Condition monitoring, data analysis and remote maintenance with intelligently connected solutions // 40 customers already on board from the automotive and engineering sectors // Restructuring improves how services are provided
From 3D printers and smart glasses to traditional machine tools, Hannover Messe was the perfect opportunity for AXOOM to show just how easy it is to digitally connect machines, software and services. Some 40 customers from the automotive and engineering sectors are already using AXOOM’s platform, which currently plays host to software solutions and applications from numerous different partners. AXOOM is a vendor-independent system, so it allows customers to connect up data from machines made by different manufacturers, regardless of their age. “One of the things that makes AXOOM so unique in the market is the fact that our platform is tailored to existing software systems. We don't expect our customers to reinvent their solutions as they head toward a smart factory. They can simply join forces with us and get started right away with their existing machines and their current manufacturing IT systems,” said Tom Tischner, managing director of AXOOM GmbH, at Hannover Messe. The digital business platform caters to the entire manufacturing value chain. Headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany, the company now employs some 100 people.
Combined expertise in manufacturing and IT
As a subsidiary of TRUMPF, AXOOM offers expertise in both manufacturing and IT with its highly qualified team of hosting experts, mechatronics engineers, software developers, project engineers, lean advisors and process consultants. “We assist our customers with everything from consulting and implementation right through to the support and maintenance of their connectivity solution. That makes it simple, fast and affordable for potential customers to get to grips with Industry 4.0 and start using the industry’s most modern business platform,” said Tischner. Thanks to the partner model, customers can select from various offerings to find the tool that suits them. “Working together with the partners who offer their solutions and applications on the platform benefits everyone: customers don't have to tie themselves down to just one offer, and the partners can reach new customers,” said Tischner.
Restructuring helps AXOOM provide services even faster
At this year's Hannover Messe, the company positioned itself as a single-source provider for the first time: AXOOM Solutions, the subsidiary responsible for implementing the solutions, is now operating under the AXOOM umbrella – the next step in a relationship between the two companies that has been very close ever since they were founded. “For our customers, it's like getting all the familiar services from a single source, from strategy consulting to project integration. It makes coordination and communication easier, which means we can provide our services even faster,” said Tischner.
AXOOM presented various example applications at Hannover Messe:
Smart glasses for remote maintenance at Makino
Machine tool manufacturer Makino now offers fast-track support to its customers using smart glasses from oculavis. AXOOM provides access to the machine data required to make this work. Using a live hook-up, a service technician can see the machine as easily as the on-site operator thanks to the smart glasses and fast data transmission. The technician can give the operator detailed instructions to get the system back into operation as quickly as possible. Access to the machine data offers the perfect basis for efficient troubleshooting – and additional experts can be brought in wherever necessary. The platform architecture is designed to allow the integration of inhouse developments via apps. As part of the AXOOM platform, they do not require any separate access to the customer's IT system.
Using trend analyses to prevent errors at Daimler
Laser welding is an everyday activity in the Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen, Germany: groups of robots equipped with I-PFO intelligent scanner optics weld the doors and tailgates of the E-Class vehicles, powered by a network of TruDisk disk lasers from TRUMPF. The data derived from the lasers, processing optics and process sensor are sent to other stations on a kind of in-house data highway. Some of the data is uploaded to the AXOOM Cloud via the Internet. Algorithms and real TRUMPF experts then set to work transforming the data into trend analyses. The aim is to avoid failure events and identify ways to improve efficiency.
Transparency improves planning capabilities at Klöckner
Customers of the German steel and metal distributor Klöckner are increasingly asking for semifinished products and complex blanks. To meet their customers’ needs and ensure their own manufacturing facilities are fit for the future, Klöckner has been working closely with AXOOM. By connecting its machines to the AXOOM cloud service, the company aims to boost transparency and improve its planning capabilities. This is crucial, because transparency is the key to automating the value chain from order placement right through to delivery. During a pilot run at its production site in Velten, the company connected a tube laser cutting machine to AXOOM for the very first time. The experts at AXOOM began by creating a digital twin of the tube cutting machine, which will be used in the future to render all the machine and process data in the dashboard. That allows the engineers to visualize data for the users and recommend what action to take.
Condition monitoring of 3D printers
AXOOM can also be used to monitor the condition of the very latest manufacturing systems. For example, a digital connection to the AXOOM Cloud allows users to stream and process condition data for a TRUMPF 3D printer and display it clearly on a dashboard. That, in turn, facilitates live monitoring of the production status or machine capacity. The machine operator can keep a close eye on the manufacturing process from a distance, and the production line can be organized more efficiently.
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