TPT July 2019

AR T I C L E

Kasto Maschinenbau GmbH & Co KG

The app is suitable for all Android mobile devices and it enables users to transmit all the information on storage and relocation, picking and shipping and inventory information to the WMS via smartphone or tablet. The Kasto handheld device was designed to handle these tasks and is equipped with an easy-to-read display, robust housing and an integrated barcode scanner. Kasto knows that transparency and traceability are just as important for managing manually operated systems as they are in automated, software-controlled warehouses, so the employee simply uses the device to collect the required order item information, which is then wirelessly transmitted to the management system. The ‘Pick-by-Crane’ system can also be effortlessly implemented with KASTOmobile: users can use the app to control a networked indoor crane, which then carries out the desired storage and retrieval procedures with the aid of the relevant coordinates. Robot-assisted sawing Kasto also has a solution in its portfolio that automates production processes upstream and downstream of the sawing process and integrates these into a uniformly controlled material flow – the KASTOsort robot link. Industrial robots can not only remove the saw cuts independently; they can also perform many other tasks such as deburring, chamfering, centring, threading, marking, printing, sorting, stacking and picking. This robotic solution can be further integrated with a container management or driverless transport system. Depending on the customer’s requirements, Kasto can integrate the robot controls into the saw controls, its own KASTOlogic WMS or an existing ERP system, enabling users to also control and monitor this work step with a single interface and benefit from a perfectly harmonised process chain. Your machines always in view The use of mobile devices is also gaining ground in industrial production, and Kasto has marketed an application for the clear visualisation of its sawing machines – the KASTOapp. This app displays the status of all the networked Kasto machines equipped with the SmartControl, AdvancedControl, ProControl or ExpertControl systems. Users can see the name, machine number and type of each saw at a glance. If a saw is running in automated mode, the KASTOapp can also access the information stored in its machine control program. This gives users exact information on all the relevant parameters, like the article, cut length, target and actual quantity, feed rate and cutting speed. If a malfunction occurs, the app displays a graphic visualisation of the relevant error message, enabling users to react quickly and reduce downtimes to a minimum.

With the KASTOsort robot link, the removal of the saw cuts can be automated, together with a wide range of other tasks like deburring, chamfering, centring, threading, marking, printing, sorting, stacking and picking

The right interface Thanks to customised interfaces ranging from SAP, Infor and Microsoft Dynamics products to customer-specific software solutions, the WMS KASTOlogic can be easily connected to a higher-level host system within the company, as can individual Kasto machine control systems. The resulting uniform communication structure significantly increases transparency and efficiency. Users can easily control all the orders, and the data collected and recorded in the warehouses and sawing machines can be comprehensively analysed and utilised. This enables the continuous tracking of specific goods and workpieces and the uniform utilisation of the machine park with short non-productive times, improved quality control and the enhanced planning of maintenance measures. Even remnant lengths and warehouse stocks can be sustainably optimised with relevant information. Manually operated warehouses can also be managed with KASTOlogic, and Kasto developed the KASTOmobile app to do just that.

The KASTOapp gives users an overview of the status of all the networked Kasto sawing machines at any time, enabling them to react quickly to malfunctions

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JULY 2019