Automation concepts for tool and die making companies

Automation is important for increasing productivity in tool and die making industry since it enables companies to run their machines without any operator and to increase machine runtimes in night shifts and on weekends. In this paper a holistic concept for the automation of the core technologies (milling and EDM) in tool and die making industry is developed. At first differences between automation in small and large-scale productions are investigated. Prerequisites for automation in tool and die making are analysed. From this analysis core elements for the automation can be derived: machining, setting up, data provision and material provision. These elements are specified in detail to develop possible scenarios for automation in tool and die making industry.