ShopSolutions
at 100 ipm [2.5 m/min]. We could have easily doubled the speed and gotten the same results, and I don’t have to polish the mold. The finish is that good," said David. These productivity gains have yielded increased profit margin for existing jobs and additional capacity due to increased throughput. For example, a 30% productiv- ity gain turns a 40-hour work week into a 52-hour week in terms of throughput with zero overtime for labor and zero increase in debt service on the equipment.
Wepco was able to reduce part cycle time on 3D programs by as much as 40% due to Ultimotion software which optimizes machining rpm and feed rates based on part geometry of molds.
in a fraction of normal cycle times. The dual-wound 12,000- rpm spindle of the Hurco VMX30, coupled with UltiMotion, dramatically reduced total part cycle time by as much as 200–300% in some cases with no loss of accuracy or finish. Before UltiMotion, Wepco would finish machine at 40 ipm (1 m/min). With UltiMotion, they are able finish machine at rates from 125 to 350 ipm (3.2–8.9 m/min)
And David believes that productivity will just get better.
“We have really started to focus on pushing the machines to see what they can really do, and I have to tell you that every day we do something that just blows us away. With the Ulti- Motion [Soft motion] along with tweaking our post to make segmented or linear moves, we are achieving extremely high feed rates up to 800 ipm [20 m/min]. As an example, we had a cut that would have been at least 100 hours long on our old machines that we did in 30 hours and I believe that we could even cut that in half. We finish cut the cores with a 0.0469" [1.2-mm] end mill ground back 0.500" [12.7 mm]
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ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | April 2013
The Hurco VMX30 also offered opportunities for Wepco to expand its capabilities. For example, due to the rigidity and spindle speed of the VMX30, the shop can do hard milling on inserts. Wepco routinely machines RC58 mold inserts made from S7 tool steel.
Parts come off the machine ready for assembly in the mold. Success with this type of material is due to advanced cutter technology and the Hurco UltiMotion software, which opti- mizes machining rep and feed rates based on part geometry. UltiMotion routinely reduces cycle times on 3D programs by as much as 40%. Wepco was so encouraged by the productivity of the VMX30 that they added a second Hurco VMC shortly thereaf- ter (Hurco VMX24). Both machines have proven to be reliable sources of production for Wepco’s toolroom as they continue to grow. Wepco attributes this growth to attention to detail and quality, as well as customer satisfaction by diligently following specifications, meeting delivery dates and offering competitive prices on short run injection molding. ME
For more information from Hurco Companies Inc., go to
www.hurco.com, or phone 800-634-2416; for information from Brooks Associates, go to
www.brooksmachinery.com, or phone 781-871-3400.
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