RAMP
RAMP
Introduction
RAMP is an intelligent software for the automation and optimization of tube production. It enables you to increase your tube shop’s efficiency from construction to assembly. The primary goal of RAMP is to balance the flow of material as well as the utilization of the various machines and manual welding stations, and to control the entire flow of material.
Features
- Tube-Shop Control
- Monitoring of Progress and Dates
- Calculation of Work Time
- Calculation of Capacities
- Paperless Tube Processing
- Material Calculation/Statistics
- Cutting Optimization
RAMP is the 3R software framework’s core application package for tube-shop automation. It is composed of a central system and any number of client modules, spread throughout the tube shop (at the storage rack, the cutting stations, the bending machines, etc.). RAMP receives all relevant material, drawing and fabrication data from IsoBuilder or interfaces to alternative isometric drawing software.
Production Control
The fabrication status assigned to a component by the RAMP-system can be checked retroactively in IsoBuilder. This way the up-to-date progress in the tube shop for finished isometries can be determined at any time.
Calculation of Work Time
In the RAMP master file a time value, contigent on the material, is assigned to each work step, and the various stations know the appropriate maximum use of capacity. This way bottlenecks at individual stations in fabrication can automatically be detected and avoided early.
Individual Workshop Control
Each installation of RAMP is customized to cater for our customers‘ individual requirements, as every workshop holds different storage options, machines and transport systems. Furthermore every fabrication process needs to address different key aspects.
Material Calculation and Documentation
For RAMP each drawing (e.g. from IsoBuilder) contains not only the displayed drawing, but all fabrication relevant contents, such as welding points, bending values, tube lengths, spool weight, as well as all installed materials. The entire order process, allocation of material, the welding documentation, as well as following material statistics can be realized by RAMP.
Work Preparation
The entire work preparation process is facilitated by RAMP. By using various filter and sorting criteria the user can create optimized packages for fabrication in the tube-shop. These packages always take maximum use of capacity of individual machines and stations into consideration, as well as current availability of material.
Modification Management
In practice modifications of drawings are a daily occurence. Because of the modular method of operation of the RAMP system it is possible to stop modification relevant isometries directly and automatically at the current fabrication process, until the planning engineer has decided the extent to which the modifications impact already completed components. RAMP recognizes modified parts of drawings, and provided the user with a detailed display of all modifications.
Machine Control
Every CNC machine can be equipped with a RAMP-Client. This way CNC data can be transferred directly to the machine, and after the relevant fabrication step is executed, the status of the component can be updated. Afterwards the software specifies the next operation, and the tube spool is transported to the next station if required. Fabrication at each workstation can thus be reduced to a simple push of a button.
Monitoring of Dates and Progress
By connecting the various work stations to a centralized fabrication database, and recording the appropriate status of each processing step, the current progress of fabrication can be checked at any time.