To achieve high-tolerance machined parts for the fighter plane, the company is “strongly encouraging” use of Siemens Sinumerik Volumetric Compensation System.

Renee Robbins — Control Engineering, August 11, 2009

In June, Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. announced that Northrop Grumman Corp. Aerospace Systems is “strongly encouraging” its supply chain to explore the use of Siemens Sinumerik 840D solution line CNC and Sinumerik Volumetric Compensation System (VCS) to achieve high-tolerance machined parts for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.

“Siemens collaboration on the F-35 program began in early 2002 with a CNC technology symposium in Fort Worth attended by Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and BAe Systems,” said Tim Shafer, director of Siemens Aerospace Center of Competence in Mason, OH. “Since that meeting, the program partners have applied the advanced features of the 840D to solve many of their complex machining challenges.”

To find the right equipment to produce these high-tolerance machined parts, Northrop Grumman and its technology partners invested in developing and testing advanced technologies that would enable a step-change in machine tool accuracy. Northrop Grumman’s testing revealed that a number of key machine tool attributes are necessary to achieve the required high-tolerance machined parts. These include robust machine design, machine tool repeatability, machine tool responsiveness, environmental temperature stability, and stable machine foundation.

The Sinumerik 840D sl CNC, from Siemens Motion Control business unit, can provide real-time internal compensation for geometric and feedback errors of a five-axis machine tool. In operation, The 840D sl’s VCS solution factors all the machine kinematics of its various axes of motion, as well as pitch, yaw and roll. This corrects the tool center point and orientation, resulting in a substantial improvement in volumetric accuracy for fork-head style five-axis machines.

At the end of August 2009, Siemens is expected to make a significant announcement about improvements in CNC programming capabililities.Visit www.crackthegcode.com for a sneak preview.

See also: Machine control: Long bed CNC gantry mills achieve unprecedented accuracy
A Siemens Volumetric Compensation System and proprietary temperature compensation system combine with laser calibration to achieve +/- 0.003 in. accuracies.

http://www.controleng.com/article/327268-Northrop_Grumman_recommends_

Siemens_CNC_technologies_for_use_by_F_35_supply_chain.php

A six figure investment by Fife Fabrications, one of Fife’s leading engineering companies, will create a further 4 jobs in the company’s Glenrothes plant.

A six figure investment by Fife Fabrications, one of Fife’s leading engineering companies, will create a further 4 jobs in the company’s Glenrothes plant.

The firm has enhanced its precision machining division by investing in the latest CNC technology.

The investment will support FiFab’s development of its business in the scientific, medical, nuclear and renewables markets.

Managing Director Archie Smith told us, “We are delighted to be taking on new staff.

Our precision machining business is growing at 30% and the new equipment, as well as increasing our capacity, will make us a more flexible producer The new equipment will enable us to produce pieces more accurately and with an improved surface finish.

“This is the first stage in our planned investment strategy in machining and will reposition the company as one of Scotland’s leading businesses in this area.

New markets such as scientific, medical, nuclear and renewable energy require us to be able to work to world class standards and our new equipment will help us to do that.”.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/fiw/fiw103.html

Fanuc demonstrates equipment suitable for quick, precise and extremely reliable control of CNC machines

A series of new product applications and functions will be demonstrated by GE Fanuc at EMO in Hanover.

The demonstrations will apply to high-end CNCs as well as for less complex controllers, drives with different designs and productivity classes, automation concepts with robots as well as CO2 laser applications.

Selecting a suitable controller for a machine is already a determining factor for productivity and GE Fanuc believes it has the right product for every machine.

This starts in the low-end range with Series 0i controllers, which are being equipped with more and more functions.

In the TTC version, they can now even satisfy the high demands of two-spindle lathes.

The high-end CNC controllers of the Series 30/31/32i are a particular highlight.

They are especially suited for complex machines, such as those used more and more often in Europe.

Leopold Schenk, Vice President Europe and Managing Director of GE Fanuc Automation CNC Deutschland , underlines this: “Complex machines are suitable for lowering high wage costs”.

“With our new high-tech CNC series, machine manufacturers are perfectly equipped for quickly, precisely and extremely reliably controlling such machines”.

“They provide many functions for obtaining maximum productivity from multi-axis machines as well as combined lathe/milling centres”.

“These CNC controllers are also optimally suited for machines with multi-path machining, such as multi-spindle and transfer machines”.

In the high-end GE Fanuc CNC controllers, there are complex transfer features available for multichannel applications which support the synchronisation of spindle rotation speeds, as well as other features such as ’synchronous control’ and ‘composite control’.

GE Fanuc is currently offering more and more functions, for the booming five-axis machining sector, which allow the available controller and machine potential to be fully utilised.

These include, for example, compensation options for tool length, direction and radius (TCP, TPC and TRC).

In addition, there are also the ongoing function expansions, such as tool cutting point compensation.

This involves the calculation of the point at which the tool should engage with the material.

Correction values, which are typically entered into the CAM software, are required for special tools.

After the tool measurement, these values can be permanently saved in the latest GE Fanuc CNC controllers where they can be called up at the press of a button.

This not only simplifies the NC programming, but also allows the option of changing the tools at short notice without changing the NC program.

An additional decisive factor, which at least indirectly influences the productivity of machines and systems, is safety for man and machine.

The ‘3D interference check’ which will be presented at EMO makes an important contribution to collision protection.

With this function, machine manufacturers - and where necessary machine operators - can define all collision-risk areas (such as the tool head, workpiece, table and clamping devices) as ‘taboo zones’ using geometric figures.

The controller takes into account the spatial information together with the current tool data during the calculation of the axis movements and thus prevents a possible collision even in the case of five-axis programs.

In addition, machine tool manufacturers can comply with the mandatory safety category 3 (EN 954-1) with the dual check safety function integrated into the series 30i/31i/32i CNC controllers without complex safety components.

It monitors the access to the work spaces and stops the machine in the case of danger.

At EMO, the new functions of Manual Guide i workshop programming software will also be presented.

The most recent version features the simultaneous and comprehensive display of data and programs in multi-channel lathe applications, more efficient cutting cycles, better tool management and new manual and automatic measurement functions including angle measurements.

There is in the meantime interactive and user-friendly programming support even for low-end lathes, which are equipped with series 0i-TC and 0i Mate-TC controllers: Turn Mate i - the name of this software - allows the operator to conveniently and, above all, quickly carry out programming.

The ‘NC Guide’ is now available for training, instruction and presentation purposes; the network-compatible version of the combined GE Fanuc CNC / Manual Guide i simulator.

With it the CNC and Manual Guide i interface of the CNC controllers can be simulated.

NC Guide is installed on a server.

Depending on the licence, several training participants can simultaneously work with the simulators, as if they were standing at the machines.

In the ‘NC Guide pro’ version, the functions are expanded by PMC programming.

Drive systems are an important part of the GE Fanuc product range.

It includes servo and spindle motors of different sizes and outputs as well as suitable amplifiers.

Particularly impressive are the large servo motors with nominal torques of up to 3000Nm.

They offer huge advantages, for example, when used in pressing machines.

They are servo-driven and prevent damage to the tools, they are also cleaner, quieter and have achieved previously unattainable degrees of flexibility.

The integrated energy charge module helps to reduce power consumption peaks.

Then it saves converted energy in an intermediate circuit from which it re-channels energy if required.

In the area of servo motors further improvements will be presented, such as the ‘learning control’ function, which is able to independently compensate for errors which the drive system makes during axis movements.

Its positive effect will be shown at the trade fair using the example of rigid tapping.

Additional interesting drive functions relate to maintenance (new back-up module) and energy consumption (power supply module).

Instead of discharging the energy via resistors, the latter returns the resulting energy to the network when there is a deceleration of the servo motor.

This thus contributes to reduced power consumption.

Using the Servo Guide drive-setting software, the user can easily minimise the backlash which occurs with ballscrews.

During the initial operation of the machine, the relevant axes are moved bi-directionally at different speeds to detect the backlash.

The servo guide software, which runs on a PC, internally determines the best compensating values and accordingly sets the CNC controller.

Where earlier up to a day was required for manual compensation, the software completes the task in 15 minutes.

Furthermore, GE Fanuc will inform visitors to the EMO about new linear and torque motors, which are suitable for a wide range of high performance machine tools.

New designs as well as improvements in the details will also be presented.

For example, the solenoids of the linear motors have been fitted with a stainless steel covering.

GE Fanuc offer the torque motors with the optional ‘Alpha i CZ sensor’ absolute encoder - ideal for rotary tables in machining centres.

Robot solutions can also be seen live at the Fanuc trade fair stand.

Specific applications on machine tools will be displayed which enable, for example, the loading and unloading as well as the deburring of workpieces.

A more complex solution is the so-called ‘robot cell’, a fully automatic production cell developed by Fanuc, which is available in different sizes and with different equipment.

Such a robot cell is equipped with different machines and intelligent robot systems which can act accurately and sensitively with a camera and servo grippers.

One robot cell is capable of uninterrupted production for 720 hours without human intervention - not only large-scale production but also different products in small batches.

In addition, Fanuc will also exhibit its wide range of CO2 lasers at EMO and demonstrate how flexibly they can be used for demanding applications.

The presentation of diverse services for end customers completes the GE Fanuc trade fair appearance.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/geb/geb178.html