Cnc Machinery Online Information

A growing number of manufacturers are now using software to simulate the CNC machining process prior to machining an actual workpiece. The demand for this software has been fueled by the increased use of more sophisticated machine tools such as high speed, 5-axis, multi-headed, and mill/turn machines. Manufacturers benefit from machine simulation by avoiding the expense caused by machine crashes, damaged components, and unprofitable use of their machines while proofing NC programs.

Technology enables improved software. While machine simulation technology has been available since the early 1990s, the software tended to be expensive and inefficient on the computing at that time. Subsequent advances in computing and software technology have enabled CAM software vendors to now offer affordable, robust, and fully integrated machine simulation with their CAM systems.

Tool path verification vs. machine simulation

Tool path verification is useful to verify the accuracy, safety, and efficiency of NC programs, but it does not detect machine-specific problems. This is particularly true where complex five-axis moves or high-speed machining are involved. Simulating the actual machine movement provides greater assurance that an expensive and possibly catastrophic collision will not occur.

Material is expensive. Prices for metallic materials have increased dramatically. “$11,000 is a lot of money,” says Dave Wilhelm, lead programmer at Metalex Mfg. Inc., Cincinnati, OH. That is the cost of just one piece of stock for an impeller manufactured by Metalex. “We cannot take any chances, so every program is simulated before it is sent to the machine,” says Wilhelm.

Metalex specializes in manufacturing complex components often made from difficult-to-machine materials. “Because of the time it takes to receive and prepare the material, the expense is much greater than simply the cost of the damaged material,” adds Wilhelm, further underscoring the importance of detecting problems before an actual part is destroyed.

Rotary axis configurations are complex. Metalex employs several different 5-axis machine configurations. For one particular job it was necessary to mount a 90-degree head onto the spindle of a horizontal machine equipped with a B-axis rotary table mounted on an A-axis trunnion. “With such a complicated configuration, it can be difficult to predict exactly how the machine will move when performing 5-axis cutting operations,” says Wilhelm. “When running our initial NC programs through the simulator we were able to see that our tool path strategy would cause the machine to move the 90-degree spindle to the opposite side of the trunnion which would have caused leverage and travel problems. To our benefit, the software enabled us to modify the tool path strategy to correct the problem without ever putting the program on the machine,” says Wilhelm.

Simulation at work

Optimizing setups: “How the workpiece is mounted on the machine can be critical when performing 5-axis operations. We can simulate different setups to ensure that we achieve optimum machine movement,” explains Wilhelm. Such use of the simulator reduces machine downtime and cycle time.

Automated part handling: To achieve higher efficiency, machines are often equipped with moveable pallet systems, bar feeders, automatic clamping systems, etc. Such systems can cause interference problems. Astro Spar Inc., based in City of Industry, CA, recently installed two high-speed 5-axis machines from Handtmann A-Punkt Automation GmbH, Baienfurt, Germany. The machines are equipped with an A/C style 5-axis head and an automated clamping system. The clamping system allows clamps to be moved to different locations on the workpiece during the machining cycle. Says Astro Spar NC programming manager Don Barnes, “Machine simulation is critical when using the automated clamping system. Without it, a collision could occur with a clamp resulting in serious damage to the machine.”

High-speed machining: The Handtmann PBZ NT used at Astro Spar has a spindle speed of 30,000 and programmed feedrates can exceed 1,000 inches per minute. Says Barnes, “Our machines are used for cutting production parts, not for simulating NC programs. At 1,000 ipm, it would be difficult to stop a collision before it is too late. Therefore, proofing the NC program is handled safely and cost effectively using the machine simulator.”

Astro Spar uses NCL Multi-axis Machining Software from NCCS as its primary CAM system. The NCL software can be equipped with a fully integrated machine simulation product called NCL/MS, which is also available as a standalone system that can be used with other CAM systems.

The NCL/MS software allows users to perform realistic simulation of CNC machines, detect collisions between all machine tool components including axis slides, heads, rotary tables, spindles, tool changers, fixtures, work pieces, cutting tools, and user-defined objects. The software performs both material removal and machine simulation simultaneously with a range of dynamic viewing options and simulation modes.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5347/is_200510/ai_n21380573?tag=content;col1

The NC Guide and NCGuidePro CNC simulators for GE Fanuc or Fanuc CNC simulation are designed to provide a realistic operation, part-programming and maintenance environment. According to developer GE Fanuc, this can reduce training costs because the simulation does not require a real CNC or machine tool. Both call simulate a range of CNC configurations, including lathes, machining centers and compound applications. Users can select and save multiple display and keyboard configurations to match each of their CNCs.

Using the virtual environment provided by these simulation tools, users can practice complex actions and develop custom Macro B subprograms without risk to human or machine tool assets. In addition, the tools allow the development of complex machine troubleshooting scenarios that are not feasible on real equipment by using the machine I/O signal simulation ladders and I/O operation panel.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3101/is_4_80/ai_n27371574?tag=content;col1

China’s machine tool industry plays an important role in world machine tool industry in recent years. In the aspect of output value, China has accounted 1/4 of the world machine tools. Therefore, the healthy development of China’s machine tool industry will promote the world machine tool industry continues to maintain a rapid development.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics data of whole machine tool industry, in 2007 the 4291 manufactories achieved RMB 274.77 billion in industrial output value, up 35.5 per cent year-on-year; RMB 268.1 billion of sale revenue, an increase of 36.2 per cent year-on-year; throughput of 97.6 per cent, an increase of 0.5 per cent year-on-year.
In 2007, the output of metal-cutting machine tool was 606,835 sets, an increase of 11.7 per cent year-on-year, among NC metal-cutting machine tool 123,257 sets, an increase of 32.6 per cent year-on-year; forming machine tool 172,766 sets, an increase of 9.2 per cent year-on-year, among NC forming machine tool 3,011 sets, an increase of 53.7 per cent year-on-year; Woodworking machinery production and casting machinery 19.2 per cent and 15.4 per cent year-on-year respectively, metal cutting tools fell 0.4 per cent year-on-year.
Machine tool export has continued to grow rapidly. In 2007 it made $5.2 billion, up 36.2 per cent year-on-year, including metal processing machine tool $1.65 billion, increased 39.2 per cent year-on-year, NC metal processing machine tool $500 million , an in crease of 48.2 per cent year-on-year, accounting for 30 per cent of the metal processing machine tool, metal-cutting machine tool $1.22 billion, up 31.6 per cent year-on-year, forming machine tool $430 million, up 66.5 per cent year-on-year.
In 2007, the imports of machine tool was $11.77 billion, an increase of 5.7 per cent year-on-year, among metal processing machines tool $7.07 billion, a decrease of 2.4 per cent year-on-year. China’s foreign trade deficit of metal processing machine tool reached $5.42 in 2007, lower than the same period last year $6.06 billion.
Considering the overheated economy and higher inflation, the central government has tied the monetary policy, which has already affected on some investments, particularly small and medium-sized machine tool investors. China’s machine tool industry is expected to slow down, but, on the other hand, high-value-added products such as NC machine tool, large and heavy machine tool will still keep a strong growth, especially the state key projects and 16 major science and technology projects will boost the domestic demand for high-technical NC machine tool. China is expected to maintain a strong demand for NC machine tool in the next three to five years; in particular the large-scale NC machine tools will remain a 30 per cent growth.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/

Featuring 4-spindle technology and load-while-machining functionality, Model MT4-85 provides seamless cycling of work from loading zone to machining zone and back again. Parts are transitioned in and out of machining zone in as little as .8 sec each. Spindles are partnered as pairs, so as carrier is indexed 180[degrees], 2 spindles rotate to machining area as 2 spindles move out for loading and unloading. Carrier indexing time is 1.5 sec and spindle speeds range from 60-6,000 rpm.

Schaumburg, IL - (August 28, 2006) With the introduction of the MT4-85 Horizontal CNC Lathe from SB machine Tools, Kitako has successfully applied its performance-proven four-spindle technology to small parts turning. In small parts machining, a loading process plays a critical role in reducing overall cycle time. With Kitako’s “load while machining” advantage, the loading time is minimized therefore the productivity increases as much as three times more than the conventional CNC Lathes.

Kitako’s unique four-spindle technology provides a seamless cycling of work from the loading zone to the machining zone and back again. Operating much like a pallet changer on a machining center, parts are transitioned in and out of the machining zone in as little as .8 seconds each. The MT4-85’s four spindles are mounted in a horizontal, square pattern in a large carrier drum. The drum’s positioning accuracy is ensured by a large diameter, precision-toothed, curvic coupling. Spindles are generally partnered as pairs so as the carrier is indexed 180 degrees; two spindles rotate to the machining area as two spindles move out for loading and unloading. The two spindles in the machining zone along with the respective slides and turrets work simultaneously as well as independently. This dual-slide flexibility offers a variety of part processing methods.

Manual, robot or gantry loading options are possible due to unrestricted access to the spindles in the loading position. For safety and chip/coolant containment during indexing, the opening/closing zones are separated by an automatic door and a carrier plate.

The main spindles of the MT4-85 are hardened, precision ground and supported by accurate double row cylindrical roller bearings and angular contact bearings. The cartridge type spindles are sealed for life and require no maintenance.

The MT4-85 is ideal for high volume applications, especially automotive parts such as pistons, shafts, valves, pinions, sleeves, rotors, hammer frames, spindles, hubs, injector bodies and housings.

The MT4-85’s carrier indexing time is 1.5 sec. and spindles speeds range from 60 to 6,000 rpm. Each slide on the MT4-85 features a high-speed 8-station drum turret; chuck sizes are 4″.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0PIL/

Sheet metal working software uses historic cost and profit margin information to help to compile accurate quotations, checks stock levels against orders and monitors the production process

Lantek obtained some top quality leads at MACH and used the opportunity to cement relationships with its machine tool partners for the recommendation of its sheet metal CAD/CAM software. Version 25, which was launched at the show was well received by both existing customers and new prospects.

Rob Powell, commercial director, Lantek Systems said, ‘Visitors were particularly interested in the Lantek Expert ERP system and the new nesting algorithms in version 25.’ The Lantek Expert Quotes Module uses historic cost and profit margin information to help to compile accurate quotations, and the Inventory Module checks stock levels against orders to determine the actual production requirements, while the production process is monitored by the Production Orders Module.

Quick loading nests and links to the Inventory and Cost Modules give an up to date picture of the status of production to enable managers to optimise productivity and make informed decisions.

All the information in Lantek Expert is held in a central database to minimise duplication, speed access, and allow the cross referencing of data.

Tools include new icons which display the quantity status of each part at a glance, showing whether it has been completed, overproduced or that more are required.

The 6% improvement in savings in material utilisation in Lantek’s Version 25 Nesting Module is achieved by producing a highly regular optimised pattern.

Powell added, ‘With increased material costs, saving in this area will contribute directly to our customer’s profits.’ To further increase utilization, the Lantek software can now handle and save nesting patterns, which include the machining technology.

Easier identification of individual nests makes it quicker to identify the part to be cut and reduces the risk of error.

Visitors to the Lantek stand also appreciated the new vectoring capabilities of the software.

This addition in Version 25 allows art work to be easily converted into geometry so that they can be cut on a profiling machine without having to calculate all the individual dimensions.

Powell concluded, ‘MACH was definitely a very worthwhile exhibition.

It gave us the opportunity to showcase the advances we have made in Lantek and further raise our profile as a leading supplier of sheet metal fabrication software in the UK.’ * About Lantek Systems - Lantek Systems, formed in 2000 is the UK arm of Lantek Spain, which has its headquarters in Vitoria-Gasteiz near Bilbao.

Lantek specialises in the creation and delivery of software to optimise the performance of sheet metal and fabrication machines; products to maximise economy of material usage; and software for effective production control in a fabrication environment.

Lantek has offices in France, Spain, Italy, UK, USA, Japan, Germany, India, Poland, Czech Republic, China and South Korea.

More than 7,800 licences of the software are in use around the world, providing improved productivity and profitability for companies using oxyfuel, plasma, waterjet, punching and combination machines.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/lnt/lnt134.html

A Dutch company, which has been a partner in distributing sheet metal working machinery for some years, has now been acquired as a subsidiary by Trumpf, Germany

Trumpf assumed all shares in its long-term Dutch sales partner Moller Metaal. The new subsidiary will operate under the name Trumpf Nederland BV. The company is to remain at its current location in Hengelo and continue to employ about 40 people. Moller Metal has been a Trumpf partner company in the Netherlands since 1953.

he company’s focus was machine tool sales and marketing.

Laser sales went directly through Trumpf.

With the integration of Moller Metaal, this will change.

The new subsidiary will pool the essential market activities of the entire Trumpf Group in the Netherlands.

This step is part of Trumpf’s internationalization strategy: to have subsidiaries operating in specific markets to be closer to its customers.

The competency of the Moller Metaal employees, soon to be Trumpf Nederland, can be continued to be relied upon to achieve this goal in the Netherlands.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/tru/tru266.html

Industrial grade 3- and 4-axis CNC routers are affordable, said the supplier, and ideal for cutting complex curves and machining 3D reliefs for mouldings

Intelicam manufactures affordable, industrial grade 3- and 4-axis CNC Routers ideal for cutting complex curves and machining 3D reliefs for moulds. The company told manufacturingtalk.com that it has just begun construction of a 4-axis high speed foam cutting CNC Router. The router has a 5ft x 10ft process area, 4ft of Z-axis motion and an integrated rotational axis that can clamp a foam block 4ft in diameter by almost 7ft long.

The all ball screw and servo drive unit can traverse at 2,000 in/min, and is fitted with, as standard, the following.

* A six-position tool changer.

* Water cooled spindle with inverter.

* Special designed foam cutting router bits up to 12in in length with a 1in diameter shaft.

* Tool height sensor.

* Chip pickup with vacuum.

All moving parts are sealed and protected with baffles from foam particles, which otherwise will harden over time causing maintenance issues.

Intelicam is offering this system for less than US$60,000.

Intelicam is also building a companion high speed foam router that replaces the rotational 4th axis with a vacuum table and 15HP vacuum blower.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/ixa/ixa100.html

Tool-making company wanted to make the most of its tool-making expertise by adding on new CNC machine tools to expand engineering, design and manufacturing services.

New owner of tool-making company, Quick Tools, Mike Ireland had plans to develop the company into a low-volume, high technology design, development and machining operation He was keen to make full use of its high skill levels in toolmaking to marry the capability with contacts from his previous job in the aerospace industry

Ireland managed to triple Quick Tools’ turnover within five months but as Ireland said: “This is the result of a totally focused attitude, the workforce’s help and willingness to move forward plus the return from up-front investment”.

* CNC machine tools - Ireland purchased a Dugard Eagle BNC 1860 CNC Multifunction flat bed lathe and an ex-demonstration Dugard Eagle 1000 vertical machining centre (VMC) from C Dugard of Hove, a 3D portable measuring arm from Faro and new CAD/CAM software from MasterCAM and Delcam.

His concern was to retain customers that had drifted away prior to, and during, the sale of the Quick Tools company.

High on Ireland’s list of priorities in January, 2008, was to convince the 12 key staff that their skills support would give the company a future.

Here, the investment and the commitment to train them to further improve their knowledge was well received along with the withdrawal of redundancy notices.

Quick Tools was originally set up in 1962 by Paddy Langdon and taken over by his son Trevor and wife Jill, who decided last year they wanted to retire and sell the business.

A management buyout then failed and the Langdons made the decision to close and conformed to the law by issuing the appropriate redundancy notices.

The company had been living off an impressive direct and indirect customer base of leading names in commercial and military aerospace and defence, formula 1 and industrial and commercial engineering companies.

* Tool-making services - Quick Tools had supplied complete design and manufacture of jigs and fixtures, test rigs, mould and press tools, as well as developing and building special-purpose machinery.

It had also carried out fabrication, some sheet-metal work and produced composite tooling, some small batch turning and milling, plus CAD design services involving prestigious projects such as Euro Fighter Typhoon, Boeing 787, Airbus A340 and EH101 Merlin.

Ireland has a background in military engineering and told manufacturingtalk that a close friend had told him of the pending closure of Quick Tools and that he had just six weeks to prepare a rescue package.

Ireland said: “Customers have returned with orders and we are getting progressively involved with long-term projects that are quite large for a small company and should provide us with regular work for up to a year.

We have about 100 live customers on the books now with the top 20 providing the lion’s share of turnover - so we can’t complain”.

Irel;and had has set up training courses with PETA, Portsmouth’s Training and Consultancy Services at the Skills Centre in the town, for his employees, and ‘Train to Gain’ courses, with the Learning and Skills Council.

A graduate apprentice has been taken on and the company is currently seeking three new people (June 2008).

Ireland’s plan is also to locate a new 10,000ft2 unit as the current 3,300ft2 site at Farlington near Portsmouth is full to capacity.

Ireland is also very active networking with other toolmakers on certain long-term aerospace contracts and, even at this early stage in the company development, is spreading his business potential overseas.

Planning for the future also means grant negotiations are underway for further machine tool purchases so as not to restrict development of the business.

He said: “We felt we had no option but to commit to buy as quickly as possible and here Dugard was a great help”.

The development of the business embracing the inherent skills is also a focus of Ireland.

He said: “We turn, mill, grind, jigbore, weld and carry out some sheet-metal work, as well as a growing need for assembly and test.

Electromechanical assembly is another growth area for us and we have some excellent opportunities to re-engineer quite complicated fixtures for customers”.

Materials processed include aluminium, brass, copper and most steels, including stainless, Duplex, Nimonics, armour plate and titanium, as well as some composites and nylon which is why the Dugard Eagle machines were chosen”.

Ireland continued: “C Dugard was recommended by another company nearby which also saw the advantage of local support from Hove.

But more importantly, Dugard ticked all the boxes with the team so we went for the flexibility of manual/electronic handwheels and the CNC capability of the Dugard Eagle Multifunction BNC 1860 flat bed lathe with Fagor 8055i control”.

The company chose a Dugard Eagle 1000 VMC with Heidenhain CNC.

The Eagle 1000 was an ex-demonstration machine from the Hove showroom which, said Ireland, was a very helpful factor with company budgeting.

The BNC 1860 gave the added capacity of 1680mm travel in the Z-axis with 475mm swing and 710mm in the gap bed for fixture work in machining shaft-type components.

The machine also has an 11kW spindle, which is ample for the type of work turned at Quick Tools.

A quick-change toolpost and a rear mounted eight-station turret provide automated cycles on repeat components and batchwork.

Meanwhile the Dugard Eagle 1000 VMC has rejuvenated the small batch subcontract machining capability and is proving highly beneficial to tooling production.

* CAM link-up - the VMC is directly linked to MasterCAM and Delcam’s CAD software via the Heidenhain control.

With a table size of 1200mm by 510mm it provides a useful platform for the type of toolmaking operations carried out by Quick Tools and is also ideal for small batch production.

Axis travels are 1020mm by 530mm by 510mm and the 24 tool magazine with twin-arm changer provides sufficient tool capacity.

Quite important for Quick Tools is the compact design of the machine that requires a floor space of just 2.8m by 2.08m making it ideal for the size of the current workshop.

But one of the reasons for seeking new, larger premises is to create enough room to enable expansion.
http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/cdu/cdu196.html

Delcam is offering a free trial version of its entry-level CNC routing and engraving software ArtCAM Insignia. The free version includes all the design and manufacturing capabilities available in the full release, together with documentation and tutorials, but has the save and postprocessing options disabled. ArtCAM Insignia enables people with creative flair, such as artists, designers and engravers, to increase their productivity and raise quality by using computerised manufacturing techniques, alongside their traditional skills.

Unlike conventional CADCAM systems, which tend to require knowledge of engineering and mathematical principles, ArtCAM Insignia is a more artistic application, which makes extensive use of colour in developing designs.

This approach makes it very easy to produce sophisticated designs, even for people that are not usually strong in technical subjects.

Even though ArtCAM Insignia has become established among the most popular software packages for the woodworking, sign-making and engraving industries, Product Manager Tony McKenzie is convinced that many more companies could be taking advantage of the system’s benefits.

“Many people working in these traditional industries are still nervous about moving into computerised CNC manufacturing”, he said.

http://www.engineeringtalk.com/news/dea/dea208.html

Schlitter Tool (Warren, MI) announces a NEW rotary broaching attachment for the Swiss screw machine industry. Dubbed the HexMaster(TM)ELITE, this powerful little attachment can make ID hexes, broaches, splines and other shapes on small CNC lathes or screw machines where space is at a premium.

The HexMaster(TM) ELITE features an ultra-small profile, quick-set fixturing, and industry-leading performance. New design eliminates lengthy setups typical to larger rotary broaches. Available shank sizes include 12mm, 22mm, 5/8 in and 3/4 in.

This holder is ideal for broaching forms less than 3/8″ (10mm) in diameter on Swiss, Davenport and small CNC lathes. Rotary broaching attachments create profits for machine shops by enabling the manufacture of complex forms that would otherwise require a secondary operation. Shops can create high quality hexes, splines and other regular shapes, in nearly any metal, on nearly any machine. To get your Engineers Guide to Rotary Broaching, contact David Schlitter at 1-800-521-1743 ext. 12, or email
http://news.thomasnet.com/fullstory/544759