running the part on the machine. He often found errors in the program that damaged workpieces or in some cases even damaged tools.
Littlejohn had worked with FeatureCAM
at a previous employer and found the software to be powerful and easy to use. “Perhaps FeatureCAM’s neatest feature is its ability to import a solid model and then automatically recognize all of the fea- tures in the model and organize them for easy creation of toolpaths,” he said. The software then automatically evaluates the geometry and recognizes features such as holes, chamfers, pockets and bosses. In most cases, the programmer then defi nes the toolpath for each feature. FeatureCAM also provides the ability to automatically evaluate each feature and recommend a toolpath. As each operation is defi ned, the program simulates it in operation on the machine, making it easy for the programmer to check his work. In the case of the EOAT, Littlejohn received the Pro/ENGI- NEER model for the EOAT and imported it into FeatureCAM. The solid model did not exactly represent the design intent so Littlejohn made some changes within FeatureCAM. He created several new surfaces and blended them into the ex- isting geometry using Coons patches. He also changed sev- eral hole diameters and depths. The part was to be made of UHMW plastic and the only stock available was 4" (102-mm) diameter round so Littlejohn defi ned the stock and manipu- lated the part inside the stock to make sure it would fi t. While he normally uses the automatic feature recognition capability of the software, in this case he decided to select the features one by one in the order that he wanted to machine them while allowing the software to automatically determine the extent of each feature.
Littlejohn started by selecting a boss on the EOAT as the
fi rst feature to machine. The CNC software automatically de- termined the extent of the boss and selected all of its entities. Then it prompted Littlejohn to select the tool and machining parameters including feeds, speeds, and stepover that he wanted to use to produce the boss. After making the selec- tions, Littlejohn ran a simulation of the machining operation on the box. The simulation looked good so he moved on to the other operations on the part. He used the same methods
June 2015 |
AdvancedManufacturing.org 93
Bemis Mfg. programs with FeatureCAM CNC software the left and right nests that the robot uses to place inserts into the mold for overmold.
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