AMADA has released its class-leading V-factory system that provides real-time data from AMADA machines with AMNC control, anytime, anywhere, using any device with an internet connection. Parameters monitored extend from current machine status and volume of work, through to material usage, energy consumption and operation analysis, in essence providing a snapshot of the entire connected production environment at a glance.
Privileged access to real-time data is today a prerequisite in many industries that want to manage production and check machine availability. AMADA’s V-factory is designed to facilitate this demand in a comprehensive yet easy-to-use format. The system comprises a connecting box and software, with the latter allowing users to access a dedicated webpage called My V-factory, which is compatible with all PCs, tablets and smartphones (Android and iOS).
Convenient access to this web-based platform ensures AMADA customers can check machine status in real time, namely, is the machine running, being set-up, in standby mode, waiting alarm response, or idle? Such functionality is ideal for company owners and production managers who are remote from the shop floor, or those called off site, as well as companies running unmanned shifts. Operators also benefit from access to quick and easy data.
A wealth of information is available, including a complete history of all programs and detailed data about parts and machine performance. For instance, V-factory might indicate that 60 hours were attributed to waiting for materials last month, thus highlighting a clear problem which needs to be addressed.
The system provides comparisons between ‘on’ time, alarm time, set-up time and standby time, offering an excellent tool for production analysis reports. Laser cutting costs can also be established for material, assist gas and energy consumption, while for press brakes it is possible to gather data on the most commonly used tools and number of hits (strokes), for example.
A further feature is the availability of machine diagnostic data, which leads to early problem identification and reduced downtime. Information about daily machine maintenance is also collected.
“Data is changing the world,” states Ricardo Gaudêncio, Senior Engineer at AMADA UK. “It is our responsibility as machine manufactures to offer customers the power and potential of data analysis, so they can expand their businesses and improve machine availability and production results.”
As well as supporting new machines, the intuitive V-factory is suitable for use with any existing AMADA machine tools featuring the AMNC control. A standard installation will only take a few hours to set-up and no pauses in production are required.
Ultimately, the release of V-factory from AMADA makes it simple to check current machine status, regardless of location. Moreover, production trends and machine availability can be easily understood using clearly defined comparisons in graphical format. In an era when machines are expected to run 24/7, V-factory helps ensure this time is utilised to maximum effect.
Proteus Industrial Switchgear having recently installed the latest AMADA fibre laser are already experiencing the benefits of the V-factory. CNC Programmer Andy Roberts commented “We have found the V-factory system very easy to use, it allows us to see how effectively we are using the machine and being a new user of fibre laser we can see where we can improve on that efficiency. The operation results show how long the machine has been running each shift and alarm page is helping us to eliminate machine stoppages.”
