Extremely Automated CAM – Dental edition

February 16, 2012 By jjaje Leave a Comment

Automating CAM Software

Through the use of sequences, templates and other time saving devices, it can often be possible to automate much of the manual input and programming of CAM systems.

For example, one might make a template for roughing hard steels, larger than 24 inches, and another for hard steel between 12 and 24 inches, and a third for parts smaller than 12 inches. Similarly, they could have templates (we call them sequences) for other materials, such as Titanium or Zinc, or for other operations, such as finishing or semi-finishing.

Similarly, this approach can be used to automate processes in specialized fields, like Dental.

Dental CAM Milling

First, let us say right off the bat, this works best with open systems rather than closed systems. Not sure what the difference is between an open or closed Dental milling system? We made a small document/presentation outlining some of the differences between an Open Dental CAM Milling system, a Closed Dental CAM Milling system and those in between.

This document can be found at the link here.

Next, you can virtually completely automate the CAM milling process for similar parts, like dental parts, via pre-planned sequences. Simply select a material, select a machine, load parts to mill, locate parts, add support structures and calculate the CAM cutterpaths. If only all CAM programming were that easy.

Why are we bringing this up here you ask? One, all programmers could benefit from some additional automation. Two, Sescoi not only has a WorkNC product for general machining, but also a product specific to dental machining, WorkNC Dental.

In dental machining, you can mill relatively soft materials like Zirconia or Wax, to very hard metals like Chromium Cobalt and Titanium. Parts are usually very small, and often several parts are nested into one block of material.Parts being machined are often scan data, with thousands of points and facets.

In dental machining, finish is important in that you can not have sharp corners and burrs that could cut into the soft tissues of the mouth. Also, of critical importance is what is referred to as the margin. The margin is where the dental prostheses mates with the existing tooth material. This margin must allow for a perfect match else bacteria will get inside and cause decay. Thus the machining must also be accurate, as well as smooth.

The dental industry is often looking for skilled programmers with machining experience. If that’s you, check it out.

Below are some pictures of parts. Leave comments on your automation stories, or if you have dental CAM experience.

Filed Under: 5 axis cnc software

Training keeps up productivity

February 8, 2012 By cjordan 1 Comment

To get the best from your CAM system it pays to take the trouble to do the training courses. Some CAM systems are virtually automatic and intuitive, so the training requirement is quite low and users can start producing CNC programs very quickly and easily.

However, every system has its extras that take a little more effort, but which can make a big difference to productivity. Batch processing of programs overnight, setting up sets of standard machining strategies for different types of component, implementation of feature recognition, and analysis of the CAD data to find draft angles and the smallest radius are just a few of the features available in some CAM systems that can produce big benefits. Although not difficult to set up and use, these types of advanced features can be quickly learnt on a training course, saving hours of trial and error experimentation.

Most CAM systems are being continually developed (if yours isn’t you need to look for a new one!) so extra training in the new developments makes sure that your company is taking full advantage of the improvements, helping it to stay at the leading edge in its field. Furthermore, continuous training helps to build up a closer relationship with your CAM supplier, enabling it to develop solutions to your individual problems and to ensure that you are using the existing capabilities in the software to your best advantage.

Successful companies work in partnership with their customers and suppliers so that they can offer a superior service and product. Close collaboration on both sides significantly improves the performance of both parties. Taking advantage of continual training opportunities raises skill levels and productivity making it a very important part of the relationship.

So, when’s the last time you took update training for the CAM system you use?

Filed Under: 5 axis cnc software, CADCAM, CAM software, CAM tips & tricks, NC machining Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Get Connected – Stay Connected

February 8, 2012 By jjaje Leave a Comment

Information Age / Digital Age

The present day has been called many things, two come to mind immediately, The Information Age and The Digital Age. Through search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, AOL and others you can figuratively get information overload of whatever you search for.

The Information Age refers to the plethora of information available at your fingertips, literally, by using the fingertips to enter some key words into a search engine. Where people may have purchased reference manuals to repair things in the past, one can now find the information online. Where one would see just a few reviews when investigating the purchase of a product, now one can find thousands of reviews.

The Digital Age refers to the plethora of items available via digital means. Many electronics stores have eliminated or drastically reduced their music sales department, since so many people simply download songs they like online. Real Time Entertainment, with products like Netflix, is now the largest source of internet traffic, over file sharing, browsing and social media.

Social Media

On top of this, social media websites have completely changed how people communicate, share information or simply “keep up” with others. If all the people on Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest country based on population.

Get Connected

About this time, you may be wondering what all of this has to do with CAD CAM software. Get connected! There, simple isn’t it.

Recently we held seminars for WorkNC Version 21. During these seminars, we did an informal poll of how much people are connected to the software they use day in and day out. How they get information on training, tips or upcoming shows where they might be able to attend and ask a question.

As it turns out, based on our informal poll, CAM operators are not that connected. They aren’t connected via some social media, and as such, they miss out on important information. We like to point out, if you only visit a tech session or user group once a year, you are too far outside of the loop. It’s worse for those that don’t even do that.

Following are some links and ways you can stay connected to Sescoi and WorkNC. You don’t have to follow them all, but you will find it beneficial to follow a few…

If you use a software product as a large part of your work and career, definitely get connected in some way, so you can get the most out of it.

Filed Under: CAM tips & tricks Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Software Maintenance – reasons to stay current

January 18, 2012 By jjaje 2 Comments

Today we are having some fun with our blog. We are actually going to have two firsts in it.One is commenting on the topic of software maintenance, and the other is to actually reference one of our competitors. The topic of software maintenance often bring up a lot of discussion on various forums, and we welcome your comments also.

What is CAD CAM Software Maintenance & Subscriptions?

Software maintenance is simply paying a set fee, yearly, to receive updates, upgrades and usually technical support for the software product. Software subscriptions, on the other hand, are a form of renting the software product for a set period of time, and then the product “times out” and is no longer available for use, without re-renting the product.

If one does not pay their maintenance, they are stuck with the version of software they had when maintenance ceased, but can still us that version. If one does not pay a subscription, the software stops working after a period of time.

Three Reasons to Maintain your CAD CAM System (from MasterCAM)

MasterCAM software may be a competitor to WorkNC, however, a previous article, published in Moldmaking Technology magazine and on their web page in November of 2010, was written by Steve Bertrand from CNC Software. This article, linked here Three Reasons to Maintain your CAD/CAM System makes some good points. Rather than quote the whole article, I will list his three main points below:

  • Take Advantage of the latest technology – This is absolutely true, as new version of software introduce new features, often geared at increasing productivity and efficiency.
  • Make budget planning smoother – because software maintenance is a known yearly cost, it can be budgeted easier than budgeting for purchased upgrades
  • Help improve the software – People on maintenance often provide the best feedback on new features and functions they would like to see in the software.

To Steve’s listed reasons I would like to add a few of my own.

Support – WorkNC users on maintenance in the U.S. receive phone and digital technical support. We strive to to have live persons available during regular business hours instead of  utilizing voice mail purgatory. Email, file uploads and other digital forms of technical support are also available.

We have found this is the quickest way for customers to get an answer to something, and continue their job. Need a quick configuration change, or a modification to a post processor, it is a simple process.

Increased Productivity – When comparing current versions of CAM software to past versions, users can be more productive now than ever before. New functions like WorkNC’s Multi-Threading and Parallel Processing have cut calculation times dramatically.

New functions can increase productivity, for example, Feature Recognition cut the time to drill holes for some people from an hour or more to two minutes. Other functions, like rib machining or electrode machining can reduce programming time by 90% or more from traditional methods.

Increased Safety – As processing power in computers increases, CAM software developers are able to do more advanced calculations. WorkNC has had tool holder collision checking for a long time now, providing additional safety from early CAM systems. Now, it’s not just collision checking, but automatic collision avoidance with the tool holder and spindle that allows for confident lights out machining.

Remaining on maintenance allows you to receive the latest software versions, to receive the increased efficiency and the increased safety from newer versions.

What are your feelings on Software Maintenance? Is your preference for paid upgrades, yearly maintenance or yearly subscriptions? Leave your comments below.

 

Filed Under: CAM software, NC software

Optimizing the post-processed NC code can yield big benefits

January 11, 2012 By cjordan 2 Comments

nc speed toolpath optimization with worknc cadcam I am sure that every CNC machinist would like to chop a further 20% off their cycle times. Well with toolpath optimization you can!

Toolpath optimization programs which sit inside the CAM system and work on the actual post-processed code, which is the ultimate way of making sure that the machine is running at maximum efficiency, can achieve this sort of productivity boost.   The technology uses volumetric analysis to dynamically calculate the amount of material being removed at any instant. That way it knows the load on the cutter throughout the machining cycle and adjusts the feeds and speeds to keep it steady and within the limitations of the cutter. 

Not only does this speed up machining where cutting conditions are good, but for small tools it greatly reduces the chance of a tool shattering when subjected to a sudden shock load. For the engineer, going faster where possible can produce a big reduction in cycle times, while going slower where machining conditions are challenging, increases tool life and eliminates the possibility of tool chatter which will, in turn, make the tooling itself last even longer. 

As well as saving on the cost of excessively worn or broken tooling, toolpath optimization can reduce the chances of producing scrap and also greatly improve the quality of the surface finish. Vibration from toolpath chatter will damage the machine tool itself, and will also adversely affect the finished component through ripples on the surface. 

The optimization process does not stop when the tool is out of the job. By looking at rapid movements and their physical relationship to the job, the system can ensure rapid moves are used whenever the tool is above the workpiece reducing cycle times even more. 

A further advantage of keeping cutter loads constant is that tool deflection is kept to a minimum. The resulting increase in accuracy will make it much easier to produce very high precision parts.

Filed Under: CADCAM, CAM software, NC machining, NC software, Other productivity software Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Standardizing on CAD & CAM

January 5, 2012 By jjaje 3 Comments

Integrated CAD and CAM – CADCAM

Previously blog entries from 2010 discussed integrated CAD CAM, part 1 can part 2 can be found at the corresponding links.

Some people mistakenly think that this means the CAM package has no CAD functionality at all. However, this is not the case, and perhaps a better way to phrase the term is Standardized CADCAM rather than Integrated CADCAM.

Integrated CADCAM simply means that the CAM system also has enough CAD functions to create and edit part geometry. From a CAM software perspective, having integrated CAD functions is a necessity, sometimes the CAD functionality is used for regular tasks such as creating boundaries, filling holes or making some “run off” geometry. Specialized CAD functions can actually assist CAM programming, and are often not found in general CAD packages, such as automatic electrode extraction and creation, or automatic core/cavity separation.

Standardized CADCAM

Standardized CADCAM is simply when a company standardizes on one package for all of their CAD and CAM needs. Often this is done to save on up front costs, reduce training on multiple software packages and for a perception that having everything in one package is a better solution.

Very large corporations may standardize on one CAD package. Usually the CAD design functionality, assembly modeling capabilities and PLM functionality overshadows the CAM necessities. Although these companies know they could choose a standalone CAM package, and be more productive in their CAM programming, they often are forced to go with the standardized package. After all, seats with CAM at these corporations may be only 5% of the total seat count, or less.

The 100 million Dollar Switch

All of this brings me to my main point. Without naming companies or contacts, there is a very large company which is switching from one main CAD product to a different one. This is mainly due to the fact that their new owners use the other package.

Switching CAD platforms at this level can take years, and involves many people. Usually it is rolled out for new design platforms are started and as older platforms are retires, the older system is slowly removed from service.

Switching also involves a lot of costs, first is the software cost, and then there are several service related costs, which can include: training, testing, writing post processors, re-writing customizations, re-writing scripts and much more.

It is estimated that the service costs, not software costs, to switch just the CAM departments will be over 100 million U.S. dollars. What could you do with 100 million dollars?

If they had not insisted on a standardized solution for their CAM, they would incur no costs when the CAD system changes. All post processors would already exist, all testing would already have been done, users would already be trained, and they could have been more productive all along.

So the two main points are:

(1) Choosing the term Standardized CADCAM may be a better choice than Integrated CADCAM

(2) Standardizing on a CAM solution because of your CAD/PLM solution may not be (and rarely is) the best or most cost efficient choice.

Are you forced to use a particular CAM product because of corporate standardization of CAD? If so, let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

 

Filed Under: Automotive, CADCAM, CAM software Tagged With: , ,

CAM software – cheap is not cheerful

December 29, 2011 By cjordan Leave a Comment

In pretty much any walk of life if you buy something cheap, you expect it to have significant limitations or not last very long. I think it is safe to say that this is certainly true in engineered products. Materials are poorer, design is less elaborate and functionality is reduced. A BMW has the same number of wheels as a Lada, both will get you from A to B, so why do people want a BMW? With apologies to Lada drivers, most people can come up with a whole host of reasons.

For CAM software the same principles apply. If you buy a cheap CAM system it may do the immediate job you bought it for, but usually there is no upgrade path so if a job comes along which is too complex, you have to throw the software away and start again with a better system. Not only does that waste money, but you have all the installation costs and the associated disruption of a new learning curve to go through.

Another consideration is the level of support you are going to get with a cheap system. Realistically if there is little or no profit for the CAM system vendor he can’t afford to give proper support. You only have to look at low cost and free software on the net to see that you have to work out any problems you have for yourself. This is fine if you are just typing a document, but if your machine is stopped and the customer is on the phone, all because you can’t get the software going, it can have some very serious consequences.

The same applies to software development. If there is reduced profit for the vendor, development is bound to be slow, software releases risk being inadequately tested, and the system may be full of bugs. The user is certainly not going to be happy if the CAM system causes a machine collision, which can cost more to repair than the cost difference between a reputable CAM system and a cheap one.

Some companies are on a tight budget, so the price of a product is very important. However, if instead of just looking at the purchase price, consider what the lifetime cost of the CAM system might be. This is more difficult to quantify, but elements such as the ability to do more complex and profitable work, less danger of machine damage, more uptime on the machine tool and faster machining cycles will easily outweigh the cost difference several times over.

Filed Under: 5 axis cnc software, CADCAM, CAM software, NC machining, NC software Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Plunge Roughing – Part 2

December 14, 2011 By jjaje Leave a Comment

Previously, we discussed the use of Plunge roughing as an alternative roughing strategy, especially to utilize older or under-used milling machines. What I wanted to do with this entry is provide a few pointers on plunge roughing.

Plunge Roughing – not for all parts.

First, as with all cutterpath styles, you need to match the best cutterpath strategies with the part geometry. Some parts are better suited to a plunge roughing strategy than other parts.

First, consider the amount of material removal. Plunge Roughing works better if removing a larger percentage of material from the original stock, as opposed to a small amount of material. If you only need to remove a small amount of stock from a part, plunge roughing, on a global level, may not be the best choice.

Second, consider the part geometry. Plunge roughing in an automated fashion work best when removing a larger amount of material from larger areas. That is, if you have a whole lot of small pockets, then plunge roughing may not be the best choice. However when you have larger, open, areas for which to rough, it can work much better.

One particular example where Plunge Roughing can be ideal is in hydroform tooling. See the image below of an example of a good part for plunge roughing. There is a high percentage of material removal, compared to the original block of material, and it has larger open areas.

Plunge Roughing example

Plunge Roughing example

Utilizing Finer Control with Plunge Roughing

We saw in the previous post that sometimes the stock condition after roughing is “rougher” with a plunge roughing approach. While a global automatic approach may work in most instances, sometimes a person wants finer control. This may be around certain features in the design, or more often, to mill a larger channel into a part.

In this case, you may make drive curves to follow around particular features, or in a channel. This is shown in the picture below, where we utilize a curve to follow the feature more closely.

Plunge Rough around Feature

Plunge Rough around Feature

Dynamic Stock Model and Plunge Roughing

When Roughing it is important for the CAM software algorithm to know where the tool has been, and where there is stock remaining. This is done via a Dynamic Stock Model, allowing the CAM software to know the condition of the stock at every point in the cut.

This is critically important with Plunge Roughing, because after the plunge cutting motion, the tool steps away from the wall, and off the floor a little before retracting. This keeps the cutter inserts from rubbing along the wall on the way back up. If the CAM software does not know the stock at all times, then that step away can not be calculated safely, and if it were to step awaay into material, it could mean disastrous results for the cutter and spindle.

Plunge Rough Step Away

Plunge Rough Step Away

So in conclusion, plunge roughing works better on some parts than other parts. As always match the CAM milling strategy to the CAD design. Utilizing a Dynamic Stock Model is the only way to ensure the safest Plunge Roughing.

Filed Under: CAM software, CAM tips & tricks, NC machining, NC software

Plunge Roughing – Offers more than many think.

December 7, 2011 By jjaje 3 Comments

Utilize Older Milling Machines

In a previous blog named Concurrent Working Part 2, we explored some ways of doing tasks simultaneously within your shop. One suggestion is to utilize an older, less powerful, mill to do certain tasks, such as squaring off stock, while utilizing the newer, more advanced mills for the 3d Sculpted shape milling.

Another way to utilize older milling machines is to use them for some roughing tasks. While they may not be able to rough as fast or well utilizing the newest high speed tools and roughing strategies, they can often be very good at Plunge Roughing, also called High Volume Roughing within WorkNC.

Plunge Rough Cutterpath on Whole Part

Plunge Rough Cutterpath on Whole Part

Benefits of Plunge Roughing

There can be many benefits to utilizing a plunge roughing strategy, and some of them are:

  • High Metal Removal Rates. Plunge roughing can allow for metal removal rates competitive with newer high performance roughing cutters, running on a machine over a dozen years old.
  • Cutter forces are along the axis of the cutter instead of radially to the cutter.
  • Consistent chip loads because of the algorithms and cutting style.
  • Heat goes away with the chip. You can often place your hand on the material immediately after cutting and it is only warm, but not hot to the touch.

While Plunge roughing does have good metal removal rates, if you are cutting a part with a lot of shape, the condition of the stock will be “rougher” after plunge rouging, with more material to re-rough than other roughing methods. While many may consider this a negative, if one already had to run a re-rough cutterpath regardless, you might as well run one where the tool is engaged in more material. As many roughing tools are designed to remove a larger width of stock, and often have premature failure when the width of stock is consistently narrow.

Result from Plunge Roughing

Result from Plunge Roughing

Have you tried Plunge Roughing? If so, tell us about your experiences int he comments.

 

 

Filed Under: CAM software, CAM tips & tricks, NC machining

dramatic toolpath calculation time savings using task threading and parallel processes on multi-core processors

December 2, 2011 By cjordan Leave a Comment

In this post I want to share some of benefits of CADCAM software that enables “task threading” and “parallel processes” on multi-core processors , but first a quick explanation of those two terms:

* Task Threading: certain cutterpaths run multiple threads. That means individual portions of the cutterpath will be calculated at the same time. Computers with multi-core processors will run those threads individually, on separate cores, decreasing calculation times. It is not just cutterpaths that can be multi threaded, but other calculations as well.
* Parallel Processes: multiple cutterpaths in the workzone can be run simultaneously, as long as one is not dependant on another. For example, Planar Finishing in the WorkNC CADCAM system can run at the same time as a Z-Level Finish, since one is not dependant on the other. However, a Global ReRough may need to wait on a stock model update before calculations start. Parallel processing will allow you to calculate more cutterpaths faster than ever before, taking advantage of multi-core processors.

We tested the new version of WorkNC CADCAM software with task threading and parallel processes (Version 21) on some typical customer parts.
The same toolpaths were calculated in WorkNC Version 20 and then in WorkNC Version 21 with one CPU, followed by WorkNC Version 21 with 2 CPUs.

The results are as follows:

WorkNC CADCAM customer part 1 Part 1 with 4 roughing and 4 finishing toolpaths 

Calculation times:
2h 09 min  V20
0h 37 min  V21 one CPU
0h 29 min V21 two CPUs
WorkNC CADCAM customer part 2 Part 2 

with 4 roughing and 4 finishing toolpaths

Calculation times:
1h 30 min  V20
0h 33 min  V21 one CPU
0h 27 min  V21 two CPUs
WorkNC CADCAM customer part 3 Part 3 with 2 roughing and 5 finishing toolpaths 

Calculation times:

0h 49 min  V20
0h 24 min  V21 one CPU
0h 13 min   V21 two CPUs
WorkNC CADCAM customer part 4 Part 4 with 8 roughing and 9 finishing toolpaths 

Calculation times:
2h 11 min  V20
1h 13 min  V21 one CPU
0h 39 min V21 two CPUs
WorkNC CADCAM customer part 5 Part 5 with 4 roughing and 11 finishing toolpaths 

Calculation times:
1h 41 min  V20
0h 44 min  V21 one CPU
0h 22 min  V21 two CPUs

Using 2 or more CPUs leads to a significant savings in CNC toolpath calculation times.

Dramatic reductions, but as the examples show, the toolpath calculation time savings for parts having a high proportion of roughing toolpaths is, due to the interdependent toolpaths, less important than for parts with a greater number of finishing toolpaths.  Interesting stuff.   If you are using CAM software that supports parallel processing, what are the most dramatic toolpath calculation time savings you have seen?

Filed Under: 5 axis cnc software, CADCAM, CAM software, NC software, Parallel processing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts