Reliability, the first pillar of CAM

June 16, 2011 By jjaje 3 Comments

Recently we were involved in a conversation with a company that sells milling machines. As the story was related to me, a particular shop that was a customer and user of the milling machine had recently damaged some tool, holders and possibly their spindle. Upon further investigation, it seemed that their CAM software (which was definitely not WorkNC) had created a move which violated the geometry, and caused a crash.

Back in the early 1990′s, one of the biggest issues when using CAM software to program a part was reliability. Reliable cutterpath, without violations, is critical to successful machining. If the CAM software did not make reliable, gouge free, cutterpaths, then the user had to spend considerable time fixing the cutterpath so that it could be run, often leaving a milling machine idle as the toolpath was corrected.

There have been many advancements in CAM software, but the need for reliable cutterpath has not changed. We consider this as one of the main pillars, possibly the most important part, of CAM machining. This becomes especially important as you move into unattended machining, or more automated machining processes, such as dental machining. When dealing with dental restorations, every dental piece being machined is unique, yet the software must work reliably, and create good cutterpath, every time. Fortunately WorkNC has a reputation of providing reliable cutterpaths.

What do you think are the most important aspects of CAM software? Where do you rate reliability? Tell us in the comments below.

Filed Under: CAM software, Dental CADCAM, NC software Tagged With: , , ,

CAM software – Innovation chain

May 23, 2011 By cjordan 1 Comment
innovation dental cadcam

Dental CAM enables innovative prosthesis manufacture at FDZ

It’s surprising how often you see a great product which takes the market by storm, and then the competitors catch up, overtake, and suddenly the original great product is no more.  Being complacent about product performance is definitely a recipe for failure. A continuous policy of innovation will keep products and production systems ahead of the game and provide customers with the best tools to be innovative themselves. The advances in CAM software are a case in point. 

Automatic 5-axis machining takes 3 and 3+2 axis programs and changes them into full 5-axis programs. Collision avoidance  ensures that the machine’s limits are considered and that a safe and reliable toolpath is created. This technology has allowed engineering companies to get the best out of their 5-axis machinery, and break into new markets without huge overheads in reskilling employees. 

CAM software innovation is now reaching dental laboratories, where technicians are not normally skilled in CNC machining. Traditionally the laboratories were served by closed CADCAM systems which had a fixed type of functionality. Open automated CNC programming, designed specifically for dental applications, takes away the need for machining skill and at the same time gives the dental professionals more choice over the equipment they use and also enables them to be innovative over the types of prosthesis they design and manufacture, giving them a distinct competitive edge.  If you are interested in Dental CADCAM read more here.

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

Automation Part 1 – risk analysis

March 29, 2011 By cjordan Leave a Comment

Why do manufacturing companies look at automating processes? There can be any number of reasons: cost reduction, lack of skilled personnel, consistency of products, predictable manufacturing cycles, quality etc.

Changing an existing manufacturing process is a risk, as the current process probably does appear to work reasonably well, albeit with some downsides such as higher scrap rates than desired, higher costs or longer delivery times than the customer wants.

To automate a process, the solution needs to have intelligence built in.  This can come from the R&D efforts of the solution supplier, but can also include knowledge and experience collected from the user, so that the solution can be customized to the individual needs of the manufacturer.

In CADCAM automation, existing processes such as manual CNC programming or on-machine programming carry a high element of risk. These rely substantially on the skill of the operator, and if he has a bad day or is off sick, the resulting loss in production can be very costly.

Even if CADCAM software is being used, the number and complexity of decisions a programmer has to make can be excessive, again leading to potential errors.

The aim of automation is to closely define the task and minimize operator intervention. As long as the system has sufficient intelligence and has been designed correctly for the job in hand, the risk levels of using it are greatly reduced.

This is not the whole story however as “flexibility” can be an issue with automation. I’ll examine some of the issues in future blog postings. In the meantime, let us know your experiences with automation and how it has worked for you.

Filed Under: CADCAM, CAM software, CAM tips & tricks, Dental CADCAM, NC machining, NC software Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Dental – Revisited

March 24, 2011 By jjaje Leave a Comment

In a previous post named Getting Better Teeth – Faster, we discussed the importance of automating some processes to improve the efficiency of milling dental prothesis. Believe it or not, there is a show located in Cologne, Germany which is dedicated to the dental industry. The IDS, or International Dental Show, is the largest dental specific show in the world. 2011 marks the 34th year for the IDS dental show. IDS runs from March 23 to 26th.

Many people believe that shows are going out of favor or style. Trade shows, like any other business, must evolve as business evolves. They must take advantage of the same instant communication the internet provides that good businesses take advantage of. Trade shows must keep up with the times, or yes, they will eventually fail. Sescoi is actually increasing the number of trade shows they exhibit in. This is because face to face contact is still important, plus to get to see first hand exactly what is new.

So not only are we at Sescoi excited to be part of IDS with our own  booth, but we are excited to be available in partner booths around the IDS show floor. You can read about the new product developments we are showing at this link. However, as always, the best way to get up to date information is to make sure you “Like” our Facebook page on it.

If you find yourself in Cologne, Germany over the next few days, stop by the IDS show and visit Sescoi at booth F051 at Halle 11.1 and see what’s new in milling dental implants and bars.If you can not make it to the IDS show to see some exciting things first hand, than second best is to watch the video below.

 

 

Filed Under: Dental CADCAM, Marketing Tagged With:

Getting Better Teeth – Faster

February 28, 2011 By jjaje 1 Comment

Last week we mentioned CAM in a Dental application, and how automation of the cutterpaths is very important. This week, I’d like to expand on it a little more, about different parts and more. First off, for Dental Laboratories, cost is everything. The higher the throughput, and the lower you can make the cost per piece, the more successful a lab can be. Although health care prices in general keep increasing, the companies that manufacture components used in the health care industry are constantly trying to reduce costs everywhere they can, which is why automation becomes very import.

Items like Copings, Partials and Implants are custom tailored to the individual. With Copings, the more pieces you can fit into a puck, the lower the material cost per part is. The faster you can set up a puck, the lower the programming time is. The faster you can machine a puck, the lower the manufacturing costs. Utilizing a novel approach to setup, and over 20 years of WorkNC experience, WorkNC-Dental is able to excel in all three of those areas.

Implants may require multi-axis machining, and are cut from a larger stock block. Partials may require milling models used for casting purposes. Thus CAM for dental does not have a “one size fits all” strategy. Different automation is required for different applications. Add to that the different materials being milled, such as Zircon, Chromium Cobalt, Titanium, Wax and others and you begin to realize that there are a plethora of possibilities in just the Dental CAM marketplace.

Combining automation with experience, quality products and new technologies provides for not only higher quality dental components, but better cost ones too.

Filed Under: Dental CADCAM

Automatic CAM, is it possible?

February 21, 2011 By jjaje Leave a Comment

We have routinely considered WorkNC to be “reasonably automatic” CAM software for creating NC cutterpaths to run on a milling machine. Certainly, when compared to some competing systems that are more expensive and yet more difficult to use, WorkNC seems like cruise control. However, can CAM software be truly automated?

Intelligent milling algorithms that utilize technology such as Dynamic Stock Models, Advanced Tool Holder Collision Checking and Avoidance and Automated 5-Axis bring us closer to Automatic CAM. Add to that the ability to create advanced Templates and some form of Automated Fixturing and you are closer to one button CAM programming than ever before.

Which brings me to the LMT Lab Days Dental Show in Chicago, literally. Sescoi will be in Chicago showing WorkNC-Dental to the show attended by dental labs. For Dental software, this is extremely automated and easy to use. Maybe not one button programming but how about four?

For special projects, it can be customized and automated even further. Stay tuned over the next few months for additional news from Sescoi regarding automatic CAM in the dental and general mechanical fields.

How automatic can CAM software become? What do you consider necessary for automated CAM? What would you like to automate if you could? Leave comments below.

Milled Dental Part

Milled Dental Part

Filed Under: CAM software, Dental CADCAM