THE NEW FRONTIER OF NUMERICAL CONTROL
Thanks to the constant work of MG and its partner Delsy, company founded in 1979 with a focus on software and numerical controls, a wide range of high quality products is offered. This continuous innovation takes place along the line traced by MG since its roots, i.e. the ability to think out of the ordinary: MG’s philosophy is to customize its products as if they were a tailor-made suit; this process naturally takes time but allows to obtain products suitable for any required solution. This is why I am pleased to present two of new creations, the result of long and meticulous technical and engineering work. The first product is the NC Easy Command, which replaces the previous NC Nexus: before the introduction of this new numerical control, the NC Nexus provided the possibility of creating an archive containing up to 900 programs. Obviously, this was a limitation given the limited space available, and it is for this reason that our engineers, in response to customer requests, decided to implement the functions, starting with the number of programs, which is now 9999, almost infinite. Moreover, the NC Easy Command offers 2 functions, namely the integrated alarm management and warnings to guide the user during the functioning. This choice achieves the goal of being easily accessible even for those operators without extensive experience. Among the available versions, particular attention should be paid to the version 4.0: this device has the same features as the basic version, but with enhanced functionality, i.e. when connected to the company network, it generates a file in .csv text format with all the available data that can be interrogated by a company server, thus achieving a full integration via OPC-UA communication protocol. To be more comfortable, it is also possible to remote the operator panel on a PC, tablet or smartphone connected to the same local network.
While the NC Easy Command is the big news of the MG expansion season, the Touch Command CNC series also continues its drive towards innovation. The operator has an easy-to-use man-machine interface and a powerful digital motor offers an optimized control precision for bending machines, thanks to the “closed loop” system that constantly controls the position of the axes and their interpolations. This type of numerical control is also easy to use, but it is usually recommended for a high-volume production or for bending complex shapes, such as variable radius, ovals and elliptical shapes. New models being launched on the market are the CNC Touch Command EVO 4.0, the Touch Command EVO 4.0 Plug-in and the Touch Command EVO PLUS. The first one is a step forward compared to the already existing Touch Command EVO as it is equipped with the CNC connection with Ethernet cable directly on the electrical panel and, last but not least, the integrated We App, being visible within the local network, that allows to view the machine status, order management, executed programs, production charts and maintenance. Furthermore, sensors are added to check the machine status in real time, for instance oil filter or oil temperatures. The last and also the most advanced version, the so called “Touch Command EVO PLUS”, has a bigger digital touch screen compared to the basic version, 21.5 inch instead of the usual 15, as long as the EPG-acronym for external program generator: this option consists of a software that can be installed on Windows computers, thus resulting in the creation of programs directly from the office that can be exported to a USB key.
A highlight of the innovations at MG is undoubtedly the concept of Industry 4.0, a term that is being used more and more frequently these days and has stuck in people’s minds. It is no coincidence that 4.0 is associated with the notion of the fourth industrial revolution. It is characterized by more automation and by the bridging of physical and digital world by means of cyber-physical systems. Besides that, it tries to achieve the goal of moving from a central industry to an industry which is able to get autonomous decision-making processes, but also for the customization already expressed in the words of the MG President Massimo Roccia: “Today it is more important than ever to characterize and diversify our production to answer all the bending questions for every customer”. MG philosophy remains the same: use of high quality materials, loyalty to customers and customisation of products, so that the company metaphorically becomes a tailor’s . These are the steps that will be taken in the future with increasing awareness of the fact that the market demands innovation and this word is at the top of our list of priorities. And what if MG is the driving force behind the fourth industrial revolution in the field of bending?
