Product category:
Software, off-line programming, CAM, for metal cutting machine tools
News Release from: Open Mind Technologies UK | Subject: 5-axis machining programming
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 23 November 2005
5-axis machining programming brought
in-house
To support the growth in high technology components, a CNC machining business needed better offline 5-axis programming capability to replace the subcontracted service it was using.
Open Mind Technologies hyperMILL CAD/CAM software is playing a key role at Burdon The Cleveland firm, located in Stokesley, UK, is part of the FPCI group of companies which was formed in 1990
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 21 Jun 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Burdon understood the fierce competition that is a feature of the subcontract CNC machining market, and concluded that the best response was to invest in high technology equipment and diversified into large, complex components.
Barry Hindson, managing director of Burdon , said, "The risk of substitution by overseas competition is much less likely for the type of components we produce." Additionally, the company purchases castings from the Far East giving it extra leverage in keeping costs competitive for its customers in the earthmoving, aerospace, oil and gas, medical, and automotive industries.
Starting with a 17,000ft2 machine shop and office facilities, Burdon has added warehouse facilities and a further 14,000ft2 machine shop to bring its total size to 50,000ft2.
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As part of the expansion plan it has supplemented its CNC machining capability to address high technology applications with one 5-axis DMU 200P machining centre with 2m x1.8m x 1m capacity supplied by DMG and a further two DMC 160FD and DMC 125FD mill/turn machines with up to 1.6m diameter capacity.
To support the growth in high technology components, Burdon needed better offline 5-axis programming capability to replace the subcontracted service it was using.
Hindson added, "Our aim is to produce complex parts in one-hit therefore significantly reducing costs.
We are already benefiting from significant opportunities from Rolls Royce and Aston Martin." Burdon evaluated and analysed 5-axis CAD/CAM systems from the leading suppliers, and carried out benchmarking, using one of its more complex models as a test piece.
To confirm its own findings, the company sought the opinions of customers, suppliers and peer groups.
Hindson added, "As well as technical capability, ease of use was a major factor in hyperMILL's favour.
From our enquiries we received some very positive reports on its performance, and we were of the opinion that Open Mind's organisation would be able to supply us with a high level of support and backup.
As a company we are very keen to work in partnership with our suppliers for the long term." Some of the complex parts made by Burdon require 20h of machining to complete.
Batch sizes can vary from five-off or alternatively annual requirements for up to 4000-off.
The capability of hyperMILL to produce reliable and collision free CNC code is of major importance where there is a high level of added value; whilst for the large batches, its ability to produce an optimised programme which will reduce cycle times is also crucial.
The flexibility of hyperMILL and its single postprocessor, which operates all the functions of the machine tool from 2-axis right through to 5-axis continuous movements, has made it possible to apply these benefits to all the Mazak and DMG machines at Burdon.
For some components, hyperMILL is making a significant contribution to on-machine probing, enabling the machined part to be compared with the CAD model, as well as automatic datum location on cast parts ready for machining.
Hindson said, "We saw a niche in the market to offer complex machining of larger components and had seen how certain OEMs had also benefited from the introduction of this high technology.
Introducing it here with support from Open Mind has made it possible for us to offer them an outsourcing alternative whilst at the same time differentiating us from our competitors." An important part of the service which Burdon offers to its customers is the ability to take 3D CAD models into hyperMILL and rapidly generate a preliminary toolpath.
Its experienced engineers can use this information to create an accurate quotation, enabling the company to respond extremely quickly to enquiries.
Furthermore, using the Boolean capability in hyperMILL, the company can easily design the complex workholding fixtures necessary for the successful machining of each part directly from the CAD model.
Hindson commented, "After the initial training we were rapidly machining parts and creating quotations, while the ability to design high quality fixturing is crucial to the performance of the job." He concluded, "Our business has trebled over the past three years, and our aim is to continue that trend by the use of high technology.
hyperMILL will play an important role in our success." * About Open Mind - Open Mind Technologies UK is a subsidiary of Open Mind Technologies AG which is part of the Man and Machine Group, one of the world's largest AutoDesk distributors with a turnover of EUR 140 million.
OPEN MIND formed in 1994 is the developer of hyperMILL CAM software.
It has over 5,500 installations worldwide, served through a global distribution network.
It offers a comprehensive range of 2D, 3D and 5-axis modules providing a fully integrated manufacturing concept which covers the entire manufacturing process.
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