CNC Magazine Vol.09 Issue33

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Gob.

CNC MACHIN6 | www.HaasCNC.com

Its a typical English winter afternoon, slightly overcast and damp, wi

temperature hovering near 5 degrees C (thats 41 degrees Fahrenheit for you non-types). Bits of glass crunch underfoot as we make our way across the yard towa

building that houses the forming machines. We pause outside the door to d

protectors and safety glasses before entering. Then we step inside.

A wall of intense heat rolls over us as we walk through the door, as if from

furnace or foundry. A cacophony of mechanical clatter dominates the aural land

assaulting our ears, despite the previously donned protectors. Overlying the d

unusual sound rises above the clatter. A whoosh of sorts, changing pitch from high

emanates from above.

Looking overhead, I discover the source. Three stories up, glowing gobs of m

glass drop two and three at a time into a network of scoops and troughs, changin

white-hot to yellow to orange as they descend. Each super-heated mass emotherworldly screech as it plummets to the equipment below. The individual s

overlap and intertwine, bringing to mind tiny meteors screaming through the E

atmosphere like something out of a science-fiction movie.

I widen my view to take in the entire scene. Before my eyes the glimmering gl

of glass disappear into the tops of the towering apparatus, only to emerge second

completely transformed. The machines before me are called individual section mach

IS machines for short and their sole purpose is to transform liquid glass into

containers, in this case, narrow-neck beverage bottles.

As I watch this nearly incomprehensible process, one of the first things that cros

mind once the overwhelming sense of awe wears off is this: Who in the world ca

with this stuff?

[ It s a Technical TermStory and Photos by Scott Rat


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14 | www.HaasCNC.com

BigTheLawofStory by Matt Bailey | Photos by Scott Rathburn


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CNC MACHININ20 | www.HaasCNC.com

Theres no denying that CNC milling machines represent a quantum leap in

productivity over their manual brethren. Even so, numerically controlled milling

machines still fall short of their true productivity potential.

A bold statement, yes, but the limiting factor in material removal rates is not the

machine tool itself, or the cutting tools. Rather, the limiting factor in the productivity ofCNC milling machines is the input to the machines the tool paths that drive them.

Tool paths force machine tools and cutting tools to perform under the worst possible

conditions. Cutting tools are driven into corners where the machining load increases

dramatically. Sharp directional changes require machine tools to come to complete stops,

and to accelerate and decelerate rapidly and often. Feedrates are maintained at the center

of the cutting tool, which does not control how fast the chips are removed, except when

cutting in a straight line. Machine tool builders and cutting tool manufacturers have made

many technological advances to better cope with these worst-case conditions, but until

tool path logic is reinvented, these adverse conditions remain and machining

productivity is limited.

By Glenn Co leman, V ice Pres ident o f Product Des ign, Surfware , Inc .

A N EW TOOL PATH STRATEGY

TAPS THE TRUE POTENTIAL OF

CNC MILLING MACHINES


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CNC MACHININ

world experience meets cutting-edge textbook theory. Its here that students use what

theyve learned to solve real engineering challenges for some of the worlds biggest

and most innovative companies, the RPI website states.

Integrated into the MDL is a full-featured machine shop. A cooperative effort between RPI, Haas Automation and the local Haas Factory Outlet (a Division of

Allendale Machinery), the shop is an official Haas Technical Education Center (HTEC).

Haas Automation has played a growing role in RPIs educational process for

more than 4 years, providing the university with an array of CNC machines, technical

support and material contributions. According to Sam Chiappone, RPIs Manager of

Fabrication and Prototyping Resources, its made a significant difference for our

students.

The HTEC is considered the most sophisticated CNC machine shop on campus,

and its dedicated exclusively to student use. Theres a VF-2 vertical machining center,

a Mini Mill, a Toolroom Mill and an SL-10 turning center installed at present. MDL

Director Mark Steiner confides, When I bring students around to the Haas TechCenter, their first question is, Can I really use those machines? Most people who go

into mechanical engineering want to get their hands dirty and actually cut parts,

Steiner adds. I know I did.

Students quickly discover that sophisticated machines neednt be intimidating,

and through hands-on experience they learn the operational requirements and

practical limitations of modern CNC machining. As Sam Chiappone sees it, We need

to make sure the engineers who graduate from RPI have a true appreciation for the

different manufacturing processes, and for what it takes to make something: What are

the steps involved? What is that person on the shop floor actually going through with

programming and working with that machine? What are the implications if I put a hole

28 | www.HaasCNC.com


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CNC Magazine Vol.09 Issue33