ANCA will debut its latest development, the TX7+Xchanger at the IMTS exhibition in September. The new machine has been designed with extensive customer input and incorporates an ANCA TX7+ universal grinder with a wheel pack exchanging system and magazine. The magazine holds 16 wheel packs instead of the customary two only found on most CNC grinders, which means the operator now has up to 64 wheels to select from.

This expanded selection holds productivity and cost-saving benefits for companies seeking to maximise automation in mass production of cutting tools or grind complex components that require several different wheel packs to complete.

Having multiple wheel packs set up in the Xchanger magazine provides several new benefits not possible with most grinding machines including the following.

* Immediate follow-on in mass production when the wheel pack needs to be changed due to wheel wear.

This means longer unmanned operation can be achieved.

* No downtime to change wheel packs when switching from one tool type to another, increasing production flexibility.

* Improved occupational health and safety conditions for operators as manual handling of wheel packs is reduced.

This limits exposure to oil and carbide and handling of heavy wheel packs.

* Minimal downtime to set up wheel packs as coolant manifolds and pipes are changed with the wheel pack.

Set-up is done off the machine in a set-up rig, which means production does not have to be interrupted.

All of this adds up to the possibilities of extended unmanned operation, which will deliver greater levels of productivity and lower-cost tools without compromise on precision.

To further increase the flexibility of the TX7+Xchanger, ANCA also built in milling capability.

Tools such as drills and endmills are driven by the spindle using standard Big Plus wheel arbours.

As the milling tools are also stored in the magazine and therefore also changed automatically, features such as holes, keyways and dovetails prove no problem for the TX7+Xchanger.

Although the new machine will be the flagship of ANCA’s IMTS exhibit, it will certainly not be on its own.

Other products on show will include the following.

* TapX dedicated tap grinding machine, which can manufacture a complete tap.

* CLX compact loader, which provides an economical automated solution.

* iQual automatical wheel qualification system.

* iView tool measurement and compensation system.

* RX7 compact grinder demonstrating small diameter grinding and the VCS Precision V-block clamp and steady.

* About ANCA - ANCA is an Australian owned company that was founded in 1974 to design and manufacture high technology Computer Numerical Controls (CNCs) for the machine tool and metal-based industries.

Today, ANCA has become a world leading designer and manufacturer of complete, high precision grinding machines competing in a global niche market.

With its core values of precision, innovation, quality and technological excellence, ANCA is today an international organisation of more than 300 employees in 12 countries, with a robust set of technological and entrepreneurial skills.

Offices are located in major cities in Europe, North America and Asia; with dealerships represented in over 25 countries.

ANCA continues to understand market demands and produce products and services to benefit its customers.

* ANCA at IMTS 2006, Chicago, USA, September 6-13, Booth B-7432.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/anc/anc129.html

A milling machine is a power-driven machine used for the complex shaping of metal (or possibly other materials) parts. Its basic form is that of a rotating cutter or endmill which rotates about the spindle axis (similar to a drill), and a movable table to which the workpiece is affixed. That is to say the cutting tool generally remains stationary (except for its rotation) while the workpiece moves to accomplish the cutting action. Milling machines may be operated manually or under computer numerical control (see CNC).

Milling machines can perform a vast number of complex operations, such as slot cutting, planing, drilling, rebating, routing, etc.

Cutting fluid is often pumped to the cutting site to cool and lubricate the cut, and to sluice away the resulting swarf.

Types of milling machines

There are two main types of mill: the vertical mill and the horizontal mill. In the vertical mill the spindle axis is vertically oriented. Milling cutters are held in the spindle and rotate on its axis. The spindle can generally be extended (or the table can be raised/lowered, giving the same effect), allowing plunge cuts and drilling. There are several subcategories of vertical mills: the bedmill and the turret mill. Turret mills, like the ubiquitous Bridgeport, are generally smaller than bedmills, and are considered by some to be more versatile. In a turret mill the spindle remains stationary during cutting operations and the table is moved both perpendicular to and parallel to the spindle axis to accomplish cutting. In the bedmill, however, the table moves only perpendicular to the spindle’s axis, while the spindle itself moves parallel to its own axis. Also of note is a lighter machine, called a mill-drill. It is quite popular with hobbyists, due to its cheap price. These are frequently of lower quality than other types of machines, however.

A horizontal mill has the same sort of x–y table, but the cutters are mounted on a horizontal arbor across the table. A majority of horizontal mills also feature a +15/-15 degree rotary table that allows milling at shallow angles. While endmills and the other types of tools available to a vertical mill may be used in a horizontal mill, their real advantage lies in arbor-mounted cutters, called side and face mills, which have a cross section rather like a circular saw, but are generally wider and smaller in diameter. Because the cutters have good support from the arbor, quite heavy cuts can be taken, enabling rapid material removal rates. These are used to mill grooves and slots. Plain mills are used to shape flat surfaces. Several cutters may be ganged together on the arbor to mill a complex shape of slots and planes. Special cutters can also cut grooves, bevels, radii, or indeed any section desired. These specialty cutters tend to be expensive. Simplex mills have one spindle, and duplex mills have two. It is also easier to cut gears on a horizontal mill.

A more complex form of the milling machine is the Universal milling machine, in which the rotating cutter can be oriented vertically or horizontally, increasing the flexibility of the machine tool. The table of the universal machine can be swivelled through a small angle (up to about 15 degrees), enabling tapered cuts to be made over the length of the table.

Milling machine variants

* Box or column mills are very basic hobbyist bench-mounted milling machines that feature a head riding up and down on a column or box way.
* Turret or Vertical ram mills are more commonly referred to as bridgeport-type milling machines. The spindle can be aligned in many different positions for a very versatile, if somewhat less rigid machine.
* C-Frame mills are larger, industrial production mills. They feature a knee and fixed spindle head that is only moble vertically. They are typically much more powerful than a turret mill, featuring a separate hydaulic motor for intergal hydraulic power feeds in all directions, and a twenty to fifty horsepower motor. Backlash eliminators are almost standard equipment. They use large NMTB 40 or 50 tooling. The tables on C-frame mills are usually 18″ by 68″ or larger, to allow multiple parts to be machined at the same time.
* Knee mill refers to any milling machine that has a vertically adjustable table.
* Bed mill refers to any milling machine where the spindle is on a pendant that moves up and down to move the cutter into the work. These are generally more rigid than a knee mill.
* Jig borers are vertical mills that are built to bore holes, and very light slot or face milling. They are typically bed mills with a long spindle throw. The beds are more accurate, and the handwheels are graduated down to .0001″ for precise hole placement.
* Horizontal boring mills are large, accurate bed horizontal mills that incorporate many features from various machine tools. They are predominantly used to create large manufacturing jigs, or to modify large, high precision parts. They have a spindle stroke of several (usually between four and six) feet, and many are equipped with a tailstock to perform very long boring operations without losing accuracy as the bore increases in depth. A typical bed would have X and Y travel, and be between three and four feet square with a rotary table or a larger rectangle without said table. The pendant usually has between four and eight feet in vertical movement. Some mills have a large (30″ or more) intergal facing head. Right angle rotary tables and vertical milling attachments are available to further increase productivity.
* Floor mills have a row of rotary tables, and a horizontal pendant spindle mounted on a set of tracks that runs parallel to the table row. These mills have predominantly been converted to CNC, but some can still be found (if one can even find a used machine available) under manual control. The spindle carriage moves to each individual table, performs the machining operations, and moves to the next table while the previous table is being set up for the next operation. Unlike any other kind of mill, floor mills have floor units that are entirely movable. A crane will drop massive rotary tables , X-Y tables, and the like into position for machining, allowing the largest and most complex custom milling operations to take place.

CNC milling machines

Most CNC milling machines or machining centers are computer controlled vertical mills with the ability to move the spindle vertically along the Z-axis. This extra degree of freedom permits their use in engraving applications, and also allows to create 2.5D surfaces such as relief sculptures. When combined with the use of conical tools or a ball nose cutter, it also significantly improves milling precision without impacting speed, providing a cost-efficient alternative to most flat-surface hand-engraving work.

CNC machines can exist in virtually any of the forms of manual machinery, like horizontal mills. The most advanced CNC milling-machines, the 5-axis machines, add two more axes in addition to the three normal axes (XYZ). Horizontal milling machines also have a C or Q axis, allowing the horizontally mounted workpiece to be rotated, essentially allowing asymmetric and eccentric turning. The fifth axis(B-Axis) controls the tilt of the tool itself. When all of these axes are used in conjunction with each other, extremely complicated geometries, even organic geometries such as a human head can be made with relative ease with these machines. But the skill to program such geometries is beyond that of most humans. Therefore, 5-axis milling machines are practically always programmed with CAM.

Milling machine tooling
There is some degree of standardization of the tooling used with CNC Milling Machines and to a much lesser degree with manual milling machines.

CNC Milling machines will nearly always use CAT, BT or HSK tooling. CAT tooling, sometimes called V-Flange Tooling, is the oldest variation and is probably still the most common. CAT tooling was invented by Caterpillar Inc of Peoria, Illinois in order to standardize the tooling used on their machinery. CAT tooling comes in a range of sizes designated as CAT-30, CAT-40, CAT-50, etc. The number refers to the NMTB Taper size of the tool.

An improvement on CAT Tooling is BT Tooling, which looks very similar and can easily be confused with CAT tooling. Like CAT Tooling, BT Tooling comes in a range of sizes and uses the same NMTB body taper. However, BT tooling is symmetrical about the spindle axis, which CAT tooling is not. This gives BT tooling greater stability and balance at high speeds. One other subtle difference between these two toolholders is the thread used to hold the pull stud. CAT Tooling is all Imperial thread and BT Tooling is all Metric thread. Note that this affects the pull stud only, it does not affect the tool that they can hold, both types of tooling are sold to accept both Imperial and metric sized tools.

HSK tooling, sometimes called “Hollow Shank Tooling”, is much more common in Europe where it was invented than it is in the United States. It is claimed that HSK tooling is even better than BT Tooling at high speeds. The holding mechanism for HSK tooling is placed within the (hollow) body of the tool and, as spindle speed increases, it expands, gripping the tool more tightly with increasing spindle speed. There is no pull stud with this type of tooling.

The situation is quite different for manual milling machines — there is little standardization. Newer and larger manual machines usually use NMTB tooling. This tooling is somewhat similar to CAT tooling but requires a drawbar within the milling machine. Furthermore, there are a number of variations with NMTB tooling that make interchangeability troublesome.

Two other tool holding systems for manual machines are worthy of note: They are the R8 collet and the Morse Taper #2 collet. Bridgeport Machines of Bridgeport Connecticut so dominated the milling machine market for such a long time that their machine “The Bridgeport” is virtually synonymous with “Manual milling machine.” The bulk of the machines that Bridgeport made from about 1965 onward used an R8 collet system. Prior to that, the bulk of the machines used a Morse Taper #2 collet system.

http://www.omnipelagos.com/entry?n=milling_machine

The company recently introduced the Hardpoint 300, a CNC machine that combines turning, drilling, milling and grinding. It is a modular concept machine and can be configured with up to four main spindles and a variety of tooling combinations, depending on user needs. The machine can machine the front and rear faces of a single part; machine a single face on two parts simultaneously; machine the front and rear faces of two parts simultaneously; or machine a single face on four parts simultaneously.

The company says its product represents a flexible and economic machine concept for high-quality, complete machining of small components. The axes is variable, with up to ten possible. The machine offers fully automatic, synchronous complete cutting of complex workpiece geometries, up to a diameter of approximately 3″ x 3″ (80 mm x 80 mm).

The modular machine concept is said to ensure machining efficiency and flexibility. The various platforms are said to allow several cutting processes to be combined, thereby eliminating the need to operate multiple machines. The company says this reduces floor space requirements and operation costs. The machine incorporates an internal gantry loader. External loaders are also available as is a post-process measuring system.

http://www.c-n-c-machine.blogspot.com/

Switching to CNC milling has reduced the time needed to cut pool cue points and the female pockets they fit into by 75% to 80%, according to Bill McDaniel, President of McDaniel Custom Cues, a high-end cue manufacturer based in Jackson, Tennessee. “We used to produce inlays and the points themselves working from patterns on a pantograph-type mill,” McDaniel said. “Now we design the points in CAD and then cut out both the prongs and the inlay on the mill. The new method reduces cutting time, is more accurate and provides unlimited design flexibility.”

McDaniel Custom Cues is one of the best-known manufacturers of cues used by professionals and leading amateur pool players. They include: 1) Kun-Fang Lee, the reigning winner of Challenge of Champions 2) Ismael Paez, also known as Morro, who recently won the European World 9 Ball Championship 3) Nick Varner, winner of the Year 2000 WPA World 9 Ball Championship held in Spain and the Masters Senior Tour held in Florida 4) on the women’s side, Karen Corr, the upcoming number three ranked lady player in the World who recently won the Women’s Pool Billiards Association championship in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, beating Allison Fisher 7-1 in the finals. McDaniel travels the world seeking out the finest materials for his products, such as Gabon (a region of Africa) ebony, snakewood, tulip wood, birdseye maple, ivory, silver and gold. The firm’s cues sell for $1000 and up.

Challenging task

“There’s nothing about making pool cues that’s easy,” McDaniel says, “but one of the most challenging tasks is the inlay work.” The points, typically 7.5 inches in length, are inlaid around the circumference of the 29 inch long butt. In the past, McDaniel’s firm had to make a male pattern for the points themselves and a female pattern for the butt inlay, which took between one and three days depending on the complexity of the design. This process had to be repeated whenever McDaniel produced a new design, which occurred several times a month.

“Once the pattern was completed, McDaniel’s staff finally had the opportunity to check it against what they were trying to make. Because the process of making the templates provided no opportunity to check for errors, there were sometimes problems with the first one. Even after we were sure that the pattern was right, a considerable amount of tracing skill was required to achieve the required accuracy of a few thousandths. “Using the old method, producing points was a time-consuming task, one where something could easily go wrong and ruin an expensive piece of birdseye maple, ebony, ivory or even gold, “McDaniel said.”

Switching to CNC

“Then one day I visited a woodworking facility building furniture and saw a CNC mill at work,” McDaniel said. “It was an eye-opening experience. The company used an easy-to-operate CAD system to create their patterns on the computer. Then the router followed the CAD designs to produce the points and the pockets. This saved the time required to build the pattern and also made it possible to produce a much more accurate cut while eliminating the difficult task of following the pattern. Despite the fact that the parts being produced were nothing like pool cues, I felt certain that I could make this technology work in my business.”

“The company was using a CNC mill from Techno-Isel,” McDaniel said. “I took note of the fact that the ball nuts and ball screws on the machine were extremely accurate. I asked them how much it cost and when they told me about $20,000 I knew I had something that would pay for itself in a short period of time. I could have purchased a low-cost mill that uses racks and acme screws for less but it would have been limited to low speeds and shallow cuts and probably would have suffered from vibration that would give unsatisfactory parts. The furniture company also had nothing but good things to say about the service and support for the milling machine provided by its manufacturer. Then I began doing my homework. I made the contact with the factory and was invited to the World Woodworker show that was held in Anaheim, California to see a complete demonstration of their milling machine. I flew to California, met the staff of Techno-Isel, received a warm reception from their staff and the rest is history.”

New process for producing points

The new machine made it possible for McDaniel Custom Cues to adopt an entirely new approach to new product development. Now, the firm’s engineers begin the design process by using the computer aided design (CAD) capabilities of the CNC programming package that is provided with the Techno machine to sketch out their design on the computer in three dimensions. By manipulating their model on the screen, panning, zooming and rotating, they are usually able to validate all critical dimensional relationships before they even begin to cut wood. When the time comes to change an existing profile, a typical dimensional change can be made in seconds on the computer as compared to two days to build a new pattern. To provide a final validation step, McDaniel Custom Cues technicians watch a simulation of the toolpath on the computer before the part is cut.

With the design fully validated, the technicians are ready to produce a prototype. This just takes a few minutes, much less than what was needed to prove out a pattern. For each inlay pattern produced, the operator rotates the butt to put another section into position. The time required to produce a cue is about one fourth of what is needed on a pantograph mill. The Techno-Isel machine’s .0004 inch resolution and repeatability and 0.003 inch absolute accuracy are considerably better than what craftspersons were able to achieve with power tools. The Techno machine’s accuracy is the result of several features inherent to the table. For example, anti-backlash ball nuts permit play-free motion that makes it possible to produce accurate curves and inlays and a terrific finish. The Techno mill uses ballscrews that ensure longer life and greater rigidity during the life of the system because of the reduced wear as compared to ACME screws and nuts or rack and pinion systems.

Productivity improves

In approximately 8 years of operation, McDaniel Custom Cues has had no problems with the Techno machine and has never even needed to replace a single part. This is partly due to the strength and rigidity of the table, which is constructed from extruded aluminum profiles that provide easy clamping capability. The machine also has four ground and hardened steel shafts and eight recirculating bearings in each axis. This shaft and bearing system produces very smooth play-free motion and an extremely rigid system that produces high-quality cuts. “Overall this machine has been great for me,” McDaniel said. “I couldn’t have chosen a better machine from a price or accuracy standpoint and the staff at Techno has been great to work with. One of the technical engineers, Roy Valentine, has been absolutely great to work with as he has always been available to answer any questions I had pertaining to their machine’s capabilities. The machine has helped me improve the quality of our cues while saving money. Since then I have purchased a fourth rotary axis for the first machine and a second machine that is performing just as well as the first. I have already discussed purchasing a third machine for a certain specific operation in our factory.”

http://cnc.blogsome.com/category/cnc-routers/

IDM Instruments have added new features to their state-of-the-art CNC Milling Machine.

In an era that is constantly changing, so too is the manufacturing industry and most importantly, the machinery within this sector. IDM have adapted to this need to change to meet industry standards in the area of CNC milling.

IDM’s latest CNC Milling Machine features a large working table, high spindle speeds and feeds that reduce machining time, which ultimately means a shorter delivery period and lower costs for customers.

Using the highest quality European tooling, the machine gives customers the best results achievable.

The machine also has engraving capabilities to give parts that professional look other machines lack.

IDM has over 10 years of programming experience and with the high-tech computer programming aspect on the CNC machine, IDM ensures a quick turn around time.

IDM can undertake minor jobs as well as complex tasks to precise measurements. There is no job too small or too complex that IDM won’t be able to carry out.

IDM have been in manufacturing for over 35 years and our understanding of customer’s needs and applications has grown extensively.

http://www.ferret.com.au/articles/fb/0c0368fb.asp

Introduction
Now that designers are adopting computer methods for modeling and fairing 3-dimensional hull surfaces, it seems reasonable to use the computer surface model to mill full-size male or female plugs, or even produce complete tooling by CNC machine. The promise is better accuracy, less cost, and faster turn-around time. This article discusses some of the things you need to know about the process before you jump in with both feet. Although the focus of this article will be on using outside services, the information will still be useful for those considering whether to buy their own equipment.

Actually, the real question is not about CNC machines or computers, but whether it is better to do the work yourself or to contract out the business. The use of the computer and 5-axis milling machines is only one part of that decision. If someone can do the job better by hand, then that is the service you should use. Do not assume that you will automatically get better results by computer. The following will discuss the process ofCNC milling and the problems associated with obtaining the benefits.

CNC Milling Process
Before going into the evaluation of benefits, let’s review the basic machining process.

1. Design the boat using some form of CAD hull or surface design program.

Several programs exist which allow you to define and fair the 3-dimensional shape of a hull on the computer. You want a design program which will allow you to describe the hull as a group of complete surfaces, rather than as a series of curves. This will allow you to easily transfer the hull geometry to a CAM milling program without the need to recreate the shape of the boat.

2. Write a transfer geometry file (DXF, IGES, etc.) of the hull

Once the surface shape of the hull is complete in the design program, you need to be able to output the geometry to a file in a format compatible with the CNC CAM software. If this cannot be done, then theCNC machining service will need to recreate the hull shape using their own software, which could take quite a bit of time.

3. Read the geometry file into the CAM program

Once you create a standard geometry transfer file, you can put the file on a diskette and send it to the CNC machining service. You could even send the file immediately by e-mail. The company machining the part does not need to have the same hull design program that you have. They will have their own software which specializes in the machining of surfaces.

4. Adapt or correct the geometry to meet the needs of the CAM software

Depending on the complexity and details, the CNC program operator may have to adapt the CNC process to meet the needs of the part. For example, concave creases and local cutouts may require special cutting procedures. Smooth or sculpted surfaces are easier to handle than creased surfaces.

5. Define the cutter tool paths over the surfaces using the CAM software

There are many ways to have the CNC machine cut the plug. The skill and experience of the CNC operator can have a big effect on the outcome and how much finishing work is needed.

6. Break the job into pieces that will fit on the machine

Many hulls are too large to be cut as one piece. In addition, you may want smaller pieces to be able to truck the parts to the construction site.

7. Mill the individual pieces

Each piece of foam to be cut has to be oriented in the machine coordinate system and the CNC program set up to cut that piece.

8. Drill the connection pin locations or alignment marks for the milled parts

If a part is to be cut into pieces, the CNC machine needs to cut or drill alignment holes or marks while the piece is still fixed in place. This is critical for large parts cut into several pieces. You want a system which is accurate and foolproof when the pieces get to the construction site.

9. Prepare the plug for use or use it to create the final mold

After the plug is cut out of foam (or some foam variation), there is always a certain amount of finishing required to make the plug (male or female) usable. The amount of processing depends on the type of foam used, the type of coatings used, and the desired end product; a one-off prototype boat or a master mold for production use.

The promise of CNC milling is accuracy (including perfect symmetry), speed, and cost savings, each of which will be discussed in detail.

Accuracy

If the full 3D hull surface is completely designed on the computer, then a milling machine will reproduce the shape exactly as it is defined on the computer. The following problems, however, can arise.

* The input surfaces are not accurate for construction purposes.

The goal in CNC milling is to be able to cut the plug automatically without any lengthy final preparation by hand. The assumption is that the input 3D computer surface shape is accurate to begin with. This depends on the program used to define and fair the hull and the skill of the program’s operator. Since there is no automatic way for a hull design program to guarantee fairness, it is up to the designer to make sure that what is sent to the milling machine is accurate and smooth. Surface irregularities which are nearly invisible on a small computer screen get magnified greatly when the hull plug is milled full size. In addition, a hull model may look smooth when rendered in 3D with colors, lights, and reflections, but the underlying surface may not be accurate enough for construction purposes. Most photo-realistic rendering software gloss over and hide many surface irregularities. That may be fine for the company brochure, but it is not accurate enough for the milling machine.

The traditional approach to hull construction is to base the shape on a number of frames, where there is a lot of hand work which can deal with any inaccuracies and unfairness in the design. To get the best advantage from computer milling, however, you need to start with a very accurate 3D computer model. This is a problem with all CNC cutting and construction. To eliminate expensive cutting and fitting, everything has to be very accurate every step along the way. Designers need to spend extra time evaluating the entire fairness of the computer model beforehand. Do not rely on examining just the standard stations, waterlines, and buttocks, because the goal is to avoid having to fair the milled plug.

* Conversion problems from the CAD program to the CAM program.

Now that you have a fair and accurate hull surface model, you want to transfer it to the milling software without losing any accuracy or fairness. The only way to do this is if the hull modeling technique you are using is mathematically equivalent to one used by the machining software. This means that the hull model should be some variation or subset of a NURB (Non-Uniform Rational B-spline), because all of the major surface milling CAM software (e.g., MasterCAM, SurfCAM, Catia, CADAM) use NURB surfaces to define the milling paths.

If your hull is defined using some technique other than a NURB surface, you must make sure that the milling CAM software can accept your hull definition and match the shape accurately using NURB surfaces. For example, if your hull design software does not use NURBs, you still may be able to produce a detailed surface mesh and have it accepted by the CAM software. The CAM program must be able to read this mesh file format and it must be able to interpolate or fit the surface mesh accurately. Fitting a surface mesh with a NURB surface is not a precise process. Depending on the density and shape of the mesh, the resultant NURB surface might not be accurate or fair enough for milling purposes, or the milled plug might require too much hand fairing. If the surface mesh fitting process is not accurate enough, then the CAM software must be able to correct the problems. This might be impossible, since most CAM programs are geared toward milling and have little or no control over detailed surface shape.

A more basic problem is that the CAM software must be able to read the geometry file produced by your hull design program. The two main geometry transfer file formats are DXF (Data Exchange File) and IGES (Initial Graphics Exchange Specification). The DXF format was defined by Autodesk and IGES is defined by a national standards committee. The main difference between the two formats is that DXF does not allow for the definition of NURB surfaces, but does allow for the definition of mesh surfaces. IGES, on the other hand, does allow for definition of NURB surfaces, and is the most common file type used for transfer of NURB surfaces. You have to be careful, because the IGES specification (630 pages) defines many types of geometric entities and it is rare that a CAD or CAM program will handle all geometry types. This means that you must make sure that the hull design software that you use can produce the proper entity type required by the CAM software. The IGES entity type used most for transfer of NURB geometry is entity type 128: Rational B-Spline Surface Entity. This is one of those details that can cause a big problem unless you check it out beforehand.

* Geometric problems due to fillets, creases, cutouts, etc.

Once you have tested the transfer of the hull geometry to the CAM program, you need to determine if there are going to be any special shape problems related to the detailed geometry. Are there certain shapes that cannot be done accurately by the machine? Do these detailed shapes require extra pre-processing in the CAM software (more time means higher costs)? It is hard to describe many of these problems ahead of time. Usually, when the CAM software operators see the geometry, they will be able to immediately pick out difficulties and problem areas. Try to find out whether these problems are due to the CAM software they are using, or if it is a limitation of the milling machine, or if it is a problem with the transferred hull geometry. Also, determine if the difficulties affect only the time of setup and milling, or if they affect the accuracy of the milling process. The more post-milling hand work that is required, the less cost effective is the whole process. Provide a sample geometry file to various milling services to see what kind of feedback you receive about the model and the final accuracy of the milled plug. Remember that even though the milling machine might be very accurate, the input geometry and details it is cutting might not be as accurate. After the geometry conversion process is complete, try to obtain some form of output from the CNC program of the hull geometry for validation purposes. Some CAM programs can output 3D renderings or tool-path diagrams. These may not be perfect for validation, but anything is better than being surprised after the plug has been milled.

* Plug finishing problems

The amount of post-milling finishing that is required depends on the accuracy of the input geometry, the required hull details, the capability of the CAM software, the accuracy of the machine, and the type of material being cut. The difficulty of finishing a plug depends on the accuracy of the cut and the type of material being used. Most milling services use some form of foam, which can vary greatly in density and bubble size. Some materials require less preparation than others and which type of material you choose might depend on your goal. Are you going to construct a prototype boat from the plug, or are you going to use the plug to produce a master mold? Discuss your goals with several milling services, since each seems to have their own strong opinions about the subject. There are a number of tradeoffs depending on what you plan to do with the milled plug. Keep in mind that more hand finishing means more inaccuracies in surface shape. This may be a critical concern for parts such as airfoil keels and rudders.

* Fitting pieces together - progressive errors

Depending on the size of the boat and the size of the milling machine, you may have to mill the plug in pieces. You may also have to mill the plug in smaller pieces than the machine is capable of because you need to truck the plug to your construction site. Errors can occur when fitting plug pieces together. The typical solution is to have the milling machine drill alignment holes so that the plug pieces can be pinned together at the construction site. The accuracy of this process depends on how tightly the pinned alignment holes hold the pieces together. Very small alignment problems between the plug pieces can have a dramatic effect on the finished hull. The slightest continuity problem between two connected curved surfaces might be easily visible in the reflected surface of the finished part. In addition, when multiple plug pieces are pinned together, you may get progressive or additive errors. It would be best to align each piece to some accurate external structure or grid.
Fast Turn-Around

One of the main advantages of CNC milling is the promise of a fast turn-around time. Often, the success of a project may depend on how quickly you can get a product to market. Whether it is to build a prototype to bring to the show or to build a master mold for production use, CNC milling promises speed. Let’s review some of the areas that can help or hinder a fast turn-around.

* Experience of the CNC milling company

Although the speed of the CNC milling machine is main reason for the speed of plug production, there are many other factors that can contribute. One is the experience of the CNC company providing the service. The more and varied jobs they have done, the better they will be able to solve any unusual hull geometry you may have. In certain cases, the milling time ends up being only a small portion of the time it takes to do the overall job, and the “special” problems dominate. Depending on your goal (one-off or production boat), the experienced tooling company can foresee problems and suggest optimum choices in things like the type of foam used and whether to mill a male or female plug.

* Hull geometry preparation time

Before milling, the geometry has to be as perfect as possible, and this can take time. As mentioned before, if you provide your hull geometry using the same mathematical type and format as the CAM software, then you are 80 percent there. The last 20 percent will be needed to take care of special details such as cutouts, creases, and fillets. If you do not provide the hull geometry using the same mathematical definition as the CAM program, then the pre-processing time can go up dramatically, especially if the geometry translation is not done accurately. In addition, if you cannot produce the proper DXF or IGES input file for the CAM software, then the CNC milling company will have to define the hull geometry from scratch.

* Plug finishing and other tooling time

As mentioned before, the time it takes to mill the plug may be just a fraction of the time it takes to do the whole job. If the goal is to produce just the milled plug out of foam, then the process can be very quick. If the job is to produce the master mold or the complete tooling for a production boat, then the time savings are less dramatic. This whole process can still provide a lot of savings in terms of time and cost, especially if your yard does not have the experienced labor to do the task quickly.

Lower Cost
The major benefits of CNC milling are accuracy and fast turn-around. It is more problematical to expect a great savings in cost. The following discusses some of the reasons.

* Cost of the equipment

Large gantry, 5-axis milling machines are very expensive and require a huge capital expenditure. Even if you keep the machine busy all of the time, the company providing the service still has to charge enough to obtain a reasonable return-on-investment. In addition to the cost of the machine, there are the facility costs, the maintenance costs, the insurance costs, the software costs, the people costs, and the training costs. For example, CAM software can cost up to $50,000 or more and the operators have to be highly trained. Eventually, cost will become more of a benefit for this process, but for now, it remains more difficult to prove.

* Traditional methods vs. in-house, vs. subcontract

Your choices are to continue to do things the way you always have, vs. buying the CNC milling machine for in-house use, vs. subcontracting the work to one of several companies who specialize in the task. This is not a new decision. Even before CNC machines, there were companies who offered complete tooling services. As you might expect, however, it takes quite a large volume of work to justify the cost of machinery, facilities, people, and training for in-house work. Traditional in-house methods will also become more difficult due to the increased lack of skilled tooling labor and its slow turn-around time. It seems that as more and more hulls and parts are designed by computer, there will be a greater cost benefit to using CNC milling and tooling services.

* Cost depends on the part

Some parts that are difficult to construct by hand are easy to produce by CNC machine. Do not assume that the CNC machining costs will be relative to traditional methods. Some stylized or complicated part shapes that you would normally avoid due to difficulties of hand construction might be very inexpensive to construct by CNC machine. This might open up whole new styling options that you have never considered. The point is that you might find that for certain projects the cost, accuracy, and turn-around time are all benefits. The only way to know for sure is to submit the geometry and obtain quotes from manyCNC machining services. The quotes can vary greatly.

Conclusion
The promise of accuracy, fast turn-around time, and lower costs can be achieved using CNC milling machines if you have a good understanding of the process and its advantages and limitations. Some people expect too much and are disappointed with the results. You should start with an easy project and progress to more difficult projects. Don’t wait until a complicated hull has to be built in a short time to learn about the CNC process.

As companies learn to use this service appropriately, they will begin to obtain secondary and tertiary benefits from the results. When more and more parts are CNC machined accurately, the boat will be built faster and go together with less rework and hand fitting. Hull modules can be built outside of the hull and dropped into the hull with no fitting problems. This lack of hand fitting has a multiplying effect throughout the boat and can result in dramatic construction savings.

http://cnc-info.blogspot.com/search/label/cnc%20machine%20milling

Faster processing coupled with hardware and software improvements to a control system’s motion control engine result in higher contour milling speeds and enhanced data smoothing

At EMO 2007, Hurco Europe Sshowed its latest WinMax control system. It combines the easy conversational programming of the company’s established Ultimax control with the benefits of the Windows operating system. An array of graphic displays assist programming and two touch screens are provided for data input and viewing images of the component, featuring sharp colour graphics with 3D rendering.

Higher contour milling speeds - there are a number of more subtle changes that become apparent in use that give productivity benefits, said Hurco in a report to Manufacturingtalk.

Faster processing coupled with hardware and software improvements to the motion control engine result in higher contouring speeds and enhanced data smoothing, allowing faster profile milling of 3D surfaces with improved surface finish.

The software has more than 25 new and patented features to maximise efficiency and productivity in job shops when using 3-, 4- and 5-axis cutting cycles as follows.

* Swept Surface benefits mouldmakers in particular, as it offers a simplified approach to programming and machining complex 3D parts.

* NC/Conversational Merge enables G-code programs to be called up in the middle of a conversational routine.

Advanced Verification Graphics has Solid 3D Rendering.

With the Select surface finish Quality feature, the machinist controls component quality and run time by adjusting an on-screen slider bar, automatically adjusting the program to meet surface finish quality requirements.

A 40GB hard drive is standard, as is improved file management, allowing the user greater flexibility for alphanumerical job naming and the ability to ’snapshot’ each component once it is programmed.

Job storage is simple using the hard drive, floppy disc, networking, RS232 or USB memory stick.

* Machining centres - Hurco showed two of its latest machining centres for the first time at EMO 2007.

The 15 tonne VMX84 is the manufacturer’s largest machine to date.

It has 2134 x 860 x 760mm axis travels and a standard 40-station swing-arm toolchanger for 40-taper cutters.

A 50-taper version will follow shortly.

A new configuration of 5-axis machining centre was launched as the VMX42SR.

It uses the popular VMX42 frame and incorporates a 12,000 rev/min motor spindle that is able to swivel about the B-axis.

This works in conjunction with a horizontal rotary table.

It means that five sides of a heavy component can be machined in a single set-up whilst keeping the machine footprint as compact as possible.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/hur/hur158.html

A high speed milling insert grade will improve productivity by 20-30% when medium to rough milling hard materials at elevated temperatures

Sandvik Coromant promises a 20-30% improvement in productivity against current grades with its latest GC4220. The grade has Sandvik’s latest developments in grade technology and an improved substrate and coating. Suitable for use in medium to rough milling at the elevated temperatures created by high-speed milling or hard materials, grade GC4220 provides security and predictability to maximise productivity and optimise high metal removal rate.

Sandvik said that the GC4220 grade guarantees better security at higher speeds and higher feed rates than GC4020 and offers good performance in unmanned production.

In a report to Manufacturingtalk, the company said that the special strength of GC4220 lies in its resistance to crater wear and plastic deformation, common wear problems when running at high speeds and feeds.

With its improved edge line strength and bulk toughness and its capacity to withstand increased cutting data, GC4220 is more predictable in dry milling, face and profile milling and ensures a good surface finish.

GC4220 is suitable for application in all CoroMill tooling concepts.

The introduction of grade GC4220 for steel milling continues Sandvik Coromant’s new line of grades released within its ‘New Insert Generation’ programme.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/san/san165.html

Responsibility for all Agie Charmilles’ EDM and 5-axis CNC milling machine operations in the UK and Ireland is now in the hands of UK managing director, Steve Sylvester

Agie Charmilles, the EDM and high-speed/ 5-axis milling machine tool specialist has appointed Steve Sylvester as UK managing director. The position was vacated when previous managing director, Tony Steels, left to head up GF AgieCharmilles’ manufacturing operations in Beijing, China. Agie Charmilles is part of the Georg Fischer Group.

So Sylvester takes over responsibility for all Agie Charmilles’ operations in the UK and Ireland.

Sylvester was formerly with Rockwell Automation, a market-leading industrial automation solutions provider.

He was employed as industry sales manager and was responsible for business growth and development across Europe, Africa and The Middle East.

Sylvester’s sales career with Rockwell Automation spanned 16 years.

He held positions as: regional sales and service manager for Central and Eastern Europe; regional sales manager UK (south); UK Systems and Service manager and UK OEM manager.

Commenting on his appointment as Agie Charmilles’ managing director, Sylvester said: ‘I am very much looking forward to leading GF AgieCharmilles’ business in the UK and Ireland, and developing and delivering a successful growth strategy for the company.’ He added: ‘These are exciting times for Agie Charmilles.

Over the next few months we will be showcasing and launching the latest generation of Agie and Charmilles EDM machines and Mikron machining centres into the market.

I am confident that customers and prospects alike will be impressed with what we have on offer.’ Steve Sylvester is trained as an electrical engineer.

He is 45 years of age and lives in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/agi/agi162.html

Precision engineeers invest in 5-axis milling For an orthopaedic instrument manufacturer and precision engineer, two CNC 5-axis milling machines have reduced lead times, increases production capacity and reduce set-up time by up to 50%. Market-leading orthopaedic instrument manufacturer and precision engineer reduces lead times, increases production capacity and maintains its competitive edge through its latest investment in advanced 5-axis milling technology.

Sheffield, UK-based precision engineers Eurocut, a subsidiary of the AIM listed Medical House (TMH), has recently invested in two Mikron UCP 600 Vario ProdMed milling machines.

The machines, installed within Eurocut’s extensive manufacturing facility during Autumn 2006, are being used to help manufacture high-precision complex orthopaedic devices and instruments.

However the machines are mainly being used to produce equally complex, high-accuracy (and high-value) components for other manufacturing sectors - oil/gas, aerospace, automotive, motor sport, etc, through their newly formed subsidiary TMH Engineering.

* About Eurocut - Eurocut was established in 1988 and now employs around 80 people.

The company has historically specialised in the design, development and manufacture of high-quality instruments for use in Orthopaedic surgery - supplying complex customised individual instruments and complete systems to major Orthopaedic Implant companies worldwide.

Orthopaedic instrument design and manufacture accounts for approximately 80% of Eurocut’s business - the remaining 20% derives from providing specialist, high-precision sub-contract manufacturing solutions to a diverse range of customers across an equally diverse range of industries through TMH Engineering.

* Manufacturing imperatives - in both its orthopaedic instrument and precision sub-contract operations there are similar manufacturing demands and imperatives, as follows.

i1 - Parts and components are manufactured from difficult to machine materials - stainless, titanium, alloys, ‘exotics’ (e g, Inconel), aluminium, etc.

2 - Parts are complex and are characterised by their intricate forms, profiles, detail, etc.

3 - Parts are typically required in low-to-medium volumes (sometimes one-offs).

4 - Delivery times/lead times are short.

5 - Part accuracy and surface finish requirements are stringent.

In response to these demands, TMH made its investment in the two Mikron UCP 600 machines.

* UCP 600 Vario - the UCP 600 Vario’s are High-Performance Milling (HPM) machines with positional and simultaneous 5-axis capability.

The machines have ‘built-in’ automation - 30 position automatic tool changer (ATC) and seven pallet automatic pallet changers (APC) - both of which ensure maximum productivity and continuous machining (facilitating lights-out and unattended operations) for low-to-medium volume production.

The integrated automation capability of the machines helps reduce lead times and improves cost competitiveness.

The UCP 600’s 5-axis capabilities clearly also help speed up production and ensure high precision and quality by shortening part cycle times and reducing time and resources spent on setting up, fixturing, etc - all critical in making customised part manufacture economically viable.

Eurocut has significantly reduced the number of set-ups and the time involved in job set up operations (by more than 50%) since it invested in the Mikron machines.

Irrespective of whether high, accurate material removal, interrupted cutting or fine finishing is required - the UCP 600 Vario machines with their StepTec high-performance, vector-driven HSK spindles (20,000 rev/min) can be relied upon to deliver.

Due to their integrated automation (ATC and APC) - the machines can run unattended - including ‘lights-out’, weekends etc.

However, to ensure that these productivity gains can be realised and to avoid problems such as workpiece and/or cutting tool damage due to poor chip evacuation and part contamination - the machines are equipped with sophisticated swarf management and chip removal systems.

For long production runs - laser tool measurement and inspection plus the machines’ Remote Notification System (RNS), used to notify the operator when machining has been interrupted, come into their own and optimise productivity.

The machines are also supplied with Mikron SMART technology software to further optimise machining and ensure improved process reliability - by enabling the operator to make decisive interventions in the machining process in ‘real time’.

Said Ian Townsend, chairman of TMH: ‘We invest heavily in advanced machine tool technology - and to improve our productivity and performance we knew we needed 5-axis milling capability sooner rather than later.’ He added: ‘We visited Mikron’s facility in Nidau, Switzerland as part of the selection process - and we liked the look of the UCP 600 Vario machines straight away.

There is a definite ‘match’ between our manufacturing requirements and the way we operate - and the machine’s specification and capability.

That’s why we ordered two.’.

* Additional Eurocut capability - in addition to the 5-axis UCP 600 machines Eurocut (TMH) has (over recent years) made significant investment in EDM and other machine tool technologies.

The company has an impressive EDM manufacturing cell that comprises five state-of-the art Charmilles wire cut and die-sink machines.

Eurocut/TMH also has a comprehensive range of lathes, turning centres, 3- and 4-axis milling machines, CNC grinding machines, CMM equipment and a DTM Sinterstation 2500 rapid prototyping machine.

This machine enables the ultra-fast generation of prototypes without the lengthy and costly lead time normally associated with new product design and development - and has helped Eurocut strengthen its relationships with customers involved in R+D projects.

The company is vertically integrated.

As well as manufacturing high-quality instruments and devices, Eurocut/TMH also provides in-house design, proto-typing, electro-polishing, heat treatment and a comprehensive range of finishing services that include - laser marking, engraving, passivation, packaging and labelling.

This means that Eurocut/TMH can provide a total solutions package to its customers - from design right through to delivery…and everything in-between.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/agi/agi158.html