Continued from page 53
elements in the signal and high-voltage areas. This included replacing the plug con- nectors, originally designed as turned copper components, with stamped parts. As well as the electrical and insulation design, the challenge was to optimize the geometry of the parts in such a way that they could be produced easily with a progressive tool, which Kleiner also designs and manufactures. “We design new projects exclusively in 3D using VISI, which is tailor-made for our type of work,” said Ego Kugele, head of design.
About three years ago, an increasing workload prompted Kleiner to improve on its existing system for faster tool design. That, coupled with the fact that the com- pany needed more advanced systems to handle circuit boards and functions for the strip layout, meant that design switched exclusively to 3D through VISI. “We originally trialled a fully parametric system, but the system constraints were not very suitable for efficient tool design. We subsequently trialled VISI and were immediate- ly comfortable with the design process, not just because it’s extremely easy to use, but because the special modules for stamping tool design were already well established in the market and the software gave an impression of being well-engineered,” said Kugele. The company now has VISI Modeling and the cutting and stamping tool module VISI Progress, for processing, strip layout and tool construction, installed on 14 workstations in the design department, along with one other workstation used for quotations. There are three further VISI Machining installations in the production department for programming the milling machines.
Once the tool design is complete, manufacturing begins with all programs cre- ated using VISI Machining (with the addition of VISI PEPS Wire for two and four-axes planned for later this year) for the AgieCharmilles and Hurco CNC machines. A third VISI Machining workstation is used to drive a high-speed Röders machine dedicated to hard milling and the manufacture of copper electrodes. The CAM operator pre- pares all NC programs offline so the machine can be used to produce multiple jobs at the same time. And since the same CAD model is used in VISI for design and NC programming, integration and interoperability of the data are always guaranteed. Two VISI workstations include the automatic feature recognition module, Com-
pass Technology for processing and automatically applying approved company- standard toolpath data to common geometric features such as multidepth holes and open and closed pockets. The introduction of Compass Technology has dramatically reduced the programming time by more than 60% for certain 2D and 2.5D milling tasks on complex bolster sets. ME For more information from Vero Software, go to
www.verosoftware.com, or phone 205-556-9199.
Urban Vehicle Rides on Plastic Bearings
S
tudents are using self-lubricating, maintenance-free plastic bearings in the design and development of an innovative single passenger, urban commuting vehicle. The Personal Transport Vehicle - Ground, or “PTV-G,” is the brainchild of Redbud Technology LLC (Union Grove, AL). Its unique design uses an articulated
October 2013 |
ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com 95
See us at WESTEC Booth #3117
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116