“The tool presetter is one of the most important data hubs in a data-driven manufacturing environment,” Ryan Meleg says. As Global business unit director at Parlec Inc., Mr. Meleg sees how a streamlined flow of data across a computer network that connects all of a shop’s CNC machines and related software applications is essential to the Industry 4.0 concept. More to the point, he emphasizes that the latest tool measuring technology has to play a vital role in this scenario.“The presetter, which may be better called a tool measuring machine, provides a direct link—a single point of contact—between the tooling database from which part design and CNC programming draw, and the machining process that relies on the tool offset data and tool life information for accurate and precise part production,” he explains. In addition, he says, the presetter/tool measuring machine can check tooling items returning to the tool crib so that the tooling database can be updated with current measurements that reflect detectable edge wear, along with information such as remaining tool life. “This capability closes the gap between the virtual model of the tooling assembly and actual components that do the machining. It also closes the loop between projected tool performance and the actual results from the shop floor,” he says.According to Mr. Meleg, two of his company’s most advanced models, the 1850 TMM and the Apex TMM, are particularly well-suited to facilitate data-driven manufacturing. The features and capabilities that account for this suitability deserve a closer look:Characterizing the presetter/tool measuring machine as a hub is not merely employing a figure of speech, Mr. Meleg concludes. Literally, this machine is capable of serving as a one-stop center where all of the information for retrieving, assembling and measuring cutting tools converge. It also enables that data to remain associated with the tool as it travels to and from the machining center. The presetter/tool measuring machine is the essential juncture for the journey of the physical tool and the related packet of data.