Three factors that are essential when creating master data
How demanding this task is essentially depends on three factors:
1. On the quality requirements that the production process places on your data.
In principle, TDM does not require much to manage your tool data. Tool assembly, the most important process when it comes to planning, generally works smoothly with the data supplied by the tool manufacturers. However, other systems usually still exist in the production environment that are operated using data from the TDM database. CAM systems, in particular, place further specific requirements on data.
2. On the complexity of the tools to be managed.
TDM also supports turning and grooving tools, in addition to drilling and milling tools. Machining processes are extremely varied in these production areas in particular. The geometry of the tools is generally more complex than with rotationally symmetric tools.
3. On the quantity of data that has to be input.
For most of our customers, handling tool data has already begun long before the acquisition of TDM – after all, new tool data is accrued automatically with each new tool item. As a result, it is not uncommon for a machining company to face the task of having to create hundreds or thousands of master data records upon introducing TDM.
Just as important here as knowledge of the latest tool technologies is awareness of TDM functions, to help you make the right decisions – for instance, in terms of tool classification.
Luckily, TDM offers a number of useful functions that will help you to create your tool master data. In addition, you can utilize our employees' many years of experience in training and service events to acquire the necessary know how.
Learn more about the TDM Data Services.
The standard tools for master data creation and maintenance
TDM offers a number of useful functions that will help you to create your tool master data:
1. Data acquisition: Catalogs and data generators
- Data import from catalogs: With the TDM manufacturer catalogs, you have access to plenty of up-to-date tool data of well-known manufacturers. From 2019 onward, a TDM WebCatalog is also available. Here, you can access manufacturer data that TDM Systems maintains for you in the cloud. This means no more time and effort spent on installation and updates. The procurement of tool data has never been so simple!
- Data generation with the 3D Data and Graphic Generators: The 3D Data and Graphic Generators also provide you with thousands of templates for tool items, which you can use to generate data records for standard tools or which you can simply adapt to your own tools by changing the parameters.
- Mass import of data with the Import Assistant: The Import Assistant makes it possible to perform mass imports from catalogs, generators and our own Excel tables.
2. Compliance test of existing data
Once the data has been added to the database, TDM supports you further with a compliance test. It takes into account not only the data requirements at the TDM planning level, but also the data requirements of your CAM systems. The compliance test finds and displays missing data fields, so that you can quickly correct such errors. In the TDM WebCatalog, the compliance test is already available online – tailored to your system configuration and before you even download the data.
3. Generators and editors for maintaining existing data
A number of other tools, such as Contour Generators and Rotation Generators, 2D and 3D Editors or tools for data cleansing such as TDMcontrol make up the equipment with which you can quickly and efficiently intervene in the event of an error.
