Demonstration of Lights-Out Machining Featuring Tsugami TMA-8

Caron demonstrates its automated machining systems. Photo credit: Caron Engineering Inc.

Caron Engineering demonstrates its technologies for automation, unmanned operations, and total process monitoring and control for tool loading, offset adjustment, and more. With the technology outfitted on a Tsugami TMA8 live-cutting demo, the company showcases a fully automated (lights-out) manufacturing process. 

The highlighted Caron Engineering technology includes ToolConnect, TMAC, DTect-IT, Blum LC50, MiConnect, and AutoComp. ToolConnect is an automated tool loading system, with the ability to read and process presets, barcodes and RFID tags to update tool information in the CNC control. TMAC is an automated tool monitoring system, that can detect wear and breakage in real time, while DTect-IT can extract data via a scanning probe to detect any dimensional anomalies within a part. Blum’s LC50 Digilog works similarly to DTect-IT, but for tools, using a laser to anaylze and measure tools used in the machining process. Finally, MiConnect controls interaction between the CNC control, Universal Robot, and vision gauge, while AutoComp automatically processes the vision gauge data to eliminate offsets in the control.

These products can interface with virtually any CNC machine tool available today, and can be customized and scaled for various applications and cutting types.