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News Release from: Pathtrace Engineering Systems | Subject: EdgeCAM Solid Machinist for Autodesk Inventor
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 14 June 2005
CAM translates CAD data for CNC miller
Pathtrace demonstrated how easy it was to take an Inventor model straight into EdgeCAM Solid Machinist and straight onto a CNC miller without need for any drawings.
Silentnight Beds is the UK's largest manufacturer of branded beds for the home and a member of the Bed Division of Silentnight Group The brand's familiar Hippo and Duck characters are used to illustrate the unique 'No Roll Together' properties inherent in the design of the company's beds
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 20 Nov 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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Silentnight know that investment in new technology is crucial to maintaining their position as the UK's 'number 1'.
That is why they commissioned Barmar Machine, a specialist machinery manufacturer, to design and build a new generation of 'Torsion Coil' assemblers as used in the manufacture of Silentnight's patented divan base.
Barmar soon realised that traditional 2D design techniques were ill suited to the demands of the new project and turned to DA Industrial Design to create a complete 3D model of the new machine using Autodesk Inventor.
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Subsequently, Barmar asked the company to manufacture many of the parts and assemblies, ably assisted by EdgeCAM Solid Machinist for Autodesk Inventor.
* DA Industrial Design - DA Industrial Design is a design consultancy and rapid custom manufacturing practice.
Dave Atherton, founder and owner, and his team design and manufacture prototype and small batch parts and assemblies for a number of well-known industrial companies.
Clients include the Baxi Group, the major European heating company, and Sellers Engineering, a leading UK waste container manufacturer.
* Real freedom to rethink - starting from scratch in this way gave Barmar real freedom to rethink every part of the new Torsion Coil machine.
Designing the parts for such machines has proved to be quite a challenge, even to someone of Atherton's experience.
Talking about the issues involved, he says, "A continuous helical spring has to be fired through the main springs or torsion coils of the divan base to lace the individual coils together".
" Control of the pitch of this helical spring is a vitally important factor." To achieve this control, Atherton has designed a unique pitch controller, which is, he says, "Totally innovative and all our own work." As work on the design progressed, Barmar decided to ask DA Industrial Design to manufacture many of the mechanical parts and assemblies, including the pitch adjuster.
Barmar knew from experience that finding a subcontractor with the ability to produce high quality parts, especially one-offs, accurately and quickly was not easy.
Add to this the need to incorporate changes to the design on an ongoing basis, and it was clear that the company's investment in EdgeCAM Solid Machinist for Autodesk Inventor made it the obvious choice.
* Manufacturers want an easy life - this was no happy accident, though.
For some years now, Atherton has been designing complex parts and assemblies in 3D, initially with Autodesk Mechanical Desktop and more latterly with Autodesk Inventor.
However, most of the company's one-off part manufacturing was put out to subcontract.
It was, as Dave says, "Proving increasingly difficult to find subcontractors who would manufacture one-off parts quickly enough for us." He continues, "In a 50 part assembly, you may only require a design change to one component, but it can have a knock on effect on every other part in the assembly." Atherton adds, "Working with third parties means you can't always resolve design issues quickly enough".
"I am afraid most subcontract manufacturers want an easier life than I can give them." * A highly streamlined process - Atherton points out, "We decided that the only way round this was to make such parts ourselves." He continues, "We invested heavily in an XYZ Mini Mill that is four-axis ready, but to get the sort of turn round we needed, we had to speed up the whole programming process".
"We had to find a way to drive the Mini Mill directly from the Inventor 3D model".
"Manual programming was just not an option." Atherton contacted Quadra Solutions, his local Autodesk System Centre, who immediately recommended EdgeCAM Solid Machinist from Pathtrace Engineering Systems.
Atherton takes up the story: "Pathtrace demonstrated how easy it was to take an Inventor model straight into EdgeCAM Solid Machinist and straight onto the machine".
"It was a highly streamlined process without the need for any drawings." He adds, "The fact that I had already had previous experience of Pathtrace's 2D software, albeit a number of years ago, and that Pathtrace was Autodesk's Global Preferred CAM Partner, helped confirm my decision." * EdgeCAM Solid Machinist increases quality - how has EdgeCAM Solid Machinist worked out in practice? Having used the software for six months and having created almost 150 programs, Atherton is well placed to comment.
He believes that because of its control over the cutter paths, EdgeCAM Solid Machinist increases the quality of the manufactured parts.
He comments: "You may have several hundred parts in an assembly".
"If just one or two of them are slightly out, it will not go together".
"If your parts are coming off the machine accurately, then things go together much more easily".
"And now, the parts we make are phenomenally accurate." Atherton adds, "We are making parts much more quickly, at higher quality and with fewer problems." In addition, he notes, "It is much easier to add multiple finishing passes, tool changes are much easier and it is no longer down to the operator to sort out the programs." * The paperless shop floor - when asked about the biggest advantage of EdgeCAM Solid Machinist, Atherton replies, "It is, in effect, paperless".
"You can rely on the solid model geometry to generate your coding".
"This means that if you are cutting parts from an assembly designed in Inventor, those parts will fit and the assembly will work." He continues, "The only drawing I need produce for the toolmakers is the GA.
EdgeCAM Solid Machinist does the rest and the programs go straight down to the server on the shop floor ready for use." * The toolmakers view - as a toolmaker at DA Industrial Design, Simon Williams sees things from a different perspective".
"He says, "When you have to stand at the controller for 20 minutes interpreting drawings and keying in numbers, often to several decimal places, sooner or later you will make a mistake".
"That risk has now been eliminated completely." He finds other advantages".
"He says, "If the cutter I need is damaged or worn, it is so easy to go back into the program, change the cutter, and rework the toolpath automatically." Williams also has a view on training".
"He says, "Get as much training as possible, it will pay dividends".
"And do not just sit there - ask questions." * Investment fully justified - asked if there has been a return on the investment that DA Industrial Design has made, Atherton answers".
""I have calculated that we've made over GBP 100,000 worth of parts since EdgeCAM Solid Machinist was installed".
"Those parts have been made quickly and efficiently but to be fair, I'd have to evaluate that against buying those parts in from another supplier".
"Nevertheless, I believe that the investment has been fully justified." As to the future, Atherton has the option of: "Adding the fourth axis to our Mini Mill and investing in EdgeCAM Surface Machining so that we can bring even more manufacturing in house." * A significant and successful project - the Silentnight machine is a significant and successful project for the company".
"Atherton notes: "The whole project will probably be two and a half years from design to build".
"The design phase itself lasted some 18 months".
"We have created several assemblies each with around 3000 parts and we are now very heavily involved in making those parts." Atherton concludes: "EdgeCAM Solid Machinist really has made work on this project an awful lot easier and a lot quicker".
"Hippo and Duck will be happy, too.".
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