Digitized storage and sawing processes are widely used in modern metal processing. Kasto is an expert for smart solutions: The company offers its customers sustainable concepts that automate and network all processes – from storing raw materials to picking sections. Additional service offerings help to conserve resources.
Manual or isolated processes are no longer appropriate in metal processing. This includes, among other things, storage and retrieval, in-plant material transport, sawing, removal, marking, palletizing or bundling. State of the art, on the other hand, are the concepts of the storage and sawing specialist Kasto, which ensure a continuously controlled material flow. Here, machines, systems, goods and load carriers communicate autonomously with each other and enable high-performance, flexible, resource- and cost-efficient storage and preparation processes. “Our customers need to remain competitive despite rising energy and material costs, while at the same time improving their eco-balance,” explains Armin Stolzer, managing partner of Kasto: “To achieve this, we supply them with energy-efficient technologies as well as sustainable storage systems, sawing machines and handling solutions – with the option of adapting them to downstream processes.”
Digitization and resource conservation run like a thread through the portfolio of the Achern-based company – from the warehouse management system, which can also be operated on a mobile basis, to a concept for energy recovery, efficient sawing processes, and apps as well as options for remote maintenance and simulation.
© Kasto
Control material flow
Kastologic is a modular warehouse management system (WMS) specifically designed to meet the requirements of long goods and sheet metal storage. This enables users to uniformly control and monitor not only processes in the warehouse, but also upstream and downstream logistics and processing steps. Even manually operated storage areas can be integrated into the system using the Kastologic mobile app. Via smartphone or tablet, the user can transmit all processes such as stock placements and transfers, picking, shipping and inventory information to the WMS. The app also implements so-called pick-by-crane systems effortlessly: In this case, the user orders an integrated overhead crane, which independently moves to the storage location based on the selected material.
Save energy
Kastoenergysave is the name of the innovative concept for energy recovery in automatic storage systems. This allows positional or kinetic energy to be converted into electricity, temporarily stored in double-layer capacitors and used flexibly as required. An intelligent control system charges and discharges the energy storage depending on the process currently running. The energy remains in the system until it is reused.
Due to an almost constant power draw from the power grid, the grid periphery can operate in nominal load mode. Users can thus additionally reduce the connected load of the storage and retrieval system by more than 50 percent, which can result in savings when designing the power supply for new buildings. The energy storage system also avoids peak loads, which saves further costs.
Reduce waste
When sawing, users are faced with the challenge of making the best possible use of the material used and avoiding waste in order to keep resource consumption and thus costs low. Taking into account various machine parameters such as kerf width and minimum kerf length, the Kastooptisaw software module ensures optimum assignment of the stored long material to the respective sawing jobs. Bars, tubes and profiles of different lengths and miter angles can be consumed with the least possible waste – this reduces costs and saves space in the warehouse, as unusable offcuts are no longer stored back.
© Kasto
Keeping an eye on machines
The Kastoapp provides a status overview of all Kasto sawing machines present in the network at a glance. If a saw is running in automatic mode, the Kastoapp can also access the information stored in the respective machine control. This provides the user with precise information on all relevant parameters such as article, cut-off length, target and actual number of pieces as well as feed and cutting speed. If an error occurs in the operating sequence, the app visualizes the pending error message and the user can react quickly. Downtimes can thus be reduced to a minimum.
Increase plant availability
Kasto’s RemoteAssistance service concept ensures high availability. Via a direct remote connection, fast, detailed fault diagnosis is possible even for complex requirements by a Kasto employee. The technicians can also answer questions about operation as quickly as possible, check, change or optimize parameters, and also perform direct software updates and upgrades. Kasto goes one step further with its VisualAssistance system, which uses the concept of augmented reality to simplify the remote maintenance of machines and systems. At its heart is an interactive app for tablets, smartphones or smart glasses.
Accelerate project planning
Kasto can plan, simulate and commission storage systems by combining Kastologic with a 3D simulation platform. Among other things, the new platform allows the sales department to use a configurator to present the customer with initial plant simulations and the subsequent effects live. Project planning is also faster, less error-prone, and leads to greater cost and performance efficiency.
Conserve resources
The fact that Kasto attaches great importance to sustainable services is demonstrated, for example, by the possibility of virtual commissioning of fully automated storage systems. As a result, commissioning engineers avoid unnecessary test runs and rework, and faults can be detected and rectified in good time. In addition, fewer trips to the construction site are required, which saves time and reduces CO2 emissions. The mobile cassette production Kastoweld is also one of the resource-saving measures of the storage and sawing technology specialist. Automatic storage systems for long goods often include several thousand cassettes. Delivering the voluminous load carriers ready-welded by truck involves high freight costs and large CO2 emissions. Not for some time now: When building new long goods warehouses, Kasto can manufacture the required cassettes from efficiently delivered raw material directly at the customer’s site with the help of a mobile and automated robot production line and automatically store them directly after production. And last but not least, Kasto improves the sustainable metalworking of its customers with the durability of its products.
Bring up to date
Kasto extends the overall life cycle of existing bearings and sawing machines via its retrofit service. This modernization measure is a cost-effective alternative to buying new. The service experts update the control technology, adapt functions or make extensions. The downtimes are kept as short as possible and the resumption of production is precisely scheduled. “The topic of service and especially retrofit measures are very close to our hearts,” explains Armin Stolzer: “We also regularly already have complete sawing machines in the factory for general overhaul – we make almost everything possible so that our products are available to the customer for a long time.”
Web:
www.kasto.com
