Post by HEIDENHAIN

Seven machines. Several generations of CNC controls. The Austrian manufacturer Weingärtner Maschinenbau GmbH wanted to improve the operational visibility of its tool management processes for seven machines. One potential digitalization hurdle was the age and variety of the CNC controls: The machines were equipped with different HEIDENHAIN controls ranging from the iTNC 530 to the TNC 640. At least one dated back to 2003! So Weingärtner Maschinenbau brought in the Hoffmann Group, which successfully linked all seven machines to a digital tool management system with its Connected Manufacturing solution. But how was digital networking still possible with legacy controls? The Hoffmann Group simply used the existing interfaces on the HEIDENHAIN controls. “Whether you have machining centers with the latest TNC controls or legacy machines with older controls, HEIDENHAIN provides the interfaces needed for digital connectivity,” explains Marco Hayler, HEIDENHAIN Product Manager for Connected Machining. The age of the equipment didn’t faze the Hoffmann Group either. “We work alongside our customers to bring them into the future, regardless of whether their machines are old or brand-new,” says Andreas März, a digital process consultant at the company. In the end, Production Manager Thomas Huemer, at Weingärtner Maschinenbau is pleased with all the time his team is now saving through greater tool management visibility: “We no longer waste time hunting down tools—that makes us a lot more efficient.” #HEIDENHAIN #tnc #cnc #ConnectedMachining

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