TOOL POLICY AT MAEM

Reasonable tool policy as one of the methods of production optimization - as we do at MAEM.

In previous editions of our newsletter (you can find all of them on our website at www.maem.com) we told you about MAEM's approach to reverse engineering as a production process, how we use state-of-the-art measuring tools and why we equipped our plant with balancing machines.

In this article, devoted to our production department, we will present the benefits of a reasonable tool policy.

Throughout 2019 year, the machines in MAEM's Production Department have a total of 21 869 hours of operation. During this time they processed 78.5 tons of raw materials and 5613 pieces of castings,resulting in 41382 pieces of various details, which finally went to the engine room of our customers' ships.

Due to the variety of processes that our machines perform on a daily basis, we have a special place at MAEM where we store all the necessary tools for production. Recently the tool room has been equipped with one of the more advanced solutions supporting production - intelligent tool cabinet, which we have acquired from SECO company.

The purchased Secopoint system, equipped with a dispensing cabinet, is fully synchronized with information about production technology. The unit, after programming the production process, selects an appropriate set of tools, which are then made available to the operator in automatically extending drawers. This solution eliminates 100% of the risk of production losses caused by the use of unsuitable tools and also reduces unscheduled machine downtime caused by their absence. Fewer mistakes at this stage means much higher production efficiency and execution of planned orders on time.

Another function of the AC200 cabinet is to control the level of tool wear. The operating system stores archive data from previous production cycles - too many tools issued for a similar process clearly indicates some problem that technologists, together with machine operators, can already diagnose at this stage. This is extremely important from the perspective of optimizing time and tool consumption.

The cabinet also has a purchasing module. Our planners get a report if the level of any of the tools drops below a predefined minimum. Only one click in the system allows to send the order directly to the supplier. Thanks to the cabinet, the tool level is under constant control, which makes the risk of machine downtime due to lack of tools almost zero.

Thanks to the tool room and the purchased SECO solution, we have all tools in one place under strict control of the automated system. By significantly increasing production efficiency, lowering costs and strict tool control, we have further increased the quality and competitiveness of our products. Mission accomplished.

‘Secopoint system together with AC200 device, which we delivered to MAEM, is a solution reserved for the elite of modern manufacturing companies. We are glad that thanks to AC200 we can welcome MAEM in this group’. Michał Łesejko , SECO Poland