Question to Ask Before Automating Your CNC Machines

Do you know what a CNC machine is? Ever heard the FANUC alarm codes list? If you are an engineer or someone curious, you are probably looking for some answers.

This article will answer some of your questions.

Automation is something complex. It is the will to manufacture by changing the path of a business.

But moving towards automation obliges us to make major changes in the manufacturing procedure. If you make any mistake while taking such a step or move at the wrong time, your company’s effectiveness will decline.

When talking about automation strategy and applying steps towards achieving it, many questions might pop up in your mind. Answering these questions will help you automate the computer numerical control (CNC) machines.

What is the path that leads to automation?

If we want to discuss the concepts of metalworking and machining applications, automation might look like an amazing concept, although it might have a few weaknesses. For example, developing your machine tools to CNC tools to support automation might not be that cheap. But nowadays, with new techniques and rising technologies becoming more usable, companies will start looking at automation as something normal that serves the changing market.

In such a case, automation becomes an answer to external conditions, instead of being a goal in and of itself. The followed path is reactive instead of proactive. 

The reaction changes the whole path, although it might not be something bad. Choosing full automation as the ultimate goal means that you should follow a detailed and comprehensive path. Also, it needs to imagine a fully automated process soon.

Choosing full automation requires a plan that might take a long time, and will probably cost you a lot of money. Keep in mind that a proactive path lowers that ability of critical faults, the high costs, and problems in the manufacturing procedure.

What is the function of human employees?

Choosing to be proactive in the automation procedure and following the right steps towards full automation of the CNC machines obliges you to specify the roles of your workers. The CNC machines teach your worker how to deal with geometric code (g-code) and CNC programming, making sure they know everything to control the whole production process.

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It is not the only role of a worker in such a process. You must check if your officers and designers are offering the best services. Caring for such factors will make the automation process easy.

Are your operations prepared for automation?

Automation gives prominence to any basic trends. If your operations are built on a good basis, automation will enhance them. If not, then you might get unhappy and weak results, along with bad performance for a long period after automation.

CNC operations cover product design, putting g-code programming under test, quality affirmation, and sales, instead of others. You can make sure that your processes are automation-ready by developing and building good equipment and teaching your workers how to work, and even if you are applying some physical enhancements to the means to assure they encounter the right circumstances for automated machining.

Do you own the equipment to reach complete automation?

Many machine equipment designers provide CNC milling machines, fiber laser cutting machine, lather, and other mechanical equipment that achieves full automation. Still, these machines represent a part of what the manufacturers are looking for.

The automation CNC operation asks for software cooperation to produce high and complex CNC programming. The fully automated CNC program can meet the guidelines cited above with no need for manual intervention needs programming that might take a long time to complete manually. The programming phase needs independent software besides the software used in the actual CNC machines.

When looking at the tools needed for fully automated CNC machining, you will discover how complex the fully automated systems are. The solution does not lead to taking a step forward from advanced machining automation. Instead, the operators must keep an eye on selecting the best time and approach to growing the level of automation.