FANUC IoT System Boosts Machine Uptime at Lettner

Task

With 45 machine tools producing millions of small turned parts across a 24/7 shift pattern, Lettner Metallbearbeitung sought an IoT software solution that would help provide better monitoring of its production status. In particular, the company wanted to avoid any prolonged periods of downtime, which can have a catastrophic effect on production schedules.

Solution

After assessing the market, the company opted for FANUC’s MT-LINK𝑖. This advanced software is a fully scalable machine tool monitoring solution that can supervise and manage data from one to 2,000 machines, robots and other devices.

Result

Today, Lettner is using MT-LINK𝑖 to uncover machine downtime trends and understand why they occur, helping the company address any issues and keep production rolling. In particular, error messages during the overnight ghost shift have a notably positive impact on machine uptime. 

“We introduced MT-LINK𝑖 to reveal trends about machine downtime and why it occurs, simplifying our daily operations,” says Lettner. “We can display the information on any PC or smartphone.” 

Since the software monitors various sensors connected to machine tools, it represents a simple way of bringing a facility into the IoT universe while simultaneously enhancing a number of key metrics.

“MT-LINK𝑖 has had a positive impact on production times,” states Lettner. “Notably, error messages during the ghost shift become more visible, helping us to impart countermeasures and reduce the downtime of machines.”