Need for basic automation has increased in manufacturing sector

By OEM Update Editorial September 1, 2021 7:58 pm IST

Mould manufacturers today experiment with various methods to boost productivity, such as employing more labour, increasing the number of work hours, or automating their CNC machines.

Will the updated machine tools technologies bring benefits to SME and MSME sectors?

In present scenario the contribution of the SME and the MSME is very critical and they consume the large share of the Machine tools from the total sales. To be competent and agile they have to invest in the Technology and solutions which can drive their business towards better throughput and faster ROI.

As this segment demands quick approach in estimation with precise detailing, having better technological edge by means of the Software and the efficient Machine will enhance their chances to encash more business. The key is to map out your present Factory capacity and align your production to the best of equipment efficiency. Better technology not only helps to increase the throughput but also reduce the down time with advance diagnostic and troubleshooting analysing capability of the Machine controller.

With respect to standard format laser machines, what are the latest offerings in the market?

We see tremendous potential for the large format laser with bigger Table size and higher Laser Power like 10 KW and above in Indian Market. We having already a good installation base for such machines will be advantage in moving further by virtue of the confidence and trust the customer has put in. High power laser gives enormous possibility to process the thinner material with really high speed and taking the production output to different level. Interestingly, the installation space required remains same and the escalation to higher power will have a nominal rise in cost of equipment. When we talk about speed, the machine dynamics plays an important role and exactly at this parameter Bystronic steps in with its Know-how and rich experience in ‘Laser Technology’ what makes us a Global leader.

How the new technologies are enhancing the Metal forming & laser cutting processes and cutting tool industry?

As we are talking of the machine tool requirement more on the solution level, we are not limiting ourselves only on the machine tool side, but it expands evenly to the other equally important element of the solution also like software, automation, integration and important is the ‘People Skill’. Today’s Metal forming segment is more dynamic and demanding. To cater this market, we need to be always one step ahead with what our competitors are offering and this is exactly how Bystronic is stepping in by offering many innovative product novelties which directly contributes to the quality, productivity and obviously better profitability for our customers

What are the challenges and current trends prevailing for workmen safety; also incidental to pandemic times? What new trends are impacting machine tools?

In present scenario, planning and uninterrupted execution is very important, Sustain and Grow is the new mantra. We need to have all your resources intact to cope up with such difficult time. Every such difficult time brings in baskets of opportunities to diversify and grow, for which we need to have our manufacturing set up equipped, the effective is better factory integration and the platform where you can pull-out real-time efficiency data.

As we talk about the higher throughput, it is important to have a very effective safety protocol and arrangements at your factory level and also in the equipment as a standard practice. Better offline software capabilities will help in this direction to define the correct and safer approach towards the work. I don’t see any trends impacting the machine tools, rather on the contrary, there is huge demand for the faster lead time for the machine delivery and the market is really showing the positive outlook.

What demand do you expect for innovative engineering products and what prospects do you anticipate for engineering and manufacturing efficiency in robotics?

As we have been talking of the solution rather than the equipment level, the innovation and the affordable automation is going to be more in discussion for the Indian market. As an element, robotics and material handling systems will be inevitable part of new project discussion. This pandemic has definitely put the focus back on the need of automation and to have uninterrupted production activity. Offline integration of the machine and ‘Order management’ platform will lay the foundation for the effective factory management with real time monitoring system. As per the present trend, the need for basic automation has increased due to high power laser cutting machine, which demands quick turnaround of the material to keep the pace with the productivity of the machine. This demand will further drive to the vertical storage system and the warehouse integration