Rapid Prototyping on a CNC Machine Tool
05.18.2017
In a recent article written by Kip Hanson for Cutting Tool Engineering the latest processes for performing rapid prototyping on a CNC machine tool are discussed. Several members of Partners in THINC are featured to demonstrate how newer technology makes it possible to set up jobs in minutes rather than hours. Jeff Estes, Director of Partners in THINC, is quoted, noting that “you have to look at all the pieces. It’s about doing whatever you can to save time.”
One step that Jeff recommends is cataloging cutting tools into groupings able to perform various types of work. “When you're making one of this or three of that, you can’t afford tool changeovers. You want to find the commonalities among all the tools resident in your turrets or carousels, standardizing wherever possible and organizing the work for your machine tools based on what kind of tools they carry. This helps minimize those that need changing.” It’s noted that standardizing the tool set means using a cutting tool that’s less than optimal. While this is typically something that most shops try to avoid, in this case you can justify this. According to Jeff, “If it takes you 10 minutes to change a tool and set the offset, who cares if it takes 30 seconds longer to machine the part using the existing tool? You’re saving 9.5 minutes of changeover during the setup. That’s what people need to think about.”
The article contains details about other “pieces” of machine-related rapid prototyping:
- SCHUNK: Product Manager Brad Evans said “Rapid prototyping requires the ability to load a workholding device in the machine without having to probe its position or set a work offset, and have confidence it will be within two-tenths of where it was the last time you used it.”
- ISCAR Metals: Milling Product Manager Tom Raun commented, “The ability to customize the tool in terms of reach, type of application and type of shank is a huge benefit for rapid prototyping.”
- ZOLLER: According to Dr. Gregg Bigleman, Tool Management Solutions Manager, “Operational organization, which is crucial to quick turnaround and profitable prototyping, starts with a centralized database of information.”
- ESPRIT: Don Davies, Vice President of Americas, stresses the importance of the activities that take place prior to machine setup. “One of the first things that has to be done on any job is verifying how it will fit in the machine tool. That means pulling all the cutting tools, fixtures, clamps, chucks, vises – everything needed to machine a part – into a virtual environment and checking to see how they function.”
For more information, read the full article “Rapid Rules” in Cutting Tool Engineering.
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