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Starrag connect: Everything under control

Starrag Group machines are used to produce sophisticated components for luxury watches, extremely long aluminium components for aircraft, robust blades for turbines and gigantic rotor blades for submarines. But despite all of these differences, as of late they now have one thing in common: All Starrag Group machines can be monitored via smartphone, tablet or PC using the new “Starrag connect” system.

“Trust is good, process control is better.” In keeping with this slightly modified quote, a universally applicable system has been developed that runs on all common types of computer, mobile device and browser regardless of platform and operating system (including Windows, Apple iOS and Android). Starrag connect can be used as a stand-alone solution for a single machine tool or as an integrated tool within a wider company network. Users can draw on the system – which is easy to configure and maintain – to call up a wealth of important information via Wi-Fi or Ethernet.

The system is extremely versatile and boasts a wide range of functions: from displaying the machine condition and providing up-to-date machining figures to supplying data for the system availability analysis (OEE – overall equipment effectiveness). Starrag connect enables a company to centrally manage the entire pool of Starrag Group machine tools it has in operation. Access rights to the data can be specified on an individual basis. The system also gives users access to all machine documenta- tion. By displaying alarms, error messages and maintenance data, the system enables a preventative approach to mainte- nance to be implemented more effectively.

Up to 20% time savings in the performance of preventative maintenance work

No investment costs in new IT structure

Despite this vast array of functions, Starrag connect remains simple and flexible to use. The system represents a scalable solution for both individual machines and for a large pool of machines. All that is required to use the system on mobile devices is an HTML 5-enabled browser – no apps or similar software need to be installed. Users can also configure the user interface to suit their own intended purpose. What’s more, system operators are also able to access machine data for their own applications (or, for example, for ERP systems such as SAP) via an API interface. Data is saved on a central server and does not have to be updated manually, as the machine tools automatically report any new data. The load on a company’s network is low, as the machine tools only upload changes automatically once the data has been saved for the first time. A one-way connection, which can only be made from the machine tool to the server, ensures a high level of network security.