Leading Minnesota manufacturer of products and services

OUR SHOPFLOOR

Kurt Machining's precision CNC machining services use state-of-the-art technology including 3-, 4-, and 5-axis machining capabilities. The shop produces prototype, low volume, and production quantities with short lead times.

“Some of our parts are $5,000 to $50,000 in value”, says Manufacturing Engineer, Shawn Eisenschek. Kurt serves a wide range of customers, among them military, semiconductor, oil field, and aerospace companies.

OUR DAILY CHALLENGES

To validate CNC programs before commencing machining, Kurt usually ran a simulation program contained in its CAM programming package. After the simulation runs, Kurt sent the completed program through a post processor for translation into the G-code that directs machine movement. However, the CAM system's pre-G-code simulation didn't always show exactly what would result in terms of positioning and movement of the actual machine and tools in use. If the G-code generated unexpected machine motion or other errors, the problems might not be apparent until the machine ran the part, even though the program appeared to be error-free in CAM simulation.

DECISION-MAKING FACTORS FOR NCSIMUL

Eisenschenk cited jobs that appeared to be error-free in the CAM program's simulation but that NCSIMUL showed would result in collisions. In some cases, “We've seen that we might have hit or machined off a clamp that we didn't see in the CAM software.”

For Kurt's situation, Eisenschenk said, the economic justification for implementing NCSIMUL software is clear: “If you have a $20,000 part in there and you scrap it out – you can pretty much buy the software with that one scrapped part.”

BEFORE & AFTER WITH NCSIMUL

To validate CNC programs before commencing machining, Kurt usually ran a simulation program contained in its CAM programming package. After the simulation runs, Kurt sent the completed program through a post processor for translation into the G-code that directs machine movement.

“We'd run our own posts and get G-code,” Eisenschenk said. However, the CAM system's pre-G-code simulation didn't always show exactly what would result in terms of positioning and movement of the actual machine and tools in use.

If the G-code generated unexpected machine motion or other errors, the problems might not be apparent until the machine ran the part, even though the program appeared to be error-free in CAM simulation.

“We are mainly looking for any moves in the G-code program that might be different than what the CAM software saw,” Eisenschenk said. “Through NCSIMUL we get exactly what the machine is seeing or reading.
The software shows us any over-travels or mistakes where a program might have gouged or run through a part, or any rapid moves that are wrong but didn't show up in the CAM system's simulation.”

FOR US INTELLIGENT CNC MACHINING MEANS…

Use of the software reduces the time spent on debugging programs, eliminates risk of spindle collision, tool breakage and scrap, and improves cycle times and process efficiencies.