August 23, 2005
CAMcad Technologies, Inc. (with the help of the Barber Museum,
Jeffreys Machine, Iscar Tools, and ModernTech Mechanical) hosted
a SURFCAM User Group meeting at the Barber Vintage Motorsports
Museum in Birmingham, AL. It was also the southeastern US debut
of Surfware, Inc.’s new release: Velocity powered by their
patent pending TrueMill technology.
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The Barber
Museum, a feast to the eyes for anyone interested in auto racing
and motorcycles of any flavor, was a perfect site for the
meeting. George Barber raced, modified, and maintained Porsches
in the 1960's (63 first-place wins). He started collecting and
restoring classic sports cars in 1989, but his interest soon
turned to motorcycles. Mr. Barber recognized that there was not
a museum that reflected the history of motorcycles around the
world. An interesting aspect of the museum is that restorations
are done in-house. For more information about George Barber and
the Barber Museum, see
www.barbermuseum.com
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THREE KICKS AND IT RUNS!
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YOU MAY LOOK, BUT DO NOT TOUCH
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Jeffreys Machine
uses the Barber Museum machine shop as their Haas Factory Outlet
site in Alabama. Lee Clark, Assistant Manager, and his
engineering team have use of the machines for doing vehicle
restoration and repair. The Barber Museum is also a CAMcad
Technologies, Inc. Business Alliance Partner and as such uses
SURFCAM for programming their machines.
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THE MACHINE SHOP IS BEHIND THESE
BEAUTIES
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MR. GEORGE BARBER WITH LEE CLARK
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The morning
sessions focused on two of SURFCAM’s newer features:
SolidWorks Interoperability
Velocity tool paths powered by TrueMill.
Earlier this year, Surfware shipped a license of SolidWorks’
Part Design Only (PDO) for each current license of SURFCAM
3-Axis PLUS or above. Brandon Ball from ModernTech Mechanical
provided an excellent overview of the PDO capabilities and what
could be added with a full system of SolidWorks.
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BRANDON SHOWING THE POWER OF SOLIDWORKS
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The second half
of each hour in the morning was devoted to Velocity TrueMill
tool path technology. Steve Crane, from Surfware corporate,
presented an in-depth, informative, and entertaining explanation
of the new TrueMill technology. TrueMill is revolutionary
machining technology that will change the way metal is cut. This
technology dynamically manages the tools engagement with the
material, such that a user-controlled maximum engagement is
never exceeded. Since the engagement is controlled, the cutting
tool is never overloaded. Feeds and speeds that previously could
only be used for a straight cut along the edge of a block of
material can now be safely used regardless of a parts shape,
even in shapes containing acute angles. This means faster metal
removal, increased productivity, increased profits, and
competitive advantage for Velocity customers.
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DAVE BAITY AND STEVE CRANE
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David Baity
(CAMcad) and Steve Crane (Surfware) strike a pose on preparation
day. Their teamwork and combined brilliance insured that the
Velocity Tour stop was a great success.
At the end of each Velocity presentation, the group proceeded to
the machine shop to watch SURFCAM’s Velocity cut a part. |
We cut mold
grade aluminum on a Haas Super VF 3, which has a spindle speed
of 12,000 RPM. The machine’s top linear speed is 833 IPM. We
used a ½” 3-flute high-helix carbide endmill (standard
off-the-shelf) provided by ISCAR. The recommended chip load for
the tool is .004”/flute. The part was cut ½” deep with a .375
step over.
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THE FINISHED PART
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THE HAAS SUPER VF 3
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David
Baity, from CAMcad, programmed the part and worked closely with
Scott Oden of Jeffrey’s machine, to run the parts. The first 3
groups watched Velocity cut at a top speed of 550 IPM. Writing
about this activity is one thing, but watching and LISTENING to
the machine while it cuts is something totally different. There
is a sweet high pitched, steady tone as the machine speeds
through the tool path – there are no high pitched squeals
because the tool does not get buried in the material.
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CAMCAD’S CUSTOMERS WATCHING TRUEMILL IN
ACTION
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EVEN GEORGE BARBER, (L), WAS IMPRESSED
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It was obvious
that the Velocity TrueMill tool paths were not creating any
stress on the machine or the tooling, so David and Scott decided
to see just how fast the Haas could cut the part using the
TrueMill technology. So - the last three times they cut a part,
they cranked up the machine to a top speed of 12,000 RPM and 825
IPM. (The final chip load worked out to an amazing
.0229”/flute, almost 6X the recommend load for that tool!)
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SHANE LECROIX, LEE CLARK AND SCOTT ODEN
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CONTROLLER SHOWING SPEED AND FEED RATES
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Remember we mentioned TrueMill
technology creates different sounds? As he was cleaning up the
chips, David Baity remarked “It sounds like pennies being
dropped on a pile of pennies.” That’s because TrueMill chips are
much larger than traditional chips, which means you’re cutting a
lot more metal at one time, but lowering the stress on your
machine, the tool holder, and your tooling. That means longer
life, fewer maintenance expenses, and more money to your bottom
line. |
