FEATURE MANUFACTURING SOFTWARE
CAM AUTOMATES PROCESS to streamline programming times
A manufacturer of threaded parts for the oil & gas industry is pushing the boundaries with the ability to simplify programming of CAM software geometry to customise machining
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t’s been said that life is all about connections however, in the hands of Superior Threaded Products (STP) - a turnkey manufacturer specialising in premium threading - an abstract concept becomes a concrete example of uncommon threads linking the building blocks of a manmade world. Manufacturing engineer Victor Davila is a man faced with the challenge of not just making those links but making them faster, better and cheaper. STP manufactures parts for the oil and gas industry that range from simple to complex cut in everything from 4140 carbon steel and chrome to stainless steels and Inconel including hangers, nipples, pup joints and seal subs. “I would say threading is our bread and butter,” Davila says. “There isn’t a thread that we cannot cut and we do it well.” To cut premium American Petroleum Institute (API) standard VAM and GB threads STP uses ESPRIT CAM software by DP Technology paired with 10 2-axis CNC lathes, 1 bar mill, 1 vertical machining center and 1 VTL vertical turning lathe. With many years of machining experience Davila was instrumental in STP’s decision to purchase ESPRIT. At the time the company was using a different type of CAM software. “We purchased ESPRIT because I have been using it for over 10 years now and don’t see software that’s better because of the power it gives you,” says Davila. “With CNC machining the process is as good as the program is in efficiency, cost and overall success of the manufacturing process. The goal is to write a good program in a cost-efficient manner with maximum tool path, speeds and feeds to machine the part with precision.”
EXCEEDING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS With a mission to maintain a culture of quality that focuses on exceeding customer expectations STP is all about continuous improvement. Among ESPRIT features used to streamline its machining processes is the ability to design custom add-ins using the application programming interface (API) and Visual Basic by Microsoft.
18 MARCH 2016 | FACTORY EQUIPMENT “Drawing it out, a lot of dimensions are
called out of other dimensions called out of other dimensions,” explains Davila. “You can get lost when you’re programming; it can take hours.” Though Davila isn’t required to redesign
the complex thread he is regularly called upon to produce it in different lengths and weights. Under the category of ‘5-inch SLIJ2 thread’ alone there are roughly 20 different types of threads. “As the wall thickness of the pipe changes so do the pipe dimensions.” When the orders pile up programming
“I have used ESPRIT in ways I hadn’t
imagined by using Visual Basic (VB) 6 and automating the programming process to improve programming time from hours to literally minutes,” Davila says. “It opened my eyes to so many more ideas and I took off from there.”
CUSTOMISE MACHINING Using VB6 with ESPRIT Davila has been able to customise machining by automating several controls including roughing and threading cycles and automating families of parts. Without such automation Davila would be tasked with manually drawing lines, trimming and choosing tools and operations. “A program that would usually take me 2-5 hours now takes as little as 5 minutes,” he says. “It’s great to get the software and actually become more efficient with it. With ESPRIT I can write a program literally as fast as I can type.” Davila’s streamlined machining has
been so trimmed of far that he can now use a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet to input geometry into ESPRIT. “I have got to the point where I can
send you an Excel file and you can enter the numbers and if you have an add-on you can enter numbers, track what you’ve done and change your variables. It gives you more control.” One of STP’s more complex threads is an SLIJ2 proprietary VAM premium thread used as an oil rig connection. The tapered thread is multi-layered and includes plenty of complex geometry, detail and seals.
A part awaits API threading at STP which uses the ESPRIT application programming interface and Visual Basic by Microsoft to machine its parts
time can take a significant chunk of your day if you’ve yet to find a means of automating repetitive tasks. “Yesterday I had four of those programs
to write,” Davila says. “If I’d had to write them without my macro it would have taken me up to two hours each or my whole workday. It took me just 20 minutes because I was just able to enter all of my variables. My post is perfect so I’ve saved thousands of dollars in programming time.”
Because parts that once took a couple of hours to program can now be programmed in under 5 minutes Davila and programmers like him can devote less time to repeating mundane tasks and more time learning how to maximise the tools at their disposal.
INCREASINGLY COMPLEX PARTS Technology has completely revolutionised the machining industry from machine tools to software to demands for increasingly complex parts. “I believe that with the way that technology grows we will see stronger and more cost-effective ways to make good products on a more consistent basis,” concludes Davila. “Parts are becoming more complex because technology and machine tools, even in the past 10 to 20 years have come a long way. With CAM software geometry you couldn’t program before becomes really simple with ESPRIT. The limits of manufacturing are always being pushed.”
CAM Supplies & Services T: 0871 218 3001 e:
sales@camsupplies.co.uk
/ FACTORYEQUIPMENT
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