software & controls
Mastercam’s Feature-
Based Machining will
automatically evaluate the
part and program pockets,
contours, bosses, and
drilling routines with
minimal user input,
dramatically reducing
programming time.
specialist, Protomold Co Inc, boasts that it can
immediately offer a manufacturing quote based on a
CAD model submitted via its web site, and deliver parts
to your door within three days providing that they are
relatively simple designs and do not require EDM or
any of the costly and time consuming custom
engineering that normally goes into the development
of injection mould tooling. Customers load their CAD
parts on the company’s web site and the site quickly
returns a quote. No human is involved even in that
process. If the part cannot be easily manufactured, the
software gives feedback on how the CAD model could
be altered to improve the prospects, again without
anyone overseeing the feedback process. Protomold has
achieved this remarkable feat by writing its own
specialist software to interrogate the customer’s CAD
geometry, design a mould, and then to output all the
NC commands and toolpaths necessary to machine the
mould components in aluminium using its in-house
machining centres. Protomold employees assemble the
components into the actual moulds in a factory next
door, where the parts are moulded.
ZF production moves up a gear with process automation
WITH annual sales of around 12 billion euros and 120 manufacturing plants in 25
countries, ZF is a global supplier to the world’s automotive industry. Remaining
competitive in the face of lower cost base competition is a testament to the emphasis
ZF places on continuous investment in productivity improvements. For example it has
now invested in Edgecam from Planit. This is the culmination of a long-term feasibility
project with Edgecam reseller in Germany Wecomp, Edgecam’s ability to meet ZF’s
technical specification for a 3D CAM system was clear from the outset. The
requirement for the new system to integrate seamlessly into existing processes has,
however, proved to be a much greater challenge.
Eventually, all necessary interface and data transfer parameters were defined and
the main goal - the implementation of a comprehensive solution covering all processes
- was reached. This included the joint development of a tool that transfers data such
as dimensions and tolerances from Pro/ENGINEER models directly to Edgecam, which
in turn allows a very high degree of automation in part programming. As a result, lead
times are cut and productivity is increased. ‘This agreement with ZF represents a further milestone on our road to becoming the leading CAD/CAM systems
provider for the automotive sector,’ says Manfred Kukla of the Wecomp management team. ‘At the same time, this contract to purchase 50 Edgecam seats -
worth around 800,000 euro - is one of the biggest accounts in the 16-year history of our company.’
Edgecam offers a complete solution for milling, turning and mill/turn programming with unparalleled ease of use and sophisticated toolpath generation. It
is a principal brand of the Planit group - recently ranked by CIMdata as the world's fastest growing CAM vendor, with most industrial users.
www.edgecam.com
100 MWP march 2008
The entire setup works along the principles of rapid
prototyping, only you have a real component in a few
days and not simply a prototype. So you could say that
Protomold has achieved the original dream of the early
design engineers, but its software would not be easily
transferable to other companies because it relies so
much on company specific expertise and many
companies like to customise their CAM software to
accommodate unique aspects in their manufacturing
equipment or processes. You could say then that the old
problem of functionality verses flexibility applies here,
and that by making its system so functional Protomold
has also made it inflexible.
Delcam’s PowerMILL version9 CAM software, which
is planned for the summer will include a range of
enhancements to enable both faster programming and
faster machining. ‘Ever since its first release,
PowerMILL has focused on the more complex parts of
any manufacturing operation,’ explains Delcam’s CAM
Development Director Steve Hobbs. ‘Many of our
toolmaking customers tend to program the simpler
tasks, like sizing the block of material, and finishing
operations, such as cutting off, on the machine tool
control rather than by off-line programming.
However, as we have become more established in
production machining, a growing number of our
customers want to program everything with their
CAM system. This has always been possible in
PowerMILL but the new options in PowerMILL 9 will
make the complete programming process much easier.’
Put all these developments together and the
designers’ dream of collecting a working example of
his/her work from the shopfloor minutes after
completing the design is not so remote a possibility.
However, I’m sure it will be some time before all
software developers are pulling the cart in the same
direction.
www.delcam.com
www.featurecam.com
www.mastercam.com
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