“We had considered verification software before, but I never really saw the whole picture until the presetter came into play,” Carper explained. “It was like, ‘wow,’ if I was going to do this without this piece of equipment it would be extremely time-consuming.” Pat Cratty, BIG KAISER’s assistant product manager of tool measuring systems, worked with the Peterson team to standardize this process and others by making the relatively simple adjustment from negative to positive offsets on some machines. In other words, the machines measure the tool in terms of gage lengths instead of from the tool to the part. With that simple change done, the software can now take a 3D model of the tool generated by the presetter, the planned G-code, and the machine specifications to identify coding errors, potential crashes and travel limits. Previously, tools would either not be modeled or Carper would sit down with a pair of calipers and draw them out. “Now, we just drop the tool in the presetter, hit scan and it creates a model for us in about 10 minutes,” Carper explained. “Before, it would take three to four times longer to draw the tool by hand. I didn’t realize how much it was going to help and save until we got it up and going, especially as we get into more advanced five-axis work. We can start working things out way before it’s out on the machine, taking up time.” As discussed earlier, the presetter introduced time savings in some creative ways, including eliminating resets and touch-offs altogether with some tools, as well as expediting delicate five-axis setups and processes. It’s also accomplished the main thing that machining professionals expect of presetters: move setups offline.
Both Carper and Peterson made a point to emphasize the importance of runout, not only in these micro-cutting scenarios, but throughout the operation. “We’re meticulous about runout, in general,” Carper said. “We seem to get much better tool life than before when it would just be a machinist with an indicator. When we take the time to dial in the runout, indicators work fine, but the presetter moves this sometimes time-consuming operation away from the spindle.” The FUTURA is built with Heidenhain scales, Schneeberger guideways, and a rotating spindle that offers 1 μm concentricity and TIR at 300 mm of less than 5 μm. Setups have become so accurate and reliable that Carper has been able to set tools and use them throughout the shop, in different machines and operations. This is especially useful in a lot of the aluminum work that Peterson Machining does, since it imposes less wear on the cutters. “I set up a tool and that’s it,” Carper said. “We always post from the presetter, so a tool is ready to go in any machine that can accept the tool. It could run 10 different jobs and we won’t touch it off again.” That brings us to how the presetter has helped improve the way the shop prepares jobs. The presetter, along with VERICUT verification software from CGTech Inc., Irvine, Calif., allows Carper to simulate cuts before pressing cycle start on the machine. “I set up a tool and that’s it,” Carper said. “We always post from the presetter, so a tool is ready to go in any machine that can accept the tool. It could run 10 different jobs and we won’t touch it off again.”
The SPERONI FUTURA is built with Heidenhain scales, Schneeberger guideways, and a rotating spindle that offers 1μm concentricity and TIR at 300mm of less than 5μm.
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