The thought of change can be quite daunting, and we can all defend the reasons why not to change with excuses such as “we have always done things this way” or “if it’s not broken, then why fix it”. Many companies then carry on without looking for or considering ways to improve operations.
But what makes an average company, a good, or even a great company?
Normal characteristics of companies that do very well are they have a competitive edge, dynamic management and are market leaders. A key element, however, is that they are always evolving and proactive in looking for ways to make things better and easier.
When manufacturing CNC machined components the normal process would be to receive a 3D CAD model, prepare a quotation for a customer, and receive a purchase order from the customer. Next would be to manufacture engineer the process by identifying any special fixtures or cutting tools, and selecting the most appropriate and efficient machine to manufacture the component.
So with all this information in place, the process engineering can take place in earnest, CNC programs are generated; fixtures, tooling and material billets are prepared and loaded onto the CNC machine. All is ready to go and up to this point this is how most companies would plan their CNC production. The key to success, however, is producing parts that are dimensionally correct, manufactured efficiently and are repeatable.
So how many companies can honestly own up to manufacturing parts 100% right first time?
This is where most companies fall short and end up going though lots of CNC program revisions to get a good part machined, which all takes time. This can have a negative effect on scheduled production or, even worse, an accident in the CNC program prove-out and damage to the CNC machine, causing unplanned expenditure and machine down time. A company ends up being reactive to problems or issues.
By working smarter all these problems can be overcome by applying proven software technology in the form of Vericut CNC simulation, G code verification and optimisation. This proactive approach to manufacturing uses Vericut as a guard to ensure that only good CNC programs are run on the CNC machine, anything else is rejected. This instantly means that the overall production efficiency of any CNC machine is improved, as only production intent CNC programs are run.
By Vericut being the guard between the company’s CAD/CAM system and the CNC machine, all CNC part programs are simulated in a virtual environment, ensuring that no damage to the machine or operator occurs, and no scrap or rework is produced. Any program errors can be quickly fed back to the CAM programmer to be rectified. Another added advantage of using Vericut is that the CNC program can be optimised to run faster, by anything between 15% to over 50% of its original time. Vericut can simulate all machine tools and seamlessly integrates with all major CAD/CAM systems.
One company working smarter with Vericut is Cape Town based, Daliff Precision. Christiaan van Schalkwyk, Managing Director, said “Machining cycle times have been reduced by over 20% since using Vericut”.
So the next time you ask yourself: how can we improve the way we work? Take a proactive approach to manufacturing and work smarter with Vericut.
TDM Solutions preferred partners include Stillam, Intrynsys, Product One, Aztech and Sandvik Productivity Centre SA which can provide you with information on how to integrate Vericut into their CAM solutions.
CGTech and MachiningCloud
CGTech and MachiningCloud have jointly introduced a feature that enables users to import an entire tooling package into Vericut 7.4.
Users can directly download all the tool assemblies within a defined tooling package on the MachiningCloud cutting tool and workholding database. Vericut’s connection with MachiningCloud is said to make OEM tool geometry more easily accessible for part program simulation, with simulation-ready tool models representative of the commercial tools users actually purchase and use. According to CGTech, a tool can be added for use within Vericut in fewer steps than manually configuring it for a simulation session.
For more information on how Vericut can help improve your CNC machining processes, reduce scrap, prevent collisions or optimise your CNC machines to run faster contact TDM Solutions on TEL: 011 234 6019 or email info.za@cgtech.com.
