TOOL ROOM INDUSTRY : WHAT IS IT?
THE MOTHER INDUSTRY FOR THE FOLLOWING:

Automobiles Armaments Auto Ancillaries Space Electonics Aeronautics Electricals Medical Disposables Plastics Furniture, etc. Consumer Durables Engineering
	Manufacturing of all products requires the involvement of the Tool Room
	One Tool can produce/help to produce millions of parts.
	Growth of any Industry of any country is dependent on the Tool Room Industry

The existing technologies would improve over the next 5 years, but the basis would be the same. What would be a breakthrough in terms of technology is outing all information together and handling it to save time. It would be more integrated information management, where business will be transacted through previously unknown media.

For example, a tool order can be placed by a prospective customer searching the companies website; the product model can come electronically through email as an attachment file; People exchange views on video conferencing, and may not even get to see each other till the business is over as they may be even continents apart! It has already started, but still it is not as common as a telephone or fax machine. It will gain momentum and that would radically change the way business is done in a commercial tool room.

Increasingly, Companies would create their own systems for delivery management with cost and customer focus, and computers would play an increasing role in integrating all the departments and processes in a company, towards reducing lead time and slashing costs, Trend would move towards information networks, rather than point to point data carrying networks will be dynamic data carriers, which will be used for arriving at solutions for predictable delivery, cost and quality of tools made. Concurrent engineering and Product Data Management would be widely applied in every company, with elimination of repetitive work, as business does not warrant so much time at the disposal of the Tool maker.

Every business enterprise would do professional analysis of understanding which is the right decision - make or buy - and that would really pave the way for a healthy balance of tool making - in house and sub-contracted. It would be a win-win situation for all, provided the rules of the game are clearly understood.

• Right climate for Global investment through liberalisation
• Qualified and disciplined workforce
• Cost effective employment costs
• High levels of Quality Commitment
• Thrust on in-time delivery and customer satisfaction
• High level of business ethics

• Joint Venture (JV)
• Indian Subsidiary
• Branch Operation of a Principal Company
• Liaison Office
• Technical Collaborator of an Indian Company / JV

• Most Tool Rooms are capable of taking on global business have invested and maintain their infrastructure with the best in business practices.
• Same class of Quality Machinery, Raw Material and Manufacturing Processes imported from World leaders combined with the intellect and class of indigenous manufacturing practices.

A) Tool Room Machinery

• CNC Machining Centres
• CNC Turning Centres
• CNC Lathes
• Wire EDM
• CNC EDM
• 5 Axes CNC Mills
• CNC Die Sinking Machines
• High Speed Machining (HSM) Milling and Turning
• Jig Borers
• CNC Grinders
• Cost effective and Conventional Machinery

B) Computer Deployment in Tool Making

• CAD for Tool Design
• CAM for automatic toolpath and CNC Code Generation
• Computer assisted CMMs for Measurement and quality assurance
• Microprocessor based heat treatment furnaces including cyrogenics
• Computer controlled vapour deposition techniques for surface treatment.
• Effective deployment of Internet and e-mail for communication.

C) CAD/CAM/CAE Implementation-availability off well trained software engineers, on all these popular software tools.

DESIGN: AUTOCAD/I-DEAS/UNIGRAPHICS/PRO-E/MDT/INVENTOR
ANALYSIS: ABSYS/NASTRAN/COSMOS
SIMULATION: C-MOLD/MOLDFLOW/PRO-CAST/VERICUT
MFG: UNIGRAPHICS/PRO-E/TEBIS/MASTERCAM CAMAND

Considering the market potential and availability of skilled manpower, all these Multinationals have their own development Centres in India.

D) Successful implementation of Emergent Technologies:

• RAPID PROTOTYPING - Variety of Technologies available for realising FIRST TO FINISH Products to cater to market challenges.
• WORLD LEADERS in RP available in India- STRATASYS (FDM Technology), DTM, 3D SYSTEMS (SLS Technology), HELISYS (LOM Technology), EOS for cost effective solutions.
• SERVICE BUREAUX - available to render quality service on Rapid Prototype products and Tooling Development.
• EFFECTIVE - Industry Institution co-ordination for RP services (Indian Institute of Technologies, Indian Institutes of Science etc.)

TOOL ROOM INDUSTRY'S CURRENT ROLE

CONVERSION OF INDUSTRIES INTO KNOWLEDGE BASED INDUSTRIES

• Network Linking for industry, government, academic and R&D via internet; technological exchange; joint R&D; full use of knowledge, aesthetics and creation of value.
• Introduction of New Materials and New Processes Ex. Application of light metals, flow forming/ thixomolding/semi-solid forming technologies.
• Implementation of multidimensional or high value added products EX. DVD reader head, heat sink, optical connector, micro detection components.
• Integration of traditional products and electronics
• Global logistics, collaboration of domain technologies.

INTEGRATION WITH FAST GROWING (HIGH-TECH) INDUSTRIES

• Reinforcement of understanding and control of high-tech knowledge (product specification and characteristics)
• Establishment of key technology supply system for special processing.

CONNECT TO INTERNATIONAL SUPPLY CHAIN SYSTEM

• Establishment of inspection and certification system
• Acceleration of electronization and for connection with the supply chain.
• Establishment of e-community and scaling up mould & die development.

BUILDING IT INFRASTRUCTURE

• IT enabling design and prototyping
• E-business enabling manufacturing processes with SCM, CRM, etc., using the internet.
• Introducing web services to increase productivity and operational efficiencies using software.