TOOLING MANAGEMENT
model of the tool for toolpath programming and validation,” explained Mathews, far more than the few dimensions avail- able in a paper catalog. “Getting these CAD models can get very time consuming.” Recommended speeds and feeds are also important in creating the right program and select- ing the right toolholder to meet tolerances, avoid chatter or optimize tool life.
The obvious answer is to put that data online and acces- sible. The problem is that each manufacturer could, or has, developed their own unique format for describing their tools. Using a language analogy, one speaks French while another speaks Spanish. A common language is needed. That is where international standards enter the picture, such as ISO 13399 and the Generic Tool Catalog.
Standards and Communication The ISO 13399 defi nes a data model for cutting tool infor- mation. “This is well recognized and many tool manufacturers are well down the road towards adopting it,” said Mathews. It standardizes common terms like length of tools, diameters, number of helixes, or fl ank angles. “It is pretty comprehen- sive, it might have 30 or 40 data points for one particular tooling item that might be important,” he said. By itself, ISO
communicate feeds and speeds and other machine related data, they exploit the MTConnect standard. The MachiningCloud makes use of those standards, and
more besides, to create an online, comprehensive order- ing system. Mathews emphasizes that knowing the intimate details of these standards is not important for the average shop fl oor professional. Mathews invites us to think of the MachiningCloud as a NetFlix or Spotify for cutting tools and assemblies. “We normalize the data available from the variety of vendors and present that data in a common way,” he said.
CoroPlus ToolLibrary from Sandvik Coromant guides a user through the selection process, ensure a tool selection consistent with proposed usage and material properties. It also helps with tool holder and adapter selections as well.
13399 is not enough. “It does not do classifi cations, such as distinguishing end mills from tapered end mills or shell mills. We needed a supplemental standard in the Generic Tool Catalog, or GTC, for that,” he said. To transfer the full 3D CAD representation of the tool that is vital for today’s CAM programming, MachiningCloud stores and transfers fi les us- ing the ISO and STEP standards, according to Mathews. To
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Tooling Manufacturers and Pragmatism Two tooling manufacturers, Sandvik and Kennametal, also helped develop the ISO 13399 standard, with an eye towards enhancing tooling data management in an era of growing complexity. “We recognized from the beginning, we would not be able to automate without standardization,” stated Mitch Benko, director of virtual machining for Kennametal Inc. (Pittsburgh). He cites two reasons why this was important. First, stan- dards enable others to make use of Kennametal tooling data, including other software companies such as CAM program- ming. Second, it enables the ability to apply rules to the data. “You can now use that data and take that under- standing to a new level, making use of engineer- ing and manufacturing knowledge so that data is serving a better need,” explained Benko. Towards that end, Kennametal developed its Novo software product, in partnership with MachiningCloud. Matching their existing data to the ISO 13399 standard for tooling classifi ca- tion was important, and a challenge. “Many of the characteristics we use to describe our data, such as length or diameter, are a simple mapping. However, other characteristics are not as simple and require a calculation to get that data into the ISO standard,” he explained. “Our customers use Novo to export the [tooling data] they selected so it can be used in a CAM, pre-setter, or simulation en-
vironment.” That is, as long as those software products can import the data in its ISO 13399 and GTC standard formats. “The classifi cation standard is especially important for applying rules, because if you do not have that standard, you are applying rules to chaos,” he remarked. Novo is a cloud-based software. The Novo app can be downloaded to a computer or tablet. “With Novo we wanted to cater to
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