Tool Management System Enables Operation of Multiple CNCs

The V4.1.00.00 version of NUM’s Flexium+ CNC platform provides a tool management system for operating multiple CNCs. It is designed to provide a comprehensive and accessible database that can be installed on a server platform for use with multiple CNCs in a large production plant, or used standalone on a single CNC.

The software includes PLC libraries, as well as dedicated CNC functions and HMI pages. It can handle many tools of different types and sizes including turning, milling and boring tools in standard, medium and large sizes, Duplo tools with identical cutting characteristics, and different types of tool magazines such as disks, chains and racks. The software manages tool characteristics at maximum speeds and feed rates, and can monitor tool life by wear amount or number of operations, automatically generating preemptive warning messages when specified limits are approached.

The software provides a comprehensive set of extensions for tool characteristics. In addition to standard items such as the name, type and number of cuts (as many as 18 can be specified), the software provides extensions to handle factors such as magazine size, life management, maximum speed, speed rate and status or warning indicators.

The new version offers NCK features such as a large block look-ahead capability of more than 1,000, together with short NCK cycle times.

The tool management system requires no special software tools. Users employ the Flexium Tools software to extend the project to the database server. A full set of API functions is included to implement all necessary tool operations, together with dedicated functions in NCK firmware.