Everything You Need to Know about Tool Monitoring Systems

Tool Monitoring System

Tools in good working conditions play a vital role in several machining processes across manufacturing facilities of various sectors. Earlier, almost all manufacturing units employed human labor for monitoring tools. However, this was time-consuming and had a lot of scope for human error. With technological advancements, now most players use tool monitoring systems to check the health of their machines and tools. This reduces time, the scope for errors, and identifies bugs that can be fixed in time. High-quality and precision tool monitoring systems not only help you monitor broken and missing tools but also reduce tool wear. These systems are best at maintaining quality assurance and also preventing severe damage when the tool breaks. This post discusses the benefits of tool monitoring systems in detail. So, stay tuned.

A Short Introduction to Tool Monitoring Systems

As the name suggests, tool monitoring systems are designed to identify any changing geometry, breakages, cracks, can so on in tools. These systems use vibration analysis and spindle power monitoring, which help keep track of the overall state of the machine. If a specific tool is worn out or broken, it instantly stops the machine. The system assesses as well as measures several operations such as the pressure required to turn the spindle. Standard limits are set in the system based on the prediction and observation. The value of the limit identifies missing or broken components.

Reasons Why Tool Monitoring Systems Are Popular Among Manufacturers

There are countless benefits of tool monitoring systems. The following are some important ones that have contributed to their popularity. Let’s have a look at them:

  • The first and the most important benefit is these systems are ideal for monitoring single spindle head tools. The list includes horizontal machining centers or HMC, virtual machining centers or VMC, reamers, gun drills, milling cutters, tools in bushing plates, and much more.

  • The system helps improve the shelf-life of the tool by simply identifying wear and damage in the early phases so that it can be fixed immediately. Also, this information can be used by manufacturers to improve the tool performance. This means both surface finish and tolerance can be improved. Some expensive tooling can be changed before it gets too late and costly.

  • Tool monitoring systems can be easily mounted in any electrical cabinets without any external help. These systems are available in different specifications and can be customized to suit particular requirements.

  • Machine crashes are unpredictable. Typical reasons that result in machine crashes include execution of invalid machine instructions, buffer overflow, triggering unhandled exceptions, and much more. Today, different tool monitoring systems with sophisticated signal processing technologies are available, which helps overcome this issue.

  • Most tool monitoring systems have an in-built learn function, enabling the system to compensate for tool grind differences. This feature improves the monitoring process by reducing nuisance faults.

Areas Where Tool Monitoring Systems Are Used

Owing to the above-mentioned benefits, tool monitoring systems are used in the following areas:

  • Machining Centers
  • Transfer Lines
  • Multi-spindle Drill Heads
  • Rotary Cycle Machines
  • CNC lathes
  • Automatic Multi-spindle Lathes
  • Roll Grinding Machines

All these mentioned benefits suggest why tool monitoring systems are gaining immense popularity. They help improve their productivity, increase efficiency, and save a massive amount on machining investments that can be used for several other purposes. When implanting such a system, ensure you partner with a reliable player such as Techna-Tool. The company offers the Techna-Check monitoring tool and has several years of market experience. Techna-Tool specializes in manufacturing performance-driven tool monitoring systems and accessories for diverse applications.

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