BoostMilling: how to save time on machining cycles?

BoostMilling: how to save time on machining cycles?

4 Feb 2020 | CAM, Machining

Extremely hard materials, exotic shapes: machining tools are often put to the test and their lifespan is sometimes limited. BoostMilling is a roughing strategy that removes material faster while increasing tool life. Let’s find out more about what BoostMilling  is and how it can save you money.

Switch from traditional machining to BoostMilling

In traditional machining, the path of a tool on a part to be machined leads to inconsistent material removal, because of the complex geometries. This “pass taking” variable results in overloading the tool. With BoostMilling, machining is “smoother”, for both the tool and the machine.

Example of a machining path without BoostMilling: the areas in red are those that are in overload

Step over in traditional machining

Decreasing the step over theoretically reduces the load. Therefore, going from 50 to 10 % of step over reduces the load by 40 %. Nevertheless, even in this configuration, the red areas in the previous diagram remain overloaded.

Going from 50 to 10 % of step over reduces the load by 40 %

The problem of the inconsistent angle between tool and material

Traditional tool paths also have two other disadvantages:

  • The tool/material angle is too large, greater than 90°;
  • This angle varies too much;

Therefore, if going from 50 to 10% of the step-over reduces the value of this angle, it still remains variable in some areas. The solution is therefore to find a tool path that keeps this angle.

 

The principle of BoostMilling

BoostMilling allows you to keep a constant pass taking on the entire tool path. How is this possible? By using complex tool paths, you can remove a homogeneous volume of material.

Use the full length of the tool with BoostMilling

In traditional machining, the radial width of each pass is large, greater than 50% of the tool diameter and a shallow depth. The principle of BoostMilling is to reduce this width while increasing the pass depth. This method also has the advantage of using the cutting tool over its entire length, which results in more even wear.

Keep a constant angle with BoostMilling

The power of BoostMilling lies in modifying the tool paths so as to maintain a constant angle. This makes it possible to considerably increase the speed per tooth.

Heat removal and constant pressure

By exerting constant pressure on the tool, not only is the radial pitch reduced, but the pass depth is also increased. The feed rate can be increased to 10 times greater than in traditional machining.

In addition, heat removal is easier with BoostMilling.

TopSolid CAD/CAM Product Range

What are the advantages of BoostMilling?

By choosing to switch to BoostMilling, you will benefit from several advantages that can impact your productivity in the long run.

Reduction of machining time

Although the tool paths are longer in BoostMilling, a high machining depth combined with a high feed rate greatly reduces “chip time”. Therefore, saving 30 to 70% more time is expected with BoostMilling.

For example, 3.5 hours spent in traditional machining operations correspond to 1.5 hours of machining time for a roughing cycle in BoostMilling.

 

Increased tool life

With BoostMilling, the load is distributed evenly over the entire tool. This means that there is less risk of tool breakage, which increases the lifespan of the tool. In addition, machining operations can be accelerated.

A tool lasts 5 to 10 times longer with BoostMilling.

 

Machine preservation

Overloading is one of the stresses to which machining machines are regularly subjected, along with vibrations. Overexertion of the tools is usually the cause. By reducing overloads, BoostMilling significantly reduces the stress on the machines.

BoostMilling increases machine life expectancy and reduces maintenance costs

 

Constant chip volumes

With BoostMilling, the forces on the tool are homogeneous, because the machined volume remains constant. Therefore, the amount of chips produced is also the same throughout the entire machining cycle.

 

Why is BoostMilling interesting?

The BoostMilling roughing strategy is extremely interesting for machining hard materials, parts with thin walls and during large material removal.

Machining hard materials

BoostMilling is particularly useful for machining hard or exotic materials. Indeed, these materials are difficult to machine and the tool life is greatly reduced with these materials. In addition, tool overloads and the associated heat generation are forcing machinists to reduce machining speeds.

Thin parts

BoostMilling is particularly suitable for machining parts with small wall thicknesses. Indeed, with this soft roughing technique, it is possible to machine as close as possible to the thin walls without the risk of breaking or deforming them.

BoostMilling is an additional TopSolid’Cam module that is aimed at machinists who wish to increase the life of their tools and save machining time. Are you a company concerned with the machining of large titanium parts with complex shapes? In this case, BoostMilling is for you!
Advantages and criteria for choosing the PDM for your CAD/CAM solution

Advantages and criteria for choosing the PDM for your CAD/CAM solution

17 Dec 2019 | CAD, CAD/CAM, CAM

 

In the age of digitization, design can no longer work without the management component. CAD/CAM companies are well aware of this: managing and storing product data using an automated centralization tool is a major challenge. Yet the use of a PDM in machining is still not the norm. Why should you have a PDM for CAM machining? What are the benefits? What features of the tool should you check when making a decision? Answers.

What is PDM?

PDM is the acronym for Product Data Management. It is also known as a Technical Data Management System. This acronym refers to the digital tool used to retrieve, manage and store electronic information relating to a product.

The role of the PDM in CAD/CAM is to collect and centralize all the CAD documents. In view: a smooth and controlled availability to the users concerned – engineers, and also production or purchasing departments.

CAD/CAM initially made it possible to design, test and produce parts. However, the digitization chain must not stop there. Once the product cycle has been completed, certain problems arise.

  • Traceability: this issue originally appeared in the most sensitive and exposed sectors – the medical and aeronautics sectors. Companies need to know who did what, when and how.
  • Capitalization: the company capitalizes on its know-how, which represents an intangible asset with high added value. In this context, it is in its best interest to carefully keep all its product data in a safe place.
  • The rise in performance: in an ultra-competitive context, and at a time when technological progress allows – demands – a permanent change in techniques, the parts produced in CAD/CAM are bound to evolve. And quickly. To improve performance, the company has no choice but to constantly adapt its products.

The PDM takes over to address these different issues.

 

TopSolid CAD/CAM Product Range

Advantages of PDM for your CAD/CAM solution

How is the product designed, manufactured and operated? All of this technical information represents a considerable and valuable amount of data. To ensure centralized and secure storage, to allow automated updates and to ensure smooth and controlled sharing in real time, the company must have a high-performance management tool.

As a database for machine-oriented people, the PDM has the following advantages:

  • Secure storage: the PDM collects and stores product data. This management tool, in this context, has the advantage of integrity and security. The risk of human error and data loss are reduced to zero.
  • Digitized centralization: CAD/CAM eliminates manual tasks and paper format. Templates and documents are now fully digitized, and their management must also comply with this requirement. With the PDM, the company saves itself a considerable amount of time when it comes to finding information.
  • Update and collaborative work in real-time: product data is updated to optimize the parts that are modified. Faster, ultra-secure. The PDM also allows several people to work on the same project without compromising data integrity.
  • Optimal visibility and smooth sharing: the dissemination of information, due to its digitization, is ensured under the best conditions regarding deadline and reliability. Product data is easily accessible to all or only authorized users.

The PDM, in CAD/CAM, is an essential tool for flexible and smooth management. This is why the most efficient CAD/CAM software today includes a product data management system, for a global tool at the service of company performance.

 

Discover TopSolid’s integrated PDM

Aware of the performance challenges of CAD/CAM companies, TOPSOLID SAS offers an all-in-one tool, which integrates an adapted PDM system into the CAD/CAM software. You can provide yourself with, in a single software package, a programming tool as well as a document management tool.

  • TopSolid’s PDM allows you to manage all of your TopSolid documents as well as the supporting documents: material certificates, orders for specific tools, administrative processes and validation of loads, etc. The database of your digital tool integrates all types of information, without volume limit.
  • With TopSolid, you have the opportunity to automate the entire digital chain. By centralizing the company’s know-how via an ultra-secure, collaborative and intuitive system, the company preserves its intangible assets and makes information available in a smooth and controlled manner.

The major advantages of TopSolid’s integrated PDM:

  • A user-friendly tool: the user takes control of the tool intuitively, saving precious time. It easily exploits all of the features of the software, for the benefit of the company.
  • A machining simulation with ISO code management according to the simulation.
  • A machining situation in conditions of optimal reliability.
  • The management of machined stocks.

Concentrate on your core business, save yourself management issues, save time and exploit the latest technological innovations with TopSolid’s integrated PDM! Data security, smooth and controlled exchanges, maintaining know-how, etc., treat yourself to the best advantages of the PDM for CAD/CAM!

Which CAD/CAM solution should you choose for the production of single parts, small, medium, or large quantities?

Which CAD/CAM solution should you choose for the production of single parts, small, medium, or large quantities?

18 Nov 2019 | CAD/CAM

In an ultra-competitive market, companies are confronted with the increasing reactivity from professionals in their market. A reactivity that they must match, or better yet, surpass. At the other end of the commercial supply chain, the customers themselves are raising their level of demand. In a technological context of process automation, where AI allows for extra confidence in speed and reliability, customers feel justified in demanding impeccable results within a short timeframe. Two significant – and closely related – objectives are emerging: to produce quickly and satisfactorily.

 

To be more competitive, maintain your business relationships, and attract new customers, you need to produce your parts according to your customers’ requests, at the best price, and within the required deadlines. The challenges remain the same in the production of single parts, small, medium, or large quantities. How to address them? By equipping yourself with a high-performance and adapted computer-aided design and manufacturing tool. Which CAD/CAM solution should you choose for the production of single parts, small, medium, or large quantities? Here is an update on the main advantages of the software.

Which CAD/CAM solution to save time?

 

1st objective of the company producing single parts, small, medium or large quantities: to produce quickly. CAD/CAM, provided that the software is well-chosen, meets this need for increasing speed.

 

As a subcontractor, you need to be able to:

 

  • Import parts from any CAD system reliably and without wasting time. Parts are not necessarily created in your software. THEREFORE, your CAD/CAM solution must allow importing through interfaces that automatically retrieve data without error. You can quickly modify parts to meet customer requirements, make them machinable, or redraw drawings.
  • Easily machine your parts with the latest high-performance technologies available on any type of machine. The more intuitive and ergonomic your CAD/CAM solution is, the easier it is to use, the better you benefit from its advanced technologies. You save considerable time in production.
  • Simulate, check and control your program before it goes to the machine. This way, you can check that the result is in line with expectations and ensure maximum reliability. The quality of your service guarantees a higher level of customer satisfaction.

 

To produce single parts, small, medium, or large quantities quickly – and well – check that your CAD/CAM solution meets these requirements.

 

TOPSOLID SAS is aware of the challenges you face in terms of competitiveness and has integrated all of these basic requirements into its TopSolid’Cam software.

 

You can model directly in TopSolid or import your workpieces from any CAD/CAM system, thanks to many native or standard interfaces that allow you to retrieve geometries and manufacturing data reliably. Machining paths are automatically recalculated without any user intervention, saving considerable time.

TopSolid CAD/CAM Product Range

A scalable CAD/CAM software that adapts to all situations

 

The life cycle of parts requires them to be modified continuously. A part is likely to evolve and change revisions over time, especially in the following situations:

 

  • Customers’ needs vary. To address them accurately, the parts must be adapted appropriately.
  • As innovations are made, technologies are moving up stream. The performance of the parts must be constantly improved upon to remain up to date in real-time.
  • The addition of options allows us to offer a higher level of service to stand out in a solid competitive context.
  • Error corrections must be made efficiently and quickly.

 

In these conditions, and whatever the situation, you need to be able to rely on a CAD/CAM solution that offers powerful modification functions after the fact. TopSolid’Cam meets this need for scalability thanks to its optimal handling of the modification management aspect for your single parts, small, medium, or large batches.

 

Regardless of the type of production, TopSolid’Cam manages last-minute changes with precision. For example:

 

  • Operations are deleted or reversed, changing the machining sequence? The stock management function allows you to automatically modify the process to adapt to the change in the state of the stock. The operations are associative to the geometry: they follow the modifications of the part, and the programmer’s work is considerably lightened.
  • You had planned a whole program on a machine that breaks down on the day? In a few clicks, you can transfer the programs from machine A to machine B. By switching the machine at any time, without wasting time, you ensure that the program is delivered on time.

CAD/CAM to perpetuate its know-how

 

Your know-how is a precious intangible asset to be preserved… and perpetuated. How can you do this? With a high-performance CAD/CAM solution for the production of single parts, small, medium, or large batches.

 

With TopSolid’Cam, you can capitalize on your know-how and optimize its implementation. Our CAD/CAM solution allows you to automate all your operation sequences, which are previously parameterized using your company knowledge and stored securely within the software. You save hours of programming time, and your productivity increases accordingly.

TopSolid’Cam is the modern, scalable and complete CAD/CAM solution for producing single parts, small, medium, and large quantities. The tool adapts immediately and reliably to meet all your requirements, considering the customer’s demands. TopSolid’Cam is your best ally for best performance, combining modern technology with ease of use.

Everything you need to know about programming complex parts

Everything you need to know about programming complex parts

24 Jul 2019 | CAD/CAM, CAM, Machining

In CAD/CAM, and particularly in machining, the manufacturing of parts with complex shapes must comply with the functional specifications expressed by the designer or the creator. The geometric model built in CAD is a digital reference model that must be reproduced as accurately as possible during the manufacturing phase. Complex shapes can sometimes be difficult to reproduce: adequate programming is therefore the key to success in CAD/CAM.

What is a complex part?

We speak of a complex part when there are topologies that must go through many machining paths, often with risk of collision, as well as areas that are difficult to access. The notion of the complexity of a part does not only depend on its shape or its size. In fact, the nature of the material used, the presence of residual stresses, the risk of overheating or the precision that is required are all factors that contribute to complicating the task for the machine tool operators.

 

Examples of complex parts

  • Aluminum moulds for plastic injection;
  • Automobile cylinder heads;
  • Inconel turbine blades for aeronautics;
  • Titanium bearings for the aerospace industry.

 

TopSolid CAD/CAM Product Range

Steps for successful programming

Before proceeding to the manufacturing stage, it is essential to be well prepared. The CAD file of the part to be designed must first be checked and the tolerances adjusted. It is obviously necessary to choose the machine and tools adapted to the expected result and, if possible, to go through a simulation stage. 

 

Preliminary analysis

Before starting the manufacturing stage, all parts must be checked. First, make sure that it is the correct part and the correct version of the file. 

 

Tolerance management

For a complex CAD model to be machinable, it often requires modification. In fact, in most situations, CAD models are drawn from nominal dimensions. However, manufacturing and machining operations impose tolerances that will need to be adjusted in the CAD files. If you are using a CAD/CAM software, think about its ability to modify the dimensions afterward.  

 

Choosing machines and cutting tools

Not all machines are created equal. Choosing the right machine depends on many parameters such as the shape of the part, the size, the material, etc. Likewise, there is a multitude of cutting tools dedicated to machining complex parts. Their shape depends on the geometries to be drilled, turned or milled, and the material they are made of is selected according to the material to be machined as well as the kinematic parameters. The choice of machines and tools will therefore strongly determine the success of the machining process.  

 

Go through a simulation step before starting the manufacturing

Machining complex parts is expensive, so it is best to avoid messing up the first parts and having to perform machining operations again. Therefore, simulating the tool paths in parallel with the programming allows the operator to compare the simulated model with the machining in progress, which prevents the risk of collision and enables real-time reaction.

 

Advantages of TopSolid

One of the challenges of CAD/CAM is producing complex parts using the minimum number of steps, the ideal is to be able to independently machine a part, without disassembly. TopSolid’Cam is therefore able to manage the programming of lathes/milling machines, whether turning combined with 2D or 3D milling operations as well as 4-axis or 5-axis continuous.  

 

Managing the latest tools

TopSolid’Cam is able to manage the new barrel milling cutters. These milling cutters are best able to adapt to the shapes with low curvature, which makes it possible to significantly reduce the number of passes in the 5-axis tool path.  

 

Dynamic machining in turning and milling

TopSolid’Cam integrates a high-performance machining function, which makes it possible to keep a constant volume of material removed during the machining process and therefore to wear out the cutting tools less quickly.  

Easy to modify afterward

The TopSolid software, and in particular the version dedicated to TopSolid’Cam machining, is extremely flexible as it offers powerful features that allow you to modify the parts afterward. This is an asset for the manufacturing of complex parts, which require many adjustments.  

 

Automatic shape detection

TopSolid can automatically detect basic shapes such as grooves, drillings and pockets on models designed with TopSolid, but also on imported models. This makes the software a valuable ally that helps to guide the operator to the right machining strategies through intelligent topological analysis.  

 

Powerful algorithms

The programming of complex 4-axis and 5-axis parts requires high-performance simulation tools and powerful automation. TopSolid’Cam incorporates valuable automatic features such as collision detection, which helps to reduce machining defects. Thanks to all the machining algorithms offered by TopSolid, it is possible to process all the parts of a mould, for example.