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A woodworking and panel processing equipment manufacturer has comissioned a software developer

CNC panel workers to get CAD/CAM software

A woodworking and panel processing equipment manufacturer has comissioned a software developer to produce a series of CAD/CAM modules for its advanced CNC production machines.

Leading design-to-manufacturing software developer Alphacam has been commissioned by woodworking and panel processing equipment manufacturer SCM to develop a series of CAD/CAM modules specifically for its range of advanced CNC production machines.

Designated the SCM Pro series, the new software builds on the proven strengths of Alphacam's woodworking applications with a series of new features aimed at maximising the productivity of SCM's comprehensive range of routers, machining centres, panel sizing and moulding machines.

At the heart of the new software's capabilities are its intuitive operation, familiar Windows-based interface and the requirement for only minimal user training.

"The selection of Alphacam to develop software to complement the capabilities of our production equipment was a logical extension to an already strong relationship," said SCM's sales director Mike King.

"The company's long experience of supplying benchmark solutions for woodworking industry customers closely matches our own.

Like us, Alphacam is recognised as a technology leader in its chosen field." Alphacam's managing director, Ian Scott agreed.

"SCM has been a leading manufacturer of woodworking machinery for 50 years, with a product range that covers everything from equipment for small woodworking shops, through to custom-engineered, high volume integrated production lines.

We are delighted to have been chosen to develop this new range of manufacturing software on SCM's behalf." SCM ProDOOR, the first of the new series of SCM software applications, is already available.

It is supplied with an in-built library of 10 door styles and provides users with powerful functionality to simplify the specification and processing of all aspects of door production - including product sizing, cut-outs for glazing apertures and letter plates, hinge and lock recessing, and hole drilling for handles and spy holes.

The software is supplied complete with one day's on-site training and 12 month's software support.

Further members of the SCM Pro series are already in development - with modules geared to the production of windows, stairs and cabinets scheduled for release over the coming months.

* About Alphacam - Alphacam provides world-class CAD/CAM software for the engineering, woodworking and stone markets from 2D parts through to complex 5-Axis applications and offers a significant return on investment.

Alphacam is a principal brand of the Planit group.

Planit is a global supplier of design and manufacturing software for the engineering, woodworking and stone industries.

The company provides its customers with products and services that enable them to improve the productivity of their machine tools, shorten design and manufacturing time, optimise material usage and deliver high quality goods and services to their customers.

Planit's solutions are best-in-class within their respective markets and are integral to the success of thousands of companies of every size around the globe.

* About SCM - with a 50-year track record of success, SCM is recognised as one of the world's leading producers of woodworking and panel processing equipment.

The group's 3000 employees, many employed in its 20 Italian based factories - where the equipment is designed and manufactured - are supported by 25 worldwide subsidiaries selling machines for small woodworking companies up to CNC machining centres and high production integrated cells and lines.

The group is certified to ISO 9001 quality standards and exports more than 70% of its total equipment output.

Complex turning and real-time speed simulation feature CNC machining

Complex turning and real-time speed simulation feature CNC machining software that includes automatic gouge detection for simultaneous 5-axis machining.

MachineWorks, supplier of the leading toolkit for CNC simulation and verification, has announced the release of its latest version, MachineWorks 4.v6.

with original facilities for supporting full machine simulation and a significant improvement to the breadth and performance of rendering.

* Complex turning - MachineWorks v6.4 includes innovative support for full machine simulation with particular emphasis on complex turning simulations.

"One of the reasons why market leaders choose MachineWorks to add the latest simulations into their applications is because of the advanced solutions MachineWorks can offer for the latest CNC machining," commented David Manley, managing director.

* Real time speed simulation - MachineWorks has developed enhanced hardware acceleration of rendering resulting in a significant improvement in the performance of simulation.

Mike Nicholson, sales and marketing director said, "We have made considerable efforts towards achieving machine tool simulation in real time.

In our opinion simulation will become standard on all CNC controllers and the speed factor is going to have a big impact on the development of simulation on controllers".

* Automatic gouge detection for simultaneous 5-axis machining - MachineWorks has now extended their automatic gouge detection to continuous 5-axis milling cuts.

Less input from operators is necessary thanks to intelligent features like on-the-fly gouge detection.

Due the complex nature of 5-axis simulation, MachineWorks put a great development effort in order to make clever features work simply.

Some of the numerous features of version 6.4 include a much greater flexibility to handle input geometry models including open solids.

Also the addition of 'render objects' across all engines to allow applications to render their own geometry and annotation objects.

* About MachineWorks - MachineWorks technology sets the standard for CNC simulation and verification component software in the industry.

Our toolkit has been adopted by software and hardware OEMs looking for a solution that combines speed, accuracy and stability.

It is ideally suited for complex machining simulation, clash detection and full machine simulation.

CNC simulation software cuts programming times

CNC simulation software reduces prove out time for any NC machine tool program, by improving verification through visualising in real-time the whole machining operation - including workholding.

Reduced prove out time for any NC machine tool program through improved verification is the key productivity benefit of new SoftMachines CNC simulation software from simulation technology specialist, Applied Computing and Engineering.

The software allows NC programmers and operators to visualise in real-time the entire machining operation including tools, fixtures, palletisers and parts.

Soft Machines provides a cost-effective alternative to dry runs on the production floor.

It operates exactly like a real machine.

By executing G and M codes on simulated machines, tools, parts and fixtures, the software provides an accurate verification of the part program before it is run on the real machine.

"If a machine tool manufacturer can build it, Soft Machines can simulate it.

This frees the machine tool for production and eliminates the risk and disruption of equipment damage due to collisions," says Stewart Allinson, managing director, Applied Computing and Engineering.

Based on an exact representation of the user's machine tool, Soft Machines includes full machine kinematics, tool changers, optional material handling equipment and a machine controller emulator.

Tool assemblies can be loaded from existing databases or created from libraries of individual tools, adapters and tool holders.

Valuable productivity information - the CNC simulation software also provides valuable productivity information about the machining process.

Users are able to validate cycle time, feed rates and tool change routines.

Costly collisions can be detected and corrected before the actual machining process begins.

If an adjustment is necessary, the simulation routine can be stopped, corrected and then restarted from that point.

There is no need to repeat the entire program.

Easy to use - Soft Machines is intuitive and easy to use.

Tooling information is entered graphically and stored in tooling libraries.

Machine set-up is quick.

Parts and fixtures are imported into Soft Machines from existing CAD databases.

The machine code data requires no modification before it is loaded.

Once the program is executed, machining errors are automatically logged in a detailed error report.

Soft Machines is available on graphic workstations from Hewlett Packard, IBM, Silicon Graphics and Sun Microsystems.

CNC Software package designed exclusively to run motors in 3D coordinated motion

CNC Software package combines CAD/CAM and motion

CNC Software package designed exclusively to run motors in 3D coordinated motion, combines features of a CAD/CAM and a motion-control software package into a novel graphical user interface.

Animatics has released JenCNC, a full-featured 3D CNC Software package designed exclusively to run Animatics SmartMotors.

It combines features of both a CAD/CAM and a Motion-Control Software package into a unique graphical user interface for controlling 2 to 4 SmartMotors in true 3D coordinated motion.

With real time 2D and 3D plotting to the screen, DXF-to-G-Code conversion and conversational G-Code building, this is just the beginning to get a CNC machine up and running in no time.

JenCNC utilizes a simple serial interface to communicate and control SmartMotors.

With custom tailored algorithms, motion is optimized for smooth control and continuous operation for all machining needs.

With it's ability to run in a constant vector velocity regardless of changes in direction, the software is ideal where dispensing or flow rate of glue or adhesives is critical to a given process.

JenCNC has been built upon 3 years of in-field testing and customer feedback in real-world applications including: * Routers.

* Hot-wire EPS foam cutting.

* Plasma cutting.

* Machining forms for vacuum-form molding of plastics.

* Milling machine retrofits.

* Sign making.

* Engraving.

* CNC drilling.

* Gasket cutting.

* Adhesive applicators.

Our goal is to continuously add to its capabilities according to the needs and demands of customers to provide the best possible solution for any need that may arise.

Overview of just some of the features that increase throughput and quality: * Upon Start-up, JenCNC automatically detects motors and does a system update if any motor was changed out.

* A full machine settings window allows for customization to physical dimensions of the machining space.

* Machine tolerance levels can be set to ensure no product damage occurs in the unlikely event of motor drop-out or path divergence.

* Slow-down proportional-to-angle is a feature that can be tailored to minimize machining time while providing the best surface finish thru sharp turns.

* Customizable G-Codes for user-defined tooling positions.

* Customizable M-Codes for I/O control and SmartMotor Commands or Subroutine calls.

* Ability to call G-Code subroutines.

* Ability to repeat a section of G-code a user definable number of times.

* Z-Axis (tool length) offsets.

* SAE or metric scaling.

* On-screen and keyboard real-time jogging.

* Auto-detection of Windows compatible Joystick for Jog control.

* Menu selectable Inputs set-up window.

* Wait-On-Input definable M-Codes.

* Customizable outputs assignable to user-definable M-Codes.

* CMM probing for setting tool offset.

* Automatically send user defined SmartMotor commands on boot-up.

* Terminal screen diagnostics page for testing/troubleshooting.

* User selectable homing routines with configurable offsets.

* Advanced settings screen includes events setup for E-Stop conditions.

* Simulation mode (dry run).

Animatics Corporation is the world leader in integrated motion control.

Animatics is located in the heart of Silicon Valley and designs, manufactures, and markets motion control products for industries ranging from semiconductor, nuclear, automotive and machine tool to traditional industries such as CNC.

Animatics' strength lies in using technological innovation to meet complete solutions for motion control.

Rebrand not skin deep

Machinery visited Mills CNC in June to hear about the changes and rebranding since a management buyout last year. It's no mere superficial 'paint job', as he discoveredThe term 'rebrand' is sometimes met dismissively and viewed as a shallow change billed as something with more substance. There's no way of telling, unless you either see or experience the elements that sit behind it first hand. But there is substance behind the recent rebrand of 66-employee, £34 million turnover Mills Manufacturing Technology as Mills CNC, announced in January this year, with more than £100,000 cash invested to underpin it.

The change of name, explains sales and marketing director David Andrew, and one of four directors of the company which underwent a management buyout on 29 August last year, is because it more precisely reflects what the company does. "I often used to receive phone calls from potential suppliers asking us what it is we make, because the word 'manufacturing' in the company name implied that we were involved in manufacturing." In fact, Mills CNC was already the website name, and, as managing director Nick Frampton adds: "We were keen to stamp a new identity on the company to underline the change of management. We have a lot of ideas about how to take the company forward, plus it helped drive a step-change in company culture."

To stay at the visible level for a little longer, together with the name change has come a new logo, which, through the colours used, links the company directly with the machine tool colours of its principal, Doosan; and there's also a three-colour graphic comprised of the same colours and representing an 'M', in an Expressionist-type design – a consistent theme throughout branded staff clothing, marketing materials, and even posters and artwork, which are liberally distributed throughout the company's Leamington Spa, Warks, headquarters and showroom. Even company mobile phones display the three-colour logo, as do the umbrellas that protect customers as they travel between the company's two buildings.

Improved customer facilities in its showroom area take in an expanded reception/visitor coffee area on a mezzanine overlooking the showroom; extra discussion/break-out rooms at mezzanine and ground level, equipped with IT infrastructure; plus a central kitchen resource, complete with Sky TV, on the ground level.

The ground-level training room has seen the installation of an interactive white board, but is due for a complete refurbishment to bring it into line with the other, adjacent, high specification facilities. "We have what we believe to be the best facility in the UK machine tool industry, without being ostentatious about it," offers Mr Frampton.

http://www.machinery.co.uk/article/19247/Rebrand-not-skin-deep.aspx

Investing for the Upswing

NMV-3000 DCG
Mori Seiki's NMV-3000 DCG

For Mori Seiki, orders for machine tools have fallen off slightly since 2007, but the company is optimistic and preparing for the economic upswing it predicts will happen sometime around mid 2010.

“Now is a very good time for us to think about the future and to invest in it,” said Dr. Masahiko Mori, CEO of Mori Seiki. “Companies that have been working hard up until the recession should have some reserve funds available for such investments and should be focusing on the upswing.”

For Mori Seiki, investing for the economic upswing includes a new state-ofthe- art research and development center, several new and innovative machine designs, a new machine control system, and new pallet system software.

Mori Seiki recently opened its 70,000-sq-ft Digital Technology Laboratory (DTL) in Davis, Calif. The facility is both environmentally and technologically advanced, and features a dedicated thermal isolation chamber, vibration dampening floors, solar power and space to house dozens of machine tools along with a showroom and offices.

Digital Technology Laboratory
The Digital Technology Laboratory does all the performance analysis of Mori Seiki machines.

The facility has acquired a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEEDS) Gold Certification. That means the building not only conserves energy and water, it improves the health and safety for both occupants and the community at large.

Adam Hansel, president of DTL, said the facility is located close to Western U.S. customers and serves as the company’s West Coast/Mountain area headquarters.

But, most important, DTL conducts all the analysis of Mori Seiki machines, even those designed at the company’s facilities in Japan.

One notable machine design DTL analyzed was the company’s soon-to-be-released NMV-1500 5-axis vertical machining center. As the smallest machine in a series, the NMV-1500 is geared for high-level processing of small, complex five-axis parts, such as impellers. In fact, the company has already received requests for the machine from shops striving to reduce their impeller machining cycle times to less than five minutes per impeller, which the machine has accomplished in testing.

To achieve the fastest possible partprocessing times, Mori Seiki equipped the NMV-1500 with a 40,000-rpm spindle and optimized the machine’s structure and kinematics. DTL conducted extensive analysis on the NMV-1500 to optimize the machine to the greatest degree possible, and testing focused mainly on the dynamics and rigidity of the machine’s design.

The NMV-1500 will have a pallet system or the option for gantry loading from the top. It is a box-in-box construction that includes an octagonal ram and direct-drive motors in all its rotary axes.

Two other machines resulting from Mori Seiki’s investment in the upswing are the NMV-3000 DCG and the NT-1000. The NMV-3000 is the latest in the company’s multi-axis vertical machining center lineup. It builds on the highly successful design of the NMV-5000 DCG by providing both high-precision machining and ease of use in a compact machine platform. Its X-axis travels 19.68 in. to accommodate workpieces weighing as much as 220 lb.

As the smallest in Mori Seiki’s integrated NT Series machines, the NT-1000 mill-turn is a compact multi-tasking machine with a footprint measuring only 58 sq-ft. The machine is well suited for high-precision medical workpieces.

Another noteworthy machine is Mori Seiki’s NM-1000 ultra-precision machine. Mainly because it was developed entirely by DTL engineers and uses diamond milling or scribing tools to machine part features accurately in micron ranges and generates nanometer- level surface finishes.

On yet another machine technology note, Mori Seiki is offering what’s known as Zero-Chip technology. To eliminate the chip disposal and cleanup issues associated with bridgetype machines, a Zero-Chip system evacuates chips by sucking them up through the machine’s spindle right where the metal cutting takes place.

As investments in controls and software, Mori Seiki developed the MAPPS IV control system and LPS-III cell controller software. LPS-III, with an endof- 2009 release date, will help shops manage their pallet pool systems better. Innovative functions of the software include material management, fixture management, capacity planning, and improved manned/unmanned operations. With this software, Mori Seiki’s goal is not only to increase a shop’s spindle utilization, but also the throughput of parts that can be assembled, shipped and invoiced.

Mori Seiki’s new MAPPS IV control features both a built-in CAM system and post processor. The built-in Esprit CAM system, from DP Technology, comes standard for high-volume machines, and Mori Seiki will pre-install a proven post processor.

Also new to the control is the addition of vertical soft keys on the operator control panel for better operability, and there’s a button for CAM. Operators can do CAM simulations right at the machine.

Other MAPPS IV features are MAPPS ACT (advanced communication technology), which requires only one Ethernet/ IP cable to run other devices such as robots, Mori-Net advanced monitoring system that turns a PC into a plant controller and allows for remote maintenance that’s connected to Mori Seiki’s service center, e-mail notifications of machine status, manuals and maintenance information within the control, and an internal/external monitoring function for handling internal and external cameras for machine monitoring.


http://www.americanmachinist.com/304/Issue/Article/False/84570/Issue

Durham firm promotes power of new CNC software

A CNC specialist from the north-east of England has sang the praises of new production control software which is aiding it in its progression as a company.
Durham Precision Engineering has announced its partnership with Glasgow-based IT firm Berkeley Myles, which produces ProgressPlus in order to streamline operations on the firm’s shopfloor.
Kevin McEneny, the managing director of the firm, said the investment was solid as it provided the same options as larger systems on the market targeted at those using CNC machines and turning centres.
He continued: “I have been extremely impressed by the operational efficiency that ProgressPlus brings to the business and it is certainly one of the best packages that I have come across, with an excellent front end and user interface.”
ProgressPlus specialises in aiding manufacturers which specialise in injection moulding, toolmaking and ceramic machining, with the firm beginning its trading in 1996 and serving thousands of customers throughout the UK.
http://www.progress-plus.co.uk/

PCI Programmable Motion Cards with Ethernet Connectivity

The Prodigy family of motion cards now has board-level C-Motion® programming, expanded design flexibility, and extended connectivity options.

Lincoln, Massachusetts, USA - Performance Motion Devices, Inc. (PMD) announces the newest addition to its latest advancement in the Prodigy® family of motion cards, the Prodigy/CME PCI card. Just like PMD's PC/104 and Stand-Alone card options, the new programmable PCI card provides machine designers the capability to download and run motion programs directly on the cards. This new capability off-loads the PC host and increases the flexibility to distribute motion programs throughout the machine.

The Prodigy/CME PCI card is an ideal solution for demanding scientific, automation, industrial, and robotic applications. These motion control cards support multiple motor types, including DC brush, brushless DC, microstepping, and step motors. Prodigy/CME PCI cards are available in 1, 2, 3, and 4-axis versions and are designed in surface mount technology. PMD's development software ships with each card, and includes Pro-Motion® GUI, C-Motion® API, and VB-Motion®.

C-Motion® Engine

Programming is made easy with C-Motion®, a source code library of motion commands for development of C/C++ programs that run on the Prodigy Motion Cards. PMD's C-Motion® Engine stores and independently runs the downloaded motion control code on the Prodigy Motion Cards.

Prodigy cards provide high performance board-level motion control for scientific, industrial, robotic, and general purpose automation applications. These cards support multiple motor types including DC brush, brushless DC, step, and microstepping motors, and are available in 1, 2, 3, and 4-axis versions. Based on PMD's industry leading Magellan® Motion Processor, the Prodigy cards provide user-selectable profile modes including S-curve, trapezoidal, velocity contouring, and electronic gearing. Servo loop compensation utilizes a full 32-bit position error, PID with velocity and acceleration feedforward, integration limit and dual biquad filters for sophisticated control of complex loads. Prodigy Motion Cards come with serial, CAN and Ethernet communications options. The new motion cards are available in OEM quantities starting at $575.

o Board-level C-Motion program execution

o Uses PMD's advanced Magellan Motion Control IC

o High-speed servo loop rate: 50 µsec/axis

o Available in 1, 2, 3, & 4 axis versions with user selectable motor type by axis

o C-Motion® Engine peak performance : 96 MIPS with 256kB of code space

o High-speed motion trace for servo tuning diagnostics (up to 64 KB)

o S-curve, trapezoidal, electronic gearing, and user-generated profile modes

o Motor Command: 16-bit analog, pulse & direction, PWM

o Incremental and parallel encoder input

o Dual loop encoder feature

o PID filter with velocity and acceleration feedforward and dual biquad filters
Prodigy I/O

o 2 limit switch inputs / axis

o 2 high speed capture inputs / axis

o 1 dedicated output / axis

o 8 general purpose digital inputs

o 8 general purpose digital outputs

o 8 general purpose analog inputs


Performance Motion Devices, Inc.

(PMD) provides OEMs worldwide with innovative, high performance chip, card, and drive based motion control solutions. With over 2.5 million installed axes, PMD has the motion control expertise to simplify customer's designs and lower overall costs. PMD products are used to control brush, brushless and stepping motors in the medical, commercial and industrial markets.