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News Release from: GTMA
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 12 August 2004
GTMA Fastool project makes progress on
all fronts
At the recent mid-term review, the GTMA-led, EU funded Fastool project, which aims to halve toolmaking times, was found to be making excellent progress.
At the recent mid-term review, the GTMA-led, EU funded Fastool project, which aims to halve toolmaking times, was found to be making excellent progress This success was reinforced at a follow-up meeting for UK SME project members, at which each participating company was given a copy of PowerMILL AutoCAM software, which is being used as the basis of the improved tool-path software being developed in the Fastool project
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 2 Sep 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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This new software automatically machines a part and then creates NC program files, and can be left running overnight, therefore utilising what would otherwise be dead time on the computer and the machine tool.
Attendees at the meeting received a hands-on tutorial on use of the software and will also receive ongoing support from Delcam in exchange for their feedback on the software.
Parallel meetings are scheduled across Europe with the other groups of participating SMEs.
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Project Results and Milestones - the Fastool project 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 up to 95%), and by integrating HSM machines for electrode generation and EDM machines for mould production, thus increasing machine tool efficiency from 16% to 50%.
TNO has successfully finished the specification phase and the concept design phase of NC tool-path software, and is now working on detailed design of this software.
By specifying the HSM and the EDM processes, it is possible to programme these machining operations and to define the areas best suited for HSM or EDM machining, tasks that are being addressed by Fraunhofer-IPT.
Additionally, machining strategies for high-speed machining have been identified depending on part geometry and material, revealing possibilities for a further improvement of automated NC-programming.
A detailed specification of a database structure has been drawn up in order to support collection of the data needed as input for automating HSM and EDM operations.
The communication requirements for the automated Fastool manufacturing cell have been identified and are being developed at CRDM.
A modularised Object-oriented system architecture is being developed for this purpose.
Within this scheme the machine tools will be controlled remotely using machine-tool industry standard protocols.
A software infrastructure has been established for the automated system.
Work has proceeded at CRDM and Fatronik on identifying and setting up suitable hardware for controlling networked machine tools (HSM and EDM) operating in an integrated manufacturing facility, with a robotic handler serving the EDM.
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