CNC-controlled high-tech machines support prosthetics manufacturing, permitting high-quality products despite subjection to the continuing high cost pressures.

The idea for a new medical implant normally arises to meet a practical need. It is a long process before the implant is producible in quantity: Taking approximately 12 to 18 months from the first drawing, including the design and job planning, through the completed, approved implant.

“After receiving, for example, a request for a new product from an orthopedist, we first design and develop a prototype,” explained Hans-Joachim Mahr, production manager at implantcast Corp. in Buxtehude, Germany (see sidebar). “The CNC controller assumes an important function for the transfer of the CAD/CAM data to the actual production. It supports the idea and the virtual model in a workpiece that the orthopedist then can hold in his hands for the first time.”

The stock-removal process is the typical manner for manufacturing artificial bones made of titanium. At implantcast, for example, the production of hip implants runs on DMG turning-milling centers equipped with the Siemens CNC Sinumerik 840D sl.

Each implant also has an associated, specially tailored set of instruments required for the implantation. This includes, for example, a surgical rasp used to prepare the bone.

Because its powerful machine functionality is suitable for both complex single parts and large production runs, not only the quantity production, but also the production of one-offs runs on the same machine. The fast data processing of the 840D sl is a particular advantage for the standard implants produced in quantity. implantcast also offers, for particularly complicated applications such as cancer patients, the manufacturing of patient-specific implants. In this case, cutting of the implants are to the associated bone structure with the help of a CT or MRI picture. For this single part production, implantcast uses the comprehensive setup functions of the Sinumerik that permit the fast machine setup.

Powerful cycles support the programming and setup for turning-milling machines with integrated B axis.

For example, the CNC user interface has, on all levels, self-explanatory icons that are configurable as popular keys. Furthermore, many intelligent functions are available that assist the measuring of tools and workpieces. These measuring functions can be used both for the setup and process measurement, that is, the overall quality assurance during the machining. The Sinumerik Operate user interface also integrates simple swivel commands that simplify the machine setup. Characterized by its easy handling, despite its high-level functionality is the Cycle 800’s swivel cycle. The swivel functions are available both for the swiveling in a machine axis and in an axis of the workpiece coordinate system. The CNC also handles, immediately, any required coordinate transformation.

Irrespective of the one-off or quantity run, the highest demands are on each individual medical engineering workpiece. Rigorous quality and precision standards ensure there is no letdown. Furthermore, the manufacturer is responsible for validating the complete production process, which means that even prototype construction must satisfy the same conditions as the subsequent volume runs.

http://www.onlinetmd.com/tmd1211-prosthetics-manufacturing.aspx

TW Ward has complete a massive machine relocation project – moving 67 machines without disrupting production for a Middle East oil and gas specialist.

In total, the project involved 38 CNC machines and 12 manual machines - moved from Dubai to Abu Dhabi – plus 15 CNC and two manual machines from North America to the UAE

The ability to re-locate a critical manufacturing plant without severely affecting production output is no mean feat. Especially when, as part of the move, a number of large-capacity machines had to be taken out of action and totally re-engineered.

But that was the project that confronted Andy Simpson, General Manager at Weatherford Manufacturing & Services in the United Arab Emirates, part of the leading global network specialist supplier of components and services for the world’s oil and gas industry.

He spent more than a year ‘‘marshalling’ the scheme – and, he says, the experience and expertise of the engineering and service team from T W Ward CNC Machinery of Sheffield proved a key ally in the five-month campaign to relocate Weatherford’s Dubai plant to Abu Dhabi.

For its part of the project, T W Ward engineers not only carried out the transfer and re-commissioning of 67 machines from sites in Dubai and the United States to Abu Dhabi, but they also undertook the refurbishment and repair of two large Butler Elgamill bed-type machining centres. And one of the company’s senior engineering technicians remained onsite for the duration of the project as the ‘on the ground general’. He was complemented by a squad of service engineers flown in from Sheffield, and T W Ward also sent engineers from its South Yorkshire base to North America to de-commission 17 machines then expertly re-commission them upon their arrival in the Middle East.

In total, the project involved 38 CNC machines and 12 manual machines - moved from Dubai to Abu Dhabi – plus 15 CNC and two manual machines from North America to the UAE. The tally included a range of small to large-capacity lathes, machining centres and milling machines (some with bed capacities up to eight-ten metres).

Operating in over 100 countries and employing more than 50, 000 people worldwide, Weatherford is one of the largest global providers of advanced products and services that span the drilling, evaluation, completion, production and intervention cycles of oil and natural gas wells. Its business is focused on a number of core service lines – artificial lift, drilling services, well construction, drilling tools, completion, wireline, re-entry and finishing, stimulation and chemicals, integrated drilling, and pipeline and specialist services.

Now located in the Industrial City of Abu Dhabi, Weatherford’s Abu Dhabi Manufacturing Facility manufactures a range of products that support its business demands in the Middle East and North Africa, and are supplied globally to oil and gas sector customers.

Andy Simpson explains the reason for the move: “In short, we decided to relocate to be closer to our customers. Abu Dhabi has a larger oil and gas industry than Dubai, and most of the larger companies have offices, workshops and bases in Abu Dhabi. The move has also enabled us to position our manufacturing processes closer to some of our other operational bases, so helping to reduce logistics between all sites.”

http://www.engineeringcapacity.com/news101/business-news/big-machine-movers

Having recently introduced the new Maxima Turning Machine Range into our portfolio of products, we are now very aware of the key benefits of these turning machines to the user. The more we dig into the details and capabilities of this range of machines, the more advantages we uncover.

The major selling point behind the whole range starts and finishes with performance against cost.

We are all aware that in today’s manufacturing sector there are many options when looking for a turning machine/centre or a multi axis lathe. Every Engineer has the same goals and targets when making an addition to his/her machine shop capacity;

• Minimum cost !
• Maximum productivity !
• Quickest return !
• Most efficient performance !
• Long term reliability !

Finding all of these in a machine tool purchase can be compared to a Premier league football club looking for an international superstar on low wages with a 100% fitness and track record - a true rarity. Well, with the Maxima Turning Centres there is distinct parallel to this analogy.

The machines are designed and built with a confident awareness of all these requirements. Starting with the foundation, the bed of the machine is built using a Finite Element Method based on a tubular design. Without a diagram it’s difficult to describe, but this design delivers true rigidity of the highest order. The tubular design absorbs and dampens vibration, providing a very stable structure suitable for cutting all types of materials.

A state of the art Mitsubishi CNC control also features on all of the range of machines. This control is a high performance model, developed to cater for both simultaneous and multi axis machining. Its high speed processing speed and ease of programming fully complements the machines’ exceptional mechanical performance.
As expected, Maxima Turning Centres are built using the latest technology in order to achieve maximum productivity. Both spindles deliver the same machining capability, meaning the Maxima isn’t a sub-spindle machine - the Maxima is a true twin-spindle machine. Operations undertaken on the front spindle can also be duplicated on the opposing spindle with absolutely no compromise in performance. Both the gang slides and the bottom turret can be brought in to machine a part held in either spindle, offering complete flexibility and a balanced operation, resulting in high speed manufacture.

Unbelievably, these turning centres are lower in cost than most other production machines available in today’s market-place. The Maxima machines do actually provide a reliable solution to the engineers’ requirements mentioned above.

http://www.machinetooldirect.co.uk/machine-tool-news/Production-CNC-Machining-Maxima_201.asp

Electrochem Solutions, a subsidiary of Greatbatch, has introduced a multi-pallet wireless sensing system particularly for CNC machining operations. The sensing system performs monitoring of the fixture clamping pressure for effective, safe and accurate machining operations.

A pressuresensorone (PS1) for wireless multi-pallet sensing solutions

Linda J. Collette, Electrochem’s Business Development & Marketing Director, stated that during machining operations, the maintenance of a predetermined hydraulic clamping pressure is critical to get rid of the production cycle delays, expensive repairs and equipment damage. Collette added that the company’s wireless sensing solutions can monitor maximum of 127 pallets and also ensures extraordinary automation and control over the CNC machining operations.

The company’s multi-pallet sensing solution includes a base station and wireless sensors. The company’s patented pressuresensorone (PS1) fixed to the holding fixture ensures the wireless monitoring and transmission of measured pressure values to the base station. In addition to the transmission of pressure measurements, the PS1 also transmits the battery voltage and temperature values measured inside the sensor and at the pressure port to the base station. The operators are allowed to perform close monitoring of the system’s health.

The company’s basestationone multi-pallet (BS1-MP) includes a display designed with a touch panel, which performs many functions. The touch panel display will be used to adjust the threshold of the wireless sensor according to the fixture’s requirement, to switch between sleep mode and active mode based on the need and to set the data reporting frequency. The basestationone also performs monitoring of the hydraulic clamping pressure of the machines and alerts the machine’s controller by an alarm signal, when the set pressure exceeds the threshold value.

http://www.azosensors.com/news.aspx?newsID=3533

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Nov 10, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — James Mann, CEO of M4 Sciences LLC, announced Wednesday (Nov. 9) that the company has achieved a milestone in product development of the TriboMAM(R) drilling system for Modulation-Assisted Machining(R) (MAM) technology. The company has just completed demonstration of a next-generation TriboMAM drilling system design that will be adaptable to CNC vertical and horizontal machining centers that require rotating tools (referred to as “live” tools).

“The successful demonstration of a rotating TriboMAM drilling system will expand M4 Sciences’ target market by tenfold over our current commercial product,” Mann said. “The market is adopting MAM technology and TriboMAM for drilling in CNC lathe machines, and the expansion to vertical and horizontal machining centers will revolutionize precision hole-drilling processes around the world.”

He added that vertical and horizontal CNC machining centers make up the majority of metal machining systems world-wide, and production of a diverse range of high-performance products in the automotive, aerospace, electronics and orthopedic sectors require some type of drilling on CNC machining centers which can benefit directly from TriboMAM drilling systems.

M4 Sciences’ MAM technology enables up to a 500 percent increase in productivity in precision drilling for the manufacture of orthopedic, automotive, aerospace, industrial and hydraulic systems. In 2009 M4 Sciences introduced the first commercial TriboMAM drilling system that superimposes a low-frequency oscillation in machining processes, and the company received the 2010 R&D 100 Award. In September 2011, the company announced a technology sublicensing agreement with a world-leading manufacturer, Belgium-based NV Bekaert SA.

The machining technology developed by M4 Sciences was discovered at Purdue University’s School of Industrial Engineering and licensed through the Purdue Research Foundation’s Office of Technology Commercialization. Mann, also a co-author of the patents, co-founded M4 Sciences in 2005 at the Purdue Research Park.

“M4 Sciences is a recognized leader in ultra-precision machining and this new development is a tremendous asset for the global metals processing industry,” said Joseph B. Hornett, senior vice president, treasurer and COO of the Purdue Research Foundation, which manages the Purdue Research Park. “The growth of this product is a testament to the important research being conducted at Purdue and how discoveries such as TriboMAM are making a global impact.”

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/m4-sciences-announces-new-product-development-innovation-2011-11-10

Torchmate Inc, a Lincoln Electric Company, has responded to CNC market demand by launching the Torchmate® Growth Series™ 4X4™ CNC machine — a new, versatile and adaptable robotic metal cutting product that adds to the company’s growing list of industry-leading CNC offerings.

The brand-new Growth Series™ 4X4™ machine will be showcased at the FABTECH Expo, North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating and welding trade show, from Nov. 14-17 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL - Lincoln Electric Booth #5922. The Growth Series™ 4X4™ will be officially offered for sale on Nov. 28 through nationwide distributors and by calling Torchmate direct at (866) 571-1066.

With the Growth Series™ 4X4™, Torchmate delivers a machine that grows with the consumer’s needs. Based on the overwhelming popularity of the company’s Growth Series™ 2X2™ and 2X4™ CNC machines, the Growth Series™ 4X4™ packs state-of-the-art plasma cutting, engraving, and routing capabilities into a larger cutting table size that increases the range of metal products the machine can cut.

Growth Series™ 2X2™ and Growth Series™ 2X4™ machine owners can upgrade their machines to the Growth Series™ 4X4™ at an affordable price. The upgrade options allow Torchmate customers to invest in a Torchmate CNC machine with confidence, knowing their purchase is flexible enough to be converted into a larger sized CNC machine effectively and affordably.

“The launch of our Growth Series™ 4X4™ machine underlines Torchmate’s continuing commitment to create machines that provide the affordability and flexibility that small businesses and hobbyists demand,” said Torchmate General Manager Bill Kunz. “The Growth Series™ 4X4™ allows CNC machine owners to upgrade their machines to keep pace with the expansion of their business or personal needs without starting all over.”

The Growth Series™ 4X4™ has been designed with small metal shops, sheet metal companies, career and technical schools, hobbyists and the off-road and racing industry in mind. The Growth Series™ 4X4™ can be used to design and cut everything from intricate and professional-quality metal parts to chassis or suspension components. Sold with versatile software and compatible with multiple tools, the Growth Series™ 4X4™ has functions that are repeatable and precise — allowing a Torchmate machine owner to churn out many copies of the same metal part with a single computer click.

The price tag on the Growth Series™ 4X4™ sets it apart from the competition, and is another reason the Torchmate line of products have become a favorite of small businesses and hobbyists.

For information on Torchmate, and the new 4X4™ visit: torchmate.com Or call toll-free (866)571-1066 or Internationally at (775) 673-2200. For more information on the FABTECH Expo, visit: http://www.fabtechexpo.com/

Torchmate® Growth Series™ 4X4™ CNC Prototyping System package (starts at $4,995)

• Three-axis motorized system (2 x-axis drives and 1 y-axis drive and motor)
• Torchmate Growth Series™  4×4™ Driver Software
• Growth Series™ 4X4™ water table available (perfect for dust and airborne particulate control)

From an early age traction engines have played a major role in Richard Scourfield’s life, his admiration for the craftsmanship of bygone times influencing his decision to become an apprentice engineer. Although he spends much of his time restoring examples of this alternative to the heavy draught horse, he is adamant that it remains a hobby and separate from his day to day role in charge of subcontractor Bartlett Engineering Co.

Having spent several years in the power generation industry, it was his father’s ill-health that led to Richard and his wife Kay buying the family business some 26 years ago. At that time Bartlett Engineering, having begun as a vehicle body builder, was primarily a fabrication shop offering ring rolling, section bending and plate rolling. Precision machining was introduced to broaden the company’s appeal, and it has since succeeded in this objective with, for example, the Sageston, South Wales, company providing 24 hour, seven days a week emergency cover for local refineries and gas processing plants. Much of this is maintenance and repair work involving reverse engineering of damaged or worn parts.

The subsequent introduction of CNC machine tools to what is essentially a job shop environment has resulted in a higher hourly charge-out rate but, says Richard Scourfield, this is more than offset by significant reductions in cycle and delivery times. “Careful investment in CNC machinery has made it possible to not only economically produce large production runs but also to be cost-efficient on smaller production runs and one-offs.”

However, he admits that his commitment to traditional engineering skills did delay the transition to CNC machining. The impetus for change came with an invitation and subsequent visit to XYZ Machine Tools’ 21st anniversary celebration in 2005, and a demonstration of the plain English prompt programming of the ProtoTRAK CNC system. “My mind was made up there and then that I was going to buy one of these machines. It’s a decision that I wish I had made years before and it is a decision that I have not regretted since.”

Despite Richard Scourfield’s insistence that traction engines are a hobby and not a commercial activity, Bartlett Engineering does have a specialist workshop on-site for the repair and construction of steam boilers and engines ranging from half-size models to full-size locos and traction engines. So, inevitably, replacement parts are made in-house for fellow enthusiasts as well as for his own projects. “We’ve made lots of pins, con rods and so on using our XYZ machines, often working from original drawings. But while we do use modern materials and methods of construction, the objective is always to remain true to the traditional look and feel. This takes time, which is why my latest project – the restoration of a 1909 Charles Burrell & Sons traction engine ‘Joe Chamberlain’ – has taken several years to complete.”

Bartlett Engineering’s most recent capital investment is a 7.5 kW/2500 rev/min XYZ ProTURN SLX 425 1250 mm between-centres CNC/manual gap bed lathe, bought to replace an earlier model in accordance with the company’s policy of updating on a regular five-year cycle. It joins an 11 kW/1800 rev/min ProTURN SLX 555 1750 mm between-centres CNC/manual gap bed lathe and a 3.75 kW/5000 rev/min ProtoTRAK SMX 3500 CNC/manual bed mill that has full CADCAM/DXF capability.

“We went to XYZ originally because we didn’t want to get into G and M code programming. We wanted simple conversational programming that could be used by everyone from older generation manual machinists to young people with limited machining experience. I had one person who was pretty sceptical of CNC and how it would assist us, but it took just ten minutes with the ProtoTRAK control to convince him of the benefits. As for me, it did take a little while to get into the mindset of telling the control the shape I wanted to end up with and then working back to what I wanted to make it from, but the training provided is brilliant.”

http://www.machinetooldirect.co.uk/engineers-case-studies/XYZ-easy-to-use-CNC-Machining-_2011.asp

Koike Aronson Inc.– Arcade, New York, has over 90 years of experience manufacturing high quality metal cutting, welding and positioning equipment including: CNC Oxy-fuel, CNC Plasma, Precision Laser, Water-jet-cutting machines, Welding Positioners, Portable Cutting and Welding Carriages.

The KOIKEJET®Waterjet  System, American-Made in Arcade, New York, is a Precisions High-Pressure Waterjet Cutting Machine that utilizes straight water cutting or abrasive water jet cutting to cut a large variety of materials from thin gauge up to 8” thick.

The KOIKEJET machines are built with American-made KMT intensifiers Pumps; 55,000-60,000 PSI pumps and 90,000-100,000 PSI pumps are available.  The KOIKEJET® is a heavy duty precision ground ball screw designed system for maximum precision and rigidity, and built to the most stringent standards in the machine tool industry.

The KOIKEJET® Will Cut Materials up to 8” Thick:

Koike Aronson provides customized designed abrasive water jet cutting machines to fit the exact special application of each customer.

The Koike Lasertex Cutting Machine was designed to address the increasing demand for reducing the cost of operating expenses by utilizing unlimited cutting width and length for multiple plates or large master plate, and unmanned or lights out operation.

The Lasertex Cutting Machine features a 4 kilowatt and a 6 kilowatt laser resonator which is mounted to the cross axis drive carriage with fixed laser beam path, not just gantry mounted; this allows the Laser Cutting Machine to be used in extra wide and extra-long applications, without moving external optics.

The CNC Laser Cutting Machine will cut a plate thickness up to 1.25” and in a variety of materials including aluminum, stainless steel, mild steel, glass and more. 

Matt Allen, Vice President of Advanced Machinery says, “Our new partnership with Koike Aronson is a perfect addition to our lineup of high quality, extremely affordable CNC Milling, Turning, CMM, and EDM machinery including American-made Milltronics CNC, Kent CNC, CHMER EDM, Anderson American, and Brown & Sharpe CMM.” AMC provides New and Used Machinery including CNC Milling, Turning, Grinding, Water Jet, Lasers, Comparators, EDM and CMM, and new and used manual machine tools, accessories, tooling, and supply.  Quality services include factory authorized service, parts, training, and support for the quality machine tools that they provide. Complete turnkey systems, return on investment analysis, financing, leasing and rentals, machine storage, as well as their own hauling and rigging is available.

Advanced Machinery 2011 Machine Sale and Annual Fall Open House

OVER 150 NEW & USED MACHINES WILL BE IN STOCK AND ON DISPLAY. FOR OUR GUESTS WE WILL SERVE HICKORY RIVER BARBEQUE PORK SANDWICHES AND OKTOBERFEST BEVERAGES FROM 11 AM-6 PM each day.

Displays and demonstrations October 19^th and October 20^th at the Advanced Machinery 2011 Machine Sale and Annual Fall Open House located at the company’s 36,000 square foot facility and showroom.  Advanced Machinery, can be found just off of I-75 and just south of I -70 in Dayton, Ohio.

http://www.mfrtech.com/articles/19550.html

The site – located at ccmachineusa.com – features content detailing C & C Machine’s milling, turning and inspection services, as well as a downloadable .PDF of its Quality Manual, which the company uses to ensure customer satisfaction. Visitors can request quotes using any page of the site or find contact information for specific staff members.

Danconia Media gave the site a clean design that’s easy to navigate to maximize conversion. The site was engineered for scalability, so C & C Machine can build it out with volumes of content as the business grows down the line. C & C has hired Danconia to perform monthly search engine optimization (SEO) work to increase the site’s online visibility.

The site was developed using a highly robust, yet user-friendly, content management system (CMS) that C & C’s staffers can now use to add, remove and modify its content in-house. This saves the company considerable costs since it needn’t rely on a third-party agency for updates. And since the CMS is open-source, it’s free of the exorbitant licensing and maintenance fees that proprietary solutions carry.

Founded 25 years ago, C & C Machine offers a suite of services, including custom finishing, sheet metal, special processes, assembly and engineering. The business started out in 1986 in a garage and has grown into a full CNC machining complex.

About C & C Machine
C & C Machine, Inc. (ccmachineusa.com), established in 1986, has grown into a CNC machining complex. From simple parts to very complex, prototype to production, plastics to metals, C &C makes them all. Integrity and quality is C &C’s commitment to its customers and our employees. At C & C Machine, employees utilize the latest technology of shop floor control and Cad/Cam systems to take products from concept to reality. C &C’s precision machining centers are equipped with multi-axis, auto feed and pallet changers to maximize production, quality, and cost effectiveness.

About Danconia Media
Danconia Media ( danconia.com) is a full-service web design and marketing firm that takes a unique approach to both online and traditional campaigns. Specialties include web development, search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), Internet marketing, social media marketing, online reputation management, graphic design, logo design, corporate business card design, trade show display design, email marketing and copywriting.

http://www.newswiretoday.com/news/98332/

An application-specific CNC system from NUM is helping machine tool manufacturer Sinico to produce a fully automated, 9-axis rotary transfer cut-off and end-finishing machine developed for manufacturing volume batches of parts from metal bars and tubes. Sinico is an Italian designer and builder of automatic, rotary transfer cut-off and finishing machines, and thanks in part to the high speed CNC system, its new machine is considerably faster than the model it replaces.

Sinico’s new TOP 2000ri machine is the latest in a long series of flexible chip-removing machine tools. It is developed for use in various processes, like cutting, facing, chamfering, boring, centering, turning, drilling, threading, tapping and milling. The machines also handle shaping operations, such as flaring, tapering, rolling, pressing, marking and knurling. Manufacturers use the machines to produce hydraulic components, and parts for electric motors, industrial chains, power transmissions, and earthmoving machinery, as well as automotive components. Contract machining is another strong application.

The performance of Sinico’s new TOP 2000ri is impressive: loading and setting of blank bars or tubes takes just 9 seconds, compared to 21 seconds on previous-generation machines; since this operation is repeated many times during a production run, it helps improve throughput significantly. Capable of accommodating tubes from 8 to 120 mm in diameter and bars from 8 to 80 mm, the machine can accept feed material up to 6.5 meters in length and produce parts up to 640 mm in length. These attributes, combined with its fast changeover capabilities, make the machine a supremely flexible solution for manufacturers producing a wide diversity of parts.

Sinico has used NUM CNC systems on several of its machines, and the two companies have collaborated to develop new cutting and shaping techniques. NUM develops CNC control packages for customers, with a focus on high-end applications, and it also integrates third-party products in application-specific solutions.

Sinico chose to base all of the TOP 2000ri’s motion-control functions on NUM equipment for two main reasons. First, it needed the flexibility and multi-axis capabilities of NUM’s new-generation Flexium 68 CNC system to accommodate the machine’s fast throughput and changeover characteristics. Second, it wanted to continue partnering with a company prepared to offer a fast and reactive service for collaborative software development.

All power supplies, drives, and motors (including five high-power spindle motors) were also supplied by NUM. The main rotary transfer stage of TOP 2000ri, which clamps and loads cut-to-length material into the end-finishing stages, is driven by a large NUM BPH brushless motor capable of generating up to 36 Nm of torque. This high-speed stage feeds up to four workstations sequentially, making 90-degree moves in less than 0.4 seconds. The finishing stages of the machine employ five, asynchronous AMS series spindle motors, each rated at 9 kW, plus a further eight NUM brushless motors for various position control tasks.

On the control side, there are seven single-axis NUMDrive C units, six rated at 130 A, and one at 14 A. There are also three dual-axis 50 A NUMDrive C units. The drive rack is powered by a NUM 120 kW regenerative regulated power supply together with an auxiliary power supply. Overall control of the machine is handled by NUM’s new Flexium 68 CNC system.

The application-specific software for the Flexium CNC system was developed by NUM in conjunction with Sinico, using the CoDeSys hardware manufacturer-independent IEC 61131-3 programming system. This approach made it easy for engineers to share development. The application-specific HMI uses a NUM FS152i P2 control panel, featuring a touch-sensitive screen and an integrated industrial PC, together with a customized keyboard and a hand wheel for making small parameter adjustments easily and quickly. The code for the HMI was developed by Sinico, using standard Visual Basic to call routines from the NUM-supplied libraries.

The entire process flow on the TOP 2000ri is synchronized by NUM’s advanced new CNC kernel, Flexium CNC. This is over four times more powerful than the fastest version of NUM’s well-known Axium controller, which has been a popular choice for machine tool applications for many years. The HMI is specifically designed to present machine operators with a clear portrayal of each manufacturing stage, so that they can familiarize themselves easily with the entire process. A large number of different setup parameters can be stored and recalled at any time, enabling a changeover of the part being manufactured to be accomplished in very short timescales. This minimizes machine ‘dead’ time and helps maximize overall productivity.

The TOP 2000ri features Sinico’s patented AVTC system, which continuously varies the feed rate to the machine’s cut-off stage to ensure that a constant volume of material is removed. The software automatically generates an ISO program for the ideal cutting speed curve, depending on the dimensions of the bar being processed and the shape that has been specified. This reduces cutting times to an absolute minimum and helps to increase the life of the saw blade.

http://www.machinetoolsonline.com/article.mvc/Fast-CNC-Improves-Productivity-Of-Cut-Off-0001