SprutCAM Speeds Anotronic's Machining Programming

SprutCAM from Sprut Technology (UK) has helped Anotronic expand its conventional subcontracting business. Anotronic has long been established in subcontract and sales of EDM and ECM, but it found more and more customers were requiring complete manufacture. Martin White, production director at Anotronic, said: 'We had a particularly tricky part to manufacture, which we used as a benchmark. 'Within half an hour of downloading a demo version of SprutCAM, I was able to program the part myself.

'Dave Pearson, from Sprut Technology, then visited our site and we were machining the part within an hour of his arrival,' White added. Since then, Anotronic has expanded its machining capacity to four four-axis Hurcos with Nikken rotary tables and a new five-axis Hurco VM10U in November 2008. The company has just installed the latest version of the software, SprutCAM 7. This enables it to produce five-axis toolpaths as well as achieving rotary milling by simultaneously controlling the C-axis of the Nikken rotary tables on its four-axis Hurcos.

'We can rough parts, which would normally require long tool lengths, by using rotary milling techniques on the four-axis machines, thanks to the rigidity of the Nikken tables, and then finish them on the five-axis machine,' said White. The advantage of this process for Anotronic is that fewer setups are required to finish the job and much greater tool life can be achieved. One of the company's jobs has been reduced from nine operations to three, thanks to using four- and five-axis methods. White added: 'The instability of long tool lengths on some jobs resulted in short tip life, making it impossible to make a profit.

'By using rotary milling and five-axis machining we can make these jobs pay. 'The power of SprutCAM makes this a practical solution for us,' he finished. Much of the company's work comes from the medical, power generation, aerospace and oil-field industries, so it is frequently working with Inconel, titanium and stainless steel. Batch quantities range from 10 to 100 parts and lead times are short, so the ability to program parts quickly and effectively is very important. White continued: 'The programs we create in SprutCAM can be switched between any of our Hurcos, giving us maximum flexibility.

'We also merge the complex toolpaths created by the software with the canned cycles available on the Ultimax controls. 'This enables us to optimise our programs and makes it faster and simpler to make small changes on the shop floor. 'Without SprutCAM, our customer's delivery schedules would have been unachievable,' he said. CAD data sent to Anotronic by its customers goes straight into SprutCAM, which has an extensive range of translators included. The software is tolerant of small gaps in the model and is also able to automatically ignore holes, saving the time required to patch over them.

Trochoidal milling paths can be switched on or off, as can climb milling, giving users a significant amount of control, which is especially important for tough materials such as Inconel and for complex part geometry. Anotronic particularly likes the software's ability to reapply existing toolpaths to new geometry. The benefit for the user is that once the best method has been established, the next part can be programmed in seconds. White is also impressed with the support. 'The software is really easy to use and learn.

'Anyone with an understanding of machining can work it. 'Sprut Technology is really helpful and knowledgeable and quickly responds to any queries we have. 'There is also an extensive library of video tutorials available to make it even easier to operate,' he added. One of Anotronic's considerations when purchasing SprutCAM was cost effectiveness. White concluded: 'The software is much lower in cost than some of its competitors and easily does everything we want it to. 'You get the whole package, including three, four and five-axis milling, turning and wire erosion without any hidden extras. 'Ongoing support is inexpensive too, giving you access to the help desk and software upgrades - SprutCAM7 processing is even faster. 'We are delighted with it and it has made a big difference to our business,' he finished.

GMN Grinding Spindles Deliver Speeds Of 250,000rpm

Jena Tec is selling GMN Nuernberg's high-speed and high-frequency machining spindles in the UK. GMN's UHS series provides a robust oil-lubricated grinding spindle for speeds up to 250,000rpm, coupled with an exacting stability and geometric tolerance. A minimised oil/air dosing system provides the correct amount of lubrication to the spindle and reduces maintenance and running costs throughout its life. Jena Tec's automation division can supply the UHS series from GMN, including integration or retrofit to existing machines.

Processing small internal diameters with optimum cutting speeds requires high rotational speeds. New GMN spindle ball bearings with high-speed characteristics permit 250,000 revolutions per minute, for instance, with high spindle rigidity and load capacity. Optimised lubrication of high-speed spindles offers great potential for increasing performance, while on-demand minimal lubrication lowers oil consumption and increases service life. In future, integrated data loggers will monitor the condition of the spindle, store the operating parameters and guarantee high availability.

GMN has a long track record of supplying a wide range of high-frequency spindles of up to 180,000rpm. GMN grinding spindles can grind small internal geometries at up to 250,000rpm. The GMN grinding spindles used for this purpose have a comparatively large and rigid mounting and a powerful synchronous motor. Consequently, they are not only suitable for special applications at maximum speeds but can also be used flexibly and efficiently in a relatively large rotational-speed range. Ball bearings with permanent grease lubrication or oil/air lubrication are often used in machine-tool spindles.

Both methods have disadvantages that can be overcome using a micro-dosing system combined with appropriate lubrication strategies. Compared with today's oil/air lubrication method, a significant reduction of the lubricant quantity necessary can be achieved and the systematic performance limits of grease lubrication (such as limited usable life of grease at high temperatures and speed) can be exceeded. Minimising lubricant quantities makes ecological and economic sense. It facilitates the integration of an oil reservoir into the spindles and ideally requires no more external components.

The problems associated with waste-oil disposal are also defused. Operating costs of machine tools can exceed acquisition costs several times over if calculated over a normal life cycle. These costs are therefore a decisive factor for many users when making an investment decision. An integrated lubricant cartridge means that high-maintenance external components can be dispensed with. The lubricant reservoir only needs to be replaced at relatively long intervals. An almost instant dosage of lubricant ensures the adjustment of the lubricant quantity matches demand based on the exact measurements of the bearing.

This increases reliability and efficiency of the bearing and reduces the quantity of the lubricant needed. Spindles are becoming more intelligent. Miniaturised electronics integrated in the spindle store the sensor signals, process them and report any exceeding of critical values to the overall machine-control system. Important operating data can be accessed during the entire running time of the spindle and can also be analysed with regards to optimising the process, machine and spindle. These intelligent systems can also monitor bearing condition and detect early damage. Evaluating temperature sensors, position sensors and vibration sensors will increase precision and productivity of the production process.

Michell Sensor Speeds Up Maintenance Of RH Devices

Michell Instruments has introduced the I7000 Hygrosmart humidity sensor, which is claimed to make the maintenance of the company's relative-humidity (RH) instruments quick and simple with no downtime. The interchangeable module incorporates all calibration data and is delivered together with a calibration certificate.

To ensure continued measurement accuracy over time, the user can recalibrate an instrument by replacing the old sensor with a new one. No specialist training is required for this process, according to the company. The I7000 Hygrosmart interchangeable module forms the base of a range of temperature and humidity instruments, suitable for applications from precision manufacturing to controlled environments and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.