CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive

October 2005

Product News

Delcam to Show Five-axis Machining and On-Machine Verification at 600 Centre

Delcam will demonstrate its latest developments in five-axis machining and on-machine verification at the Productivity Partnerships 05 event to be hosted by the 600 Centre at its Shepshed site from 8th to 10th November. Both these technologies will be demonstrated on Fanuc Robodrill T21 machines.

The full range of five-axis strategies in Delcam's PowerMILL CAM system includes machining through a point or to a point, or to or from a line; programming using a reference surface; swarf machining; and five-axis trimming, pocketing and drilling. All of the strategies may be used with the full range of tool types and all incorporate comprehensive gouge prevention and collision checking.

For all the options, PowerMILL makes both positional and continuous five-axis programming much easier than is possible with the more complicated software traditionally used by the large corporations in the aerospace and automotive industries. This combination of flexibility and ease of use has enabled the software to be used successfully in a wide variety of applications, including the manufacture of complex blades, blisks and structures by aerospace sub-contractors, port machining and composite trimming by autosport companies, and the engraving of bottle moulds in the packaging industry.

Recent additions to the range of strategies includes the ability to program swarf machining with tapered tools. These types of tool are especially useful when machining undercut areas as they avoid the need to use a long, thin tool for finishing that would otherwise be needed. In addition, they allow more material to be removed than a tipped cutter, with less risk of rubbing on adjacent surfaces.

Automatic collision avoidance has been added to change the tool axis when collisions may occur. The software automatically tilts the cutter away from the obstacle by the specified tolerance and then returns the cutting angle to the value set for the overall toolpath once the obstacle has been cleared.

A special technique for five-axis plunge finishing has been introduced that can be used to mill along a surface rather than across it. This gives efficient metal removal and can be used to produce cusps parallel to the gas flow in engine ports and similar applications.

The latest version of PowerINSPECT for On-Machine Verification allows off-line programming of the inspection sequence for the machine tool, with fully-integrated simulation and collision checking, and so minimize the time needed for the verification operation. It also offers all the advantages associated with the existing releases for use on dedicated inspection equipment, giving both quick and easy comparison of tooling and sample components against CAD data, and producing clear, comprehensive reports that can be understood by everyone involved in the product development process, not just inspection specialists.

The most obvious benefit of on-machine verification is for those companies that do not have dedicated inspection capabilities. Most modern machine tools either come with, or can be retrofitted with, probing capabilities to assist in the set-up of the job. With the OMV version of PowerINSPECT, this same equipment can now be used for verification at little extra cost.

On-machine verification will also benefit companies with customers that insist on independent inspection of their work. By carrying out an initial verification on the machine, errors can be detected, and corrected, that might otherwise not be found until after the component had been shipped to the inspector.

Delcam is one of more than twenty companies participating in Productivity Partnerships 05. Together they will show a spectrum of related production technologies covering all aspects of machining, die and mould, automation, workholding, measurement, software, tooling and robotics.

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