ShopSolutions Continued from page 48


make the part from solid, less expensive bar stock—the whole part, including putting points on the end of the fins for water flow, taking cycle time down to 35% of what is used to take machining extruded stock. And now it is a stronger part as well,” McMillan said.


Summing up why TFT has invested in what seemed like an expensive line of machine tools, McMillan said, “The more sophisticated the equipment, the more important the people become because it is the creativity of the people that is going to make the machines do things that other people cannot or will not do.” ME


For more information from Index Corp., go to www.index- traub.com, or phone 317-770-6300.


Advanced Software Controls Machine Motion


Wepco Plastics (Middlefield, CT) specializes in short-run prototype injection molds in aluminum and steel. Established in 1985, the company has grown to include more than 45 employees who work at its 10,000 ft2


(929-m2 ) facility. In the fall of 2008, Wally and David Parmelee, Wepco owners,


David Parmelee (shown) and Wally Parmelee, co-owners of Wepco Plastics chose Hurco’s VMX 30 machining center with advanced technology Ultimotion motion control software for prototype and short-run aluminum molds.


found themselves at a crossroads in terms of milling capac- ity for their toolroom. Should they continue with their current milling technology (a known quantity with zero learning curve)


92 ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | April 2013


or invest in the future by purchasing a higher performance machine? They knew this decision would impact their tooling and in-house molding business for many years to come. Introducing new technology to a shop always presents a learning curve, which is an inherent risk, but new technology can also promote growth. For Wepco, the reward of reduced cycle times and increased productivity, which enabled them to book more jobs per week without sacrificing quality, was worth the risk. When Wally and David decided to break stride with their current equipment and purchased a Hurco VMX30 machining center from Brooks Associates (Norwell, MA), four factors were paramount to their decision-making process: a control with an open architecture, mechanical design, local service, and customer references. As Wally and David evaluated control technology, they real- ized the importance of investing in a control with an open-archi- tecture, because it is more likely to be compatible with future technology. The integrated Hurco control has a Windows-based operating system, which means they can easily add automation products in the future if their business warrants it. In addition, Wally and David understood the value of an integrated control that is specifically designed to work with the machine tool’s motion control system. Not only does it enhance performance, but it makes service a one stop proposition. Control features with measurable benefits, such as Hurco’s proprietary advanced mo- tion control, were also important. Hurco’s new motion control system called UltiMotion utilizes the power of software for motion control instead of relying on hardware. The secret to UltiMo- tion is the advanced trajectory algorithm in the software that generates significantly faster yet smoother motion than any hard- ware only solution. While there are numerous technical details, some of the straightforward results include cornering velocity


that is 2.5 times faster than conventional motion, 50% less machine jerk, and a patented dynamic variable lookahead mechanism that doesn’t require a fixed number of blocks.


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