AUTOMATED CAM – A MATTER OF TRUST

Bordeaux’ Grand Cru CAM

Andrew Allcock visited a famous wine-growing region of France to sample Sescoi’s CAM software developments and more. A vintage display, but one demanding the eye of a connoisseur, as he reveals

ive Tony Grew 20 minutes at Lyon Gairport and he’ll confirm the two underpinning strengths of Sescoi’s WorkNC CAM system – automation and ease-of-use. Of course, it doesn’t have to be Lyon airport – or any airport, in fact – but that’s the closest one to Macon, France where Sescoi (pronounced ses- kwa) is headquartered and where Machinery recently travelled. Macon is the most southern of towns in the Burgundy wine growing area, located between Beaune and Lyon. Mr Grew is Sescoi UK’s sales manager and he reckons that if he can get in to demonstrate WorkNC to a company, then a sale is a very high probability. But with Sescoi’s focus on automation and ease of use, its founder and owner Bruno Marko, who established the company in 1987, says that CAM users more familiar with graphics-focused packages, heavily populated menu bars and intensive ‘mouse-clicking’ can feel slightly uneasy; cheated even. Indeed, colour was a late addition to the software, he reveals with a Gallic shrug. WorkNC is a surface CAM package with a mould and die focus, with PROCESS-LED CAM but solids in V17) via WorkNC CAD; 70 per cent of its sales in the automotive At its simplest level, WorkNC is a process- examine geometry for draft angles, sector. Other sectors remain important, led toolpath creation package based smallest radii and so on; switch to however – indeed, a turbine blade around a series of data entry forms to WorkNC and choose roughing process machining cycle is a new option in Version define each process step, such as roughing, details, typically for the whole geometry – 17 due for release in September/October semi-roughing, semi-finishing and cutter (from a library, or user-defined), this year. There are 4,000 user companies finishing. The 20-minute airport toolholder (from a library, or user- worldwide with 6,000 licences; the UK demonstration went as follows. Import defined), cutting technology (speeds, lays claim to over 150 licences. geometry (or create it – surfaces currently, feeds, step-over, step-down), cutting

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strategy (chosen from a menu of some 40 machine to tackle areas only with x cycles); execute the process with toolpaths amount remaining; execute as before; created in the background; define a create and analyse a rest model WorkNC second roughing process (while roughing (remaining material model) and is processing, if you like) to remove determine cutter size required; a semi- A WorkNC junior licence is the material not taken by the first, large finish step could then be used before baseline. This is limited to machining roughing cutter, so constraining the going to the final finish stage. For the geometry with a maximum of 200 finish stage, WorkNC can tell the surfaces. All machining strategies 1 difference between upright are available, and 2-, 2 /2-, 3- and surfaces and flat surfaces and 3+2-axis machining are supported. A apply the correct strategy to full licence has no surface each surface. As the limitations and an unrestricted full processes are created, a tree licence features batch processing, structure builds in a meaning you can define multiple ‘window pane’ and each is process steps and batch process individually selectable to them unattended. The 5-axis module view toolpaths and related is an add-on, as are Auto 5, MPM settings. and LMP (see main story). Toolpaths are viewed both in ‘line’ format and in solid format via VisulNC, simply ignored – toolpaths will still be which is integrated within generated, albeit that they are not finely WorkNC. But, quite frankly, tuned in this case. it is taken as read that The airport demonstration showed toolpaths are good and safe, just how quickly it is possible to obtain since collisions are usable toolpaths. A claim backed up by a automatically corrected, and story of one UK user whose WorkNC this focus on the visual is very operator went off sick. The managing much a secondary, director created toolpaths for a job in his reassurance element. Of absence, with just a couple of telephone course, the underlying calls for basic information required. The process knowledge can be most efficient toolpaths? Probably not, tweaked to improve the but very much better than no toolpaths. efficiency of the outcome, An important aspect of WorkNC is but playing around with that it employs a three-stage and not graphics is not WorkNC’s two-stage process. First, toolpaths are chosen route. created independent of a machine, then The completed set of the machine is chosen – catering for any process steps created in specific machine kinematics – and, the demonstration was finally, the file is post-processed for that then saved as a template machine/control combination. The for use on other similar or separation of the first two stages allows even dissimilar geometry. jobs to be processed easily for different In the latter case, if the machines. The second stage also allows process steps/strategies for a visual representation of exactly how are irrelevant, they are the job will be processed on a machine

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without the aid of a third-party package to display the post-processed G-code, as would be necessary in a two-stage WorkPLAN – managing information process. This three-stage process is particularly Effective generation of efficient toolpaths for surface machining is one focus of relevant to 5-axis machining in the area of attention for Sescoi, but another is efficient organisation of companies that collision checking and also because the perform this machining, specifically mould tool makers. And its WorkPLAN processor-intensive stage 1 is undertaken software is a solution for managing the “chaotic” one-off environment of only once – any change of machine is toolmaking, with the functions within the software ‘mapping’ onto the various made at stage 2, saving time. existing functions of a company. Fundamentally, to know whether a job is WorkNC’s recently launched 5-axis profitable or whether a machine’s capacity is fully utilised, underpinning details module employs the same forms-based must be known. “WorkPLAN optimises commercial processes and allows entry of process details and cutting decisions to be made on facts not feelings,” says product manager Rudolf strategy as before to generate stage 1 Szegfue, and with cost transparency, profit and loss are quickly identified, he toolpaths. It is possible here to limit, say, adds. New functions to be released include an MRP module to support series a-, b- or c-axis angles if you already know production of components, a multi-site module that allows companies working that you want to constrain these values, together to synchronise their data, improved management reports, together with however. improved capacity planning and scheduling facilities. There are 300 users Full geometric details of machine worldwide, and Alan Spargo, High Wycombe and Woodhey Engineering collision surfaces and clamps are Company, in Bacup, Lancashire are UK users. To get companies started, Sescoi incorporated in stage 2 of the process is to introduce MyWorkPLAN later this year – a seven-day anonymous trial will when the machine is selected, with the be offered, together with a 30-day registered option (see also page 48). machine models created by Sescoi based upon machine tool builder supplier geometry. Collisions are detected and the toolpath will feature a ‘jump’ over the machined together on a pallet with the corrected, where possible, but if things offending area. These areas are revisited fewest toolchanges. The programs are have gone really badly, a calculation error following part reposition to allow access joined together such that common tools message brings this to the user’s attention. prior to the creation of new toolpaths. are loaded as few times as possible, with Another possibility is that, where, the maximum amount of work THREE INTO FIVE DOES GO say, a axis has asymmetric movement of undertaken at a single tool loading. In pushing the 5-axis boundaries still +90°/-15° the machine may need to A simple drag-and-drop interface further, Sescoi is introducing a ‘flip’ – rotate c by 180° and change the allows ‘projects’ to be selected and revolutionary new module for WorkNC sign of the a-axis angle. This is effectively dropped onto a pallet, while single parts with its automatic 3- to 5-axis ‘approaching from the other side’ using on pallets can be replaced in a similar conversion program Auto 5. With an the part of the a-axis that does have fashion. Standard pallet and clamping even more processor-hungry stage 1, the capacity to tilt as required. It is possible element libraries exist to help build a separation of toolpath creation and to use so-called ‘pre-angles’ for the c-axis graphical model and support collision machine selection is even more to avoid flipping, while there is also a checking. MPM is intended for the important. user-defined flipping point feature. machining of electrodes set on standard In this module, there are six main A new feature in V17 WorkNC 5-axis pallets, for example. conversion strategies; these essentially module is to be without hole LMP automatically converts WorkNC relate to the value of tool inclination geometry. This might be used in the machining programs into slices to allow relative to the surface as defined in automotive industry to drill holes at the progressive machining of standard different ways. Once again it is possible specified point locations of a polystyrene polystyrene, wood or aluminium sheets to introduce specific machine kinematic model for clay filling, for example. Only which are then bonded together to form limitations at stage 1, such as limits of the point data has to be provided and a complete model. spindle tilt. WorkNC will drill at those centre locations. This type of operation can either be Stage 2 is more complex than for Two additions made in V16, along preformed sheet by sheet on a standard standard 5-axis machining as the with the introduction of 5-axis machining centre or on the LMC toolpaths were generated for a 3-axis machining, are WorkNC Multiple Part Zimmermann machine – a combined approach and remain unchanged. The Machining (MPM) and its Layer sheet bonding and machining set-up. A kinematics of the selected machine may Process (LMP) packages. MPM, as its European project is looking at this not allow some paths to be tackled, name suggests, allows multiple separate approach for the production of steel however. Where such instances occur, WorkNC- programmed parts to be mould tools, in fact. M

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