one case, this called for getting a four-axis system to behave like a five-axis machine. With the addition of its five-axis machine, they have been using a standard post to create single-setup programs for five-sided parts. As simultaneous five-axis requirements are processed, Prism Engineering will jump in to provide a postprocessor on short notice. There is a steady stream of work coming into Tanger’s department. Sometimes, these are families of parts that need to be delivered internally just in time for making assemblies and subassemblies. Some are reverse-engineered parts for prototypes and rebuild work. Some are one and two-offs that customers need in a hurry.
The wave of work coming in the front door is diverted into streams that find its way to different machines and machin- ists depending on the expertise they have developed. “It’s like organized chaos,” says Blow. “The remarkable thing is that, even though the jobs are diverse with short runs and short lead times, our machinists have found a way to drive down the cycle times on our CNC equipment.” Each new job a machinist undertakes offers an op-
portunity to employ something they have learned during Mastercam training, or from each other to reduce cycle time. This can include something as mundane as laying out the fixture table so that more parts can be machined at one time. Sometimes, a machinist will start doing the initial operations via conversational programming at the ma- chine. While the current program is running, he will be at the machine with a laptop, looking at strategies for saving
Mastercam’s high-speed Waterline toolpath generates superior finishes on near-vertical tapered part walls with a ball end mill at Astro Machine Works.
time with subsequent operations using Mastercam’s latest high-speed toolpaths including Dynamic Mill, Peel Mill, and Opti-Rough. Recently, these paths were introduced to a job similar to one that was done previously with conventional toolpaths. They saved 20 hours of spindle time. Because the high- speed toolpaths engage the tools minimally but at full depth, tool life has increased substantially while there is less wear on spindles and bearings and, therefore, less unanticipated downtime for repairs. That’s very important for equipment that is being used 20 hours a day.
Machinists can be confident that what they are doing will result in precise material removal and crash-free operation, because they rely on Mastercam’s computer simulation func- tions, Back Plot and Verify, prior to sending the program over
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