System Integrator - Fastems

SYSTEM
INTEGRATOR
­Fastems­Oy­Ab­customer­magazine­1­•­2011
Batch size one?
The solution
is Fastems’
lean system
Major­automation­drive­at­
Doesburg­Components
Sandvik­Mining­&­Constructionchose­Fadector
System Integrator | 1

Major­automationdrive­at­Doesburg­
Components
4
8 Batch size one?
The solution is
Fastems’ lean system
Contents­1/2011
Editorial ....................................................................................3
Major automation drive
at Doesburg Components ................................................4
Tampere Manufacturing Summit 2011 .......................7
Batch size one? The solution is
Fastems’ lean system ..........................................................8
Sandvik Mining & Construction chose Fadector –
Improvements require comparable data ................. 12
Service level 2+ takes care of the key system ......... 16
Fastems Fastsimu – powerful offline
programming software ................................................... 17
The riding repairman ....................................................... 18
Published­by­FASTEMS­Oy­Ab
2 | System Integrator System Integrator | 3
No. 1/2011
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Jyrki Auer, Fastems Oy Ab
jyrki.auer@fastems.com
LAYOUT:
Imageneering Oy
EDITORIAL­ADDRESS:
System Integrator
Fastems Oy Ab
Tuotekatu 4, 33840 TAMPERE,
FINLAND
Tel. +358 (0)3 268 5111
Fax. +358 (0)3 268 5000
PRINTED­BY:
Kirjapaino Hermes Oy,
Tampere, Finland 2011
CONTRIBUTORS:
Mika Laitinen
Paul Quaedvlieg
Giancarlo Giannangeli
Jan Näström
Esa Karppi
Ari Lylynoja
Jens von Weissenberg
FASTEMS OY AB is the leading AT
industry (Automation Technologies)
company and supplier of factory auto-
mation systems in Europe. We improve
the competitiveness of our custom-
ers through advanced automation
solutions. Our extensive know-how
in manufacturing technologies dates
back to the early 1950s. Today Fastems
employs 380 people worldwide.
E D I T O R I A L
Fastems robotics
offering
strong focus on
customer
satisfaction
I am a Sales Manager in our robotics division. My main task is to improve our customers’
experience of Fastems by supporting our international sales organization.
I will also look after selected customers, especially related to robotic finishing and
deburring applications.
Robotics is a field of strategic importance for Fastems. We have over 20 years of
experience with over 1500 delivered robotics applications, which create a solid base
to expand our robotics operations and be recognized as a strong robotics technology
supplier.
Deburring and finishing are among the main applications of robotics in a modern
workshop. Health and safety policies as well as the increased need for constant quality
create challenges that only automation can answer. To fulfill our customers’ requirements
for increased flexibility and utilization, Fastems has released a new robot
cell for finishing applications, the RFC (Robotic Finishing Cell).
The RFC utilizes a sophisticated electric spindle system with automatic tool change
based on ISO or HSK tool holders. Fully programmable process parameters combined
with real-time monitoring ensure constant quality and a high utilization rate.
A large tool rack and the option to introduce new tools with minimum effort provide
a new level of flexibility. The cost to introduce a new tool is just the cost of a
standard ISO or HSK tool holder and the tool itself. The tool system can be changed
at any time and upgraded with the latest tool technology without changing the
system hardware.
The performance of the latest robot models enable new applications, such as drilling
and threading, thereby making it possible to increase the capacity of the machine
tools by using the robot cell for some of these tasks. The RFC takes robotics
one step closer to machine tools. Even programming can be done with any available
CAD/CAM system. Fastems’ new Fastsimu offline programming program allows
robot cells to be programmed through the same steps as ordinary multi-axis machine
tools.
The RFC can be equipped with force control technology, a solution for applications
where controlled material removal and ultimate quality are needed. Force control
technology makes the contact force between the tool and the workpiece fully programmable.
The process is controlled via real-time feedback control technology.
Finally, the System Integrator customer magazine is one of our main marketing tools
and it is now back in its thicker, more in-depth format. I am sure you will find it useful
and interesting.
Regards,
Mika­Laitinen

Major automation drive at
DOESBURG
COMPONENTS
The robot cell can be seen clearly from above.
At the top right is the Toyoda with a robot,
in the center, the table and door, and at the
bottom left the robot that works with the
Quaser (photos: Paul Quaedvlieg).
“There are three important reasons behind
automation”, explains Jos Smeets, Director
of Doesburg Components. “The first is
the relatively high hourly wage in Europe,
the second is the physical burden on the
operators, and the third is the distinct lack
of highly-trained individuals. Back in 2009,
we were achieving 60 % less turnover, but
now we are running at full production capacity,
and CNC operators are almost impossible
to come by. Of the 10 CVs that you
receive, you might hope that one of them
is from a person with sufficient experience;
that is how difficult it is”. Over recent
years, Doesburg Components has significantly
increased its staffing level from 60
to 103 people. “But further growth has to
come primarily from automation,” explains
Smeets. “We used the economic downturn
to get in touch with new customers, and
they are looking to purchase a great many
products now and over the coming years.
The number of braking system products
that are processed on the new robot cell
has been set to 150,000 parts per year, but
the customer has already increased this demand
to 240,000”.
INVESTMENTS
Doesburg Components has other major
plans in the pipeline. The company intends
Doesburg Components, part of the Gietburg
group, will be investing heavily to expand its
production over the coming years. Work is
already underway with a special robot cell that
processes cast-iron components for truck brake
systems, and more robot cells will be added
over the coming years. Doesburg Components
is looking to produce more products with the
same staffing level, something that will only be
possible with a high degree of automation.
By Paul Quaedvlieg
to invest heavily in expanding its machinery.
Smeets continues, “2011 looks like it
will be a better year than 2008. A new generation
of trucks and diesel engines is being
made available, and these trucks feature
increasingly more complex parts. Our engineers
make regular visits to our customers
to work on devising new designs for the
new components. It is only by doing this
that you are able to achieve fully-automated
processing at the lowest possible overall
cost price”.
To ensure that the company is prepared
for the future quantity of products, Smeets
wants to invest around 10 million Euros
in new, robotized and automated machining
centers over a period from 2011 to
2015. “But we place strict requirements on
the machine and robot suppliers”, Smeets
points out. “Up-time in the automotive industry
is extremely important, so we only
purchase machines from suppliers who can
provide rapid service. We cannot find ourselves
waiting a whole day for an engineer”.
TWO ROBOTS
The newest robot cell is the first part of
the new investment drive. The robot cell
includes two machining centers, a Quaser
MK603S vertical machining center and
a Toyoda FH630SX horizontal machin-
ing center. The machines were supplied by
Alfred van Meegen and Toyoda Europe in
Krefeld, Germany, while Fastems was responsible
for the automation and complete
delivery of the turnkey project.
The Quaser and Toyoda are positioned
at right angles to one another. There are
two robots, one in front of each machine.
A buffer table is located between the two
robots, onto which they place products and
from where they pick them up again. “That
is important to productivity”, explains Henk
Kremers from Valkworks. Valkworks is the
Fastems representative in the Benelux. “We
based the design on the customer’s product.
Does the product need to be machined on
two sides? Does it need to be machined horizontally
or vertically? How long is the machining
time of the product and what is the
robot’s handling time, including deburring?
After looking at all of these aspects we decided
that one robot would not be sufficient
as it just wouldn’t be able to keep pace with
the machining centers. So we decided to
use two robots, with a buffer table between
them”.
4 | System Integrator System Integrator | 5
HIGH SPEED
Even the two Fanuc robots are barely
able to keep up with the Quaser and the
Toyoda. They are barely ever still. The first

obot, in front of the Quaser, picks up unprocessed
cast iron parts from the material
station. Four parts are clamped at once on
the fixture on the Quaser. After machining,
they are deburred by the same robot while
still clamped on the fixture, after which the
robot places them onto the buffer table.
The second robot then picks up the parts
from the table and clamps them on the fixture
on the Toyota. At this point, only one
side of the parts has been machined. Four
parts are clamped at once on the fixture on
this machine as well. The Toyoda machines
the other side of the parts. Once machined,
the second robot retrieves the parts again
one by one and deburrs them. The finished
parts are then placed back onto the buffer
table, from where the first robot picks them
up and delivers them back to the material
station. This work cycle is repeated continuously.
A door, which usually remains open, is
located between the two robots. The buffer
table is split into two halves, and the door
can slide between the two. Kremers explains,
“The door forms part of the safety
system. If one of the two machines is out of
action for measurements or minor maintenance,
the other robot cell can still process
10 to 12 parts. It is important to keep machine
standstills to an absolute minimum”.
COMPLEX
After machining, the robots deburr
the parts before returning them to the
material station.
In addition to the power of the robot
cell, the greatest challenge of this turnkey
project was integrating the robot software
with the machine tool control. Kremers
continues, “The robot cell has been designed
to process around 30 parts per hour,
from semi-finished cast iron to fully-machined
and deburred end products. This
means that the robot controls the machine.
The robot tells the machine when it can begin
machining. What is more, it is important
that the robots never collide with one
another”. Fastems took care of the entire
integration process, including software.
The main control cabinet is equipped
with a remote connection to the Fastems
head office in Finland so should any
problems arise, they are resolved from
there immediately. Kremers concludes,
DOESBURG­COMPONENTS
“When the robot cell was delivered to
Doesburg Components, it worked well
pretty much from the outset. It was simply
a matter of thorough preparation and
knowing what the customer wants”.
Doesburg Components of Nieuw-Bergen works primarily on the delivery and increasingly
on the development and engineering of installation-ready components (cast-iron and
processed cast-iron components) for the international truck and agricultural industry.
Components are supplied to customers including DAF, Deutz, Leyland Trucks, Daimler,
MTU, Wabco, Lely and McCormick. Doesburg Components is part of the Gietburg
group, which also comprises Modelmakerij Hengelo, Gieterij Doesburg, Cirex in Almelo,
Gietburg and the recently taken over Arbin Components of Venlo.
For the third time, the international
top-level conference Tampere
Manufacturing Summit 2011 will be
organized on 23-25 May in Tampere,
Finland at Tampere Hall, the number
one congress center in Finland.
Tampere­Manufacturing­Summit­2011­
The Federation of Finnish Technology Industries,
Tampere University of Technology,
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland,
Hermia Oy, and a number of leading
Finnish industrial corporations are among
the organizers.
The Summit will bring together frontline
industrial manufacturers and researchers
to exchange opinions and ideas about
different aspects of manufacturing and keys
to improved global competitiveness and
business profitability. The summit will be
a type of executive and visionary seminar
discussing the trends, visions, and challenges
in today’s and tomorrow’s manufacturing
industry. The summit program is
based on invited presentations of internationally
recognized experts from industry
and academia discussing industrial best
practices and scientific and technological
advances, and breakthroughs in the field.
The speakers represent Europe, Japan, Korea,
and the United States equally.
Further, the program includes visits to
relevant companies as well as an exhibition
illustrating the know-how of Finnish
technology industries. Finally, there will be
a networking and brokerage event which,
among other things, aims to activate industry
and academia for R&D collaboration
over the borders.
The two previous events (2007 and
2009) were attended by more than 200 production
manufacturing technology specialists
coming from more than 20 countries.
Also on both occasions, 60 % of the participants
came from the industries whereas the
rest were representatives of research, training,
and public organizations. The feedback
has been highly positive, participants of the
industries emphasizing e.g. the international
nature, high level of interest, and topicality
of the summit.
The objective of the Tampere Manufacturing
Summit is to be a highly appreciated
event on the European level, if not
even more extensively, and to make it a
preferred meeting point for manufacturing
industries, research and other organizations
as well as a showcase for the Finnish
know-how and technology industry. In
the long run, it is expected that there will
be 500 participants attending. The interest
shown in and feedback received from
previous events proves it fully realistic that
the summit can permanently become one
of the events recommended and prioritized
by different stakeholders in the field.
This year, the theme of the summit is
“Lean and Sustainable”, and we are expecting
to have more than 300 participants.
Attached you can see a tentative list of
speakers who will be contacted and asked
to give a presentation at the Summit. Many
speakers have already confirmed their participation.
It’s clear that some invitees will
be prevented to contribute due to other
commitments so that the final number of
speakers will be approximately 50.
You can see an overview of the summit
program at the website:
www.tamperemanufacturingsummit.fi/
programme.
More information:
Reijo Tuokko, General Chair
Mobile: +358 40 849 0270
E-mail: reijo.tuokko@tut.fi
Juhani Rantalainen, Fastems Oy Ab
Mobile: +358 50 568 5004
E-mail: juhani.rantalainen@fastems.com
6 | System Integrator System Integrator | 7

Manufacturing companies are increasingly
striving for machining process automation and
flexibility. In this case, an automation system
with two loading stations and a washing
machine has yielded many benefits.
Batch size one?
The solution is
Fastems’ lean system
“ The
Robuschi S.p.A. is a company that was
founded in Parma, Italy in 1941. It started
out as a small workshop that repaired centrifugal
pumps employed in the agricultural
sector. Nowadays, Robuschi is an international
company that has three well-established
product lines: centrifugal pumps,
liquid ring vacuum pumps, and vacuum
blowers. Each product line includes a variety
of devices to meet any industrial needs.
The company’s production and financial
growth took place between the 1960s and
the 1980s: continuous innovation resulted
in the development of carefully designed
high-precision electromechanical devices.
By Giancarlo Giannangeli
“The system is able
to operate completely
independently,
even in unmanned
production”
company’s main product is the low
pressure rotary blower that compresses the
gas passing through it. The Parma-based
company is one of the first manufacturers in
the world for this type of product, and they
have a widespread distribution network that
includes seven subsidiaries
and an extensive
network of agents/distributors
that encom
passes 70 countries.
Robuschi maintains
its competitiveness
with careful production
planning and advanced
automation systems:
major investments in
technology are made
every year to improve
products and processes.
Investments were made
in 2009 as well despite
the unfavorable global
economic situation and the resulting uncertainties
in the market.
AUTOMATION FOR OPTIMIZATION
A new Fastems flexible manufacturing system
(FMS) was taken into use in September
2009. Fastems systems are able to integrate
the widest variety of machinery and accessories
to achieve a true automated factory,
able to work day and night with minimal
human operation.
Michele Maestrini, Head of Process
Technology at the Robuschi plant, tells how
they came to this decision: “A horizontal
machining center, Mazak FH10800, was
operated in this area for several years. This
machine tool was dedicated to manufacturing
components that can reach two meters
in rotational diameter: the most important
parts of our blowers including body and rotors.
The loads on the machining pallets are
up to 1.60 meters high and the load weight
can easily reach 3.5 metric tons. The machining
center had excellent productivity
and accuracy, and it was also equipped with
a special tool magazine with 240 pots, created
specifically to hold boring tools with
machining diameters up to 650 mm.
However, every time we needed to
change the production lot it was necessary
to replace the pallet and the machine tool
was stopped for several hours for setup.
Setup was also not an easy task, and it was
All workpieces that have been processed on either
machine tool are washed, transferred to the loading
station, and unloaded from the system.
8 | System Integrator System Integrator | 9

Michele Maestrini, Head of Process Technology at the Robuschi plant in Parma.
In the loading and unloading area, the loading station transfers the loads diagonally in order to
bring them to an ergonomic position for the operator.
PAY­ATTENTION­TO­ECOLOGY
Robuschi products, particularly the new ROBOX screw compressor units, high-efficiency
“oil free” compressors, provide an effective response to the impact of electricity costs and
result in lower environmental impact. Great thermodynamic efficiency, excellent volumetric
efficiency, low noise level, no oil in the circuit, and reduced maintenance costs are
some of the properties of these top-quality products.
Extreme care is taken in both the design and manufacturing of all product lines (lobe
blowers, screw compressors, vacuum pumps, and centrifugal pumps): “this allows us to
position ourselves among the market leaders for equipment for the waste water treatment
sector and pneumatic transport in various industrial applications.”
certainly inefficient. In order to achieve
reasonable payback periods for the tools,
we were forced to increase the production
lot sizes which also increased our inventory
and related costs.
We looked for a solution to the problem
and also wanted to increase our production
capacity, so we first decided to buy
a second machine tool, and our choice was
a new Mazak, because of the positive experiences
on the reliability and efficiency of
the existing FH10800. Then we also found
an automation system that could integrate
both machine tools, ensuring maximum
flexibility of the production process, and in
particular manage pallet transfers between
the loading stations and machine tools.”
COMPLETE PROCESS
Robuschi considered various options, and
after seeing other plants automated by
Fastems they chose the Finnish company.
The system is now fully operational and
can accommodate all the workpieces in a
special two-level storage rack, which has
also freed floor space for future needs.
All machines are served by a high-speed
stacker crane, a rail-guided vehicle controlled
wirelessly over a data photocell. Loading
and unloading is performed in two
loading stations that transfer the pallets
diagonally to an ergonomic working height
for the operators. The machine tools communicate
with the automation system via
Ethernet, creating a real plant intranet.
The system also includes a pallet washing
machine. Pallets are tilted 90 degrees and
rotated on their horizontal axis while in the
washing machine. This, together with the
strong jets of water from the nozzles of the
washing machine, removes chips and dirt
that is usually quite difficult to clean. After
machining, all workpieces are washed,
transferred to the loading station, and unloaded
from the system.
MANUFACTURE WHAT IS NEEDED
WHEN IT IS NEEDED
Maestrini says: “Integration of the washing
phase provides further benefits as it avoids
the need for manual cleaning and having
to take the workpieces outside the system,
The number 8760 that Fastems emphasizes represents the number of hours in a year.
The Finnish company strives to make all these hours into production hours.
Giancarlo Ingenito, CEO of the Italian branch of the Tampere-based company, says:
“A spindle should continuously produce chips, but a machine tool is normally working
for no more than three thousand hours a year when optimally operated by a single
operator. The wasted time is evident as the machine tool is in production use for only
35 % of the time at best. The same machine tool, integrated into a Fastems system, may
immediately at least double that number, with a dramatic improvement in the overall efficiency!
According to us, setup, tooling, operator pauses and so on must not slow down
the progress of work. We want to emphasize that even an older machine tool can still be
productive when integrated into a Fastems automation system. The important thing is
that it will (almost) never stop.”
Heavy roughing and finishing operations are processed and they are characterized by
significant removal speed.
A pallet washing machine, in which the pallets are tilted 90 degrees and rotated on their
horizontal axis, was also integrated into the system.
10 | System Integrator System Integrator | 11
8760
not to mention the large quantities of chips
that are now automatically managed. In the
new system, a single operator can operate
two machine tools, which used to be unimaginable.
The system also includes loading
stations, a storage rack, and a washing
machine. Thus, we have dramatically
increased the flexibility in this area; we can
shift production from one machine tool to
another at any time, instantly.
We can manufacture workpieces in single
batches now! Clamped workpieces are
always waiting in the storage rack, ready to
be transferred to the machine tools for machining,
and the automation system makes
it possible to prepare workpieces for either
machine in either loading station.”
The advantage of manufacturing small
batches without additional costs is easily imaginable:
“The operator enters the order coming
from the office in charge of production
into the system, and the system decides the
priorities according to the deadlines and last
minute requirements. Of course, the automatically
proposed production schedule may
be accepted or not. Each time a pallet is transferred
to a machine tool, the system uploads
the correct NC program to the machine tool,
so there is no chance of human error. The system
keeps track of tool use, and informs the
operator when a tool has reached its expected
life, so that tool maintenance or replacement
can be performed quickly and efficiently. The
machine tools use high-tech cutting materials,
such as cubic boron nitride and silicon
nitride, in many trimming and roughing
processes.
The system Fastems built for Robuschi is
the first system in Europe that integrates two
Mazak machine tools of these sizes: “the positioning
of the stacker crane forks is so precise
that it ensures full compliance with the
tolerance; the weight of the pallet and special
references ensure complete reliability. As it is
clear from the number 8760 that is so dear to
Fastems, the system is able to operate completely
independently, even in unmanned
production.”

Sandvik
Mining & Construction
chose Fadector –
Improvements
require
comparable data
Sandvik Mining & Construction, SMC,
is a world-leading supplier for mining
industry and heavy contracting. In this
business, reliability means everything.
Yet SMC chose a system that did not exist
for production tracking.
- We have good experiences of Fastems and
know that corresponding systems in their
FMS plants are very reliable, Otto Montell,
project manager at MC explains.
SMC has a total of 14,500 employees
and they have production plants all over
the world. The main office is in Sandviken,
Sweden, which is also where drill crowns,
drill rods, and adapters are produced.
- The manufacturing is controlled by customer
orders and the same products are
- Fadector has a simple interface that
facilitates the work of the operators, says
Otto Montell, project manager at Sandvik
Mining & Construction.
manufactured at different factories near the
customers, Otto Montell tells.
A need for production tracking has existed
already for a long time to guarantee
quality and make the production more efficient.
In the beginning, tracking was carried
out on paper but computerized production
tracking was introduced in the end
of the 1990s. These systems were developed
through initiatives from individual factories
which resulted in several systems with
different functions and different methods
for measuring.
- It ended up with us discussing about
different things when comparing the
plants. We needed a common benchmark,
Otto Montell explains.
HISTORY AND POSSIBILITIES
An enquiry was sent to several potential
suppliers together with a description of
what the system should be able to perform.
Fastems was one of the companies that
replied. It was not able to provide a ready
product, but instead provided a detailed
description of the Fadector system that was
in development.
- Fastems fulfilled all of the must-have
requirements and the description even
contained many of our wishes regarding
functions and future improvement possibilities,
Otto Montell says.
Usually SMC would not buy a pig in
a poke like this, but here we had a history
that indicated that the result would be what
we were looking for.
SMC has Fastems FMS systems at its
factories in Tampere and Lahti. These include
several of the demanded functions
and our experience is that the devices and
support work extremely well. To put it very
simply, you could say that Fadector is an
FMS without hardware.
- The history combined with us being
12 | System Integrator System Integrator | 13

a part of the development work made us
choose Fastems, Otto Montell says.
TESTED IN THREE FACTORIES
The first installations were made in 2008 at
three different factories, two in Sweden and
one in Finland. Fadector worked well already
from the beginning and the plan was
to roll out the system all over the world. But
then came the financial crisis, the investments
were postponed and the work was
focused on fine tuning the systems already
installed. When the demand then increased
there was a more tested and complete system
to proceed with. Today Fadector is installed
at ten sites all over the world and in
the future all sites are going to have it.
The project has three main goals:
1: To shorten the response time for the
operator. One operator is responsible for
several machines. Time is lost when the
operator fails to notice that a machine has
performed its task and is standing still. By
making stand stills visible more production
time becomes available.
2: Reliable input in improvement work and
receipt of the improvement work having the
desired effect.
3: Impartial identification of the factory or
the factories that do best a certain operation,
in order to spread knowledge and experience
to other units.
- We aim at having the same machines
at all factories. The difference is in the rate
of automation. Here in Sweden loading and
unloading is handled by robots but in lowcost
countries operators do these tasks. The
machining again is the same everywhere,
says Otto Montell.
EFFICIENT SUPPORT
A precondition for the functioning of global
benchmarking is that everyone uses the
same measuring tools. Measurements must
never be questioned, which was the case
when every factory had its own system.
The key to success is that the operators do
not experience the system as a burden. It
must help the operator with his work and
not make it more complicated. Thus a lot
of work has been put down on the interface
that Fastems has developed in coopera-
tion with SMC. The result is such an easy
handling that the system is almost self-instructive.
- In countries with employees used to
working with computers barely any training
is needed and what is needed we can take
care of by ourselves, says Otto Montell.
However, SMC has strict requirements
on support. The system must work 24
hours per day, seven days a week. Possible
problems must be remedied immediately.
Fastems is able to offer remote support over
the internet that is as efficient as having personnel
on site.
FACILITATES THE OPERATOR’S WORK
SMC sees Fadector as something more than
a functional and ready system. It is at the
same time a platform for future development.
The next step will be reporting of rejected
parts where the operator writes down
an error code for what has happened. After
this the plan is to monitor e.g. power levels
and temperatures for more efficient preventive
maintenance.
Technically, Fadector’s potential is almostunlimited,
but Otto
Montell emphasizes
that
the system basically
consists of
measurement
values that
are saved in a
database. The
results will not
show until the
operators and
supervisors use
the system.
- Therefore,
the most important
thing
is a simple
interface that
facilitates the work of the operator as well
as functioning support services. Fadector
fulfills these requirements, Otto Montell
combined with a simple interface
and future development
possibilities made us choose
Fadector for production
monitoring at all factories”
summarizes. “Good experiences of Fastems
14 | System Integrator System Integrator | 15

SERVICE­LEVEL­2+
takes care of the key system
Fastems Oy Ab has expanded the Lifetime
care services it offers. Level 2+
has been added to the available services.
Service level 2+ includes remote
Teleservice support at a fixed annual
fee as in Service Level 1 and preventive
maintenance work in accordance
with the maintenance plan as in Service
Level 2. As a new feature, it also
includes an analysis of the control system
status by the Teleservice team.
Seven customers have participated in pilot testing of the new service
concept, and the first level 2+ service agreements have been
signed thanks to the pilot testing. There are currently ten FMS
systems around the world that benefit from the level 2+ service
agreements. Sven Isaksson, Fastems Area Service Manager for
Scandinavia, tells that with the level 2+ service agreement the customer
can gain a deeper understanding of the control system, discover
areas where production can be improved, and increase the
competence of the operating personnel. The data can also be used
for improving the availability and utilization rate of the system.
In addition to the technical benefits, the level 2+ service agreement
also reduces administrative costs. The costs can be anticipated
and services can be ordered flexibly without bureaucracy
thanks to the fixed annual fee. In practice, ordering the needed
services can be brought to shop-floor level in the organization,
which enables swift reaction to production problems.
Service level 2+ provides reliable and accessible data on how
the system has performed, how it has been utilized, and in case of
problems, what measures are needed. Because this data is available
for maintenance personnel already before the on-site visit, fewer
visits are needed, which in turn means direct savings for the customer.
Further information:
Esa Karppi
Team Leader, Teleservice
Fastems­Fastsimu­
powerful offline programming software
Offline programming (OLP) is becoming a requirement
in many robotics applications, especially
deburring and finishing. However, most of
the OLP programs on the market are designed for
general use, which is why they often lack some
essential features that are needed for these particular
applications. This makes programming
with a general OLP program complex, time consuming,
and clearly not user-friendly.
Fastems Fastsimu is a powerful offline programming and simulation
program that is specifically designed for robotized deburring and
finishing applications.
Fastsimu is designed to be easy to use and fast to program. The
user interface only includes tools that are required for the work at
hand, nothing else. Fastsimu is based on a software platform created
by Visual Components, which provides outstanding performance
and functionality.
CNC tool paths from any CAD/CAM software can be imported
to Fastsimu and further converted into a robot program. Fastsimu
includes special tools for manipulation of large tool paths, which are
typical in finishing applications. Values for a robot’s external axes,
rotary table, and/or linear track are assigned automatically, which
makes programming straightforward and easy.
Fastsimu supports various 3D CAD formats for importing
models of fixtures and workpieces. There are powerful tools for
creating and manipulating deburring paths by using features from
CAD models. Fastsimu detects surfaces, holes, and edges of the
models and creates tool paths automatically. Calibration tools are
used for minimizing the differences between the real robot cell and
its virtual copy.
Simulation of the robot program includes robot movements,
reachability analyses, collision and near-miss detection, automatic
tool changes, and cycle time reporting. After a successful simulation,
the program is downloaded from the PC to the robot controller.
When using Fastsimu, production stops due to programming
are short. This is clearly a huge advantage compared to online programming.
16 | System Integrator System Integrator | 17

I’ve worked for Fastems since
May 2007 – some four years now, in
the Teleservice team. The name might
seem quaint, but back when the first
modem-equipped system controllers
were delivered, that was exactly what
the service was about: helping our
customers with their systems over a
remote connection (read: phone line).
By Jens von Weissenberg
These days, most of Fastems’ FMS, FPM, and FPC customers
will be in contact with me or my teammates sooner or later.
Teleservice is there when a new system is taken into use, when
small or big parameter and/or programming changes are called
for, and – to put it simply – when the system presents a challenge
for the customer.
Thanks to the remote connections we have to the systems, most
situations that arise can be resolved without sending a service engineer
on site – unless, of course, the customer requests one or the
challenge calls for more hands on deck.
A full working day for me will include anything between 4 to 10
direct customer contacts in Finnish, Swedish, English, or German.
RIDING
T I M E O F F T I M E O F F
THE RIDING
REPAIRMAN
I used to go horseback riding in my early teens, but being the
only boy around the stables and meeting one really big, scary
horse made me give it up. Of course, no one told me that if I
The writer of this column, System Support Specialist Jens von Weissenberg,
on a riding tour with his two daughters.
would have hung in there a couple more years, being the only guy
would have had its advantages…
In the fall of 2005, my older daughter wanted to start riding, so
we asked around and were recommended a nice riding school in
Viitapohja. I stood by the paddock for my daughter’s first lesson,
but after that I had to get back in the saddle myself, so to speak.
I’ve been at it for the last five years now, and I slowly start to
feel like I’ve learned something. Riding is a constant challenge –
you cannot lose focus during the lesson, the horse will sense it
right away. Riding is always a team effort, but only one of the team
can lead. If it ain’t you, it’ll be the horse! Still, you have to be very
aware of the horse at all times. The best riding always comes from
you coaxing, rather than forcing the horse to follow your will.
18 | System Integrator System Integrator | 19
REPAIRING
When my spare time isn’t taken up by horses or renovating my
family’s old house, I like to keep up my luthiery skills. I’ve studied,
amongst other things, stringed instrument making – I have a luthier’s
diploma in guitar making. As much as I love building new
instruments, most of my instrument-related work is repairs and
setups. I keep a website that generates some contacts, but most of
it is word of mouth. In a way, instrument repair doesn’t differ too
much from my Teleservice work – in both cases the customer has
something that doesn’t quite do what it’s supposed to, or, at least,
could do it better if set up and ‘tuned’ properly.
I’ve built electric and acoustic guitars, basses, kanteles (the
Finnish harp), and some odd stuff like drum triggers and stomp
boxes. I’ve repaired, set up, modified, or restored a lot of different
stringed instruments. One of the best rewards I can get is when a
customer tries out his guitar, bass, or mandolin and says: “Wow! I
never knew it could play like this!”

AUTOMATE
NOW!
20 | System Integrator
Combined autoloading
and finishing cell
• automatic tool change
• electric power tooling
• increased productivity
www.fastems.com
at
Hall 12
Stand C20
New MMS5 FMS control system
• Adapts automatically to changes in the
production environment
• Effortless loading area operation with
FMS Autopilot
• Complete production traceability
High-volume LEAN
manufacturing system
• fewer clamping fixtures
• longer unmanned periods
• optimum use of machine capacity