INNOVATIVE MANUFACTURING SOFTWARE

Machining Centers Engineering

LONG TRADITION, INNOVATIVE SOFTWARES

MCE is the IT division of MCM. For the last 30 years it supported the success of MCM's flexible production systems. MCE, combining production expertise and a systematic approach to research and development, provides a new layer of strategic services to support manufacturing, in modern machining shop floors.

PRODUCTION TARGETED INFORMATION

The strongest and most succesful feature in our offer is the deep know-how on how to integrate technical data (describing production process) and management data relevant for get the work done.

CUSTOMIZED FACTORY INTEGRATION

Our capacity to directly interface machine control systems, together with the knowledge we have of their operating modes, arise from 30 years of continuous development in the industrial automation sector. This experience and our skills in deploying custom solutions, enabled us to build integrated solutions for manufacturing, which seamlessly range from sensors to enterprise Information management system.

RESEARCH AND
INNOVATION

Our solutions are not a mere re-proposition of some old industrial accounting solutions, as most of the so called Manufacturing Execution Systems do. They define, in a new and bold way, abstractions to model machining resources in the most effective way to support their operations.

FLEXIBLE AND
INDIPENDENT

We design software services able to exploit the whole potential flexibility of modern production lines. At the same time, developing software able to make critical decisions, improve production’s autonomy.

OUR SOLUTIONS

Effective production processes are modular, reusable and integrated. With our software is possible to reach these targets, easily.

OUR METHODOLOGY

Deploying an effective and reliable software. That's how we do it.

MODULAR PROJECT

  • Shared Framework, for core services.

  • Separated modules for different services.

  • Modular and hierarchical dependencies management.

  • Predefined integration points.

CONTINUOUS INTEGRATION

  • Versioned repository for source code.
  • Automated compiling system.
  • Different developers’ workspaces integration, several times on daily basis.
  • Test and and creation of deployment items automation.

STATE OF THE ART TECHNOLOGY

  • UI based on Web 2.0 framework
    (Lift www.liftweb.net).
  • Persistence support with modern documental DB (MongoDB www.mongodb.org).
  • Coded combining OOP and functional programming (Scala www.scala-lang.org).
  • Cross platform application (Windows, Linux, Mac OS-X).

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Case histories

aerospace

Shop floor integration and flexibility injection in traditional production equipment.

The client: a third party supplier of machined parts to the aerospace market. Conventional mono- or bi-pallets machining centers, without flexible automation. Target: the need to guarantee small batch production, reducing efficiency loss, due to very frequent setups. Solution: The application of jFMX supervisory software to each machine in the shop floor, integrated with the support of our Level2 services, made the data flow completely automated. Production orders, cutting tool data, part programs are taken from enterprise information management systems (ERP, PPE, TDM) and used to control process execution and to manage production resources.

Every single bi-pallet machine is configured as a virtual multi-pallet cell, with a queue of pallets waiting to be machined. During the day the operator checks the work-cycle on a single part, with several iterations managed by jFMX NetPP executor. There’s no need for the operator to interact directly with CNC or ISO code. Multi-faceted and multi-clamp pallets are prepared for production and processed unattended during night-shifts.

general machining

Planning and closed loop production control

The client: a shop floor for the production of 7500 different operations on 1200 codes for 5 different product’s lines. For the milling, MCM machining centers are used in flexible automation systems, both multi-pallets and FMSs. The problem: optimized allocation of production orders to different machines, complete trace of resources usage (centers, tools) to get detailed analysis of production’s costs, without the need to load on machine operators the burden of time-consuming tracking operations, particularly critical in a production environment characterized by a growing number of small size lots.

The solution: installation of jFMX on any machine tool, getting them ready for fast reaction to an hard to predict production context using responsive dispatch rules. Over this layer, a Level2 platform, is integrated, featuring complex instruments for workload balancing and lot planning trough time. This platform is able to get orders from factory IT system and to render the work progress in real time.

General machining

Reusable knowledge base about the machining process

The Client: a leader in oleo-hydraulics sector. The Problem: A factory equipped with modern machining centers with flexible automation, facing the shrinking product lifecycle and the growing product variations. The Solution: A new way of programming machining work cycles, using the NetPP model and a reusable machining operation library, managed by L2-Machining service, linked to all the jFMX instances, controlling the machining centers.

Workplans are managed by the process planning and engineering (PPE) office and delivered to the machines, based on the production plan. Every modification made on the fly, is sent back to PPE office for validation. Once these modifications are confirmed they’re stored in the library, making them re-usable for further projects.