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Software drives laser cutting productivity gains

Mazak Optonics Corp. announces its next-level, network solution for driving productivity gains through its family of laser cutting systems. PC-based, e-Soft provides technical data and management tools, which are used to generation increased "green light" uptime and more efficient production flow.

The e-Soft package comes in the form of CD-ROMs and can be used with any PC networked to a Mazak machine and its MAZATROL PREview CNC control. The combination of the PC and e-Soft supports Ethernet protocol for factory networking and video camera monitoring of cutting operations. A comprehensive family of software applications provides the real power for operators and management to increase productivity and reliability.

The e-Monitor application continuously looks at the machine status and is activated by any alarm message generated by the CNC. It immediately displays the alarm and offers a list of potential reasons for the error. Clicking on the prompts, e-Monitor accesses its database for text and photo troubleshooting help to guide the operator or technician. Alarms and solutions are automatically stored in the database for improved recovery practices developed over time.

An e-Technical Help function is a digital warehouse for application information and guidelines about efficient cutting parameters, setup functions, and more. Operators and programmers may customize the database to include customer-specific process information for their own use and the education of new operators.

e-Manual is an indexed and key-word searchable database containing the complete set of manuals for operation and service. It significantly reduces the time needed to retrieve and search through printed manuals and is always resident at the machine.

An e-Scheduler application allows both shop and front office personnel to review the machine load and job status at any time. The scheduled start time and run-time for each job is listed, and the software makes it possible to re-prioritize the backlog instantly. Management can coordinate production on the laser with any known bottlenecks or starved downstream processes. It also can accommodate emergency orders and integrate them into the manufacturing flow seamlessly.