Efficient Tightening Controllers: Boost Manufacturing Accuracy

Profitable manufacturing operations know that success is in the details. In the case of tightening applications, you can make or break your assembly efficiency depending on the solutions on your operator’s side.

The ability to efficiently swap battery tools is ideal in many manufacturing environments, especially those with numerous battery-operated tools. Without an efficient solution, tool swapping can take up valuable time that could be better allocated to the production process.

Our customer, a Major OEM in the automotive industry, was aware of this challenge and sought out a solution that was fast, reliable, and reduced hardware on the shop floor. In their search for such a product, they contacted the experts at Atlas Copco. Discover the solution that transformed their assembly and saved valuable time per tool swap. Ready to learn more? Let’s get into it!

Assembly lines often have dozens or hundreds of smart integrated battery tools. Fast deployment and management of these assets are critical to achieving maximum uptime. With Virtual Controller deployment in seconds, combined with the ability to manage all wireless tools in one interface, ToolsControl is the ultimate asset manager for your battery tools, allowing you to swap battery tools in less than 5 seconds.

Our customer experienced high downtime rates due to tool swaps and wanted to save valuable floor space with a server-based solution. This would enable them to increase productivity during the day and better allocate their space according to their needs. When they spoke with our experts, they found out about ToolsControl, our latest server-based controller deployment solution.

To keep up with the competition, manufacturers must keep up with the ever-changing manufacturing environment. Manufacturing has never been more complex, with increasing product variants and tight deadlines. Thankfully, the solutions we use daily have also become smarter and more reliable, enabling operators to do more in less time.

ToolsControl is one of these solutions, allowing you to achieve streamlined efficiency with a single point of connection. As a server-controller portal, ToolsControl enables controller software to function without dedicated hardware. ToolsControl is designed to be installed in a cluster to provide maximum redundancy. If one node in the cluster fails, the application can heal itself by offloading the workload to the remaining nodes.

ToolsControl enables you to:

• Reduce the number of physical controllers in a line
• Run the software on server infrastructure, which is more stable than line-side devices that are subject to all the moving parts of production
• Dramatically increase uptime due to tool swaps

One of the key features that our customers are excited about is ToolsControl's tool swap capability. If a tightening tool needs to be changed or replaced, ToolsControl streamlines the swapping process. Instead of connecting the tool to the controller and reprograming it, with only a few clicks, they can swap a tool and continue production.

When the average tact time is 50 seconds, this is a huge deal to remain productive on the line. With this feature, our customer would save 15-30 minutes per tool swap!

Furthermore, our customer found value in easily viewing spare tool inventory from one user interface. This allowed them to view metadata about each tool (service date, tool software version, etc). They also appreciated the cost reduction associated with power savings from eliminating physical controllers.

To learn more about ToolsControl and all it has to offer, read our article: Simplify control: achieve more with less using the out-of-the-box controller software solution.

At Atlas Copco, we have the product offering and the experts to help guide you on your productivity and efficiency journey. From advanced tightening controllers to the latest assembly tooling and more, Atlas Copco always delivers superior results.

In the case of ToolsControl, you can benefit from:

• Self-healing capabilities
• The automatic Failover feature
• ToolSwap capabilities
• A single IP address on every tool

To learn more about Atlas Copco’s ToolsControl and its features, contact us today to speak with one of our experts and to book a demo!