the biggest factor in all of this is increasing levels of automation and high-productivity CNC equipment, particularly with multitask machines, which continue to be the fastest-growing segment of CNC manufacturing. This trend continues to be the primary way to remove the cost of labor from a manufactured part, and once we reduce the labor, then there’s no advantage to hav- ing it manufactured in Asia.”
New MTM Programming An early advocate of multitask machining, Gibbs and Associates introduced its first MTM programming solu- tion a decade ago. At IMTS 2012, the company demon- strated its next-generation GibbsCAM MTM program- ming for complex MTM machines including five-axis rotary head and Swiss-style machines. GibbsCAM’s easy-to-learn user interface walks users through com- plex part programming, including multiple spindles and turrets cutting parts simultaneously. The program allows users to see accurate simulations of parts being machined, with full visualization of any errors like tool interference before parts get to the shop floor. “Of all the bets I made with my business, this is the one I got right 10 years ago when I said the most important thing for us was to get ready for the advent of the multitask machine,” Gibbs said. “What this offers the customer is the ability to put material in one end and get a complete part out the other end. Each of those setups requires human labor, and that also means there’s lot of opportunity for human error and cataclysmic problems to happen.” Today’s multitasking machine tools are extremely
complicated, requiring CAM software capable of programming and accurately simulating simultaneous operation of multiple spindles and turrets. “CNC machines are getting much more advanced and software has been lagging behind,” noted Vivek Govekar, CAM- Works R&D Head, Geometric Technologies (Scottdale, AZ, and Mumbai). “What we are seeing is that the machines have developed much faster than the software.
There are not many software packages that can handle four turrets at a time, and very few can do two turrets.” With its CAMWorks 2013, also previewed at IMTS 2012, Geometric Technologies introduced a system that includes the new Synchronous Machining Module (SMM) that greatly simplifies programming of complex mill-turn machines. CAMWorks 2013 also provides what the company calls the first cost-effective true G-code machine simulator, giving users the ability to create “first time right” programs for mill-turn and other complex multiaxis machines. “More programmers want to try the program on virtual machine simulation before putting it on the machine,” Govekar added. “With its multifunction ca- pabilities, CAMWorks can program combined mill-turn machining, along with the ability to synchronize two turrets to machine concurrently, and CAMWorks offers a wide array of APIs [application programming inter- face] to automate the entire programming process.” The virtualization and emulation of highly complex
machines is always a moving target, as machine tool technology is often ahead of CAD/CAM software developers, according to NC Kishore, senior manager,
“Multitask machines continue to be the fastest-growing
segment of CNC manufacturing.”
Industrial Equipment, Dassault Systèmes’ Delmia brand (Auburn Hills, MI, and Velizy-Villacoublay, France). “The new trend is toward having an automat- ed machining cell, with a combination of a robot and a machine, in one integrated system where robots hold workpieces, do load and unload, and a whole lot of other automation,” Kishore said. In its upcoming Mastercam X7 release, CNC
Software Inc. (Tolland, CT) plans to add multitasking capabilities to the CAM system with the industry’s
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