volume 3 number 9 spring ’99
covercoverstorystory CustomCustom BuiltBuilt DreamsDreams fromfrom thethe FenderFender CustomCustom ShopShop ff ee aa tt uu rere ss TTouchouch ProbesProbes andand ProcessProcess ControlControl Daily Grind Yields Yearly Success CutCut Test:Test: HaasHaas High-SpeedHigh-Speed SoftwareSoftware Choosing the Right Affordable Machine > C O N T E N T S
> volume 3 > number 9 > spring ’99
FEATURES > IN THIS ISSUE
Grinding Out Profits ...... 4 he term CNC machining usually conjures up visions of Co v e r st o r y Affordable Toys – Getting the Most Bang for Your Buck . . . 8 machine tools ripping through blocks of steel or aluminum, sending chips of metal slamming against Maintaining Control With Touch Probes ...... 24 T the machine’s enclosure. But, according to Webster, machine Fender is an American icon, and Application Solutions ...... 33 Fender guitars are known around the tools are defined as: power-operated machines used for world for their characteristic quality, gene r al cutting and shaping of metal . . . AND other sound and style. With the help of their substances. In this issue, our cover story details how Fender Haas VMC, the Fender Custom Shop INDUSTRYNEWS takes these characteristics to another uses one of these ot h e r su b s t a n ces to create mus i cal mas t e r p ie c e s . level as they turn customers’ musical Y2K Update ...... 3 Yes, that’s a guitar on the cover. And, yes, it’s made of dreams into reality. wood, as most guitars are. The unique thing is, it was WESTEC Wrap Up ...... 3 machined at the Fender Custom Shop on a Haas VF-4. Haas Year End Figures ...... 26 Although wood is a material not usually associated p14. Trade Show Calendar ...... 31 with CNC machining centers, it actually can be harder to work with than metal. Wood changes shape constantly due to moisture variations, and it’s more abrasive, because it PRODUCTUPDATE sucks all kinds of grit up from the soil into its cell structure. As a result, bits and tools don’t last as long. In fact, some Gantry Mill Under Development ...... 30 ® woods will destroy a tool immediately. Another concern is High-Speed Software ...... 30 burning, use th e wron g speeds and feeds and a perfect guitar bo d y quickly becomes a useless hunk of firew o o d . Getting back to steel, we visit a Canadian grinding Co v e r ph o t o RACINGREPORT shop that increased its bottom line by adding Haas machining centers, and we take a look at controlling Building a dream. Designer Eric Strunk Gordon Kicks Off Season With Daytona Win ...... 2 created this issue’s stunning cover to processes through the use of touch probes. Dan Gurney, Arciero-Wells Join Sponsorship List ...... 26 illustrate our story on the Fender Custom In light of the recent influx of “low-cost” machines to Shop. Special thanks go out to Byll the American market, we present some things to consider Williams for the photography, before signing on the dotted line. And we show just how and to Surfcam for their help EDUCATION with the wire frame. much “bang for the buck” you get with a Haas. Haas Helps Students Reach for the Stars ...... 12 On the new-product front, we test cut the latest high- speed software for Haas mills, and give you a glimpse of what’s on the horizon for the rest of 1999.
THE MASTHEAD CNC Machining is published by Haas Automation, Inc., 2800 Sturgis Road, Oxnard, CA 93030 • 805-278-1800, Fax 805-988-6918. Postmaster: Return invalid addresses to Haas Automation, 2800 Sturgis Road, Oxnard, CA 93030-8933 postage guaranteed. CNC Machining is distributed free of charge by Haas Automation, Inc., and its authorized distributors. CNC Machining accepts no advertising or reimbursement for this magazine. All contents of CNC Machining are Copyright © 1999 and may not be reproduced without written permission from Haas Automation, Inc. CNC Machining is distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Automation Distributors, and by individual subscription request. Contact Haas Automation headquarters via mail or fax to be added to subscription list. Published quarterly. © Haas Automation, Inc. & CNC Machining Magazine names. Designed and Printed in the U.S.A. www.H a a s C N C . c o m > RACE REPORT Racing > INDUSTRY NEWS he 1999 racing season is well underway, and from with Haas: road courses and ovals to trackless trails through Haas In The Year 2000 the desert, the Haas logo is making the rounds at T C A RT FedEx Championship some of the most famous racing venues in the world. thus are not limited by the year 2000 prior to November 1998. In such cases, if Long Beach, CA ...... April 18 functions in the software for critical the floppy file is dated 00 (meaning While most vehicles competing in Shootout.” He followed that with a Nazareth, PA ...... May 2 imbedded machine controls. In other 2000), it will cause the file to not be motorsports today are equipped with multi-million-dollar win ($2.1 million, Madison, IL ...... May 29 wo r ds, the year 2000 date problem is not listed when a directory listing is some part or device machined or the largest in auto racing history) the All Haas machines manufactured applicable to the Haas operating system. requested using either the LISTPROG developed on a Haas, there are a following Sunday at NASCAR’s big Milwaukee, WI ...... June 6 after November 1998 are fully Y 2 K In addition, Haas machines built F4 method or the Advanced Editor I/0 number of race teams which proudly one, the Daytona 500. Gordon also Portland, OR ...... June 20 compliant. prior to 1996, as well as curre n t menu FLOPPY DI R E C TO R Y m e t h o d . carry the Haas logo into competition. received the “Driver of the Year” award Cleveland, OH ...... June 27 All Haas CNC controls comply production brush-type machines (VF-E This is a very minor problem that can be These racing organizations have at the annual ESPY awards ceremony with the year 2000 date re q u i re m e n t s . and VF-EXT), do not use a real time worked around by loading and saving e n t e red into a special type of the following night. Since Haas began building CNC clock. Therefore, there is no year 2000 files to floppy disk using the sponsorship agreement with Haas Teammate and fellow Winston Cup machines, they have utilized an internal date problem with these machines.
2 CNC MACHINING SPRING 1999 3 TOOLING UPS PRODUCTION “About three years ago, we Turning a Daily Grind investigated the possibility of manufacturing tooling faster on CNC equipment,” says Jonni, “and thanks to Into a Cool Mill the illustrative selling techniques of Chris Morrison of Thomas Skinner & orking the daily grind is a GROUND-FLOOR GRINDER Son Ltd., our local Haas distributor, we When Jonni Fox immigrated to Canada fro m bought a Haas VF-3 VMC in January of noble way to maintain the Germany in 1966, he had no money and was unable to 1995. Chris took a piece that would status quo, but if you speak any English. But he was willing to work hard in normally take me hours to grind and W order to succeed. showed me how the Haas could deliver really want your business to grow, Learning the basic skills of the industry as an a finished part in 40 minutes. apprentice tool & die maker, Jonni soon worked his way “I was sold, and ordered the CNC sometimes you have to take chances up to quality control inspector. He eventually went into machine on the spot. Funny thing is, we S t o r y and invest in new technologies. business for himself in 1979, starting Sharp-Rite never really used the machine to work Grindings Ltd. in the Vancouver, B.C., area. that part!” says Jonni. “We started & Photos Building a business takes talent and an eye for The shop specialized in sharpening and grinding accepting some tooling orders, and P r e s t o n op p o r t u n i t y . Sometimes it also req u i r es a willingness to tools – and delivering quality work on time. Sharp-Rite when people found out about our new G r a t i o t spend money to make money, and Jonni Fox, pres i d e n t Grindings Ltd. soon had a reputation as one of capabilities, they starting giving us of Sharp-Rite Technologies in Coquitlam, B.C., has never Canada’s most sophisticated grinding houses. production work. We got another Haas hesitated to talk to the banks to finance new equipment. CNC, and it was soon booked to In fact, his company turned a corner a few years capacity as well! We’ve been milling ago and shifted its metalworking expertise fro m Fourth-axis machining proves to be a sure-fire way to increase everything from aluminum to steel on production output. Parts that used to require multiple operations grinding to milling. The growth has been so those machines. They just keep on now are machined in one setup. In addition, Sharp-Rite has phenomenal, the company finally changed its name to reduced misalignment problems to virtually nothing. Here, an cutting.” reflect the new, more diverse directions of its HRT 210 is used to position a part for multi-sided milling GROWTH BRINGS CHANGE metalworking abilities. operations on a VF-3. Sharp-Rite Grindings Ltd. was shop-sized CNC machines, so Jonni had The extensive travels of the VF-10 (120" x 32" x 30") allow Sharp-Rite to machine soon renamed Sharp-Rite Technologies to make a big decision – either he had to large parts or long-duration runs of multiple Ltd., and it now occupies two facilities start turning down some of these larger parts for the local aerospace industries. totaling 39,000 square feet. With two orders . . . or order a larger machine. Sharp-Rite was the first company in Canada to shifts a day, and more than 30 take delivery of the Haas VF-10s, and the VMCs BIG TRAVELS FOR BIG JOBS employees on staff, Sharp-Rite today have since been kept busy cutting the majority specializes in grinding, tooling and, of “W e were the first Canadian shop to of the firm’s high-quantity production jobs. course, CNC machining. have a VF-10 delivered,” says Jonni, “and In the dedicated machine shop it has been busy ever since. Now we can has also increased our tooling accuracy, area, everything from prototype articles cut some fairly large pieces, thanks to the because by using just one setup to long-run production pieces takes machine’s large 120" x 32" x30" travels.” operation, misalignment problems are shape on the Haas machines. “We were Sharp-Rite does have a couple of large r reduced to virtually nothing. given a test program to cut some mills in-house, but for the majority of the “Since the Haas was our first CNC fuselage tools for a major airplane high-quantity production jobs, the Haas milling machine,” says Solanki, “I can’t m a n u f a c t u re r,” says Jonni. “Our machines are called into play. really compare its performance attention to quality and on-time Sharp-Rite realized additional improvements to a predecessor, but we delivery so pleased the company that i n c reases in production by using a used to spend a lot of time grinding we now have a number of contracts number of Haas rotary tables for 4th- parts, now we mill them for millions.” with this manufacture r. And our axis machining. Suju Solanki, CNC reputation as a knowledgeable p rogramming manager, explains, aerospace facility is opening our doors “ P roduction has increased since we to even more aircraft-related jobs.” started using our 4th-axis capabilities. Sharp-Rite Tec h n o l o g i e s However, many of these aircraft- We run a full assortment of Haas rot a r y #2 211 Schoolhouse related jobs involve parts that extend tables, including the HRT 160, HRT 210 Coquitlam, B.C., Canada beyond the capabilities of normal job- and HRT 310. The use of rotary tables 60 4 - 5 2 1 - 4 8 8 8
4 CNC MACHINING SPRING 1999 5 High-Speed Brushless Motors (710-ipm rapids) Brushless Live Tooling The Haas live tooling option allows you to drive motors are superior to brush motors because they can utilize twice the voltage standard VDI axial or radial tools to perform such secondary operations as and current, which means higher speeds, faster acceleration and greater power. milling, drilling, slotting or tapping – both on the face of the part and And, brushless motors don’t generate brush dust, which can lead to internal shorts around the diameter. The lathe’s main spindle allows synchronous motion for milling flats, hexes and flutes, and is indexable in precise increments and accelerated brush wear. Plus, the heat producing windings in our brushless for part positioning and repeatability. motors are attached to the outer shell, which dissipates heat to surrou nd i n g air, res u l t i n g in high er duty rat i n gs in a mor e compact hou s i ng . Be f or e buying your next CNC Lathe, Electronic Thermal Compensation Wh en ballscrew s rotate they gene r ate heat. Heat causes th e ballscrew to exp a n d. With high dut y cy c l e s , ballscrew growth can lead to cu t t i n g error s . Haas’ new ETC algor i t h m ac c u r ately mod els this hea t i n g and co o l i n g effect and electron ic a l l y co m p e n sates for screw position , pro v id i n g near glass scale accurac y . Anti-Flex, Torque-Tube Base Casting Our unique, specially de s ig ne d, Haas torque-tube base c a s t i ng yields superior rig idity and gives the most ant i - f l ex i ng pro p e r t ie s of any base de s ign. It’s so stable, in fact, that the ma c h i ne will cut a c c u rately with one leveling screw re moved; and no special fo u nda t ion is re q u i red for ins t a l l a t io n .
Powerful 20-, 30- and 40-Horsepower Vector Spindle Drives with Wye- Delta Switching The Haas-designed vector spindle drive uses a true closed-loop system which optimizes the slip 5 hp from palm-size amplifier angle between the rotor and stator of the spindle motor to Th e Haa s - de s ig n ed and built brushless servo double low-speed torque and acceleration, resulting in the fastest am p l i f ie r , which is only about the size of your and most powerful spindle output ever. In addition, all SL-Series ha n d, packs an amaz i n g 5 hp punch by utilizing lathes* feature the Haas Dual-Drive system, which consists of a st a t e - of - t h e-art des i gn and manu fa c t u r i n g dual-winding motor – Wye and Delta – and an electronic switch te c h n i q u e s . It’s engi ne e r ed with rob u s t that selects the best winding for low co m p o ne n ts and built to deliver dep e n dab l e , rpm cutting, and the best winding for lo n g-life perfor ma nc e . high rpm cutting, yielding higher torque values over a wider rpm range. ta k e a close look at what you ’ r e getting. *Except 5,000 rpm SL-20
Seamless Bar Feeder Setup T he Haas servo-dr i v e n Take a look at a Haas. bar feeder is de s ig ned and built exclusively by Haas for our CNC l a t he s. It runs directly from the Haas cont rol, ma k i ng it the only “ s mart” bar feeder on the ma r ket. Unique features ma ke setup Haas Automation, Inc. a nd opera t ion simple, like a large access door for spindle line r c h a nge out, and a single adjustme nt for setting bar dia me t e r. All bar feed para meters are set at the lathe cont ro l . 800-331-6746 2800 sturgis road, oxnard, ca 93030 determining the actual value of the “low-cost” machine. What Do You Want To Be For example, a stripped-down machine may require the purchase of expensive options and accessories When You Grow Up? before it can adequately meet the needs of the shop; and the offshore t’s been said the only difference unless they already have the work. machine may not live up to expected Advances in machine tools over the past decade, quality standards, or produce the between men and boys is the size however, combined with an increasingly competitive re q u i red accuracy. Other of their toys. An addendum to that market, have made it much easier for the average Joe to important considerations are I expand his shop and keep it successful. No longer is a the cost and availability of should be: and how much they cost. million-dollar outlay necessary to get high-quality, repair parts, the availability of reliable machine tools that are accurate and loaded with service, and the history and Much the same can be said of machine shops. As options. Today, it’s possible to get into the biz and equip reputation of the manufacture r. S t o r y they get “older,” they usually need bigger and better a substantial shop for less than $200,000. Saving money up front is pointless if equipment, and more of it. That usually means the machine is unre l i a b l e , JUST WHAT WILL THAT TWO HUNDRED GRAND BUY? S c o t t more money. expensive to re p a i r, can’t be R a t h b u r n Many machine shops start from humble Well, nearly every machine tool manufacture r repaired in a timely manner, or can’t be beginnings. Some average Joe has a few pieces of today offers some sort of “low-cost” machine aimed at repaired at all. equipment – say a manual lathe and an old knee mill – the small job shop. Some of these are just stripped- Obviously, price is an important This is especially important in light of center and a mid-size lathe will more crammed into his garage so he can make the odd down versions of the company’s more expensive consideration when making any major the current shortage of qualified than fit the bill, and will provide the whatsit for his latest hobby. Inevitably, a friend needs machines, with few or no options or features. Others are purchase. But the overall value of the machinists and machine operators in capacity and capability to handle a wide something machined for his latest hobby and offers to m a n u f a c t u red off s h o re using low-cost labor and product being purchased relative to the the industry. The expense of hiring an array of jobs. For more versatility on the pay Joe to do the work. Satisfied with the work, the inexpensive materials. But low cost doesn’t necessarily price, the “bang for the buck,” if you experienced CNC machinist may not be VMC, let’s add an automatic pallet friend tells another. Before long, friends, relatives, and mean low quality. Some manufacturers, like Haas will, is much more important. acquaintances are lining up to take advantage of Joe’s Automation, Inc., keep their prices low by relying on It’s also important to look closely at Obviously, price is an important consideration when making any major machines and expertise. volume sales rather than per-unit profits, and the manufacturer of the machines you purchase.But the overall value of the product being purchased relative Realizing there might be a career in this machining employing the latest technology and automated ar e purchasing. How long have they business, Joe quits his day job and opens Joe’s Precision processes to keep manufacturing costs low. been in business? How long have they to the price, the “bang for the buck,” if you will, is much more important. Machining. With perseverance and a little bit of luck – In the short run, the result is the same: the been selling in the United States? Do and providing he does good work – the shop will customer gets an affordable machine tool. In the long they offer a complete range of prod u c t s – probably succeed and grow. run, however, there are other factors to consider when VMCs, HMCs, lathes, rotary tables, bar in the budget for a start-up shop. changer; to boost output on the lathe, As demand grows, so does the need for more feeders, tool holders? Will they be In order to survive, most job shops let’s throw in a short bar feeder. Both of equipment. At this point Joe must weigh the cost of new around to service the machine in the serve a variety of different customers these items will boost throughput and machinery against subsequent potential gains in f u t u re? Do they have a local and take on a wide assortment of work. reduce setup time, while at the same business. For many shop owners this often poses a service/sales network? Will the Reliance on a single customer or a time allowing unattended machining dilemma: They need the new machines to get the company keep up with changing n a r row scope of work can often be for further productivity gains. To make contract, but sometimes they can’t buy the equipment technology? Will they continue to d i s a s t rous. Flexibility is key, and a programming easier, a good mill/turn grow as your shop grows? These successful shop must be able to roll with CAM package is probably also in order. are just some of the questions the economic ebb and flow. Keeping The next decision is which brand of you might want to ask before profits up means keeping the price-per- equipment to buy. Obviously, this is a signing on the dotted line for part as low as possible, which means very personal choice, usually based on a those “low cost” machines. reducing setup times and incre a s i n g lot of diff e rent variables. Most shop Another consideration, throughput. User-friendly controls and owners do quite a bit of research before especially for shops just getting h i g h - p roductivity options like pallet making their final decision; but, in into CNC, is ease of use. Ideally, changers, rotary tables, and bar feeders essence, there are two basic approaches: an operator should be able to can help here. buy everything from a single learn the new equipment All that said, here’s an example of m a n u f a c t u re r, or mix and match quickly and easily. Job what you can get for $200,000: different brands. setup and changeover First, let’s decide what equipment Mixing and matching can allow should be easy, as well. you need. A mid-size vertical machining you to get exactly the specs and features
8 CNC MACHINING SPRING 1999 9 A gearbox will give you the versatility to machine at high speeds for aluminum, graphite, and plastics, while also providing the low-speed torque This may be the most important necessary for harder materials like steel, stainless, and titanium. you want in each machine, but it may speed geared head retails for less than tools. Here, again, is an area where new featur e ever offered with cause headaches down the line. Each $95,000. Add another $6,000 for a sticking with a single brand could be machine most likely will have a package of options that includes a chip advantageous, as the post-pro c e s s i n g d i ff e rent control, making operator a u g e r, programmable coolant nozzle, would be the same for all machines. training more difficult. Plus, sales and 1 megabyte of program memory, Quick The remaining $7,500 should just a CNC machi n e . especially service also may be more Code programming system, floppy disk about cover shipping to most parts of complicated, as you are dealing with drive, rigid tapping, 4th-axis drive, the United States, as well as rigging and di ff e r ent builders, and possibly even c o o rdinate rotation, scaling, custom any electrical and air modifications different distributors. macros and a remote jog handle, and necessary to set up the machines. On the other hand, going with a you’re looking at lightening your wallet Keep in mind, these are all retail single manufacturer for all your by about $101,000. prices. With the market getting more machines has definite advantages. For Now let’s look at the lathe. Again, and more competitive, many example, the operator only has to learn you’ll be cutting a variety of materials, m a n u f a c t u rers are offering customer one CNC system. Having the same user so versatility and simplicity are key. rebates, low-cost lease programs, free interface for every machine, be it lathe AHaas SL-30 CNC lathe (30" sw i n g option packages, and more as further or mill, frees the operator to move from and 14.5" x 34" turning capacity) with incentive to buy their pro d u c t . machine to machine with ease, rather 30-hp vector-drive spindle, wye/delta Obviously, prices for shipping, rigging, than being tethered to the one machine switching and programmable hydraulic and state and local taxes will vary he knows how to run. tailstock retails for less than $66,000. depending on your location. Sales and service are also Add around $8,000 for an option Now that you have the equipment, simplified, as the same manufacturer is package that includes a tool pres e t t e r , an what do you do with it? If your $200,000 Your own Customer Advocate. responsible for all machines. Staying automatic parts catcher, Quick Code expenditure is intended to move you with the same brand as you add more pr ogramming, a floppy disk drive, a out of the manual age and into the t Haas, we know things don’t always go exactly the way you planned. machines in the future also gives you chip auger system, rigid tapping, world of CNC, you’ll probably need mo r e clout than if every machine is from 1 megabyte of program memory, and some training. Most machine tool To handle any problem you may encounter, we have a national a diff e rent builder. Obviously, every custom macros, and your shop fund is m a n u f a c t u rers, or their distributors, A network of locally owned Haas Factory Outlets, each customer is important to a manufacturer , down by another $74,000. Throw in the p rovide some sort of basic operator but it’s a simple fact that a shop with a Haas Servo Bar 300 bar feeder, which training, as well as initial setup of the with a full staff of certified service technicians who stable full of machines from the same runs directly from the lathe’s control, for machine, free of charge. Most CAM you can depend on to solve your problem. builder is likely to get better service than ar ound $10,000, and you’ve got a high- manufacturers, as well, offer training a shop with a single machine. pr oductivity turning package for less for a nominal fee. They want you to be Even with all this local attention in place, we still than $84,000. happy with your purchase, so they are want to make sure you’re covered. That’s why we NOW IT’S TIME TO SPEND MONEY! But, wait! There’s more. You still going to show you how to use the Let’s start with the mill. Since have $15,000 left to spend. How about a equipment and software. developed our new Customer Advocate Program. you’ll be running a variety of jobs, the CAM system to speed pro g r a m m i n g T h e re you have it. You’ve just If you have an unresolved issue with any Haas machine, ability to machine diff e rent types of and keep your machines pumping out taken Joe’s Precision Machining to a materials is important. A gearbox or parts? A good mill/turn system will set whole new level of productivity and we want to hear about it immediately. Please contact your transmission will give you the you back anywhere from about $1,000 versatility for right around $200,000, Haas Customer Advocate at 805-988-6980. versatility to machine at high speeds for to the-sky’s-the-limit. For our purposes something that would have been aluminum, graphite, and plastics, while here, something in the middle should u n h e a rd of a decade ago. This is no also providing the low-speed torq u e suffice. Companies such as Mastercam, low-end shop, either. It’s a versatile necessary for harder materials like steel, Surfcam, Teksoft, and others, all offer machine shop with the capacity and stainless, and titanium. versatile mill/turn systems for about capability to service any industry, AHaas VF-3APC VMC (40"x20" x25" $7,500. Before making your choice, f rom aerospace to automotive to Haas Automation, Inc. travels) with automatic pallet changer, h o w e v e r, be sure the software is medical. After all, that’s what success 800-331-6746 20-hp vector-drive spindle and two- compatible with your choice of machine is all about.
10 CNC MACHINING A CASE IN POINT. Partnership with Haas Benefits Pueblo Community College students, faculty and staff are part of the Colorado Space Grant Consortium Co l l e g e ’ s Machining Tech Program (CSGC) that is working on a NASA p roject through a collaborative partnership between several Colorado UEBLO, CO – A partnership colleges and universities. The project involves work on a between Haas Automation and small-scale satellite called Citizen Pueblo Community College (PCC) Explorer 1. The mission is designed to P provide: in Pueblo, Colorado, is having a dramatic • Environmental and space education effect on the school’s Machining for K-12 students. • Significant experimentation for the Technology program. For the first time, scientific community. S t o r y Machining students Rafael Rodriquez, Joe Albano and Bill Hardwick, from left, are part of the group • Real-world experience for under - G a r y students are learning manufacturing at PCC working on the Citizen Explorer 1 spacecraft, a collaborative effort between several Colorado graduate and graduate student colleges and universities. PCC has teamed with the University of Southern Colorado as the manufacturing F r a n c h i production applications that simulate real engineers, designers, technicians and leg of the project and will share responsibilities for producing the primary satellite structure for the scientists. spacecraft using advanced manufacturing techniques. industry, as well as traditional manual Project leadership is being handled Above: Isadore Ambriz, Pueblo Community College’s machining machining skills. by students at the University of California. The Delta II vehicle is real-life projects that serve a purpose. department instructor, explains aspects of the Haas CNC control to Colorado in Boulder, the headquarters cu r r ently being manufactured at The PCC is utilizing the capabilities of its a group of students in the Gorsich Advanced Technology Center. The partnership enables Haas to showcase their for the project. They interface with Boeing Co. facility in Pueblo, Colorado. Gorsich Advanced Technology Center to Photos m a c h i n e r y, while providing PCC students with the Below: PCC students Joe Albano, left, and Neal Brown use a consortium members throughout the The close proximity of the pr oduce the close-tolerance parts for the opportunity to acquire the types of technical skills coordinate measuring machine to check a part machined on the state to coordinate activities and ensure manufacturing site has enabled students p roject. Under the direction of John C o u r t e s y that companies like Haas need to remain pro d u c t i v e school’s Haas machining centers that the project is on schedule for a to visit the facility to see first-hand the Vukich, GATC Manufacturing and P u e b l o and competitive. December 1999 launch. spacecraft attachment location and gain Services Manager, and faculty members The partnership kicked off with the acquisition of in which its students can become NIMS-certified. The Citizen Explorer 1 spacecraft an understanding of the overall mission. I s a d o re Ambriz and Art Malechek, C o m m u n i t y approximately $430,000 in Haas machining equipment “ We will be able to deliver the caliber of person will piggyback on NASA’s EO-1/SAC-C The Citizen Explorer 1 program is Machining Technology students at PCC C o l l e g e by PCC’s Gorsich Advanced Technology Center that companies like Haas would be interested in mission and will be a secondary payload an excellent example of how space ar e getting the opportunity to apply (GATC). Included were four CNC machines ( HL-2, hiring,” said Ambriz, who has taught at PCC the past on the Delta II launch vehicle that will technology can benefit life on earth. design principles, tooling concepts, H S - 1 R P, VF-1 and VF-3) along with four contro l six years. “This partnership also is a good example of depart from Va n d e n b e rg AFB in Students are getting hands-on Computer Numerical Control (CNC) simulators. Moncktons Machine Tools of Denver, the what is happening in the industry experience using real data, and the pr ogramming and CNC machine setup local Haas distributor, was instrumental in arranging t o d a y, where a corporation has input project is igniting their enthusiasm for and operation. The machines being the purchase and getting the machines up and running. into the educational curriculum, and science while providing a genuine utilized for the project are state-of-the-art The new equipment has greatly impacted PCC’s w h e re the program has built-in service to the public. CNC machining centers and lathes from Machining Technology program by allowing students a c c o u n t a b i l i t y. ” Haas Automation, Inc., that are capable PCC INVOLVEMENT to learn true, modern production manufacturing skills. A c c o rding to Vukich, the Haas of producing high-volume complex “This equipment is the backbone of our Machining Tech equipment at PCC is like none available PCC and the University of metal-fabricated parts. Haas Au t o m a t i o n program,” noted John Vukich, a member of the PCC in a tech center anywhere else. “What Southern Colorado have teamed up as Inc., Moncktons Machine Tools Inc. and team that helped form the agreement with Haas. we’ve got might be the best in the the manufacturing leg of the project by PCC have formed a team approach to G e o rge Michel of Moncktons served a vital role in country,” he stated. sharing responsibilities for producing ad d r essing the need for young people to p roviding the critical link between PCC and Haas. Such partnerships are the crux of the primary satellite structure for the learn about manufacturing and the T h rough his efforts, the final arrangements were the 54,000-square-foot GATC. It is the CX-1 spacecraft using advanced long-term benefits associated with a developed that led to a “win-win” situation for all premier technical training and education manufacturing techniques. The solar- ca r eer in a technical field. t h ree entities. center in Colorado for providing access powered satellite is approximately two The partnership is part of an aggressive move by to technology and services to meet the feet square and weighs 101 pounds. The the college to rewrite its curriculum to meet National needs of industry. Partnerships such as project brings a realistic perspective to For more information about the Pueblo Institute of Metalworking Skills (NIMS) standard s . this not only provide training and the students in terms of working as a Community College and its technology center, A c c o rding to Isadore Ambriz, PCC’s Machining education for industry employees, but team, meeting schedule commitments, call 719-549-3322. (Gary Franchi is the Technology instructor, the college is working to become also provide access to career information interfacing with customers and Communications Specialist at Pueblo one of only two colleges in the West to have a program for students. applying their technical education to Community College.)
12 CNC MACHINING SPRING 1999 13 An American-made Icon, (thefender guitar) made with an American-made Icon (thehaas vmc). When John Page, co-founder and long-time head of the prestigious Fender Custom Shop was asked how he could consider bringing a computer-controlled milling machine into a shop with a worldwide reputation for building custom, handmade guitars, he answered simply, “When was the last time you chewed down a tree?” Jonny Lang, a true blues boy prodigy with a penchant for Fender Custom Shop guitars, plays a flametop “Tele.” he retort by Page was not so much a snide remark as it was a realistic T ob s e r vation illustrating how power tools actually are a very vital element in the world of today’s craftsmen. In order to keep final costs somewhat affordable, to d a y ’ s luthier (guitar builder) is willing to leave the preliminary rough work to more economical, yet accurate, mechanical means.
While the word “handmade” does evoke visions of craftsmen chiseling away in a quaint workshop with barely even an electric light, the Custom Shop wing of Fender Musical Instruments is presently cutting guitar bodies and necks on a Haas VF-4 vertical machining center. Although not normally considered a wood cutting machine, Steve Boulanger, head of Fender Custom Shop Engineering and Tooling, saw the Haas CNC as a valuable addition to the productivity and quality of workmanship produced by this elite shop. In a highly defined market where professional guitars are known worldwide for their incredible tone “Machining wood to ±.005" players and collectors demand specific neck shapes and and beauty. tolerances has its own unique wood types, the use of an extremely accurate CNC With recent efforts to consolidate the Corona Fender difficulties,” explains Boulanger. milling machine ensures that the master builders production facilities under one roof at the new 177,000- “The main problem is that wood receive parts that are pre-cut to exact specifications with square-foot plant, the Fender Custom Shop had to pare swells or shrinks depending on the absolute programmed repeatability. It is then that these down its square footage while maintaining the ability to humidity, causing fit problems day to master builders begin working their skills as some of the produce its specialized product on time and to spec. It is day. Of course, we try to minimize best and most imaginative luthiers in the world. here that the new Haas VF-4, installed in February 1998, this by maintaining the shop has helped enhance the production-to-space ratio by environment as close to optimum as A Look at the Fender Custom Shop providing a versatile milling machine that can effectively we can, but different woods absorb Located in an industrial park on the outskirts of the cut three bodies or four necks at a time – and cut them and expel moisture at different rates, sleepy bedroom community of Corona, the Fender rapidly to exact specifications. and the last time I counted we were Custom Shop is just a short drive east of Los Angeles “The Custom Shop needed its own production using 11 or more different species in on the Riverside Freeway. ability for small-quantity, high-quality guitar and bass the construction of our guitars.” Though you would hardly know it from the outside, guitar wood components, as well as plastic This susceptibility to changes in hidden behind a non-descript door at the back of the components,” explains Boulanger. “We also make temperature and humidity has been building is the guitar player’s idea of a dream factory. A virtually all of our own unique tooling and fixturing. addressed at the new Corona facility. place where – day in and day out – some of the world’s After looking at the CNCs available on the market, we A sophisticated climate control finest master craftsmen and guitar builders meticulously found that the Haas VF-4 had the perfect combination of system maintains temperature within craft custom guitars and basses, and on occasion, even high-quality and low-price, plus machine size, ease of one degree Fahrenheit and humidity amplifiers. And these one-of-a-kind instruments and art use and special features.” He also noted that the way within two percentage points, no covers seal the ways and ballscrews from wood matter what the conditions are dust contamination far better than the outside. A good way to test this competitive brands. attention to accurate cuts is to try to It was this economy of space, time and slide a business card between the operation, in addition to the unlimited versatility side of the guitar neck and the body. the machine offered in allowing for rapid changes On a Fender Custom Shop guitar, it in final cut design – that helped to seal the deal wo n ’ t fit. Some cheap guitars have with the Haas sales reps at Machining Time such a large gap that they will Savers (MTS). accommodate a typical plastic charge card. Do not use your charge card to How Much Wood? buy one of these low-quality guitars! When putting together the order for their “With the Haas, we have cut our wood-cutting VF-4 – which was chosen to match tolerances in half while increasing the table size with the ability to machine a certain our output by 400%,” says number of guitar bodies or necks in the same Boulanger. “The stoutness of the setup – the Custom Shop opted for the 10,000- VF-4 and the 10K spindle have rpm, 20-horsepower vector drive spindle, 1,000- allowed us to increase our feed rate block-per-second processing, macros, Quick Code from 25-30 inches-per-minute to programming, 3.5" floppy disc, 4 MB expanded 150-200 inches-per-minute. memory, rigid tapping, chip auger, programmable “In addition, due to the 21-tool coolant nozzle, remote jog handle, 4th-axis capacity (20 tools in the changer and capability, coordinate rotation and scaling, and an one specialized tool mounted to the Ampro aluminum tooling plate. VMC’s table), we have incorporated many secondary The Fender Custom Shop builds a line of “Relic” guitars, above, that dupli- “The macro option is a must-have option,” operations, such as fret-slot sawing and face-dot cate the look, feel and tone of the desirable pre-‘65 Strats. With worn says Boulanger. “When we first got the machine, I drilling, into the machining cycle, thereby eliminating necks and artfully replicated nicks and wear marks, these “aged axes” are the choice of today’s professional players. must admit that I was a bit baffled by macro them in the down-stream process.” programming, but once I understood it, I don’t Like the versatile guitar that carries the Fender A rack of set-neck Telecasters, left, are ready for the know how I ever got along without it. The name – the Stratocaster – the VF-4 was a solution to a protective finish coat. possibilities of macro programming are endless. I set of technical problems, and as such opens new am currently re-writing all existing programs to avenues for expansive improvements in design and use macros. imagination.
18 CNC MACHINING SPRING 1999 19 The Birth of the Custom Shop humbuckers (pickups) or neck shapes.” The Custom Although the Fender Custom Shop didn’t officially Shop grew quickly in space and in personnel, and today exist until 1987, the idea surfaced many years earlier. boasts more than 60 employees, including the master However, the dream did not become a reality until builders. The Custom Shop is also the location of current-day CEO Bill Schultz – who saw the merit of the Fender’s West Coast Artist Relations. custom shop concept – selected Page and Texas guitar A Hive of Activity builder Michael Stevens as the first custom builders. Despite its industrial park surroundings, the Fender They started small, in an 850-square-foot space near the Custom Shop today is a veritable hive of craftsmen Corona factory, expecting to build only a handful of uring the mid-1940s, Leo with pickups bolted in place. They as Buddy Holly, the Beach Boys and busily hand-building a wide range of guitars; instruments a month. Fe n d e r , owner of a small- proved to be very prone to feedback Dick Dale — a.k.a. the “King of the experimenting with colors, finishes and electronics; and However, when word of the first guitars hit the D town electronics/radio shop and thus were limited in volume. Su r f Guitar.” The contemporary yet carefully measuring and fine-tuning dimensions. It is streets, new orders came pouring in – in numbers far in Fullerton, California, saw the need Fe n d e r ’ s solid-body guitar, however – well-balanced and comforta b l e - t o - here that the Haas VMC has earned a place in a world beyond anything the two original builders could handle. for a decent, portable amplifier while laughed at as a weird California play guitar enjoyed a long run of usually reserved for those long trained in the art of It was obvious that the company had tapped into a specifically designed for use with creation totally devoid of the design po p u l a r i t y . guitar making. previously untapped consumer need. In fact, today musical instruments. The success of and craftsmanship commonly found But the late 1960s found the At one workbench, master builder Stephen Stern almost every major guitar manufacturer has a version of this amp caught the eye of local on previous hollowbody designs – California creation finally fading into meticulously shapes the ebony tailpiece of a Fender a custom shop to satisfy the needs of the elite buyers. country music groups, and Fender was a simple, but pure, design that obscurity until a young master of D’Aquisto archtop guitar. In another alcove, master But the Fender Custom Shop is still recognized as a soon found himself manufacturing minimized feedback and maximized electronic rock whipped the artisan/woodcarver George Amicay is at work carving leader when it comes to playability and innovation. electronically amplified lap (steel) sustain. The “Tele,” as it is known in Stratocaster back into the spotlight on a Stratocaster called “The Roots of Rock,” which is Page, who just recently accepted a new assignment guitars, as well, in partnership with the trades, is still in production today. with flaming solos bellowing and as Executive Director of the Fender Museum of Music fellow entrepreneur “Doc” Kauffman. This guitar was designed to be screaming into the night. . . his name Please see page 22 and the Arts, explains, “We just grabbed a share of the Marketed under the “K&F” name, played, and to survive the hardships was Jimi Hendrix. market that I don’t think even we were aware existed, these lap steel guitars established of life on the road. Where most Tod a y , the list of recording stars Steve Boulanger selected the VF-4 because of its versatile cutting abilities the Fender name in the music guitars of the time had glued-in “set associated with Fender Musical and that’s the market share that wanted the kind of and attention to cost and quality. Contrary to popular opinion, Boulanger industry. It wasn’t long before Leo, necks,” Leo elected to make his Instruments includes such luminaries details not available on our production-line guitars at says cutter speeds need to vary greatly depending on type of wood and while not a true musician by his guitar a modular creation with a bolt- as Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vau g h a n , that time, whether it was custom pickguard materials, rate of feed — a feature provided by the Haas. own account, introduced the first on neck, because guitars exposed to Bonnie Raitt, Leroy Pernell, Bob mass-produced, solid-body electric the rigors of baggage handlers and Dylan, Bruce Springstein, Jeff Beck, Spanish-style guitar, the single- other forms of rough treatment often Beck and even blues great Buddy pickup Fender Esquire. suffer broken necks or snapped Gu y . The Stratocaster was the guitar By all standards at that time, the heads. With a “set-neck” guitar, of the future, and there is little doubt Esquire was a bare-bones model, and repairs require a trip to the luthier’s that its popularity will continue well Leo decided to upgrade immediately shop and at least a couple days into the next century. The with the addition of a neck-stiffening without that guitar. With Leo’s bolt- Stratocaster may be in its 45th year truss rod and a second pickup. on necks, a player simply bolted on a of production, but it’s far from In the rush to get this guitar into replacement neck and tuned-up the growing old. production, Fender neglected to guitar again – a gig-saving 5-minute In fact, today’s Stratocaster can sufficiently research the new fix if you had a spare neck and a be ordered in more than 20 “Broadcaster” name (chosen to screwdriver on hand! production models, and that’s capitalize on the popularity of the The Fender reputation continued to without going into the rainbow of radio and the new-fangled television). grow as Leo’s company introduced optional colors or the choice He soon was told by Gretsch Musical the first nationally-sold production between rosewood or maple Instruments that they already had an bass guitar with a fretted neck: the necks. Then there are the Custom instrument in production with that Precision Bass. This new bass guitar Shop production models – designs name — a drum set called the was followed in 1954 with the that have proven so popular that Br o a d k a s t e r . Although the spelling introduction of the most popular and many are now “team-built” in was different, Leo chose to back most copied guitar in the world . . . order to satisfy the demands of the down, and the guitar was soon the Stratocaster. buying public. re-released in 1951 as the Tel e c a s t e r . Here was a guitar that was The “Relic” series is a good While other guitar manufacturers of ridiculed by the purists, yet revered example of this trend. With vintage the time had electrically amplified by the young at heart. The Strats (1965 and earlier) now valued guitars on the market, they were modernistic styling captured the in the four- to five-figure price range, basically just archtop acoustic guitars attention of such revolutionary arti s t s Please see page 32
20 CNC MACHINING SPRING 1999 21 How do you fit 21 tools on a machine with a 20-tool capacity? If you the opportunity to speak directly with the builder, Harley-Davidson Stratocaster, with its etched-aluminum little more on its mission. Where Custom Shop builders need a special tool like this 90° fret-slot saw tool, you just locate it on ensuring that the guitar the customer receives is the body and gold hardware, to the one-of-a-kind “Disney had previously been bogged down in large batch orders thethe table.table. NowNow oneone sawsaw cancan cutcut pre-programmedpre-programmed fretfret slotsslots forfor anyany instrument he or she wanted. 75th Anniversary Hand-Carved Stratocaster” by staff of specific models, the regular production factory now is number of neck sizes or designs. “Look,” says John Grunder, the Shop’s head of artisan George Amicay, the possibilities seem endless. taking over some of this load, leaving the Custom Shop sales, “when a customer opens the case of a Custom But, no matter how breath-taking these art guitars craftsmen more time to recenter their efforts on projects Shop guitar he’s waited a year and paid his hard-earned are, for the guys in the Custom Shop – all players more demanding of their specialized skills. money for, we want his expectations to be exceeded.” themselves – it’s the player guitars that really excite them. With the current backlog of custom-order guitars, The Master Builder Program’s focus on “Art guitars are real guitars – they play and sound Boulanger says the ability of a CNC to save time will be communication and teamwork ensures the highest level great – but they’re still art guitars,” says Page. “From appreciated. “The speed and accuracy of the Haas of customer satisfaction. “It really makes the the guitar player side of it, the most exciting thing for enables a much faster turnaround time for product; and difference,” adds Page, “between just being guitar me is when a customer who is not a famous musician – the dependability, coupled with excellent and timely builders and actually being a team with the customer.” you know, just a regular guy – sends a letter that says, service, means an extremely low amount of down time. ‘I just got the 1959 Strat I ordered, and it’s the most Once again, the Haas VF-4 has cut our cycle time by Two Types of Guitars amazing thing I’ve ever played. It brought tears to my 75% – it was the perfect choice.” Custom “one-off” orders run the gamut from high- eyes.’ And we get letters like that all the time, from dollar works of art (last year’s Catalina Island Blues players who got the guitar of their dreams.” Festival commemorative Stratocaster was auctioned off for $50,000) to slightly modified versions of standard The Future of the Custom Shop production models. Within that range, there are “set Over the years, the Custom Shop has exceeded all necks,” semi-hollow bodies, exotic finishes, special expectations, and as an added benefit, the Shop has woods, custom hardware set-ups, you name it. positively affected regular production. “Basically,” says Grunder, “we make two types of “By keeping its ‘finger on the pulse’ of the needs of guitars – player guitars and art guitars. There are a lot of players, the Custom Shop has been able to stay on top of people who buy guitars because they want to put them trends,” says Boulanger, “and the knowledge the Shop has on the wall. They want something really unique, and gained from interacting with musicians has trickled down they’re not necessarily going to take it out and play it in into regular Fender production in many ways, improving a club. And then we do a lot of guitars for players who the quality and variety of the Fender guitar line.” imbedded with 100 etched stones – each carrying the just want a really unique or personalized guitar that they A lot of what gets passed on to the regular name of one of the greats of rock and roll. In still can take out and play.” production lines are subtle details like peghead shapes, another corner, master builder Alan Hamel fine-tunes a These personalized guitars can require any number fret sizes, certain finishes and hardware specs. The wide radical guitar and amp combo he calls “The Hot Rod of modifications to make them fit the desires of their choice of guitars now available from the regular Set,” a custom pearl-blue Stratocaster with remote- future owners. These deviations from the norm can production factory has freed the Custom Shop to focus a controls that allow the player to tweak the amplifier include major construction changes, from woods used, settings while playing elsewhere on stage. The antennae to hollow chambers being carved into the body to on both the guitar and amplifier are electronically raised reduce weight. In one case, a client requested the and lowered on command. In keeping with the hot-rod installation of LEDs in the fingerboard underneath theme, the guitar’s pickups are hidden underneath a carved-pearl stars to facilitate late-night visibility. louvered pickguard! Whether this was to make it easier for the player to see This holistic approach to guitar building is a large where he was on the neck, or just to make it easier for part of what makes a Custom Shop guitar so special. It the audience to see him, remains a mystery! also helps explain why the Custom Shop has been so Soon, macro programs will be written for the VF-4 successful over the last 12 years. for cutting intricate fretboard patterns, which will allow this type of ornate inlay work to be accomplished in a The 50" x 20" x 25" travels of the VF-4 The Master Builders fraction of the time it now takes to do by hand. allow for three bodies or four necks to While many different kinds of guitars are built in the be cut per setup. Boulanger designed and built the vacuum fixture that holds Dream Factory – including a full line of Custom Shop Guitars as Collectable Art the workpieces in place. Production The art/show guitars the Custom Shop has created “production guitars” – the heart and soul of the Custom has increased by 400% while Shop concept is the Master Builder Program. have been some of the most dazzling musical tolerances have been cut in half. The Master Builder Program not only involves instruments ever made. One needs only to flip through recruiting first-rate guitar builders and inviting them to the Fender Custom Shop Guitar Gallery, published by contribute their unique skills to the co-op environment, Fender and Hal Leonard, to get a taste of the beauty and but, more importantly, it provides Custom Shop patrons variety of which the Custom Shop is capable. From the
22 CNC MACHINING SPRING 1999 23 Touch Probes: A Good Choice For Closed-Loop Process Control
oday’s CNC machining capabilities, together with Tadvanced insert cutting grades and materials, offer metalcutting manufacturers unprecedented new S t o r y production potential. To m That potential has allowed many high-production S t e w a r t facilities to begin replacing dedicated transfer systems with more flexible CNC machining centers, and many small job shops to compete on equal terms with far larger OEM and supplier plants. At both levels, modern CNC machines offer the potential to make parts faster and to better tolerances. Still, potential is the key word. Both large and Photos TOUCH PROBES CAN BE AN In a high-production atmosphere like Haas Automation, accuracy is critical, and consistency from small manufacturers are quickly learning that, even S c o t t EXCELLENT FIT part to part is essential. The use of touch probes for closed-loop process control provides automatic though the CNC machine is capable of making parts feedback of gauged information directly to the machine tool’s CNC for continuous control of part size. R a t h b u r n faster and to tighter tolerances, it often can’t do so Although part measurements for At left, Ricardo Gutierrez loads a gear blank for the Haas two-speed gearbox onto a hobber for consistently without the help of some means of closed-loop process control can be made machining. The use of post-process control ensures that every blank is exactly to spec. In-process p rocess control. This is because of the many variables by a device as simple as a hand-held control, above, measures the part prior to finishing cuts to determine the tool offsets needed to keep finish dimensions within tolerance. that affect the metalcutting process. These commonly gauge, or as complex as a multi- stem from inconsistencies in the part material, insert management to target the machining process to narrow dimensional gauging fixture, the most quality or machine stability. Another primary source is tolerance bands. If the process represents an early stage cost-effective solution can often be a the machine operator himself, who can easily over- of manufacturing, the narrow tolerances maintained machine-mounted touch probe system. to control the machining process, the provide the versatility for a wide range c o n t rol or under- c o n t rol the process, and make tool- can pay huge dividends down the line by making it Unfortunately, this highly practical touch probe can meet your needs at far of closed-loop process control functions. compensation decisions that are necessarily easier and far less costly to maintain quality in later m e a s u rement technology is often lower cost than alternative hard This is especially evident in pre-process subjective. Such decisions will be diff e rent from those stages of manufacturing. rejected out of hand by Quality Control gauging systems. With a locational applications. On pallet machines, for made by other operators running the same operation Closed-loop process control can be achieved throu g h managers, since it relies on the repeatability of better than 40 example, the probe will allow you both on other shifts. feedback of gauged information either before, during or c o o rdinate feedback system of the millionths, it will successfully control to confirm the correct part, and confirm after the machining cycle. Pre- p r ocess control, in which machine to produce its measurement any process where the dimensional or correct for a good part load. If your CLOSED-LOOP PROCESS CONTROL OFFERS A SOLUTION me a s u r ements are made to establish correct setup and/or reading. Many QC people just can’t buy tolerances to be maintained are 0.001" or setup is a load of parts on a gang fixture, An effective way to eliminate process variables is depths of cut before the part is machined, is most the concept of measuring a part on the g re a t e r. What’s more, when you can use the probe to set an to invest in a system of closed-loop process control. ef fectively used for cast parts, gang fixtures and pallet same machine that is making it. And programmed correctly, the touch probe individual workshift for each part. For Such systems provide continuous control of part size machines. In-process control, which is effective for all they have a point – if you’re thinking system offers as much flexibility as the cast parts, which often introduce the through automatic feedback of gauged information types of machines and parts, is achieved by measuring along the lines of taking a measurement, CNC machining center or lathe on variables of foundry flash and thermal directly to the machine tool’s CNC. When the gauged the part prior to finishing cuts in order to determine the plotting the data on a chart and doing which it is used. Generally, the system drift, the touch probe will determine the information falls outside pre-set limits, the CNC tool offsets needed to keep finish dimensions within an SPC analysis. The probe is not will provide process control for any right amount of material to remove. activates tool offsets needed to maintain in-tolerance tolerance. Post-process control, which is used most recommended for applications where parts you can cut within the machine The touch probe is no less effective parts production. ef fectively on CNC lathes, is achieved by measuring the size data must be extremely precise, tool’s work envelope. in in-process applications, where it is An important advantage of closed-loop process part after it is machined to determine where each since its measurements can be no more used to measure parts prior to finishing APPLICATION VERSATILITY control is its predictability. Unlike human machine dimension falls within programmed statistically-based accurate than the machine tool’s operators, the system makes compensation decisions pr ocess limits. Based on these findings, the machine CNC positional accuracy. In addition to cost-eff e c t i v e n e s s the same way every time, allowing pro d u c t i o n calculates and activates necessary tool-size offs e t s . However, if your purpose is simply and flexibility, touch probing systems Please see page 28
24 CNC MACHINING SPRING 1999 25 > CONTINUED FROM . . .
RACE REPORT Continued from page 2 smallest engine now running in the the VB-1’s extensive travels to fashion international CART FedEx series, put molds used to make composite body testing at Sebring found Gugelmin the competition back on the trailer panels for the Gurney Eagle chassis. running nearly two seconds faster than during Spring Training at Homestead, BU I L T TO LA S T his best lap in a ’98 car. Florida. Patrick Carpentier dominated Arciero-Wells Racing In addition, the new version of the the timing charts, turning in the first sub I l m o r / M e rcedes-Benz IC108E “Phase 25-second lap, followed by teammate Additional CART entries carrying T h ree” engine producing even more G reg Moore, also in a Merc e d e s - the Haas logo are the two To y o t a - horsepower for 1999. While testing at powered Reynard. p o w e red Reynards driven by Scott Sebring, Blundell trimmed more than a “The results are significant because Pruett (#24) and 1998 PPG-Dayton Indy second a lap off last year’s times. the engines that were fastest both days Lights champion Cristiano da Matta PacWest’s efforts in the ’98 Indy- were some of the first engines built in (#25). Arciero-Wells also fields two cars Lights series earned a 2nd-place finish our new Plymouth facility,” said Paul in the Indy Lights series competition. in final points standings for driver R a y, Ilmor Vice President. The new O ff - road enthusiasts will also Didier André. André amassed his points Ilmor-Mercedes powerplant is used in recognize the Haas logo on the Arciero- by driving his V-6 powered Lola T97/20 seven of the 1999 CART entries, Wells-sponsored race truck driven by to a first-place finish at Laguna Seca, including the PacWest cars driven by “Iron Man” Ivan Stewart. Known for his logging several top-five finishes, Blundell and Gugelmin. consistent, and very persistent, driving earning two pole positions (fastest style, the “Iron Man” is a real attention qualifier) and completing more race All American Racers (AAR) getter when he takes to the dirt. miles than any other driver. Dan Gurney’s A m e r i c a n - b u i l t C&C Motorsports Ilmor Engineering CART entry, driven by California-born Alex Barron (#36), carries the Haas logo This growing team campaigns The new Ilmor Technology Center on both sides of the driver ’ s entries in the SCRA series, SCORE off- in Plymouth, Michigan is fully compartment. Body components, along road racing, and is now running in the operational and using a pair of Haas with numerous other bits and pieces on NASCAR Winston West Series. The CNCs, an HS-1 and a VF-4, to produce the To y o t a - p o w e red Eagle, are being team’s SCORE Ford Ranger is starring the latest “Phase Three” version of the machined on Haas CNCs. AAR recently in a national advertising campaign, and ultra-compact Mercedes-Benz IC108E took delivery of the first Haas VB-1 Five also will be featured in a build-up article racing engine. This diminutive V-8, the -Axis Bridge Mill and is making use of for Four Wheeler Magazine. his is a Haas aluminum-bronze worm gear before the teeth are cut – i t’s a key part of our rotary tab l e s . The gear blank is mounted to the the traditional 40–70% annual growth spindle before the teeth are cut. T h e n , each unit is hand-trammed Haas Announces Year-End Figures rates that marked most of the T while in position to a runout of less than .0001 of an inch. OX N A R D, CA L I F O R N I A – Haas coming year, despite a marked company’s previous years. By mounting the worm gear blank to the spindle before cutting the teeth, Automation, Inc. recently announced slowdown in the entire industry during “Right now, Haas Automation is an we’re able to maintain superior overall concentricity. Each gear is then hand sales totals for 1998, and according to late 1998 and early 1999. “With the e x t remely healthy company, both m ated to one of our ultra-precision worms to produce a highly - a c c u r at e Denis Dupuis, general manager, “1998 recent release of our new SL-Series financially and mentally,” Dupuis said. was another good year for Haas with turning centers, and several new entries “W e are looking at the current industry worm gear set for dependab l e , precise operat i o n . sales of $326 million.” Mr. Dupuis went in the five-axis and larg e - c a p a b i l i t y slowdown as an opportunity to improv e Each and every part machined by Haas at our state-of-the-art facility gets Contact us for complete on to explain, “Although that total is on categories,” Dupuis said, “Haas is our operations and manufacturing this much at t e n t i o n . I t ’s the only way we details about our full line of rotary tables and indexers – par with our figures for 1997, the uniquely positioned to attract a whole pr ocesses well beyond all expectations.” know to ensure that we’ve built a superior including dual, triple and extreme efficiency of our new Oxnard new category of customers.” For 1999, Dupuis said Haas r o t a ry table that will provide you with years quad-head models. facility (recently expanded to 620,000 The growing markets opened by customers can look forward to “new of dependable serv i c e . s q u a re feet), combined with lower these new machines, combined with a machines, expanded features and Haas Automation, Inc. production costs, resulted in a slightly solid existing customer base for their options, continued polished 2800 Sturgis Road, stronger bottom line.” s h o p - p roven VMC line, truly leave engineering and more pro d u c t i v i t y Oxnard, CA 93030 According to Dupuis, Haas is well Haas poised for real growth in 1999. In solutions from America’s best selling 800-331-6746 positioned for further growth in the fact, the company expects to return to CNC machine tool company.” fax 805-278-2240
26 CNC MACHINING > CONTINUED FROM . . .
MARPOSS Continued from page 25 cuts, or in post-process applications, where it will measure a part after it is machined to determine where each dimension falls within pro g r a m m e d statistically-based process limits. HaasHaas TToolool HolderHolderss For all parts that it can measure , the touch probe system, if corre c t l y p rogrammed, will pay for itself rapidly by maintaining continuous in- tolerance parts production. There may be some dimensions on some parts that a probe cannot reach to measure – for instance, a groove inside a casting. But such cases are relatively rare. Overall, a p robing system offers outstanding return on investment. It may cover only 75% of all possible application Closed-loop probe systems, when used for pre-process control, can be used to make measurements to re q u i rements, but it will probably solve establish correct setup and/or depths of cut before the part is machined. This type of system is most up to 90% of any shop’s closed-loop effectively used for cast parts, gang fixtures and pallet machines. gauging needs.
USER-FRIENDLY APPLICATION purchase a machine equipped with a application software and easy-to-follow SOFTWARE p robe, but stop using it when the p rogramming instructions – such as One of the only real problems with workpart changes and the probe needs those provided with the Marposs today’s touch probe technology is the reprogramming. Mida® Touch Probe – liberate the extent to which acquired probes go The solution to this problem is in potential of touch probes for cost unused. In some cases, a customer will the application software – the effective process control. receive the probe in a box, discover he component that makes the probe do has trouble getting it to work, and put it what it does. Correct application Tom Stewart is the Sales & Marketing Manager, back in the box under a workbench. programming is essential to productive Standard Products Division of Marposs Corp. L a rger manufacturers will often p robe performance. User- f r i e n d l y (Auburn Hills, Ml)
WESTEC Continued from page 3 Rotary Products: Machining Centers: • HRT 210 SHS super-high-speed rotary table with 360°/sec • VB-1 Vertical Bridge Mill with 200" x 84" x 40" travels, rapids and 270°/sec feedrate full 5-axis head and 15,000-rpm spindle Look for these exciting new products and options to reach production in the near future. • Prototype VS-3 extra-long travel VMC with 5,000-rpm, 50-taper spindle, fully supported 150-inch X-axis travel and 15,000 lb table capacity • 15,000-rpm high-speed spindle • High-speed control software with full look ahead and 400 ipm cutting rate • Haas-built 40- and 50-taper side-mount tool changers
28 CNC MACHINING Precision, high-quality tool holders manufactured with pride in Oxnard, California, by Haas Automation. > PRODUCT RELEASE > PRODUCT RELEASE
negotiated at lesser velocities down to many motion blocks instead of dealing far enough ahead of time to compute New Products In The Works zero at the greatest angles. with blocks independently. Accuracy is the req u i r ed acceleration necessary to Never content to sit back and enjoy tool or through standard coolant For very fast feedrates up to 400 also greatly improved because the bring velocity down to a value the re w a rds of success, Haas nozzles. The result is high productivity ipm, and very short command block abrupt changes in direction are visible ap p r opriate for the direction change. Automation engineers are always and reduced cycle times. stroke lengths, the look-ahead function designing new products or thinking up can look ahead as many as 80 blocks to ways to improve the existing ones. High Speed Control find where velocity must begin While some new products are variations The latest High Speed contro l deceleration to be slow enough for a on existing themes, others break entirely s o f t w a re for Haas mills provides a sharp corner or exact stop. At low new ground. Here are a few examples of powerful tool for reducing cycle times feedrates, or when executing long what’s in the works at Haas: and improving accuracy for many command block stroke lengths, the applications, including tool & die, molds, look-ahead distance may only need to patterns, electrodes, aircraft components be one or two blocks. HRT 210 SHS Rotary Table and other 3-, 4- and 5-axis parts. Significant improvements in cycle Gantry Mill The latest variation on the Haas Using a motion algorithm called time are possible with the contro l One exciting new machine under rotary theme is the new super-high- “acceleration before interpolation,” planning the acceleration profile over development, and designed to take speed HRT 210 SHS rotary table. combined with full look-ahead of up to advantage of a growing market for Designed for rapid indexing and high- 80 blocks, the new High Speed software l a rge-capacity machines, is a larg e - speed simultaneous milling, the provides very high feedrates with little frame Gantry Mill with 200" x 84" x 24" HRT 210 SHS is perfect for drill and tap risk of distortion to the programmed The model of a television remote control, right, travels and 72" between the columns. machines or increasing production on path. All programmed motions are was machined in 35 minutes and 24 seconds Designed for heavy milling of extremely multi-sided 4th-axis setups. With a accelerated before interpolation, which using the new Haas High Speed software heavy parts, the Haas Gantry Mill platter speed of 360˚ per second, the ensures that the movement of each axis (version 10.6), versus a time of 1 hour, 43 features a powerful 30-horsepower, 50- SHS is six times faster than the standard will not exceed the acceleration minutes and 25 seconds using previous taper spindle and 20-pocket automatic HRT 210. Like all Haas rotary products, capability of that axis. The look-ahead software version 9.61. tool changer. Driven through a precision the HRT 210 SHS is easy to program and algorithm determines the feedrate at two-speed gearbox, the vector drive interfaces easily with Haas and other which one stroke can be blended into spindle yields 450 ft-lb of low-speed CNC machines. another without stopping. The result is 1999 TradeShow Calendar cutting torque for heavy cuts, yet higher accuracy, smoother motion and a provides speeds to 5,000 rpm for finish higher actual feedrate – even with Show Name Dates Info cuts and milling aluminum. A precise complex geometry. rack-and-pinion drive system provides High-Pressure Coolant Twin Cities, APEX May 4-6 More than 8,000 buyers are expected at motion on the X axis, and additional A high-pressure coolant system is Here’s How It Works Minneapolis, MN the Minneapolis Convention Center. Booth #301 sections can be bolted together to now available on all new SL-Series The new High Speed CNC EMO ‘99 May 5-12 More than 2,000 exhibitors from all five continents will be showing accommodate very long parts. Wi t h lathes. This new system provides 300 s o f t w a re controls machine motion Paris, France their products at the Paris-Norde Villepinte Exhibitions Centre in such long travels, workers can load psi of coolant to the cutting edge for exactly the same at low feed rates as it France during this biennial show. Haas products will be displayed in parts on one end while the machine is deep-hole drilling, heavy cuts, faster does at high feed rates. A queue of Hall 6, F-68. Additional Haas machines bearing the Mikron label cutting at the other. feed rates and better surface finishes. motion strokes is built from axis motion may be seen in the Mikron booth, as well. Activated by an M data found in the G-code command FEIMAFE ‘99 May 24-29 International Machine Tools and Integrated Manufacturing code in the part p rogram, and a look-ahead function Sao Paulo, Brazil Systems trade fair. The major fair for the Southern Hemisphere, program, this dual determines the maximum velocity that Feimafe expects more than 1,000 exhibitors and 33,000 attendees. coolant system can be maintained at each stro k e p rovides both junction. Junctions of linear strokes with EASTEC ‘99, APEX May 25-27 EASTEC has been the East Coast’s largest annual West Springfield, MA manufacturing systems trade fair since 1981. 625 manufacturers high- (300 psi) and very shallow blending angles, or and distributors are expected to attract more than 20,000 attendees low- (30 psi) circular strokes which are tangent to the to the show. Booth #2448. p re s s u re coolant velocity vector, require no reduction in via the same velocity and can be negotiated at the Technology ‘99 June 21-24 The Israel Trade Fairs and Convention Center in delivery system, maximum programmed feedrate. Stroke Tel-Aviv, Israel Tel-Aviv is the site of this biennial trade show and conference. Haas either through the junctions with greater angles are CNCs will be on display in the TekTeam Ltd. Booth #3205.
30 CNC MACHINING SPRING 1999 31 > CONTINUED FROM . . . > APPLICATION SOLUTIONS
FENDER Continued from page 21 From The Solutions Department it just isn’t economically sound to take such a rare, This column is designed to help you and your business perform better. It is a standard feature in CNC Machining. Readers are welcome to irreplaceable instrument on the road where it could be submit machining and programming questions to the Haas Applications Department. Haas applications engineers will answer each of your damaged or stolen. However, with one of the Custom questions promptly, and the best questions will be published with answers in this column. Shop Relics, an artist can have an instrument that emulates all of the positive aspects of the true vintage gu i t a r , while playing a production – and comparatively Dear Applications, Dear Applications, A Handy Macro affordable – model that can be replaced with a simple trip to the local authorized Fender dealer. Last month I took delivery of my very first I own a small job shop with two Haas VF-1 McClain Tool & Te c h n o l o g y,Inc., the Haas CNC machine, a brand new Haas VF-4 VMC. The machines. Since I mainly do short runs of any distributor in St. Louis Missouri, recently sent us While these radical departures from the norm set the control is great! My only problem is that I’ve been given part, I change setups and work offsets this handy macro program which can be used to standard for the world, there are those whose unable to get the control to communicate with often. I recently nearly crashed my machine thread mill just about any size of thread with any instruments must meet no standard except their own. For H y p e r Terminal on my PC. I’ve been struggling for because I accidentally called up the wrong work size tool. We liked it, so we decided to pass it on weeks with different software settings and cables. offset. Since then, I always erase any work offsets these discriminating artists, the only avenue is the Fender to you. H E L P ! ! ! I am not using to eliminate the chance of calling % Custom Shop. While it might up the wrong offset and crashing the machine. O0001 take as long as a year or more S i n c e r e l y, The problem is that it takes some time to select ... to finally take delivery of a Dennis Kernighan and erase every individual offset. Is there an easy G00 G40 G54 X0 Y0 way to clear all work offsets? T1 M06 Custom Shop creation, at least S1000 M03 the new owner will know that Dear Dennis, S i n c e r e l y, G90 G43 H01 Z0.5 M08 the guitar has literally been in Over the years, Haas CNC machine tools Brian Channing G65 P1234 D1.98 C0.5 E0.0556 Z-0.75 F15. M2 have been successfully interfaced via RS-232 to G65 P1234 D2.0 C0.5 E0.0556 Z-0.75 F15. M2 the hands of the craftsmen who thousands of computers. However, due to a flood a G00 Z1. give the kind of “hands on” inquires from customers having difficulties getting Dear Brian, M05 attention to detail that makes Windows-based computers to communicate with a You could write a simple program using G10 ... Haas control, now is a good time to set the record preparatory functions to automatically zero all of each instrument a work of art. M30 straight about using HyperTerminal. your work offsets. It may take a little time to write While HyperTerminal can work, it is very the program, but it certainly will save time in the O01234 unreliable for this application. In addition, it does future. G10 is usually used to alter offsets within a (MACRO - ID RIGHT HAND STRAIGHT) not seem to work at all within NT (NT itself is not program, but it also can be used to set offsets to (THREAD MILLING WITH MULTI-POINT) at fault here). As stated in the Haas Operator’s zero. See the programming example below: (TOOL) Manual, general-purpose Windows-based (C=#3 CUTTER DIA) communications programs, like HyperTe r m i n a l , Set G52-G59 work offsets to zero: (D=#7 PASS DIA) Introducing, will not work reliably with the Haas control. DOS- G10 L2 P0 G90 X0 Y0 Z0 A0 (repeat, changing (E=#8 LEAD) Simplify. based programs work much better; however, user the value of P, for P0 through P6) (Z=#26 Z DEPTH) resistance to DOS-based programs is growing, G10 L2 P1 G90 X0 Y0 Z0 A0 (M=#13 Z LEAD UP LOOPS) Haas SHOP-X-CHANGXE. and many will not run on NT. “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ G103 P1 (HALT LOOK AHEAD) The solution is to use a Windows-based G10 L2 P6 G90 X0 Y0 Z0 A0 (BLANK LINE) Discover how easy and user- program written especially for CNC machines. (BLANK LINE) What: An electronic posting area at WWW.HAASCNC.COM Haas Automation does not provide software; Set G110-G129 work offsets to zero: IF [#13 EQ #0] THEN #13=1 where Haas-equipped shops can post classified friendly CNCA financing can be. however, we know of several third-party vendors G10 L20 P1 G90 X0 Y0 Z0 A0 (repeat, G01 Z[#26]F20. (FEED TO BOTTOM) messages, want ads and other business-related selling a wide range of products which work well changing the value of P, for P1 through P20) #32=[#7-#3]/2 (CALC CUTTER PATH) with a Haas. Try looking in your monthly trade G10 L20 P2 G90 X0 Y0 Z0 A0 messages. We build a leasing or financing #9=[#9*[#32/[#7/2]]] (CALC FEED RATE magazine for a compatible program, or search the “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ CENTER OF CUTTER) Why: Perhaps you have too much work and need to job plan to fit your needs. Internet for “DNC software.” G10 L20 P20 G90 X0 Y0 Z0 A0 G03 X#32 I[#32/2]J0 F#9 (APPROACH) One last thing, it is not always necessary to WHILE [#30 LT #13] DO1 some of your longer runs out to another shop. make your own RS-232 cables. Radio Shack stocks This could be expanded to set tool offsets to #30 = #30 + 1 Or, maybe your business specializes in a It’s that simple. excellent cables that work very well. Call the zero by altering the L and P codes. L10-L13 refer- G03 I[-#32]J0 Z[#26+[#8 * #30]] particular type of work and you could use Applications Department (ext. 7342) to obtain ences the geometry and wear columns of length (THREAD MILL UP) over-runs from other shops. Or. . . correct Radio Shack catalog numbers for your and diameter offsets and P1-P100 reference the END1 application. tool number offsets. G03 X0 I[-#32/2]J0 (ESCAPE) How: Submit your classified-style posting via e-mail to G103 (RESUME LOOK AHEAD) [email protected]. We’ll review the content Sincerely, Sincerely, M99 Haas Applications Haas Applications % and post your message in the X-CHANGE area of the Haas home page. Hy p e r T erminal is a product of Hilgraeve, Inc. Windows and NT are trademarks of Microsoft, Inc. If you have a question regarding the operation of your Haas machine or the running of a program To view message postings, go to HaasCNC.com Call us toll-free (including rotary tables), please fax your request to 805-278-0861, att: Applications, and a Haas and click the X-CHANGE button on our home page. applications engineer will follow up and get back to you. If we feel your problem would help others, we will publish it in the following issue of CNC Machining. Or you can send your questions to Haas Automation, 2800 Sturgis Road, Oxnard, CA 93030 • Att: Applications Dept. You can also e-mail your questions to: We reserve the right to edit or disqualify all submissions. 888-350-4CNC [email protected] Specializing in Haas equipment. SPRING 1999 33 Coming Soon to you r local area.
Platinum One-Call Service.
At Haas, we know that the only way you make money is by making chips, and that means keeping your Haas equipment running in top condition. Our Platinum One-Call policy provides expert service and a dependable, immediate response to keep you making chips.
Through our developing nation-wide network of Haas Factory Outlets, we’re building an elite crew of factory-trained and certified service technicians who focus exclusively on Haas machines.
Arriving in fully-stocked Haas service vans, our technicians will successfully complete better than 90% of their service calls the first time out.
Haas Automation, Inc. 800-331-6746
Haas Automation Inc. 2800 Sturgis Road Oxnard, CA 93030 Tel: 805-278-1800, 800-331-6746 Fax: 805-278-8540