NCSIMUL saves time &
money for space component
machining specialist
Collision checking NC programs at a California-based
company operating in the fi eld of space technology and
manufacturing large, space-related components
previously was a manual affair, until recently.
Marton Precision Manufacturing’s 5-axis machinist,
Miguel Chavez, would frequently dry-run programs and
even climb up into the workshop’s gantry mill to
physically check. Even then, he says, he didn’t always
discover a problem until the end of the program. “When
that happened, I had to make adjustments and begin
the dry-run process again. And if the xtures needed
adjusting as well, that meant taking an additional step.”
In addition, the company used to buy an extra billet
of material in case there was a problem during the
actual machining process. “Buying an extra block, just in
case, gets expensive, especially if it’s a particularly
large part. And the repeated dry runs were also
expensive, in terms of time. Depending on how long the
program was, it might take up to two days to get it
running successfully.”
All that changed, though, when Marton Precision
Manufacturing invested in NCSIMUL machine simulation
software from Hexagon ( www.is.gd/mafoki ). This now
means he can simulate, verify, optimise and review
machine programs, based on the characteristics of the
individual parts, cutting tools and the speci c CNC
machine involved. 3D graphics help him avoid machining
crashes, while complex algorithms and embedded
process-based knowledge enables cutting conditions to
be optimised. “The software reduces time I spend on
debugging programs and eliminates the risk of spindle
collisions, tool breakages and scrap, while improving
cycle times and process ef ciencies.”
One of the largest parts so far made was on a 5-axis
Hwacheon bridge mill. It was a 4.5-m 7050 aluminium
aerospace structural component. “I had it hanging off
from one side of the machine while working on the other
side, then rotated it 180° to machine the rest of it.”
The rst component that Chavez used NCSIMUL to
verify the machine G-code for was on that same
machine, with the same metal. “It was a fuel cell cover
with several 5-axis features. Now we use it all the time.
We can have a program ready within around two hours,
instead of between 12 and 16 hours. I can have it
adjusted and feel comfortable enough to run it without
having to climb up into the machine to have a look.
And we no longer have to buy an additional back-up
piece of material, so it saves us money there, as well
as time, and gives us complete peace of mind.”
Marton Precision now has NCSIMUL packages for
eight different CNC machine tools, customised for each
machine the company employs it on. Says Chavez:
“We have an STL model of the machine from the
machine tool builder, which includes control
information and other parameters; then we send it to
NCSIMUL. They then build the software package
according to exactly what we have. NCSIMUL looks at
the nal G-code that will run the machine, and if
there’s an issue with the program, I just use the edit
mode to make any necessary adjustments.”
The NCSIMUL Machine module provides machining
veri cation in three steps: it investigates and corrects
coding errors; simulates to locate collisions and
correct motion errors; and validates the machining
result.
“As well as the toolpath veri cation, it also takes
the machine’s interior features and tool movement
patterns into consideration. With NCSIMUL, we know
we’re going to get it right rst time, every time.”
Long manual
NC program
proveout and
additional
material cost are
in the past for
Marton Precision
Manufacturing,
now that
Hexagon’s
NCSIMUL is in
place
www.machinery.co.uk | MachineryMagazine | @MachineryTweets | October 2020 37
/mafoki
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