Working with lots of different CAD systems

November 18, 2011 By cjordan 1 Comment

Working with lots of different CAD systems – for subcontractors and suppliers this can be a real headache and especially if you are working with automotive or aerospace customers that use some of the high-end CAD packages.

In some cases there is no alternative to actually installing one of these CAD systems and employing a very expensive design engineer to run it, which can be justified if the majority your work is in the one market sector and you have to actively participate in the customer’s design process.

Thankfully for most people, CAD translation has moved on enough to make this unnecessary. For CAM systems neutral formats such as IGES and STEP or direct translators for products like CATIA, SolidWorks and Inventor are very reliable, enabling manufacturers to accept data from many different sources without a problem.

Once you have accepted that translators are OK, you can then choose the best CAM system for your application. Even if you have had to install the high-end CAD, transfer of model data is generally one way into the CAM system, so even for these applications a specialist, best of breed, CAM package will provide the best solution, reducing cycle times, improving quality and reducing tool breakage – real tangible savings.

Filed Under: Aerospace, Automotive, CADCAM, CAM software, CAM tips & tricks, NC machining, NC software, Other productivity software Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Supply chain collaboration

November 10, 2011 By cjordan Leave a Comment

More and more industries are following the lead of the automotive and aerospace sectors and working very closely with suppliers to achieve consistent high quality, competitive prices, reliable delivery and innovative design. Automotive companies have some very sophisticated communication software to share design data and maintain it at the correct release level, so that the right version of the product is being manufactured. When you consider how many parts go into a car, the design iterations, and the different models of each vehicle, not to mention the spare parts market, it is easy to understand how complex this can be.

On a smaller scale, every company can make use of this type of technology with CAD viewing and analysis software, such as WorkXPlore 3D. Low cost and free versions of this exist, making it practical and cost effective to share design data with many more people inside a company and throughout its supply chain.

It is well known that the largest costs associated with a new product come once the first parts or prototypes are manufactured. Getting the design right before this stage is reached clearly makes a lot of sense. By sharing data, potential problems can be spotted early, new ideas can be incorporated, and cost implications of different design options accurately assessed. Not only does this help to get the product right first time, but it helps to keep costs down, optimizes the design and helps manufacturers get products to market earlier. Not bad for low cost and free!

Filed Under: Aerospace, Automotive, Other productivity software Tagged With: , , , , ,

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.

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

Quick response the name of the game in F1

June 20, 2011 By cjordan 1 Comment

Followers of Formula 1 will be delighted by Jenson Button’s victory at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. Sebastian Vettel is human after all, overshooting a bend and letting Jenson pass on the last lap – thrilling stuff. It had me on the edge of my seat anyway!

What has this got to do with a CAM software blog you might ask? Quite a lot as it happens, as the leading teams are making changes to their cars right up to the last-minute, testing new wings, engine parts, diffusers etc. to gain valuable 1/10ths of seconds. To achieve these changes relies on a fast-moving supply chain that can respond in the space of a few hours, taking new design data and turning it into a high technology finished product without a hitch. In this industry, they don’t take no as an answer. I went to a presentation at Williams F1 a little while ago, and the speaker there pointed out that F1 was primarily an entertainment industry, which had not occurred to me before, so the staggering amounts of money involved and the pressure for success become clear when you think about it in that light.

Back to CAM software – for those supplying this industry speed, reliability, trouble-free operation and technical competence are essential elements. Suppliers can’t have a software package which is difficult to program or which won’t machine a new and complex shape or which produces unreliable CNC code. Choosing the best CAM software takes on a whole new significance in this industry as if it causes an avoidable delay it can result in lost business and the customer going elsewhere. Software that has been designed with reliability, ease of use and technical competence in mind will make programming the machines, quick, simple and trouble-free, enabling companies to spend time optimizing other parts of their production cycle.

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

UK motorsport stands to win from parallel computing

February 7, 2011 By cjordan Leave a Comment

Although there has been a decline in passenger car manufacture in the UK, it is recognised as a world leader in motorsport technology. The majority of the leading F1 teams have their research and development facilities in the country, and a large proportion of the engineers in all the teams is British. The strength of the UK motorsport industry was shown at the last month’s Autosport show in Birmingham, where trade visitors and the public could see some of the latest manufacturing innovations in the industry.

For some of the complex parts used in the cars, machining times can be several hours, requiring copious amounts of NC data, especially where 5-axis CNC machining has been introduced. To create this amount of CNC code requires a considerable amount of computing power.

Now that multi-processing computers are available, CADCAM companies are making the most of this technology to speed up the calculation times, through parallel computing, in their software. Sescoi’s WorkNC V21 CAM software, which launched in the UK at Autosport, produces speed improvements of up to 10 times.

Being able to carry out several calculations simultaneously is not a trivial task for developers, as algorithms have to be split up into smaller sections and the dependency between these calculations needs to be considered to ensure that they are done in the correct order.

For complex components, parallel computing will make a significant time saving in toolpath preparation, so the ability to produce the necessary CNC code faster will make it easier for companies involved in motorsport to satisfy the delivery requirements of their customers, and keep their teams winning.

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