MachiningCloud supports ISO 13399, generic tool catalog

Stans, Switzerland – MachiningCloud, an Industry 4.0 solution provider focused on bridging the gap between physical assets and digital software, has a new ISO 13399/GTC support and services program for cutting tool manufacturers and their distributors.

 

ISO 13399 is an international standard for the digital representation of cutting tool data. Generic Tool Catalog (GTC) is a complement to ISO 13399 for vendor neutral classification of cutting tools and data file structures. By supporting these industry standards, the cutting tool, workholding, and machine tool product data residing on MachiningCloud may be easily imported into any shop software supporting these standards – CAD/CAM programming, simulation, tool management, etc.

 

MachiningCloud uses an ISO Plus strategy, going beyond ISO 13399 and GTC to include valuable product and usage data such as the depths of cut and cutting speeds and feeds needed for CAD/CAM programming and CNC operations. For this purpose, MachiningCloud follows the MTConnect, a manufacturing industry standard to facilitate the organized retrieval of process information from numerically controlled machine tools.

 

"Today, manufacturers are still relying on paper catalogs, telephone calls, face-to-face meetings, and a myriad of websites to determine their cutting tool product choices and to obtain the associated cutting tool product data needed to run their shop. As the industry adopts the ISO/GTC/MTConnect standards, we will save a tremendous amount of wasted time, produce improved results by working with up-to-date knowledge and data, and reduce errors by eliminating manual data entry," says Chuck Mathews, managing director of MachiningCloud GmbH.

 

For cutting tool manufacturers that do not have an ISO/GTC catalog, they may publish their original native product data onto MachiningCloud to present their products to customers in a familiar and comfortable format, preserving the product's unique brand and identity. The service of converting that native data to ISO/GTC/MTConnect and feeding it to the shop software is performed by MachiningCloud, eliminating the need for a cutting tool manufacturer to wait for a full ISO conversion. It also eliminates the need for the customer to learn a completely new language and format before gaining the advantage of today's digital world.

 

Any cutting tool catalog in ISO/GTC format may be loaded onto MachiningCloud. The cutting tool product data is always up-to-date, available to everyone, and typically includes global and local stock availability. The result is optimal tooling choices when searching, selecting, and sharing cutting tools for jobs; and when building assemblies and exporting the tooling data to CAD/CAM, ERP, and other shop software.