During IMTS, Zoller Inc., a provider of tool presetters and tool management software based in Pforzheim, Germany and Ann Arbor, MI, will have a Sinumerik 840Di CNC in its booth, pre-loaded with the Siemens Motion Control Information System (MCIS). One module of MCIS is its Tool Data Information (TDI) suite. Siemens makes useful and immediately-accessible information about tool status available to machine tool and presetter programmers, operators and production managers alike, through MCIS. Having such data can be extremely helpful in organizing tool strategies in production departments and small job shops and, owing to the predictable patterns of wear on various types of tooling, Siemens has incorporated a library of such information into the TDI suite.

Offered to customers as a standard solution, Zoller has written an interface to connect TDI to the company's presetter, enabling data to be brought directly into the Siemens numerical control. Zoller boasts accuracy on its presetters to two thousandths of a millimeter (0.002 mm) or less than eight millionths of an inch (0.00008 in).

By utilizing TDI and a Zoller presetter, a machine tool end-user benefits in many ways, including faster access to tool data with no manual entry of values required.  All tool data are transferred to the CNC by an automatic link in the presetter, resulting in significant cost-, time- and operator action savings. In addition, the user develops an increased understanding of tool life and tool wear patterns on various operations in the shop.  The Zoller presetter writes data directly onto an RFID chip, making transfer to TDI onboard the Siemens CNC is simple and easy.  Lastly, an end-user can maintain a central server that indicates the location of any tool in the shop or factory, as well as track the status of the next tool needed to perform an upcoming operation. To see the demonstration, please visit the Zoller booth at IMTS, booth W-2022.