Siemens Introduces Mcenter Platform For Efficient Shop-Floors
Siemens has introduced Mcenter, a new manufacturing and resource management platform, designed to enhance the preparation of tool scheduling, workflow supervision and NC program management. Mcenter will additionally smartly and seamlessly network the machine tools with the company’s IT / OT landscape.
Part manufacturing companies across several industrial sectors are facing ongoing and increasing pressures to make their production more cost-efficient, more flexible and more sustainable. Looking at the shop-floor today, as companies of all sizes wrestle with the issues of digitalization and improved asset management, the challenges of preparing production orders, materials and tooling acquisitions plus devising the best use of machines on the floor for optimum workflow and output can be daunting. In response, Siemens offers Mcenter as a solution to these challenges.
Machine tools traditionally communicate with the central server of a machine shop or factory network via clients that are directly integrated into the control. Web applications are used that can easily be accessed via a PC or tablet web browser. In contrast, user dialogs embedded
in the CNC’s HMI are also provided for tasks performed directly at the machine. Connection to existing IT systems in the production environment can usually be established via application programming interfaces (APIs). Mcenter balances these conditions to achieve the desired outcomes.
Mcenter further helps part manufacturers of all sizes reduce their IT administration complexity through centralized platform functionalities such as connectivity, security roles, rights, application management, etc. and thus forms the backbone of the Siemens Smart Shopfloor protocol.
Siemens offers Mcenter for the optimum management of a machine shop’s manufacturing resources, including the following elements:
Tool Management: The application Manage MyResources /Tools provides full transparency about the available tools and their current locations. This feature enhances productivity by minimizing the time needed to pair the right tool with the right machine at the right time.
Program Management: Manage MyResources /Programs provides an immediate overview of all the available NC programs and their status for easier programming and setup.
Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE): Analyze MyPerformance /OEE allows the important indicators to be identified for the improvement of machine or work cell utilization and the elimination of bottlenecks in production.
Mcenter further offers the following advantages to shops as they accelerate on the path towards digitalization:
Encompasses All Machine Tools: With Mcenter, it is possible to manage all types of machines, regardless of their age or controller brand, across the shopfloor. Deeper onboard integration with SINUMERIK CNC machines provides additional value and Siemens continues to improve the CNC integration with other brands in the global market today.
Increase Overall Productivity With Minimal Effort: Mcenter enables companies of all sizes to increase productivity by providing the user detailed insights on tooling, NC programs and machine utilization. Enhanced integration of higher-level systems with the CNC on the machines makes it possible to manage the entire workflow on the shopfloor with reduced effort. This feature significantly lowers set-up times, the chief impediment to productivity, plus it optimizes resource utilization, thereby lowering overall cost to the manufacturer.
Integrate With Existing IT Infrastructure: Mcenter provides open interfaces that allow flexible integration into existing IT infrastructure and processes such as connecting to pre-setters for automated data transfer. Mcenter also offers additional opportunities for the manufacturer to utilize the Siemens Teamcenter digitalization portfolio.
As Vivek Furtado, the head of machine tool digitalization for Siemens, observes, “Mcenter breaks into a new horizon of overall machine monitoring, comprehensive manufacturing management and resource utilization to produce the ideal workflow and production scenario for any manufacturer with CNC machines.”
For more information: www.siemens.com
