business profitability? Precision machining operators should be well aware that the equipment that makes up machining centers are not equal and interchangeable, as they are optimized for specific uses. Some machines are great for prototyping, others more suitable for finishing through heat and surface treatments: in general, the elements of the machine fleet determine the quality of the finished product and impact production times; therefore, it is important to equip oneself with state-of-the-art systems that reduce time and costs, limit the risk of accidents and human error as much as possible, and allow for meeting the agreed deadlines for the fulfillment of each job.

Because of this, PiacenzaMeccanica's company policy is aimed at constant and lively updating, an evolutionary growth path oriented towards innovation and aimed at the production of functional mechanical components, with complex design and increasingly sophisticated finishes. For several years now, the company has been structured to be able to offer maximum flexibility and guarantee the management of variable production volumes, ranging from small batches to large quantities, while always ensuring the non-negotiable quality of its manufactured products. Enabling it to offer solutions in step with the most up-to-date requirements of its target sectors are state-of-the-art equipment and machinery.

Despite the artisanal appearance and the family atmosphere in the company, Piacenza Meccanica in fact carries out a structured investment program that disregards the facilities and incentives that are periodically allocated to the industry. On the strength of the knowledge and experience gained in more than half a century of activity in the field of precision mechanics, over the past decade, the company has fully renewed its fleet of machines with the aim of ensuring unparalleled performance and maintaining a strong position in the market.

CNC MACHINING CENTERS

Process automation is the main challenge to be faced and overcome for the future. Today it is required to produce large volumes as well as small batches, all quickly and at generally low cost. Without a machine fleet that is up to the task, it would be very difficult to keep up: it is therefore necessary to equip oneself with machinery aimed at optimizing the product value chain and reducing costs, paying attention to increasing integration of the various elements from a functional, energy and diagnostic point of view.

The devices that convinced management in terms of investment solvency and technological reliability bear the name of brands recognized globally as leaders in offering particularly interesting and competitive OEM solutions. These are mainly multi-pallet machines that enable the simultaneous management of different production stages, granting the operator the possibility of alternating finished parts with workpieces without causing downtime. The main advantages of using these machines, can be ascribed to the technologies integrated in them; not only programming languages universally recognized for reliability and performance, and computer management software with tablets on board the machine that manage individual processes and coordinate production as a whole. When we talk about technologies, we mainly refer to the implementation of solutions that manage machine tooling and tool change, and equipment such as modular plates and vices set up to position and anchor the part according to the zero-point system that guarantees micro-millimeter accuracy.

Certain strategies greatly impact both the quality of production and working conditions, greatly facilitating the lives of operators and describing a context in which the resource is not sacrificed to production but is an integral part of it. Training and development, technology and innovation, effectiveness and optimization, transparency and professionalism are in fact the values that inspire and guide PiacenzaMeccanica's mission: to produce mechanical components of the highest precision and unparalleled quality, for progress that is truly at the service of mankind.

Metalworking industries and workshops are a central strategic asset in the economies of several nations, and the way they have changed and evolved over time is highly representative of the vision of progress and entrepreneurial policies foraged by private individuals and governments. Complex mechanical processing of the highest precision serves a variety of industries, from the most traditional to the most technological. Railroad, aeronautics, robotic automation, fluid dynamics, hydrosanitary: being an integral part of industry understood in its broadest sense, the components produced in precision machining centers are essentially ubiquitous.

In order to meet the need for just-in-time, highly specialized and variable-volume production, a series of infrastructural interventions have become necessary over the years, reflecting a dutiful change in the mentality of the engineering sector. Putting up with unprecedented demands from markets in perpetual transformation, and remaining competitive by operating with a view to shared responsibility for the welfare of people and the planet, are the primary and complementary goals of every company looking to the future.

Machine shops today, are no longer those dirty, unhealthy and pitfall-filled places that characterized the past. The adoption of methods and the implementation of technologies that meet the standards expressed by the BAT - Best Available Techniques - approach have brought about a radical change of scenery. Gone are the days of blue-collar alienation, a metaphor for the consumer society of the 20th century, contemporary industry comes in a new guise. Fordist ideology oriented on massive, standardized production meets white-collar style, offering flexibility and customized services for specific needs and niche markets. The assembly-line paradigm gives way to production and organizational models increasingly linked to the presence of innovative technologies, and information systems that manage production, perform control functions, and offer the ability to collect and interpret strategically important data.

To cross the threshold of a company that operates according to these logics is to completely distort one's imaginary frame of reference, and to be catapulted into a dimension that has nothing to do with the factory that demeans the worker and looks solely at profit. As happens upon entering PiacenzaMeccanica.

Industry 4.0: innovation in the service of manufacturing

The term Industry 4.0 refers to a series of concepts related to the imagery of the smart factory-the "intelligent factory" equipped with hardware and software that can interact and collaborate to make productions more versatile and perfomant. Well before this definition was taken up as a normative model, anticipating nascent trends in the manufacturing and industrial sectors, PiacenzaMeccanica chose to invest in cutting-edge technology and machinery, and in training andtechnical upgrading of personnel.

In recent years, the company has completely overhauled its machine park to equip itself with tools suitable for the most labor-intensive and complex machining operations, and for more streamlined and versatile management of the various turning and milling machining centers.

Automated management systems with on-board software and tablets instruct the operator on the actions to be taken: they establish the steps-types and sequence of machining operations-define machine tooling, monitor the production of the site as a whole, and coordinate the operation of the various machining centers to limit production stoppages. Finished parts are then stored in an automated warehouse that simplifies inventory management and speeds up order fulfillment. The impact of such solutions on productivity and business profitability is significant: thanks to so-called enabling technologies, the possibility of human error is reduced to a minimum; at the same time, optimal conditions are created for operators to work in total autonomy and safety. 

Attention to the quality of life of its resources is the real strength of any solid and reputable company. This is why PiacenzaMeccanica has equipped itself with systems that go beyond the basic safety standards for the industrial sector-regulated by Law 81/08 or the Consolidated Safety Act. Such as, for example, filtration systems for air purification within the production site. Lubricant-cooling oils, used in mechanical processing, give rise to the formation of sticky fumes and oily mists that, dispersed in the air, can compromise both the health of workers, causing respiratory problems and skin irritation, and production, negatively affecting the performance and durability of machinery. Attention to certain issues, although it should be, is by no means taken for granted. Certain shrewdnesses are the result of experience, express the values andheritage of a long-lived company, and testify to a commitment to hold firm to the principles that inspire a healthy work culture