RAMTIC system still ticking: this company's innovative approach to process control is now enhanced by its innovative approach to production control in a "new" factory building

This article is going to discuss artifacts, pyramids and a place called Stonehouse. It will even use the word “relic.” But this isn’t about archeology or ancient history. Instead, it is about advanced manufacturing in the 21st Century and one company’s strategic vision for rapidly developing new products while maintaining competitive manufacturing in its home country.

Renishaw, a U.K.-based maker of metrology systems, developed RAMTIC, its unique approach to process control, in the early 1990s. When it first appeared, RAMTIC (Renishaw’s Automated Milling, Turning and Inspection Center) was characterized by two conspicuous developments in tangible machine tool technology. One was the use of portable carrousels for palletized work-pieces and cutting tools. The other was the use of artifacts, or master components, by which a machine tool could check its own dimensional calibration.

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RAMTIC was also based on some critical intangibles–most notably a locus on design for manufacturability and an effort to prove out processes thoroughly before releasing them to the shop floor. As introduced, the RAMTIC concept enabled the company to use standard, relatively low-cost VMCs to achieve a degree of machining accuracy and a level of automation that were virtually unprecedented at the time.

Fast-forward to mid 2006, when the company opened a new machining facility within a completely refurbished factory building. All of its precision small-parts machining operations were consolidated at this location, referred to as Stonehouse after the name of the village nearby. The intent was to create one of the most advanced machine shops in the world. Much was at stake in this move.

Renishaw needed to expand its manufacturing capability to keep up with a faster pace of product introduction. The company wanted to keep its commitment to do most of its manufacturing in the U.K. That meant that in-house production had to be as efficient and as economical as anywhere in the world.

After the plant opening, several questions arose. Was the 15-year-old RAMTIC system still viable, and would it find a home in the new facility? Is the shop there still using the carrousels and artifacts? How has Renishaw’s manufacturing philosophy evolved, as manifested in the new facility?

To answer: Yes, RAMTIC technology is going strong there, proving the lasting validity of the original concepts. RAMTIC continues to deliver highly automated production with reliable process control. The pallet-pool carrousels and the artifacts, with some tweaking and refinements, are in daily use. More importantly, the principles of design for manufacturability and thorough process prove-out are being applied in a more extensive and rigorous way. In fact, they are two of the major underpinnings of the current system of production control that governs the entire factory.

Renishaw calls this fundamental methodology the Renishaw Productivity System. Whereas RAMTIC can be seen as an example of process control applied at the machine level, the larger Renishaw Productivity System can be seen as the essential foundation that makes process control possible and effective on a factory-wide basis.

Stonehouse demonstrates that with an intelligent strategy and a strong commitment, any manufacturer should be able to keep production on its own turf.

RAMTIC At A Glance

A major impetus for developing RAMTIC was the lack of climate control in Renishaw’s original 1980s machine shop. Wide swings in ambient temperature combined with heat generated inside the machines contributed to unstable machining conditions.

At the same time, demand for the company’s probing instruments was growing rapidly. The need to increase production and automate processes was apparent. Renishaw’s engineering staff resolved to develop a comprehensive methodology to address the problems and challenges created by this situation. From the start, this effort was NOT conceived as merely a fix for temperature-induced variations in processes and related barriers to automation. Rather, the company sought a strategy that would set its manufacturing operations on the right course for years to come.

Process innovations had to be tied to and spring from design and engineering considerations. For example, engineers began to put together a “Design For Manufacture Guidebook” that established and communicated best practices. This guidebook codified a standardized library of part features linked to proven machining processes of known statistical capability. Effective and efficient manufacturing could be virtually locked in during the design phase.

Author: Mark Albert