Early Adoption for Success Te best time to adopt and use these features is when a new
machine is purchased or an older machine is retrofitted with a new CNC. Tere is planning and expertise required to maxi- mize the performance, but an experienced CNC vendor will have staff dedicated to helping facilities through this process. Allow the CNC vendor to help you write the specification
for a new machine or retrofit. A quality CNC vendor can review the manufacturing requirements and define the features most critical for op- timal performance in quality and speed. Te machine tool builder’s expertise regarding the dynamics, rigidity and repeatability of the iron is also critical. If there is good co- ordination between the CNC and machine tool builder and their expertise is consulted very early in the decision- making process, there is high likelihood of success with the highest possible manufactur- ing performance and minimal to no unexpected headaches as the machine is moved into active production. Too many machines are purchased or selected based on minimal specification information and the result is a machine that will require significant effort to upgrade the machine’s capabilities aſter the machine hits the manufacturing floor. Most aerospace facilities
have a basic specification. On review, there’s typically great expertise given on at least one aspect of the machine require- ments: accuracy, torque, spindle speed and/or feed rate. How- ever, due to limited resources and cutbacks through the years, many facilities’ CNC specification is oſten just a manufacturer name and maybe a model number. Tis is the equivalent of going to a car dealership and telling the salesperson you want to buy a vehicle and don’t give him any specifics. Tis would leave the engine, color, tires, options, number of seats, etc. to the discretion of the salesperson. Machine specification with little to no CNC functional
detail will typically result with a CNC setup and functional- ity similar to the child’s simple dot-to-dot drawing. Tis can
cause significant unplanned delays putting the machine into production and oſten results in emergency intervention by the CNC vendor and machine tool builder. Properly includ- ing the functional detail in the specification is the only way to prevent this. For existing machines it is possible to add this advanced
capability. However, on existing programs/machines it is im- portant to have a step-by-step plan on what needs to change in the machine and how to incorporate the new func- tionality for the optimal end result. To do this, an experi- enced CNC vendor can work closely with maintenance, programmers and machine tool builders/distributors to define what steps need to be taken, and in what order, to achieve success.
Optimal Setup and Expertise It’s common for a member
of an organization to attend a trade show or talk to a sales organization and learn of a “magic” advanced CNC feature. Tis feature may even be a critical feature like the “High Speed Smooth TCP” example earlier. Simply adding that feature and expecting instant success is not realistic. With any feature or change to how a CNC functions, there will be setup requirements to get the
Close-up of the FANUC Series Oi-TF CNC.
feature working properly. Tere are oſten other related features
that need to be enabled and set up properly as well to maxi- mize effectiveness. Changing manufacturing from a child’s simple dot-to-dot
drawing to one that reproduces the smooth curve defined in the CAD drawing of the part is easily achievable. Addition- ally, reduced production cycle times with increased accuracy and better finish are also likely. Careful planning and taking advantage of the expertise of the CNC vendor and machine tool builder early in the decision-making process will ensure a wise investment and help gain an important competitive advantage for aerospace manufacturers with the vision to maximize the capabilities of their equipment. ✈
Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing 2014 121
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 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226 |
Page 227 |
Page 228 |
Page 229 |
Page 230 |
Page 231 |
Page 232 |
Page 233 |
Page 234 |
Page 235 |
Page 236 |
Page 237 |
Page 238 |
Page 239 |
Page 240 |
Page 241 |
Page 242 |
Page 243 |
Page 244 |
Page 245 |
Page 246 |
Page 247 |
Page 248 |
Page 249 |
Page 250 |
Page 251 |
Page 252 |
Page 253 |
Page 254 |
Page 255 |
Page 256 |
Page 257 |
Page 258 |
Page 259 |
Page 260 |
Page 261 |
Page 262 |
Page 263 |
Page 264 |
Page 265 |
Page 266 |
Page 267 |
Page 268 |
Page 269 |
Page 270 |
Page 271 |
Page 272 |
Page 273 |
Page 274 |
Page 275 |
Page 276 |
Page 277 |
Page 278 |
Page 279 |
Page 280 |
Page 281 |
Page 282 |
Page 283 |
Page 284 |
Page 285 |
Page 286 |
Page 287 |
Page 288 |
Page 289 |
Page 290 |
Page 291 |
Page 292 |
Page 293 |
Page 294 |
Page 295 |
Page 296 |
Page 297 |
Page 298 |
Page 299 |
Page 300 |
Page 301 |
Page 302 |
Page 303 |
Page 304 |
Page 305 |
Page 306 |
Page 307 |
Page 308 |
Page 309 |
Page 310 |
Page 311 |
Page 312