Preparing the Engineers of Tomorrow with the Technology of Today
Purdue University in West Layfayette, Indiana is recognized around the world for excellence in education. The Engineering Technology department is no exception, incorporating the manufacturing industry’s latest technology and innovation to ensure that graduates are well prepared for the challenges of a highly competitive field.
One of the most important subjects taught in the Purdue School of Technology’s Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) Department and Computer Integrated Manufacturing Technology (CIMT) curriculum is numerical control and computerized numerical control programming. The use of NC technology has spread across all manufacturing disciplines. Plastics, composites, and traditional metal parts fabrication all use NC machining technology. Beyond classroom instruction in NC machining, Purdue provides its engineering students access to the latest hardware and software. Modern CAD/CAM systems, machine tools, injection molding equipment, even metal casting facilities are available. To verify NC programs, students and instructors use VERICUT.
Hands-on Learning and Increased Safety: Before obtaining VERICUT, education in modern NC technology was somewhat limited. Today, rather than just listening to an instructor’s description of cutter motion and machining technique, students watch the technique simulated on the computer.
Since student access to NC machine tools is limited by safety and machine availability issues, it is important that students have the opportunity to test their programs without using an NC machine tool. VERICUT provides immediate feedback while still in the programming stage so students are able to spend more time working with CAM systems and improving their programming skills.
Flying shrapnel from shattered cutting tools and components is avoided by using VERICUT to test student programs before they are run on NC machines. Neither students, instructors, nor machine tools are endangered when NC programs are tested on the computer—the only consequence of a major programming error during a VERICUT simulation is a lower grade and possibly a bruised ego.
Cutting Expenses & Saving Time: One universal truth in education is that it costs money—and education in manufacturing systems is especially expensive. The MET and CIMT programs at Purdue use VERICUT to reduce expenses and keep their equipment in top working order.
Each time an error occurs while machining, it costs the department money. Damaged parts, fixtures, and cutting tools must either be repaired or scrapped. Repairs to the machine tool are expensive and detract from the time students can observe the machining process. By eliminating errors, VERICUT minimizes the amount of money the university spends on these costs.
Reading, analyzing, and interpreting G-code tool paths is a time-consuming task. It is difficult for an instructor to evaluate every student’s NC program and still have time for instruction and individual consultation. Using VERICUT instructors can more quickly evaluate programs, giving them more time to spend with students.
Students are the Winners: For all these reasons, VERICUT is an integral part of Purdue’s efforts to help students better understand the machining process, improve their skills, and be better prepared for careers in manufacturing engineering.
Airbus is selling so well that the demand to increase build rate has never been higher. BAE Systems (Filton, UK) needed a simple way to improve throughput - it found the answer in VERICUT.
With VERICUT, engineers at Stellex Monitor modeled the Sidewinder and Spar Mill machines.
Tell Tool of Westfield, Mass., has integrated VERICUT CNC simulation software into its numerical control program prove-out process.
VERICUT enabled us to start ordinary production after a minimum of time. Since this product is new for Volvo Aero Norge and our company had never before had parts with similar machining complexity, it is difficult to estimate the amount of cost saving.
Before implementing VERICUT, the company experienced the usual time-consuming and expensive manufacturing problems related to NC program prove-outs such as scrap loss, broken tooling, and a danger of occasional machine crash.
Over the last two years, AH has used Machine Simulation to speed the implementation of several new 5-axis machine tools.
VERICUT showed the NC programmers leftover or heavy stock." And the software detected a couple of places where the depth of cut was too large and tools were shanking out," said Collings. They then went back and corrected the errors in the tool path before
Dassault, Seclin initially purchased VERICUT in order to reduce the number of manual prove-outs using polystyrene material, which represented a significant expense in terms of time and money.
VERICUT enabled the designers and programmers see exactly what they were building as and in-process model in different stages of the machining cycle.
We utilized VERICUT to verify the CNC programs for cutting the tooling before they were sent to the machine control,
To protect their investment, they have been using VERICUT since 1996. They have two people to verify the accuracy of their G-code files.
"When we first started using OptiPath we concentrated on the feed rate option; now we use the constant chip thickness capability. With jobs up to 200 hours long, 50% saving is significant like having another machine tool."
The entire process took less than two hours and no manpower was required, whereas, creating the same pattern manually (the old way), would have taken one of our designers several days.
The verification process stays ahead of the actual machine position in the NC code being verified. Opera-tors can see errors before they occur.
The bottom line? Using VERICUT has made Supreme's existing machine tools more productive. Enthusiasm is up, delivery times have been reduced, and pricing is more competitive.delivery times have been reduced, and pricing is more competitive.
Using VERICUT to compare the electrode burn with the mold cavity ensures that we have all the correct clearances in the electrodes and that we have 100% clean-up." says Allen.
If I was using VERICUT at the time I would've caught the problem, and had a chance to fix it before it damaged the part.
Now I rarely see the potential crashes because the students find and correct them before I review the work. Catching those costly problems is a non-event now!
VERICUT can change speeds and feeds according to cutting conditions including difference in material and tooling. It is done automatically; the programmer does not have to make even one manual insert into the code."
Flying shrapnel from shattered cutting tools and components is avoided by using VERICUT to test student programs before they are run on NC machines.
The NC programmers at Ingersoll also rely on the simulation software to prevent mistakes when programming complex, five-axis parts.
After creating the NC programs in Mastercam, they began simulating the machining process in VERICUT by simulating the G-code data. There often can be a difference between the motion as programmed and the code after it's run through the post processor
After selecting VERICUT for third-party verification, each NC programmer attended two days of basic training where they experienced first-hand the type of results they could expect to achieve.
The program simulates milling, drilling, turning, wire EDM, and mill/turn machining operations using both G-codes and CAM output.
VERICUT provides simulation capabilities for the all the 3-5 axis and wire EDM parts, with focused control over the orientation of our 5-axis machine tool including the cutters used on that machine.
The inspection probe is created as a tool in VERICUT so the complete in- cycle gauging sequence is checked for collisions.
The bottom was machined first. This effort took about 24 hours from start to finish. By using VERICUT software from CGTech, Elliot was able to test the NC program for any problems before it was ever cut on the machine.
Cosworth Racing Integrates Walter TDM Tool Management into Manufacturing Systems
With data exported from NX, Vericut simulates the cutting process on the shop floor utilizing the machine G-code to detect any issues prior to NC Program release.
One of the most important subjects taught in the Purdue School of Technology’s Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) Department and Computer Integrated Manufacturing Technology (CIMT) curriculum is numerical control and computerized numerical control programming. The use of NC technology has spread across all manufacturing disciplines. Plastics, composites, and traditional metal parts fabrication all use NC machining technology. Beyond classroom instruction in NC machining, Purdue provides its engineering students access to the latest hardware and software. Modern CAD/CAM systems, machine tools, injection molding equipment, even metal casting facilities are available. To verify NC programs, students and instructors use VERICUT.