Method for producing a plurality of components by cutting same out of a panel-shaped workpiece

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a plurality of components by cutting same out of a panel-shaped workpiece and further processing at least some of the components in at least one additional processing station. The cutting contours for the components on the panel-shaped workpiece are calculated by means of a cutting pattern module (11) of a control device (10), and the placement of the cut components on a storage and transport carrier is calculated by means of a palletizing module (12) of the control device (10). The method is characterized in that the entire processing of the components is simulated by means of a master module (13) of the control device (10), and the process of determining the cutting contours by means of the cutting pattern module (11) and / or the placement of the cut components on the storage and transport carrier by means of the palletizing module (12) are optimized with respect to specifiable criteria (K1 to K5).

Description

[0001] Method for manufacturing a large number of components by cutting from a sheet-shaped workpiece

[0002] Background of the invention

[0003] The invention relates to methods for manufacturing a plurality of components by cutting from a sheet-shaped workpiece and further processing at least one part of the components in at least one further processing station, wherein the cutting contours for the components on the sheet-shaped workpiece are calculated with a cutting pattern module of a control device and wherein the placement of the cut components on a storage and transport carrier is calculated with a palletizing module of the control device.

[0004] Especially when manufacturing components from sheet metal, after cutting the contour from a sheet of metal, further work steps such as bending into a three-dimensional shape, inserting threads, painting, etc. are usually required in order to obtain the desired component at the end of the manufacturing process.

[0005] Currently, the processes of defining the cutting contours of the components on the sheet-like workpiece and the subsequent palletizing of the cut blanks are optimized independently. The cutting contours are calculated with a view to optimal material utilization of the sheet-like workpiece. Palletizing aims to minimize the number of storage and transport carriers required. Palletizing, in turn, affects further processing and transport of the components. In principle, different palletizing methods are possible for each component cutting pattern. However, the optimizations for these two tasks are not coordinated, nor are further processing steps for the cut components considered when defining the cutting contours and palletizing.

[0006] Object of the invention

[0007] The invention is based on the objective of allowing the optimization of the manufacturing of components cut from a sheet-shaped workpiece up to their completion according to various criteria.

[0008] Description of the invention

[0009] This problem is solved according to the invention by a method for manufacturing a plurality of components by cutting from a sheet-shaped workpiece and further processing at least one part of the components in at least one further processing station, wherein the cutting contours for the components on the sheet-shaped workpiece are calculated with a cutting pattern module of a control device and wherein the placement of the cut components on a storage and transport carrier is calculated with a palletizing module of the control device, which is characterized in that the overall processing of the components is simulated with a master module of the control device and the determination of the cutting contours by the cutting pattern module and / or the placement of the cut components on the storage and transport carrier by the palletizing module are optimized with regard to predefinable criteria.

[0010] The dependent claims relate to preferred embodiments.

[0011] With the method according to the invention, the cutting patterns for the components and their palletizing can also be optimized according to criteria that relate to the entire manufacturing process of the components. For example, the determination of the cutting pattern and / or the palletizing can be optimized for the most cost-effective manufacturing of the components or for production in the shortest possible time. The control unit can be designed as a distributed control unit. A first part of the control unit can execute the cutting pattern module, a second part of the control unit can execute the palletizing module, and a third part of the control unit can execute the master module. The parts of the control unit can be spatially separated and communicatively connected. It is understood that a single part of the control unit can also execute multiple modules.

[0012] The overall processing time primarily includes the transport times of the components. The master module simulates how the components are transported after manufacturing to the next processing stage, and potentially to the stage after that. Components placed together on a transport carrier can only be transported together. The transport times are factored into the overall processing time.

[0013] Optimization based on various criteria can also be performed across multiple production orders for components, meaning that not only is each production order optimized individually. This allows, for example, machine utilization to be considered over a longer period. A potentially longer processing time for a single production order can lead to an overall more favorable processing time across multiple orders.

[0014] Furthermore, it is possible to optimize the definition of cutting contours and / or the palletizing of components according to several criteria with varying weightings. This is particularly useful when different combinations of cutting pattern definitions and palletizing lead to similar results with regard to a single criterion, such as material consumption. In this case, a second criterion can be used to decide which combination to implement. Such a second criterion could, for example, be the processing time of the production order.When optimizing primarily the cutting pattern, particularly with regard to optimal material utilization of the sheet-shaped workpiece, the cutting pattern module can define the cutting contours of the components based on data for a production order. The palletizing module then calculates possible palletizations that can be combined with the calculated cutting pattern. Finally, the master module selects the palletization that yields the best results from the possible combinations of the optimized cutting pattern with different palletizations, based on other criteria related to the overall manufacturing process of the components. For each component cutting pattern, there are various options for placing the finished components onto load carriers and transport containers, i.e., for palletizing them. Palletization, in turn, has a decisive influence on the overall manufacturing time of the components.Palletizing systems aimed at minimizing the number of storage and transport carriers can conflict with the goal of achieving the shortest possible transport routes for individual components. Conversely, optimizing for the shortest possible transport routes may necessitate additional storage and transport carriers, the provision and management of which increases the cost of the manufacturing process.

[0015] The master module can therefore select from the possible combinations of the optimized cutting pattern with a palletizing system the palletizing system that best meets a criterion relating to the overall manufacturing process.

[0016] In contrast, when optimizing primarily the palletizing of components, especially with regard to the shortest possible handling and transport times for the components, the palletizing module can define the palletizing of the components accordingly from data for a production order for the components, then the cutting pattern module calculates possible cutting contours on the workpiece that can be combined with the calculated palletizing, and the master module selects from the possible combinations of the optimized palletizing with different cutting patterns the cutting pattern that yields the best result with regard to further criteria that concern the overall manufacturing process of the components.

[0017] However, the process can also be designed so that the master module uses data for one or more production orders for the components to calculate various cutting contour specifications from the pattern module and various palletizing configurations for the components from the palletizing module. It then selects the combination of cutting pattern and palletizing that best fulfills the predefined optimization criteria. With this configuration, the components to be manufactured according to several production orders from a single customer can be grouped into production orders to be processed together in different ways, and the impact of the corresponding component combinations on cutting, palletizing, and the desired optimization criteria can be simulated.To this end, the master module initiates the calculation of various cutting patterns by the cutting pattern module and the calculation of various palletizations of the components of the production order to be processed, and evaluates which of the calculated cutting patterns can be combined with which of the calculated palletizations and which combination best meets the specified criteria for the production of the components.

[0018] However, the method can also be implemented such that the master module calculates specifications for the pattern module and the palletizing module for each optimization criterion, or already contains these specifications as a rule set. The pattern module then calculates the cutting contours for the components, and the palletizing module calculates the palletizing of the components, taking these specifications into account. This configuration of the method is particularly advantageous if the master module can perform an accurate simulation of the entire manufacturing process of the components, i.e., if it knows the factory layout and the material flow through the factory. The rule sets for the various optimization criteria can be continuously improved by a self-learning process or by a process controlled by artificial intelligence. Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description, the claims, and the drawing.According to the invention, the aforementioned and further described features can each be used individually or in any suitable combination. The embodiments shown and described are not to be understood as an exhaustive list, but rather serve as examples for illustrating the invention.

[0019] Detailed description of the invention and drawing

[0020] Fig. 1 shows a diagram of a first implementation of a method according to the invention;

[0021] Fig. 2 shows a diagram of a second implementation of a method according to the invention;

[0022] Fig. 3 shows a diagram of a third implementation of a method according to the invention;

[0023] Fig. 4 shows a diagram of a fourth implementation of a method according to the invention.

[0024] All figures show schematic diagrams of a control unit 10 of a cutting machine (not shown in detail), which is part of a production line for components cut from a sheet-shaped workpiece by the cutting machine. The control unit 10 has a pattern module 11, which calculates the cutting contours for the components on the sheet-shaped workpiece. A palletizing module 12 of the control unit 10 calculates how the cut components can be placed on one or more storage and transport carriers. While the tasks performed by the pattern module 11 and the palletizing module 12 can also be performed by control units of known cutting machines, the invention additionally provides a master module 13, in which information about the entire production line is stored.The master module 13 can therefore be predefined with optimization criteria K1 to K5, which can also relate to the entire manufacturing process of the components, such as throughput time, number of required storage locations, material utilization, number of transports, or the number of transport carriers required. Preferably, the pattern module 11, the palletizing module 12, and the master module 13 are executed on a control unit for production planning. The optimization criteria K1 to K5 can be predefined, modified, and weighted differently using an input unit 14.

[0025] Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the process using the example of a production order. It is understood that a single production order can contain data from multiple orders. For example, data from orders from several customers can be combined into one production order. This improves flexibility in the selection of components for optimizing cutting patterns and palletizing.

[0026] In the implementation of a method according to the invention shown in Fig. 1, data 15 from a production order for the components are fed directly to the cutting pattern module 15. This module optimizes the cutting pattern with regard to optimal material utilization of one or more sheet-shaped workpieces. The cutting pattern is then transferred to the master module 13. Subsequently, the palletizing module 12 uses the information about the cutting pattern together with the optimization criteria Kl to K5 specified to the master module 13 to generate palletizing that is optimal with respect to these optimization criteria Kl to K5. With regard to the selection of the components to be palletized after cutting, there is no degree of freedom in this implementation. The components are predetermined by the data 15 of the production order.If the pattern module 11 distributes the components across multiple workpieces, the palletizing sequence is partially predetermined, as the components produced from a first workpiece must be palletized before the components produced from a second workpiece can be palletized. In the process implementation according to Fig. 2, the manufacturing data 15 is transferred to the palletizing module 12, which calculates optimal palletizing of these components according to the optimization criteria Kl to K5 specified by the master module. The palletizing module 12 specifies which components are palletized together on the same load carrier. Additionally, the palletizing process may dictate the sequence in which the components are palletized.If a production order involves manufacturing components from several sheet-shaped workpieces and palletizing them together, the conditions for the palletizing sequence can also determine the cutting sequence, thus partially defining which components are manufactured from the same sheet-shaped workpiece. Subsequently, the cutting contours of the components are defined by the cutting pattern module 11 according to the determined optimal palletizing. If only one sheet-shaped workpiece is used, there is no freedom regarding the selection of components to be machined from that workpiece. The cutting pattern for the components is optimized only from a geometric perspective, not by a corresponding selection of components. If several sheet-shaped workpieces are used, the selection of components per workpiece may be restricted by the palletizing module 12.The specified conditions for the order must be adhered to.

[0027] Fig. 3 shows an embodiment of the process in which data 16 from several production orders are transferred to the master module 13. For this set of production orders, various possible cutting patterns are calculated by the cutting pattern module 11 and various possible palletizing configurations by the palletizing module 12. The combinations of the different cutting patterns and palletizing configurations are evaluated by the master module 13 with regard to the predefined optimization criteria Kl to K5, and the most advantageous combination is selected and implemented. The evaluation can include a simulation of the entire manufacturing process of the components. In this variant of the process, the cutting pattern and the palletizing of the components are optimized simultaneously, whereby the selection of components can be varied across several production orders; that is, the components can be grouped into orders to be processed together in different ways.

[0028] Figure 4 shows an embodiment of the process in which the master module 13 contains a set of rules for creating the pattern and the palletization based on the criteria Kl to K5, for which optimization is to be performed. This set of rules can be continuously improved by an artificial intelligence method. According to these rules, the pattern module 11 calculates one or more possible patterns, and the palletization module 12 calculates one or more possible palletizations for each pattern (shown on the right side of Figure 4). Alternatively, the palletization module 12 calculates one or more possible palletizations, and the pattern module 11 calculates one or more possible patterns for each palletization (shown on the left side of Figure 4).The master module validates the combinations of cutting patterns and palletizing for compliance with the regulations and selects the most favorable combination of cutting patterns and palletizing for the components if several possible combinations have been calculated. The validation and selection process can include a simulation of the entire manufacturing process for the components.

Claims

Patent claims 1. A method for manufacturing a large number of components by cutting them from a sheet-shaped workpiece and further processing at least one part of the components in at least one further processing station, wherein the cutting contours for the components on the sheet-shaped workpiece are calculated using a cutting pattern module (11) of a control device (10) and wherein the placement of the cut components on a storage and transport carrier is calculated using a palletizing module (12) of the control device (10), characterized in that the overall processing of the components is simulated using a master module (13) of the control device (10) and the determination of the cutting contours by the cutting pattern module (11) and / or the placement of the cut components on the storage and transport carrier by the palletizing module (12) are optimized with regard to predefinable criteria (Kl to K5).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the optimization according to the various criteria (Kl to K5) is carried out over several production orders (15, 16) of components.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the optimization of the determination of the cutting contours and / or the palletizing of the components is carried out according to several differently weighted criteria (Kl to K5).

4. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, in an optimization primarily of the cutting pattern, in particular with regard to optimal material utilization of the sheet-shaped workpiece, the cutting pattern module (11) uses data (15) for a production order of the components to determine the cutting contours of the components. accordingly, the palletizing module (12) then calculates possible palletizations that can be combined with the calculated pattern, and the master module (13) selects from the possible combinations of the optimized pattern with different palletizations the palletization that provides the best result with regard to further criteria (Kl to K5) that concern the overall manufacturing process of the components.

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, when optimizing primarily the palletizing of the components, in particular with regard to the shortest possible handling and transport times, the palletizing module (12) determines the palletizing of the components accordingly from data (15) for a production order for the components, then the cutting pattern module (11) calculates possible cutting contours on the workpiece that can be combined with the calculated palletizing, and the master module (13) selects from the possible combinations of the optimized palletizing with different cutting patterns the cutting pattern that yields the best result with regard to further criteria (Kl to K5) that relate to the overall manufacturing process of the components.

6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the master module (13) calculates different cutting contour specifications from the pattern module (11) and different palletizing of the components from the palletizing module (12) for one or more production orders from data (15, 16) and selects the combination of pattern and palletizing that best fulfills the specified optimization criteria (Kl to K5).

7. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the master module (13) specifies for each optimization criterion (Kl to K5) specifications for the pattern module (11) and the palletizing module (12) calculates or contains as a set of rules and the pattern module (11) calculates the cutting contours for the components and the palletizing module (12) calculates the palletizing of the components taking these specifications into account.

8. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that the rule sets for the various optimization criteria (Kl to K5) are continuously improved by a self-learning process or by a process controlled by artificial intelligence.

9. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the optimization criteria (Kl to K5) are specified as optimal material utilization and / or a small number of load and transport carriers and / or a small total processing time of the components and / or a small number of transports and / or a small number of storage locations.

10. Cutting machine with a cutting unit, a feeding device for sheet-shaped workpieces, a palletizing device for placing cut components onto storage and transport carriers and with a control device (10) with a cutting pattern module (11), a palletizing module (12) and a master module (13) which are configured to carry out a method according to one of claims 1 to 9.

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