CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
November 16, 2007
Implementation Investments
Delcam Software Used for Constantine Head Recreation
In one of its largest and most unusual projects to date, Delcam GmbH has developed programs to machine a giant replica of the head of the Roman Emperor Constantine. The replica was needed for an exhibition in Trier, Germany, after it was decided that the original pieces were too heavy and too delicate to be shipped from Rome.
The starting point for the Delcam engineers was an STL file created by ArcTron 3D, using a combination of laser scanning and structured light scanning. The size and complexity of the file had already defeated several other CADCAM companies but it could be processed using PowerMILL, one of very few CAM systems developed from day one to be able to machine STL files.
The next problem was the material to be used - a 25-tonne block of marble. "Marble was completely new territory for us," commented Delcam's Sales Manager Ferdi Hoischen. "We had absolutely no data on milling tools, cutting values or suitable processing strategies for this material. Following intensive research on the tools and after comprehensive tests of various machining strategies in co-operation with EEW Maschinenbau GmbH in Kiel, we were finally able to start the programming of the Emperor's bust."
A further challenge came because CAM specialist Ingo Busse could not be present at EEW for all the time needed for the NC programming. "I had to undertake much of the programming using geometry based on the residual material model in PowerMILL," explained Herr Busse. "I had to be able to rely completely on the accuracy of the roughing programmes created by PowerMILL when programming the finishing toolpaths." The task was made even more difficult by the fact that five-axis machining had to be used for parts of the bust.
Overall, a total of 230 NC programs were produced in this way. When they were run by EEW, PowerMILL fully justified the confidence placed in the software's ability to calculate the residual material model and to undertake collision checking of the milling machine.
The close co-operation between Delcam and EEW was largely responsible for the successful completion of the project. "Only with an expert team of top-quality software and the latest milling machine technology can such challenges as the bust of Emperor Constantine be mastered," summarised Herr Hoischen. "Without efficient and innovative CAM software, every milling machine will soon be what Emperor Constantine is today - history."
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