Solutions for optimizing the manufacturing of means of Transport

Advanced Manufacturing

Planes, trains, boats, buses, trucks or cars are means of transport where concepts such as safety, precision, optimization and the integration of software that gives us full control of the manufactured parts’ production cycle are key in order to make us more productive and competitive in terms of deadlines, quality, costs and price.

Manufacturers feel pressurized because, as well as designing means of transport, which are also customized, they have to apply standard production criteria so as not to drive up the price of the offer. To do this, they need integrated software solutions for cutting sheet metal that facilitate the efficient use of the material, using CAD/CAM, MES and ERP programs. This way, not only is the whole plant displayed and managed in real time, but it provides flexibility and agility to adapt to changing demand.

At a more detailed level, for example, the automatic programming of the sheet metal cutting machines via oxycut, plasma, laser and waterjet is performed with Lantek Expert Cut. This program allows the number of parts per ton of material to be maximized and, as a consequence, reduces the consumption of raw material which brings about substantial improvements in production margins. Equally, we also have the most advanced nesting algorithm in the world, thanks to which the disposition of the sheet metal is optimized, seeking its maximum utilization, to such a point that, before using a new sheet, the system identifies adequate sizes among the offcuts.

At the same time, we have a wide range of software adapted to the transport sector’s requirements, such as Lantek Expert Punch, to optimize the CNC programming of the punchers; Flex3d CAD Addins, to import CAD drawings to display any piece of sheet metal in three dimensions; Lantek Expert Quattro, to optimize rectangular cutting, especially, for shears; Lantek Flex3d Steelwork, for designing, nesting and machining the cutting of metal profile parts; Lantek Flex3d Tubes, especially for tubes; Lantek Expert Duct, for the automatic mapping of boiler forms.

However, optimizing the placement of parts is of little use if, afterwards, the sheets or tubes are half-used, with scrap that is difficult to work with being accumulated. It is therefore fundamental to work with a MES that helps to plan the efficient production of the orders in terms of material, thickness, deadline or other parameters, allowing different requests to be linked, decreasing times and consumption.

As well managing the productive process, with MES, we can integrate inventories, control combined production and gather data. This information is stored in the cloud and is analyzed to provide solutions that optimize manufacturing using Lantek Analytics. This tool is used to cross-check historical and real data that provide, in real time and automatically, responses to different eventualities such as the reorganization of workload in the face of an unexpected order, the detection and correction of possible setbacks with maintenance or the prediction of new demand. This way, new production requests can be met without jeopardizing delivery deadlines.

And all of this through the integration of external and internal software, which allows us to control and supervise the whole production process from start to finish and from any department. The result of this integration in the manufacturing of means of transport is a transparent process, right from when the order is placed to its subsequent production and delivery. This way, managers can make decisions based on real-time data. Not only can companies optimize and synchronize their production processes so that transport is manufactured on time, but also to achieve optimal processes and generate added value.

Because it’s not just about producing parts while making the absolute most of the material, it’s also about doing it while optimizing processes. Thanks to the incredible possibilities offered by the different programs, we can consider customized alternatives at any time, from the initial design of the transport to the rest of the production chain. And this is only possible if working with a partner who is able to offer the best portfolio of software solutions to work with safety, integrity and flexibility.