Sylvac was present at FOREP 2022 to meet quality specialists in the beautiful Swiss Tech Convention Center in Lausanne.
FOREP is an event that offers participants the opportunity to learn about current topics in the field of sustainable development of companies: :
Discovering new approaches in the areas of quality, environment, safety and risk management, and business excellence
Benchmarking and best practices
How to strengthen business performance to ensure continued competitiveness
How to address future challenges and ever-increasing competition
Sylvac had the opportunity to exchange experiences, establish new networks and maintain old contacts, especially in the field of sustainability, and had a good laugh at the jokes of Thomas Wiesel, a Swiss comedian present for the event.
Sylvac is pleased to announce the availability of stock of all the measuring ranges of its micrometer S_Mike EVO Smart, which complete the line of the S_Mike PRO. Available now : 0-25mm, 25-50mm, 50-75mm and 75-100mm.
Sylvac is pleased to introduce a revolutionary new holding system for small, magnetizable parts: The Scan S25T optical machine magnetic holder. Composed of a SOUTH magnet and a NORTH magnetic plate, this system has been designed for the measurement of small magnetic parts that are usually difficult to hold in position without compromising the part or the measurement.
Advantages
Non-contact holding, without deformation of the part
Easy and quick positioning of the part with tweezers
Allows measurement of static and dynamic characteristics
Precise measurement and repeatability - even if the part is not exactly centered, thanks to software alignment correction
Principles
A magnetic field straightens and holds the part vertically
Clever system with different interchangeable tips, with or without positioning center (vee)
Holds small, magnetizable parts with a diameter between 0.4mm and 3mm and a length up to 50mm
Available as a set with different tips or as individual pieces
The Sylvac team is pleased to announce the release of the 1.5.6 version of its Sylcom software.
Sylcom is a data processing software specially designed for the acquisition and monitoring of data in manufacturing workshops. In its 1.5.6 version, Sylcom offers the following new features :
Cloud storage (beta version) - Expert
OPC UA communication - Expert
Long range - Standard/Pro/Expert
Eco mode - Standard/Pro/Expert
PDF upload and cropping - Standard/Pro/Expert
Discover : Cloud function (beta*)
What is it? Centralized storage solution for data from multiple Sylcom stations.
How does it work? The cloud is deployed at the customer's site via a Sylvac NAS (Network Attached Storage) server, ready for use. The customer will thus benefit from an internal cloud solution on a local network.
Customer benefits: - Real-time or delayed monitoring on a single workstation (with expert license) of all the data recorded by the different Sylcom workstations - Remote monitoring possible using VPN - Data security
* If you want to be a beta tester for our Cloud solution and receive a NAS, please get in touch with us by email.
Discover : OPC UA function
What is it? Integration of Sylcom software into the production workflow via OPC UA.
How does it work? Sylcom now speaks in OPC UA, a machine-to-machine communication protocol allowing industrial automation between production devices (machine, robot, PLC).
Customer benefits: - Direct connection to PLCs - Possibility of integrating quality control into production automation - Communication standard allowing compatibility with a range of equipment
Sylvac is a Swiss manufacturing company specialized in the design, production, and distribution of high precision dimensional measuring instruments. In its factory in Malleray, in French-speaking Switzerland, mechanical components of Sylvac hand-held instruments are produced on machining centers.
To facilitate, simplify and optimize quality control processes, Sylvac Malleray has implemented Sylcom software in its manufacturing processes in 2020. Sylcom is a data processing software specially designed for data acquisition and monitoring in workshop environments.
Challenges :
Before the introduction of Sylcom, quality control data was acquired with the good old pen and paper method, while the operator was following a printed and static control plan. All data collection was done by hand and transferred to an excel sheet at a later stage, which was a lengthy and complicated procedure, prone to human errors. A misreading of an instrument or a wrong transcription of value on paper could potentially only be identified during the final inspection – which could lead to the scrapping of an entire production run.
Quality reports would also pile up and clutter the workshop while waiting to be transferred to Excel, making it difficult to access information in real time when requested by customers or management.
Moreover, static control plans provided to the operators were not necessarily easy nor practical to follow especially for new team members not accustomed to the part to be measured.
Solution :
The production floor in Sylvac Malleray implemented Sylcom to facilitate fast and reliable data acquisition via their connected instruments. At the push of a button, the data measured is instantly transferred and stored to a database and can later be exported if needed: no more paper, pens, and manual transcription into Excel.
Sylcom also offers the possibility to upload dynamic control plans, assisting and guiding the operator step by step with an optimized sequence of measures. This sequence can either be based on the particular part to be measured or the most time-efficient use of measuring devices (e.g: the digital control plan guides the operator to measure all characteristics requiring the use of a caliper, and then all the characteristics of the part requiring the use of a micrometer)
Result :
Sylcom has become an essential software that is being used daily in the workshop. In-production quality control is now done faster, and more reliably; Sylvac has also significantly reduced its scraps.
Moreover, the monitoring option offered by Sylcom allows to keep track of the evolution of a particular characteristic over time and batches even when within tolerance limits. This makes it possible to identify unstable characteristics that require more attention and corrective actions which is especially useful to production manager, Josian Furer, who added:
“Sylcom is a great piece of equipment for our operators who can feel at ease knowing the software assist and guide them during every measuring operation, reducing greatly possible human errors. The software also facilitates operator judgment by clearly indicating the tolerance status of each characteristic. As for me, it offers useful monitoring options on all my production lines easily accessible from my office.”
In summary, Sylvac production benefited greatly from the introduction of Sylcom, from fewer human errors, time-saving processes, and scrap reduction leading to cost savings, while allowing proactive actions on unstable characteristics.
Quality is of the utmost importance for Sylvac and through the right people, right tools, and the right software, Sylvac remains one of the worldwide leading companies in its industry.
