When deep mould cavities overwhelm the CAM system

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SolidCAM Ltd.

End mills bring massive time saving in rough machining

The CAM software was seamlessly integrated into Solidworks, fulfilled its function and exceeded all demands placed on it. Mould-making manager Michael Legler reminisces: “Of course there are special solutions for a variety of applications. But for the individual and small-batch production of moulding tools and machine components, Solidcam is ideal.” Meanwhile, the CAM programmers at Pestel Pur productively use all available 2D, 3D and 5-axis milling modules from Solidcam except the 5-axis module for tube milling and impeller milling, which are not required.

Over the past few months, the Pestel Pur team has been using iMachining technology. “We already knew about iMachining before this. But we always thought that is not for us,” recounts Legler. “Ultimately, we do not rough-machine any tool steels but instead mainly cast aluminium and high-strength rolled materials.”

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Application engineer Mario Bujack from the Solidcam branch in Suhl, Germany, did however convince Legler to do a test run in early 2015. Michael Legler: “Up until then, we always used insert tools for rough machining. So our eyes lit up when we saw what end mills could bring to our machines.” The result has been a massive time saving in rough-machining . The preparation of CAM machining is now extremely simple, according to Legler, “because iMachining has the technology assistants that optimally control all machining parameters. In doing so, it includes the material to be machined, the tool used, the geometry of the model and the CNC machine data.”

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What used to be a problematic workflow between CAD, CAM and CNC machining has transformed from nerve-wracking to effortless since Solidcam was introduced. Thanks to its seamless integration into Solidworks, CNC machining can now be programmed far more quickly, processing the residual material runs smoothly while the integrated machine simulation enables reliable control. Michael Legler is pleased: “It is now the case that the CNC programs can be sent directly to the control system without us having to edit them. What is more, we can sleep easy at night while the machining runs unsupervised!”

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