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Product category: Software, off-line programming, CAM, for metal cutting machine tools
News Release from: Renishaw | Subject: Productivity+ GibbsCAM plug-in probing software
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial Team on 28 February 2006

Probing routines written in with
machining

The Productivity+ GibbsCAM plug-in software enables probing routines to be incorporated directly into the part program at the same time as the cutting routines are written and reduces manual error.

Renishaw, world leaders in the design and manufacture of precision metrology products, introduces its new Productivity+ software for process control into its own manufacturing process Based in the heart of Gloucestershire, UK, Renishaw is a world-leading manufacturer of high quality, high precision, metrology equipment such as touch trigger probes for controlling manufacturing processes and quality assurance, together with other products which enable measurements to be taken to international standards

With its unique and innovative approach to batch production, Renishaw makes extensive use of its own probes within the manufacturing facilities.

With the recent development of the Productivity+ GibbsCAM plug-in software, Renishaw has now revolutionised the use of probing for set-up and process control within its Small Batch production environment.

Small Batch is a critical function within Renishaw's manufacturing facilities.

With eight CNC milling machines and 5 CNC lathes, this section of the company is responsible for four main areas: * Manufacture of custom (non-standard) products.

* Low volume production (up to 300 parts per year).

* Prototype parts for design development.

* Tooling.

This is a highly productive operation within the company where time savings, precision, and the philosophy of 'right first time', are essential.

* CAD/CAM software - all of the milled parts engineered by Small Batch are programmed using GibbsCAM - the powerful CAM software from Gibbs and Associates, supplied by one of its UK dealers Tech CADCAM.

GibbsCAM is an easy-to-use CAM package designed by machinists to be used by machinists.

It uses an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI) so that producing complex machining programs becomes a simple point-and-click and drag-and-drop process.

It also has the ability to import files from all major CAD systems including ACIS, CATIA and IGES.

Renishaw has been using GibbsCAM within its manufacturing division for more than 10 years, and its Small Batch facility currently has four seats.

The introduction of GibbsCAM brought a saving of 30% to the programming and proveout time.

More recently Small Batch started working with solid models and Productivity+.

This has resulted in a further 41% reduction in programming and proveout time, taking the total saving to 60% since GibbsCAM was introduced.

In the last 12 months over 3,300 GibbsCAM files have been produced.

The manufacturing process in Renishaw's Small Batch operation is methodical and smartly run.

When a requirement for a new component is identified, the designer completes a simple form detailing the particulars of the job.

A drawing may also be submitted at this stage for Small Batch engineers to consider.

After the design has been agreed, it is planned into the production schedule.

The designer then simply supplies a CAD file to be imported directly into GibbsCAM.

Within the virtual GibbsCAM environment the model is interrogated, tooling selected, toolpaths generated, geometry located, and fixtures defined.

From the information gathered, a piece part program is created.

The file is post processed and sent to the machine on which the final part will be manufactured.

The programming is quick, and once a program has been produced it can then be stored in case more parts are required in the future, without re-programming required.

Finally, once the part has been produced, it is inspected to ensure that it meets the original requirements set by the designer.

* Introducing the Productivity+ GibbsCAM plug-in - originally, bottlenecks in this process were the design and manufacture of fixtures and the final inspection.

Furthermore, errors that may have occurred during the process, for example features produced outside of tolerance due to uncompensated tool wear, would only be found at the final inspection stage.

Consequently, operators were never confident of achieving parts 'right first time'.

Applying probing to the process has overcome all of these issues.

Probing may be applied in a manufacturing process for tool setting, finding part datums, controlling the process, and inspection.

However, traditionally the integration of probing would have involved an engineer manually inputting probing routines into a previously generated cutting program.

This could result in the integrity of the piece-part program being lost and introduce the potential for manual input errors.

The Productivity+ GibbsCAM plug-in from Renishaw revolutionises this process by enabling probing routines to be incorporated directly into the part program at the same time as the cutting routines are written, using the probe just like any other tool in the machine's magazine.

Through the Productivity+ and GibbsCAM graphical user interfaces (GUIs), the integration of probing is made simple, and can be simulated on-screen prior to machining, just like the cutting cycles.

A key benefit of the Productivity+ GibbsCAM plug-in is its ability to introduce probing into the manufacturing program before it is post processed, eliminating the need to edit the file once on the machine.

This reduction in manual intervention eliminates the possibility of the operator making mistakes in the program, resulting in less time lost looking for errors.

In Renishaw's Small Batch operation, probing is now routinely integrated into all cutting programs for milled parts using the Productivity+ GibbsCAM plug-in.

Probing is used for part set-up to eliminate the requirement for complex fixturing.

It is also used to actively modify tool offsets and co-ordinate systems during the manufacturing process, and to inspect finished parts while they are still on the machine.

Productivity+ can also encourage or restore good working practice within a manufacturing environment.

In many shops around the world, engineers may ignore the importance of setting and verifying tool datums before starting a job.

In Renishaw's Small Batch facility a program cannot be post processed without the inclusion of tool datuming, encouraging programmers to do this as a matter of course.

Bryon Wherrett is a production technician in Renishaw's Small Batch operation, and is also an expert in the use of GibbsCAM with Productivity+.

"It is the complete package," stated Bryon, "Anyone who is currently using GibbsCAM in their manufacturing process will find the integration of Productivity+ easy.

The benefits we are seeing in production are improved part quality and a reduction in programming and prove-out time, making my life a lot easier.

My confidence in knowing that parts will be right first time has rocketed since Productivity+ has been introduced." Renishaw's Small Batch manager, Peter Sprague, was also impressed with what the software has to offer.

"We are so confident with the reliability and ease-of-use that the GibbsCAM and Productivity+ process offers, that we're even letting our own design engineers, who have little experience operating a machine, make prototype parts for themselves." * Productivity+ is flexible - a program created for a specific machine can simply be re-post processed to a different machine controller without any additional manual editing.

This saves time and removes the requirement for programmers to be trained in controller-specific skills.

For GibbsCAM users everywhere, the Productivity+ GibbsCAM plug-in is the perfect partner to an advanced CAM package.

It forms part of Renishaw's increasing portfolio of probing software products, catering for a wide range of applications. Request a free brochure from Renishaw ...

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