Weekly Update 02/28/2008

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February 28, 2008 NEWSLETTER SPONSOR

WOW Project #102 Exact JobBOSS Empowers General Metal Works Issue: Sales are declining and competitors are cutting into our business.

Vision: Implement lean and invest in cuttingedge machines and technology to reposition the company.

Results: Sales volume doubled, finished goods inventory was reduced 800%, lead times and set up times were cut in half, achieved ISO certification.

Articles

As machines get more sophisticated and parts more complex, so too does the CNC programs needed to drive the machines and make the parts. Trying to develop a complex CNC program by hand has become far too time-consuming and impractical. That is where today's Computer Aided Manufacturing/Machining software (CAM) shines. Shops that use CAM software have a much better chance of getting the full potential from their machines and of increasing both quality and productivity of the parts they produce. The following are some of the articles recently published in American Machinist that focus on choosing and using CAM software. Read Full Story

Software Versions Target Specific Needs

Three new versions of CAM software packages from the Delcam (www.delcam.com) family of products offer features geared toward programming applications that shops often struggle with. PowerMill version 8 sports new modules for blisk and impellers, FeatureCAM 2008 highlights 5-axis simultaneous and B-axis turn-mill machining, and PartMaker version 8 now provides full simulation of Swisstype lathes and turn-mill centers. Read Full Story

Choosing The Right CAM Software

As the demand for more sophisticated and efficient machining increases, so does the need for more sophisticated computer aided manufacturing/machining (CAM) software. Software that can reduce machining time significantly can increase machining productivity and profitability in the same way, and in today's CNC-driven world, the right CAM software can be the difference between surviving and thriving. Read Full Story

Delcam Does Machining To Develop CAM Software

Delcam, the software developer and distributor of such products as PowerMILL, Partmaker, FeatureCAM and ArtCAM, has a special hands-on approach to its software development process. Delcam operates a machine shop, its Tooling Services Division, next to its software development headquarters in Birmingham, England. Read Full Story

Software Saves DoD Millions

Since it was founded in 2003, the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) (www.ncdmm.org) in Latrobe, Pa., has undertaken nearly 50 projects for the Department of Defense (DoD) facilities and its suppliers. The DoD-funded NCDMM relies on equipment and technology solutions provided by dozens of U.S.-based alliance partners, as well as a proprietary methodology, called Jumped (Joint Ultimate Manufacturing Process & Development), to develop and transfer state-of-the-market and state-of-the-art solutions to specific project objectives. Manufacturing process improvements based on this work have saved an estimated $435 million. Read Full Story

Machine Simulation And Optimization Software

CGTech (www.cgtech.com), creator of Vericut CNC machine simulation and optimization software, has released version 6.1 of that software. The new version has NC Program Review integrated into Vericut's main desktop, improved CAD/CAM interfaces that enable verifying NC programs from within CAD/ CAM software, improved controls over machine configurations, and turning tools with multiple inserts are now supported. Read Full Story

Implementing An Integrated 3D System For Design And Manufacturing

The conversation started with a simple question: Does 3D CAD have significant benefits for CNC machine programmers? After numerous dialogs on the Practical Machinist website (www.practicalmachinist.com) and interviews with software suppliers and end users, it became apparent that implementing a 3D workflow not only benefits machine programmers, it also offers substantial productivity improvements throughout the entire workflow process from pre-quote to out-the door. Read Full Story

Software Pushes Fast Part Programming

Growing market demands for new designs prompted dramatic changes at Push Industries, a developer of structural components for highend mountain bicycles. So, to secure long-term manufacturing stability and to get faster and timelier product development cycles, the company keeps all its CNC turning and milling operations in-house, from prototyping to production. Read Full Story

Mold Shop Leans On Software

EIMO Americas Inc., a provider of plastic molding, tooling and related services, has overhauled the way it builds tools, with speed and cost-effectiveness recognized by both its domestic and foreign customers. Through lean manufacturing practices, continuous improvement and the use of Cimatron CAD/CAM software, the company continually eliminates waste and tightens processes through its entire business cycle from quoting to delivery. Read Full Story

BobCAD-CAM Rewrite Incorporates Predator Verification

As complex software programs evolve, they inevitably accumulate kludges -- coding that, while inelegant, inefficient, clumsy or patched together, succeeds in solving a specific problem or performing a particular task. The more a program evolves and is "enhanced," the more kludges it is likely to have. Kludges may even force the use of other kludges and workarounds just to keep existing functions working while adding new features. As these bits of inelegant, inefficient code accumulate, the software becomes more inefficient and difficult to maintain or enhance. Simultaneously, the developers of the software are learning better structures and coding techniques than the ones they originally used to make the software. Eventually, there comes a point where the developers realize that as difficult and costly as it may be, it is better to completely rewrite the software using the improved structures and techniques than it is to continually modify the original code. Read Full Story

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Weekly Update 02/28/2008

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