UNIT 12 TOOL MANAGEMENT IN ADVANCE

MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

Tool Management in
Advance Manufacturing
Systems

Structure
12.1 Introduction
Objectives

12.2 Automatic Tool Changer

12.3 Calculation of Tool Number
12.4 Performance of Tool Management System
12.4.1

Tool Management

12.4.2

The Hardware Components of the Tool Handling and Management System

12.5 Tool Storage Policies

12.6 Summary
12.7 Key Words

12.1 INTRODUCTION
Fewer the parts produced by the system, lesser the parts available for the sale and this
lead to the lower income generated by the system. Tool management in advanced
manufacturing system takes into account automatic tool changer, calculation of tool
number, tool management policy and various tool storage strategies. Tool management is
very important aspect in tool engineering which is used for effective utilization of various
tools for efficient production. This section deals with the description of automatic tool
changer, enumeration of tool number and several policies dealing with tool storage
policies.

Objectives
After studying this unit, you should be able to

understand automatic tool changer,

calculate the tool number,

understand performance of tool management system, and

understand tool storage policies.

12.2 AUTOMATIC TOOL CHANGER

Automatic tool changer (ATC) is often used with automated tool-storage devices in CNC
machines to improve its tool carrying capacity. The advantages of automatic tool changer
are as follows :

ATC increases the machine tools productive time.

It significantly reduces the times for changing worn tools.

It provides storage of the cutting tools, which are returned automatically to

the machine tool after carrying out the required operations.

New cutting tools are automatically delivered to the machine by the

tool-changing system.

The rotating magazine holder can provide tool-storage capacities ranging

from 60 to 240 cutting units, with up to 24 different types of tool
geometries.
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The integration of these mechanisms into machine tools can easily be

ensured with a view to achieve superior performance.

These systems can cover a wide range of size and options to suit most
machining applications.

Therefore, these are the benefits of installing such systems, but how do they achieve such
attractive production advantages, and how do they operate? This is discussed in next
section.

12.2.1 Automatic Tool-changing Mechanisms on Turning Center

Cutting units can be stored in either a drum or a disc type of storage device. A typical
example of the storage facilities and their automatic tool-changers is shown in
Figure 12.1. The rotary tool-changer swivels between the tool magazine and the
machines turret. Each gripper can rotate through 90o, to deliver tools to the front face of
the turret. The tool-changer simultaneously removes the cutting tools from the disc
magazine and the turret and then it rotates through 180o.
The new tool is delivered to the turret and accurately positioned in the correct orientation,
whilst the used tool is replaced in its correct turret position for either re-use or
replacement. The tool-changer arm is withdrawn from the working area of the machine
and starts the cutting cycle. A gantry-type of tool-changer with a twin-gripper assembly
can be used for high-speed tool-changing where space in the area of the machine is
limited.

Dise Magazine
Drive Unit
CNC
Turret

Power Supply

Figure 12.1 : CNC Turning Machine with Integrated Disc Magazine for Automatic Tool Changing

In this design, the gripper assembly also rotates though 90o to deliver tools to the turrets
periphery. The major advantage of using this type of tool-changer is that it can be fitted
to a machine tool with very little modification and it keeps the working area free from
any mechanisms that might get affected by swarf or hit by the machine tools moving
parts. The disc-type turret magazine mentioned above has random-access capability.
This means that the tool-changer has completely free access to any tool in the store
providing an almost instant delivery to the turret. If company requires even more
versatility from the automation of block tooling system, it is also possible to change the
disc turret automatically and consequently, the tool-storage capacity approaches to
infinity. The advantage of using this universal tool-changing mechanism is that they are
designed on the modular principle and can be fitted to any configuration a company
requires allowing for higher degree of customization.

The drum-type tool-storage facility is used in conjunction with a gantry-type loading

configuration. The rotary drumtype holder permits a continuous supply of cutting units
over long periods of unattended machining in the same manner as with the disc turret.
When first setting of the machine for a new family of work pieces, the magazine racks
can be easily substituted with new one, which holds other types of tools. The cast iron
drum consists of the rotating magazine holder assembly and it encloses the interior

working parts. This drum is mounted centrally on z column and runs freely on two
bearing. A locking mechanism is attached to the drum and hinge plates for mounting of
either five or ten cutting-unit magazines depending on the magazine holders capacity.
The drum can easily be removed so that the interior working parts are accessible. The
tool-actuator mechanism is stationary inside the rotating magazine holder. This
mechanism transports the cutting units from or into the magazines. When a particular
tool-cutting unit is called, the drum magazine is indexed into position before the tool is
energized. Then the actuator will load or unload the gripper. The gripper is attached to
transportation mechanism particularly to a gantry robot and is taken to the machine-tool
magazine. Sister tooling can be used for heavily utilized cutting tools so that the
system have a large and versatile cutting capacity on the shop floor particularly if
powered tooling is also incorporated into the system as mentioned earlier. Their
versatility can be further enhanced if gantry robot is designed to include such features as
such trigger probing and the capacity to load and unload the workpiece. This level of
sophistication with and work loading coupled to a probing ability is almost the state of
art but not quite so completely automated machine tools in which chuck jaws for holding
different work holding needs can be offered or a complete chuck-changing facility using
a gantry robot is possible as listed by some machine tool builders. When machines with
sophisticated specifications are used either as stand alone machines or as parts of
flexible manufacturing system, the throughput of work and variety of applications are
significantly high. When coupled with a high utilization system having many shifts and
pay back period, then time for return on the investment of machine tool is much shorter.
The level of investment required to incorporate all of the features described above is
considerable and is only possible when a company has an expected volume of work
which justifies the cost. An alternative approach which might be suitable for medium to
large-batch situations in which the product line is diverse and calls for a certain amount
of flexibility in coping with the production demands. Here, the conventional turningcentre turret has quick-change tooling supplied by a chain-type tooling carousel which
can carry approximately 20 additional tools that may be utilized. This tooling
configuration with automatic tool clamping in the turret is within the reach of most
budgets and considerably expands the machines capabilities for coping with a more
diverse range of jobs.

Tool Management in
Advance Manufacturing
Systems

To reiterate earlier statements, whichever the configuration and whatever level of sophistication one requires from a machine tool, it should be apparent that quick-change
tooling expands the tooling potential vastly, whilst reducing non-productive cycle times.
It should be enthusiastically considered as an alternative to conventional tooling. It may
be utilized on other machines for example CNC machines or even conventional machines
simply by changing the adaptor. If a company cannot afford the whole system, it should
experiment with just a few units to gain experience in their use bearing in mind, of
course, that the full production savings will only result when a whole system is utilized in
an effective manner.
The automatic tool changing system is a sophisticated, well-tried and time tested tooling,
having large scale industrial usage. Once the tool begins to degenerate (possibly through
extraneous circumstances), the productive capability is lost. At the least, there is a need
to protect the tool from the little chance of failure by using some form of tool-condition
monitoring system.

SAQ 1
(a)

What is automatic tool changing mechanism?

(b)

Explain automatic tool changing mechanism on turning center.

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12.3 CALCULATION OF TOOL NUMBER

Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMSs) are often viewed as system capable of
processing a wide variety of parts in random order. This is achieved by determining by
the number of tools of each type that are active in the system at the same time. Very few
tools can result in low system utilization and throughput. Too many tools in the system,
however, can increase system cost. Proper tool management ensures that the correct tools
are utilized on the appropriate machines at the right time so that the desire quantities of
work pieces are manufactured.
The utilizations of tools and machines and throughput of each part type are important
performance measures that must be managed for efficient production. The Numerical
Control (NC) machines used in FMSs are very expensive to purchase, operate and
maintain and under-utilization of the machines can be very costly. Part throughput
determines the revenue generated by the system. The number of tools of each type active
in the system can improve the machine utilization and system throughput. The costs
associated with lost machine time and failure to meet production quotas will decrease due
to unavailability of tools. But the tooling required by the NC machine is costly. To carry
more tools than necessary can increase the cost of operation and maintaining the system
and complicate tool storage and transportation. Hence, the number of tool of each type
active in the system must be determined to balance these cost.
The tooling cost per unit time can be expressed as :
L

PT = PTi Ni (1 i )

. . . (12.1)

i =1

where,

PT = Cost of idle tools,

PTi = Cost of idle tool of type i,
Ni = Number of tool of type i in the system, and
i = utilization of tool type i.

Example 12.1

A production industry consists of a machine having two tool types for three
products. The cost of the idle tool (PT) in two consecutive operations are 348 unit
and 342 unit respectively and cost of idle tool of types 1, 2 are 150 unit and
140 unit respectively. Calculate tool number if utilization of tool of types 1, 2 for
first operation is 0.4, and 0.6 while for second operation it is 0.7 and 0.4
respectively.
Solution

Given data :
For first operation : 1 = 0.4, 2 = 0.6, P = 348 unit, P1 = 150 unit, P2 = 140 unit
For second operation : 1 = 0.7, 2 = 0.4, P = 342 unit, P1 = 150 unit,
P2 = 140 unit
Suppose number of tool of type 1 is N1 and number of tool of type 2 is N2
Using Eq. (12.1)
For first operation :
348 = 150 * N1 * (1 0.4) + 140 * N2 * (1 0.6)

. . . (12.2)

For second operation :

342 = 150 * N1 * (1 0.7) + 140 * N2 * (1 0.4)
After solving Eqs. (12.2) and (12.3), it is found that
N1 = 2 and N2 = 3.
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. . . (12.3)

SAQ 2
Explain the method of calculating tool number.

Tool Management in
Advance Manufacturing
Systems

12.4 PERFORMANCE OF TOOL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

12.4.1 Tool Management
A comprehensive cutting tool management system is critical for a successful operation of
a flexible manufacturing system. Tool management can be defined as the capability of
having the correct tools on the appropriate machines at the right time while maintaining
acceptable utilization of manufacturing resources. One of the primary objectives of tool
management is to ensure that tooling is never cause for delays in the production schedule.
The following statistics indicate the need and importance of cutting tool management :

30 to 60 % of a shops tooling inventory is somewhere on the shop floor,

with most of it placed in the toolboxes.

16 % of production demand cannot be met because the tooling is not

available.

40 to 80 % of production supervision time is spent to search the appropriate

materials and cutting tools.

In some plants, operators spend 20% of their time to search cutting tools.

A metalworking firms annual budget for tooling, jigs, fixtures, consumable

supplies, and spare parts is 7 to 12 times larger than its entire
capital-equipment budget.

In a typical machining system, actual cutting time is between 5 to 20 % of average

machine utilization time. Non-productive areas where machine utilization levels can be
increased include tool setting, tool changing, and part loading.
Incorporation of automatic tool handling and management system result in the following
benefits :

Machine productivity is increased because tool change is automated and

takes place while the machine is operating.

Reduced costs are associated with lower tooling inventory, since each
machine has access to common tool storage. Tooling represents a major
investment both in the initial start up of a system, and in the ongoing
operation of the system. By installing a cutting-tool management system,
saving can be greater than 20 % as compared to purchase of new tooling.

Emergency tool purchases and the purchase of incorrect tools are

eliminated.

Product delivery time is improved because tool shortages are never

responsible for delays in the production schedule.

12.4.2 The Hardware Components of the Tool Handling and

Management System
Tool magazine and Automatic Tool Changer

A tool magazine and automatic tool changer are located on a machine. The
operation of a tool changer is shown in Figure 12.2.
TH

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Figure 12.2 : Tool Changer

Tool Storage and Support System

The primary objective of the tool storage and support system is to prepare the tools
for the production in a timely fashion. The functions performed in the tool storage
system are :
(a)

Tool identification,

(b)

Tool storage, and

(c)

Tool presenting.

Other support functions performed in the tool storage and support system include
buildup of tool assemblies returned from the machine and tear down of tool
assemblies.

(a)

(b)
Figure 12.3 : Tool Stockers (a) Rack Stockers; and (b) Disk Stockers

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Two types of commonly used tool stockers are shown in Figure 12.3(a) the rack stocker
and disk stockers in Figure 12.3(b). They can be automated in a way similar to an
automated storage and retrieval system.

Tool Management in
Advance Manufacturing
Systems

Tool Handling System

The tool handling system transfers tools from the tool storage and support system
to the individual tool magazines on each machine. One tool handling system can
service several machines, depending on the tool changeover requirements. A
typical tool handling system uses an automated guided vehicle to transfer tools
from the tool room to the tool magazines on each machine. An automatic tool
handling system between the tool room and individual machines allows tools to be
changed while the machines are running. This reduces setup time and increases
machine utilization. Figure 12.4 Shows an AGV-mounted robot loading a tool
magazine with tools.
Tool Magazine
Robot Arm
Machine

AGV

Shop
Floor

Figure 12.4 : Loading of Tool Magazine

Tool Fault Detection System

A tool fault detection system is required for a successful operation of a tool

management system. Tool fault detection can be classified into tool wear
monitoring and tool breakage detection. In view of the risk to the machine and
part, breakage detection is more important than tool wear monitoring. A breakage
detection system protects the machine, tool holder, and machined part from
damage through tool breakage or collision. It also permits unattended operation of
the machining center over prolonged time.
A practical approach to the tool wear problem is to replace tools after a
predetermined number of hours of machining. In this way, the need for tool wear
monitoring is eliminated and the occurrence of tool breakage is minimized. Fault
detection is a function handled at each machine and monitored by the machine
control system. CNC machine with automatic tool changers should have tool
breakage detection capability for efficient operation. When a tool fails
prematurely, a replacement tool may have to be obtained from the tool room. The
ability to respond to these situations is an important issue in the tool management
system.
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SAQ 3
(a)

What are the various components of tool handling and management system?

(b)

Explain tool storage and support system.

(c)

Describe Tool handling system.

(d)

Explain tool fault detection system.

12.5 TOOL STORAGE POLICIES

Different tool policies are used in order to efficiently manage tools. Without the loss of
generality, four different tool policies are analyzed based on a manufacturing cell that
includes three machine tended by an AGV. Each machine is equipped with a permanent
tool magazine of capacity mc = 60.
Tool Storage Policy 1

The tool magazine of each of three identical machines is loaded with six different
tools as shown in Figure 12.5
This tool storage police have some advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages

A backup set of tool is available.

A backup machine is available.

The tool handling system is simple.

Disadvantages

More than one set of identical tools is required.

Identical NC program are stored in more than one machine.

Tool magazine capacity requirement is high.

t1, t2, t3, t4, t5, t6

M1

t1, t2, t3, t4, t5, t6

M2

AGV

Figure 12.5 : Tool Storage Policy 1

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Tool Storage Policy 2

t1, t2, t3, t4, t5, t6

M3

Each tool magazine is loaded with two different types of tools. Additionally, each
of these tools is duplicated as shows in Figure 12.6.
t1, t1,
t2, t2,

t3, t3,
t4, t4,

M1

M2

Tool Management in
Advance Manufacturing
Systems

t5, t5,
t6, t6,

M3

AGV

Figure 12.6 : Tool Storage Policy 2

Advantage

A backup set of tool is available.

Each NC program is stored in one machine.

There is a simple tool handling system.

Disadvantage

More than one set of identical tool is required.

A backup machine is not available.

There is a high requirement for tool magazine capacity.

Tool Storage Policy 3

The tool magazine of each machine is loaded with only one tool of each type as
shown in Figure 12.7. All spare tools are stored with a number of other tools in the
tool storage and handling system.
Tools in TSHS : Subset of (t1, t2, t3, t4, t5, t6)
Tool Storage and Handling System (THHS)

t1, t2

M1

t3, t4,

M2

t5, t6

M3

AGV

Figure 12.7 : Tool Storage Policy 3

Advantage

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A backup set of tool is available.

Each NC program is stored in only one machine.

There is a low requirement for tool magazine capacity.

A backup machine can be created by changing tools in a tool

magazine.

The number of identical sets of tools might be reduced in comparison

to the number of tools in storage polices 1 and 2.

Disadvantage

Relatively complex tool storage and handling system is required.

Tool Storage Policy 4

Tools in TSHS : Subset of (t1, t2, t3, t4, t5, t6) +
Set of Alternative Tools

Tool Storage and Handling System (THHS)

t3, t4,

t1, t2

M1

M2

t5, t6

M3

AGV

Figure 12.8 : Tool Storage Policy 4

In all the three tool storage policies discussed, the assumption was made that at
least two identical sets of tools were available in a given planning horizon.
However, this assumption very often does not hold in industrial practice due to :

The high cost of tools.

Delays in tool maintenance

Figure 12.8 illustrated a tool storage policy that reduces the number of tools stored
in the tool storage and handling system.
In this storage policy, the following two subsets of tools are stored in the tool
storage system :

Tool prone to breakdowns

Tools providing alternative part routes

Typically, not more than one copy of the tools falling into one of the preceding
two tool categories is stored in the tool storage and handling system.

SAQ 4
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(a)

Explain various tool storage policies?

(b)

State advantages and disadvantages of tool storage policy 2?

(b)

Explain tool storage policy 4 in detail.

Tool Management in
Advance Manufacturing
Systems

12.6 SUMMARY
Automatic tool changer is often used to improve tool carrying capacity of CNC machine.
CNC machine with automatic tool changer increases the machine tools productivity time
reduces the times for changing worn tools. The utilizations of tools and machines and
throughput of each part type are three important performance measures that must be
managed for efficient production. Hence it is necessary to calculate effective number of
tool required for machining. Tool management consists of tool magazine and automatic
tool changer, Tool storage and support system, tool handling system, tool fault detection
system. The success of tool management depends mainly upon various tool storage
policies.

12.7 KEY WORDS

ATC

: It is automatic tool changer, used for automatic

tool storage and tool changing.

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