SHOP SOLUTIONS
Lizak cited an example of paper converting machine frames with bore tolerances of 0.0005" (0.013 mm) that become increasingly diffi cult to achieve on large parts where the bores may reach 20" (508 mm) in diameter. Manufacturing engineer Joe Moran said many parts for the gas and oil, logging, and construction industries are “defi nitely out of the ordinary as far as their tolerances, their size, and features that have to be accessed.” That complexity along with demands for top quality and cost-effectiveness dictate the use of fi ve-axis simultaneous machining for many operations. Bretting doesn’t produce high volumes of iden- tical parts. “We’re not that type of company,” Mo- ran said. “Ours is more of an R&D situation where it’s always new jobs. It’s a plethora of unproven, brand-new programs, possibly with new, undefi ned processes. Some- times we have to be incredibly creative to machine the parts we make.”
Bretting Mfg uses NCSimul Machine toolpath program verifi cation software on its “custom fl avor” innovative programs.
To process challenging parts, Bretting often edits a
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70
“custom fl avor” into its machining programs, Lizak said. But in many cases, according to Lizak the toolpaths’ uniqueness raises uncertainty about the CAM software’s ability to handle them accurately. “Today’s CAD/CAM software is very good,” he said, “but it can’t see everything. We were lacking the ability to verify our actual G and M codes. We needed that capability when we were working with parts that were very close to the limits of a machine’s working envelope or were using specialized tooling arrangements, such as mounting a right-angle head into another right-angle head.” Seeking a way to assure that its customized machining
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programs were free of collisions and other problems, Bret- ting’s staff evaluated different toolpath verifi cation software packages and chose NCSimul Machine software, a com- prehensive software tool for simulating, verifying, optimizing and reviewing CNC machining programs. The simulation software’s 3D graphics help eliminate machining crashes while embedded algorithms and process-based know-how enable optimization of cutting conditions and standardiza- tion of shop-fl oor documentation. The software verifi es NC programs in three steps: it investigates and corrects coding errors, simulates machining to locate collisions and repair motion errors, and validates the NC program. NCSimul enables operators to view a simulation of an operation and verify its performance. “Then they can have a better, warm-and fuzzy-feeling about a process that may seem a little bit off the wall,” Moran said. “That’s where NCSimul helps us go above and beyond what the CAD/CAM software can do. It has enabled us to implement innovative, outside-the-box processes. One of the biggest advantages is
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AdvancedManufacturing.org | June 2017
Image courtesy Spring Technologies Inc.
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