It’s a CNC machine shop owners’ dream: Making parts overnight with little or no labor cost. Now think about the other advantages: Long overnight runs can make your daylight machine time more flexible, so you can make more short runs that require changeovers, work on more complicated parts, or respond to an urgent order from one of your customers. Plus, machine operators can use their time more efficiently by setting up overnight production while daytime runs are in progress.
Obviously, there are significant advantages to lights out manufacturing, assuming you make the kinds of parts that lend themselves to unattended operation. However there are 3 key issues to consider before taking the plunge:
- How capable are your machine tools? Can they handle continuous, unattended operation? Are they stable and rigid? Do they have sufficient spindle power? Are there enough tooling stations to provide sufficient cutting tools? Is the control system reliable?
- Do you have the right peripherals? For example, can the chip conveyor adequately handle the quantity and types of chips produced throughout the production run? Or will the chips begin to back up and create problems? If high-pressure coolant delivery is required, can the delivery system be programmed to vary the pressure throughout the machining cycle as necessary? If you are using a bar feeder to load a turning center, can it continuously load sufficient quantities of bar stock without interruption?
- How well are your machines maintained? If a machine goes down at any time it’s a problem, but if machine operators are present, they can shift production schedules or use other machines until help arrives. When a machine breaks down in the middle of a lights out shift, work grinds to a halt and precious run time is lost until someone is available to correct the problem. A preventative maintenance program is critical for lights out operations.
Lights out production is not for everyone, but if you make parts that are candidates for unattended operation, your Pittsburgh Haas factory Outlet can make sure you have machine tools that are capable of making quality parts while you sleep. Just call (724) 778-3220, email: tom.jonas@haasfactoryoutlet.com, or visit www.hfopittsburgh.com.