Industry 4.0
Mr. Lorenzo Baccilieri
(Automation Division Manager)
20 YEARS AGO WE WERE ALREADY 4.0
TOP Automazioni® Srl, leader in the production of automatic bar feeders for lathes, has always been attentive to technological development linked to the world of automation.
The daily research and care in the design of each single machine produced by TOP Automazioni® Srl is the task of the engineering department, divided between the “MECHANIC” and “AUTOMATION” departments, the latter dealing with electrical machine design, the choice of electronic equipment and software development of each individual product.
All TOP Automazioni® Srl machines are highly automated:
the top of the line, the automatic adjustment of the bar process channel as well as the bar thrust force through a Brushless motor, fully automated simply by entering the equivalent value of the external and / or key diameter of the bar / tube in the machine / HMI-PLC operator panel.
These features were and are typical of TOP Automazioni® Srl since the creation of the “STAR” model back in 2000: since then, the continuous growth of every one of our products has always been accompanied by continuous technological progress, and in the world of automatic bar feeders for lathes, vice versa.
In fact, the technological virtues in i4.0 required today by the market have had a zero impact on the characteristics of the individual TOP Automazioni® Srl products, as already intrinsic of each of our previous products. For TOP Automazioni® Srl, always attentive to technological developments, as well as to the needs of the market and each individual customer, “research and development” in i4.0 perspective was already intrinsic starting from the first X-FILES model of 2001, with the introduction of an HMI-PLC *
*(HMI=Human Machine Interface – PLC= Programmable Logic Controller)
equipped with an entire of a series of features to date completely required by the i4.0 industrialisation project
For this reason, today all TOP Automazioni® Srl products meet all the technical requirements (mandatory criteria) – min. 5 out of 5
Technical features (optional criteria) – min. 2 out of 3 as specified by “CIRCULAR NO.4 / E of 30/03/2017” without any additional cost for the end user
For this passion, TOP Automazioni® Srl was the first manufacturer of automatic bar feeders for lathes in Italy to organise a theme event in the Romagna area, whose ultimate goal was to clarify the applications accessible in i4.0, responding to the interconnection questions between the loader system, the lathe and the factory logistic system which, to date, are perfectly integrated into each single product.
Last July 10th 2017, a Meeting was held at our new premises, during which the individual points specifically requested by reference “CIRCULAR N.4 / E of 30/03/2017” were explained in detail, with direct examples of both application and instrumental nature, on the correct operation of automatic bar loaders, and in the approach that the end customer must have in the purchase and use of machines that want to meet the i4.0 requirements.
Over 150 people took part in the event, including customers and suppliers, with the welcome participation of the Honourable Tiziano Arlotti, Member of the Permanent XI Labour Commission and the Honourable Gianluca Benamati, Leader of the Chamber Commission of production activities and co-promoter of the i4.0 project in Italy, which immediately embraced the private initiative of TOP Automazioni® Srl, unique in the Romagna area in believing so strongly in the possibility of progress in i4.0, so far as to want to strongly organise this event, faithful to the daily commitment of modernising machine technology.
From the left: Hon. Gianluca Benamati – Leader of the Chamber Commission of Production Activities – Bruno Bargellini – Managing Director TOP Automazioni® Srl – Hon. Tiziano Arlotti – Member of the Permanent XI Labour Commission
At the end of the conference, the discussion among all the speakers and participants moved to our “canteen room“, where a buffet had been set up, kindly offered by Felsinea, allowing each participant to individually explore their needs and doubts related to i4.0, contributing to the success of the event, demonstrating not only the need for clarification in relation to the specifications required by the reference “CIRCULAR NO.4 / E of 30/03/2017”, but the necessity of the event itself which TOP Automazioni® Srl was the sole promoter in the Romagna area, affirming the technical capabilities of its products and of its work.
From the left: Attorney Lucio Berardi – former deputy mayor of Riccione – Roberto Guizzardi – Managing Director Felsinea Ristorazione – Piero Ceccardi – Felsinea Ristorazione Sales Manager – Mr. Lorenzo Baccilieri – Automation Division Manager – Hon. Gianluca Benamati – Leader of the Chamber Commission of Production Activities – Bruno Bargellini – Managing Director TOP Automazioni® Srl – Hon. Tiziano Arlotti – Member of the Permanent XI Labour Commission
This daily commitment has recently been affirmed in the TOP Automazioni® Srl‘s latest creation, the automatic bar loader for INFINITY lathes, infinity specially created for sliding head lathes, whose mechanical innovations have produced 3 types of dedicated patents, as well as made with excellent electronic equipment thanks to the partnership of MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC EUROPE
