Meaning
The automatic monitoring of the number of press cycles performed by a stamping die or molding machine. Production managers use stroke count tracking to schedule preventive maintenance and predict the remaining useful life of the tool. This metric measures physical machine cycles and does not track the number of finished parts.
Tooling Metric
Automated sensors mounted on the tool or the press capture each cycle and send the data directly to the factory’s database. This system provides an accurate history of the tool’s usage and eliminates the errors associated with manual records. Through stroke count tracking, the maintenance team can identify which tools are approaching their service limits.
This data is critical for planning toolroom capacity.
Maintenance Schedule
Hard limits are set for the tool to undergo sharpening or polishing based on the accumulated data. High-precision tooling require maintenance after a specific number of cycles to prevent the degradation of product quality. Relying on stroke count tracking ensures that tools are serviced before they suffer permanent damage or produce defective parts.
This scheduled approach prevents unplanned downtime and maintains high production yields across the entire assembly line.
Asset Evaluation
Long-term usage patterns are analyzed to determine the overall durability and performance of the tool. This analysis helps engineers select the best tool steels and coating technologies for future projects. Integrating stroke count tracking into the asset management system allows the company to calculate the true cost per stroke of the tool.
This evaluation improves the accuracy of future product costings.
