CAM systems have a diverse selection of toolpath strategies to choose from, and each has an appropriate place in 5-axis machining. But just like everything else in multi-axis programming, the programmer's experience and the actual machine configuration will play a big part in the selection of the suitable toolpath for a particular application.
If you asked 10 different 5-axis programmers to program the same single part, you would most likely get 10 different machining strategies. Depending on experience, machine configuration, CAM software, tooling, workholding, and a myriad of other criteria, everyone sees the path they need to travel just a little bit differently. But they all lead to the same place: a successfully completed part. This article will be part one in a multi-part series about 5-axis programming.
I was recently asked to explain the motion control system used in CNC machine tools to someone in my family. Realizing that this individual didn’t have a background in manufacturing, and certainly had no experience with anything this complicated and technical, I had to relate my explanation to something common and simple: like driving a car.
For some reason, 5-axis machining scares people. While talking with people at trade shows, or when discussing the potential of a customer’s parts being a good fit for 5-sided machining, you can just see an uneasy feeling begin to overwhelm them and fear begin to well up in their eyes. The mere thought of all of those axes moving at one time sends them wanting to run for the hills. But if we take the time to look at it logically and break it down to what is really happening, it isn’t scary at all!
For many years, Hurco has offered an easy conversational solution for programming simple 3D geometries at the control, without the need for expensive CAD/CAM software. With today’s WinMax control, it’s even easier and more powerful than ever before!
High-speed machining is usually associated with any spindle speed above 15k rpm, but it is much more than just a faster spindle. The whole machine must be considered when selecting a good candidate machine for high-speed machining. Thermal compensation, overall machine rigidity and construction, positional feedback, the motion control system, tool retention, and many other characteristics must be looked at in detail before determining that a particular machine is suitable for the task.
Hurco is well known for its powerful and easy-to-use conversational software, and for 2D and simple 3D geometries, the WinMax conversational control simply can’t be beat. But what about those jobs that share both simple 2D features and complicated 3D shapes that can only be programmed using CAD/CAM software? Hurco has an answer for that as well.
Hurco’s patented Automatic Safe Repositioning (ASR) feature is a very powerful tool for 5-axis NC or CAM programmers. One of the biggest problems when posting 5-axis NC code is configuring the post to always output safe, reliable data to reposition the tool tip without causing the machine to travel out of limits on rapid moves and display those annoying error codes that we all love to hate.
