Progress marks first birthday of tooling project

One year into its three year term, the GTMA-led, EU funded, FASTOOL project, which aims to reduce toolmaking times by more than 50%, is making good progress.

One year into its three year term, the GTMA-led, EU funded, FASTOOL project, which aims to reduce toolmaking times by more than 50%, is making good progress.

This European initiative is looking at ways of increasing automation in toolmaking, by reducing programming time for pre-milling moulds in HSM machines (by 90%), by reducing programming time to generate electrode geometry and NC programmes for machines (by 95%), and by integrating HSM machines for electrode generation and EDM machines for mould production, thus increasing machine tool efficiency from 16% to 50%.

At a recent meeting project partners reported that work was on schedule.

The Dutch research organisation, TNO, has completed the specification and concept design phase of NC tool-path software and is now working on the detailed design.

In Germany, the Fraunhofer Institute has finalised the detailed specification of the HSM and EDM processes, which will support the definition of areas for HSM or EDM machining on a given part, taking into account not only technological feasibility, but also looking at the most economical solution for the whole process chain.

Work on the hardware aspects of the project have included the identification of a billet handling system, for which the System 3R palletisation system has been chosen, methods of loading and unloading the machine tools, and the design and manufacture of the pallet grabber.

Meanwhile the High Wycombe-based Centre for Rapid Design and Manufacturer (CRDM) and Spanish partner, Fatronik, have continued work on the machine-tool loading and unloading processes, which are being designed to feed EDM machines in various different configurations.

Attending a FASTOOL project meeting for the first time, Nick Braby, Engineering Manager, from new GTMA-member HBC Engineering Solutions, was impressed by the amount of direct input and influence that tooling project members have of its direction and commented that; "The review also provided an excellent opportunity to network with people with highly specialised skills and knowledge; people who would otherwise have been very difficult to locate.

Altogether it was a very beneficial experience and 100% relevant to HBC.".

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