CAM software ease of use = CAM flexibility

October 11, 2011 By cjordan 1 Comment

Early CAM systems used to be language based, so the programmer had to type in all the commands for both the geometry and the machining operations, making it a highly skilled task which required long training courses and lots of technical support – great for job security, but bad for profit and efficiency. Thankfully those days are long gone, and only live on in the memory of CNC programmers who have been in the business for more than 20 years.

However, the legacy of those times still survives in specialist programming offices. These can be justified where the product or machining is extremely complicated, but for most applications it is not necessary, and with automated systems it is perfectly practical for many more people in an organization to carry out CNC programming both on the shop floor and in the office.

The advantages for companies are immense. There is always someone available for programming eliminating staffing problems for vacations or sickness, job satisfaction can be improved through increased responsibility and extra job interest, specialist programmers are no longer required except for the most complex applications, companies can make better use of equipment – no waiting for programs, and engineers can use their skills in other areas instead of routine CNC programming.

Programming at Jaguar Land Rover is done by experienced and skilled machinists. Having the software in the workshop enables them to program parts themselves, and optimize CNC toolpaths while the machine tools are cutting. Not only has this enriched their skill set, but it has also empowered them by giving more control over the machining process

Most managers agree that work force flexibility produces major productivity gains without extra cost, so like Jaguar Land Rover ease of use needs to be at the top of the check list for a CAM system.

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Automation Part 2 – flexibility

April 14, 2011 By cjordan 1 Comment

Continuing on from the last blog about automation, let’s think about flexibility in programming.  CAM systems with little automation often have the advantage of maximum flexibility as the user can produce exactly the toolpath he wants. Taken to an extreme, you are back with manual programming, working out the coordinates for each tool position and adding G codes, speeds and feeds.

Obviously, the tradeoff is how difficult it is to achieve what you want. Where a lot of input is required by the CAM programmer, he (and very occasionally, she…) has to make many decisions as he prepares the CNC code. Results then depend on the skill of the user and also the amount of time available. For 5-axis programming, it is probably safe to say that it is virtually impossible to do this manually. Even for relatively simple 2D and 3D work manual programming can be very time consuming with some CAM software packages, making part manufacture uneconomical. What’s more, all the manual input and decision making is a possible source of error, making on-machine prove out an essential part of the process. Even worse, the CNC code produced may well need editing before it can run on the machine, introducing more potential problems.

For highly automated systems the decision making element is removed, but in some cases the methodology is so simplified that, although it is created quickly, the resulting toolpath misses out on best practice, with problems such as air cutting, overloaded tools, potential collisions and poor cutting conditions which can result in broken cutters or poor surface finishes.

Automated CAM software which is based on years of experience and R&D considers all these factors, checking for interference, avoiding over engagement of the tool, using climb milling where possible, and optimizing cutting speeds. It is like having your own expert programmer in a box, making it easy to get the benefit of the years of experience with one mouse click. Even better, systems like this give engineers tools to interactively edit the automated toolpath, so if they want to optimize it even more, they have the power to do so, giving users the best of both worlds.

Automation part 3 will look at the challenge of getting enough skilled people and how automation can help.

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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.

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