Tuned for Swiss-type CNC machining, programming, cycle time optimisation and full machine and process simulation.

Stillam CNC Programming Solutions has announced that it has been appointed the Southern African distributor for Esprit CAM software, a product that was established in 1982 by DP Technology and is now in the Hexagon AB stable. Their clients are mom-and-pop machine shops, multinational aerospace corporations, and everyone in between, providing them with a highly adaptable CAM system.

“We have been looking to find a solution for our clients that have Swiss-type specific CNC machines and Esprit has exactly that. However, Esprit does not just offer a solution for these specific machines. Esprit is a high-performance CAM system for CNC programming, optimisation and simulation, supporting any class of CNC machine via one common user interface and workflow. Using a digital twin of the CNC to simplify the programming process, Esprit delivers edit-free G-code. Combined with Esprit’s ability to solve workflow challenges with individually tailored automation solutions, Esprit is the smart manufacturing solution for any machining application,” said Ryan Scott, one of the founders of Ikusasa CNC Training Centre, Stillam CNC Programming Solutions, B&R Metrology and Trading Places, all companies involved in providing solutions for the machining and metalworking environments.

“Their products address 2-axis to 5-axis milling, 2-axis to 22-axis turning, 2-axis to 5-axis wire EDM, Swiss-type, millturn and B-axis multi-tasking machines, high-speed simultaneous 3, 4 and 5-axis toolpath, on-machine inspection (probing) and additive direct energy deposition.”

While developing, the company has maintained close partnerships with leaders in the OEM machine tool manufacturing sector. These include GF AgieCharmilles, Citizen, DMG MORI, Doosan, Emco, Fanuc, FFG Europe, Haas, Hurco, Makino, Mazak, Mitsubishi Electric, Miyano, Muratec, Nakamura-Tome, Okuma, Romi, Sodick, ONA, Sodick and Tornos and on the tooling side Fraisa, Ingersoll, Iscar, Kennametal, Marposs, Mitsubishi Materials, Sandvik, Walter, Widia and YG1. Renishaw are also on the partner list.

Stillam CNC Programming Solutions has announced that it has been appointed the Southern African distributor for Esprit CAM software, a product that was established in 1982 by DP Technology and is now in the Hexagon AB stable. Their clients are mom-and-pop machine shops, multinational aerospace corporations, and everyone in between, providing them with a highly adaptable CAM system

“Swiss-type CNC turning centers are commonly used to machine complex parts, in small lots, with many cutting tools, in a single setup. To provide programming, optimisation and simulation specifically tuned for these machines, Esprit combines a comprehensive suite of milling, turning, and inspection cycles with support for Swiss-specific machine components such as sliding headstocks, guide bushings, gang slides and posts for tooling, secondary spindles and collinear axes. Esprit SwissTurn meets the unique challenges of Swiss-type turning with versatile support for turning and C, Y and B-axis milling, all in the same G-code programme.”

“From 3D CAD file to machine-optimised G-code, Esprit unlocks the full potential of the Swiss-type turning center. It meets the demands of Swiss programming with a natural workflow powered by a full suite of milling and turning cycles, high-speed machining, and FreeForm cycles for simultaneous 3-axis and 5-axis milling. You can fine-tune cutting paths with extensive control, minimise cycle times with multi-channel process synchronisation and reduce on-machine setup time with full simulation of the machine and the programme. Esprit is an all-in-one programming solution that produces edit-free G-code for all classes Swiss-type CNC turning centers.”

“Esprit supports all its machining processes on every conceivable machine tool configuration, covering a full spectrum of machine types including mill-turn and multitasking for up to 5-axis simultaneous milling. Not only does Esprit support a full breadth of all machine types, it also provides a full depth of features for each machining process so you can maximise your machine’s capabilities and take full advantage of your machine tool investment.”

“Hexagon AB is a powerful company that is active in many areas of manufacturing and life in general. The companies that we represent fall into the Manufacturing Intelligence division. These include Edgecam, Alphacam, Radan and WorkNC and now Esprit. We can now offer a comprehensive range of solutions for all machining and fabricating operations over and above the metrology, measuring, training and recruitment services we offer with the other companies in the group.”

Asset management now connects to 85% of CNC machines in minutes, offering rapid transformation of shopfloor operations
“Hexagon have recently launched Cloud-native CNC machine-tool asset management, a programme that connects to almost any machine-tool, enabling machine shops to optimise their return on investment (ROI) using its real-time status dashboards with mobile operator alerts and enabling global manufacturers to analyse machine fleet utilisation across multiple plants.”

Esprit offers a CAM solution for Swiss-type specific CNC machines

“Increasing overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) is the goal of any manufacturer, but without reliable information it can be difficult to pinpoint improvements to machine shop operations. Purchasing a new machine tool will increase productivity, but few manufacturers are able to realise the full potential of such expensive assets because critical information such as machine-tool availability is often recorded via paperwork or spreadsheets. This can introduce human error, and the data is not made available fast enough to be analysed and actioned.”

“In operator-intensive departments, this data gap presents difficulties valuating machine availability and performance over time. For unattended series machining, timely performance information becomes critical because consistent historical data makes it possible to predict problems, and plan operator inventions and maintenance. While OEE is based upon a machine tool’s availability, performance and the quality of the parts it produces, accurately measuring OEE is difficult without immediate access to comprehensive operating data.”

“Hexagon’s SFx Asset Management application is already trusted by global manufacturers to improve employee productivity and the utilisation of Hexagon metrology devices, and now also records CNC machine tool operating data so that teams can analyse and mitigate downtime. The application can be used by production staff across manufacturing organisations to pinpoint bottlenecks and optimise the utilisation of CNC machinery, and by management to measure the ROI of those assets and identify valuable improvements in OEE.”

Asset management now connects to 85% of CNC machines in minutes, offering rapid transformation of shopfloor operations

“Built in Hexagon’s cloud-native SFx platform, the application acquires and processes Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) data in real time to provide shopfloor operators access to machine tool status at any time. Role-based access provides staff access to the status of the required machines, so they can check programme and utilisation information from any location using a computer, tablet, or mobile phone. Customisable system alerts make it easier for an operator to supervise multiple machines and help instil greater confidence in lights-out production. The accompanying SFx Asset mobile application provides secure mobile-optimised access to status alerts and KPIs without the complexity of a virtual private network (VPN).”

“Machine tools only make you money when they’re running, so reporting on the root cause and duration of downtime is critical to reacting quickly and making changes when needed. Looking at historical usage data to see – for example – if a cycle ran in the time predicted, or if a machine tool had to wait three hours for a setup is just as important as responding to crashes. All of these factors contribute to the overall effectiveness of a machine tool and, when you’ve made a significant financial investment, it’s important to take full advantage of the technology at your fingertips,” said Greg Holdsworth, Senior Product Manager for Digital Operations, Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division.

“When a machine tool is down for any reason – such as maintenance, a collision, or waiting for materials or a setup – a tag can be generated by SFx Asset Management to categorise the cause of the downtime. Once the machine tool is up and running, the system automatically removes the tag and records the new activity. Charts generated by the application display machine tool availability to simplify job scheduling and highlight usage over time, clearly identifying opportunities to improve gaps in productivity.”

“Any manufacturer can implement SFx Asset Management within hours by connecting a local server to the CNC controllers they use, which can be from any leading vendor. This includes Fanuc, Haas, Heidenhain, Mazak, Siemens and all those that support the popular MTConnect technical standards for CNC data exchange. Using a commercial off-the-shelf internet-equipped personal computer, the SFx Asset Management server software efficiently connects multiple machines to Hexagon’s highly-scalable cloud-native platform. Any global user from any location can then be immediately provided secure role-based access to the required assets and sites.”

For further details contact Stillam CNC Programming Solutions on TEL: 011 663 2600 or visit www.stillam.com