Andrew Allcock

TDM Systems - new versions for TDM Global Line TDM tool management software

Product Launches
2 mins read

​With the new TDM Global Line 2020 release, users achieve greater transparency regarding their tooling costs and key figures. This is possible because each user can now individually configure their TDM Global Line dashboard. The relevant reports can then either be displayed in the dashboard, printed out or simply transferred to Excel. Since real-time data is always evaluated – for example, the value of the used and new tools or the number of items and tool assemblies created – the controlling is valid. “Users are therefore able to keep an eye on the figures that they need, which makes them significantly more decisive in how they do business,” states Dietmar Bohn, managing director of TDM Systems.

In addition to numerous improvements and further developments in the TDM Shopfloor Manager and the Tool Crib apps, the latest release also provides new modules in TDM Global Line:

  • TDM NC-Program Manager Global Line: Thanks to the transparent management of NC documents, this powerful tool guarantees a continuous production process. Furthermore, the existing application expertise is retained by the company.
  • TDM Purchase Request Module Global Line: This application can be used to easily manage tool requirements and forward them to the ERP system. This also makes the tool orders more transparent, which helps the company to provide all of the required tools at the right time and in the right quantities.
  • TDM Barcode Module Global Line: This module expands the Global Line Tool Crib perfectly and allows companies to easily control processes by using barcodes. Users in the area of crib logistics can therefore work quicker and with fewer errors. Furthermore, this module supports the automation of various workflows.
  • TDM 3D Solid Editor Global Line: This editor can be used to easily modify and adapt 3D models. Companies therefore achieve significant time-savings when creating 3D models. The graphics quality is also increased and the 3D models can be put to even better use for simulation analyses.

    • In addition to TDM Global Line, the Tübingen-based tool data specialists also further developed its core solution, TDM.

    With the new release, the TDM Feeds & Speeds Manager, among other things, is available to users. In conjunction with the Comara Box (PC connected to a machine tool), the actual applied cutting data is recorded, compressed and evaluated directly from the machine.

    By comparing the planned cutting values that are defined in the NC program with the actual applied cutting values in the machine, in future, it will be possible to specify reliable cutting values as early as the planning phase. This reduces the risk of machine downtimes caused by incorrect feeds and speeds, and reduces the tooling costs, thanks to more targeted tool selection and procurement. Furthermore, using this module leads to comprehensive time-savings in planning and production. The use of verified data for NC programming also improves product quality. Yet another advantage of using the TDM Feeds & Speeds Manager: The expertise from production is saved centrally; in other words, even if employees leave the company, the knowledge is retained.

    With the latest release, many of the improvements are also the result of an intensive exchange with the customers and/or analyses of the TDM applications in the companies. In doing so, some applications for data and graphics maintenance have been optimized based on practical experience, meaning that the full utilization potential for existing data and graphics can be tapped. With the 2020 release, the completeness check of CAM-specific tool data has also become more transparent. And yet another customer demand has been met: The automated calculation of collision data. This is something that is particularly advantageous for CATIA and NX users.