High-performance CAM strategies

Wessling (Germany), in October 2015 – Open Mind Technologies AG was unveiling hyperMILL^® Version 2016.1 at EMO in Milan, Italy.The new hyperMILL^® MAXX Machining performance package has been one of the highlights of the event. Innovative CAM strategies greatly improve roughing, finishing and drilling performance.

The hyperMILL^® MAXX Machining performance package offers three powerful modules that help companies realise significant optimisation potential in roughing, finishing and drilling applications.

Fast roughing

The roughing module in the performance package includes numerous cycles for milling in trochoidal tool paths, resulting in fast and reliable HPC machining. Dynamic feedrate adjustment according to actual cutting conditions ensures milling with the highest possible feedrates at all times. This results in optimal milling paths with maximum material removal and the shortest possible production times. High-speed roughing of both prismatic and curved component faces is supported.

Innovative algorithms ensure that a constant chip volume is always removed by each tooth of the milling tool. This delivers high utilisation rates without exposing the tool to undue stresses, resulting in roughing speeds that are 20 to 70 per cent higher than before.

OPEN MIND has made this fast roughing method available for all types of machining from 2D to 5X simultaneous. The machining strategy increases the speed and tool life. Stress on the tool and machine is reduced at the same time.

Finishing with barrel cutters

The finishing module of the hyperMILL^® MAXX Machining performance package is an example for the optimum application of tool characteristics in combination with trendsetting CAM strategies. This module includes pre-finishing and finishing of planes and free-

form surfaces with various barrel cutters. Significant time savings can be achieved with a simultaneous improvement in surface quality. These benefits are accomplished with CAM strategies that use the special shape of the tools to best advantage. The finish depends on the step-over distance and tool radius. The quality of a workpiece surface decreases as the line increment increases, and improves as the tool diameter gets larger. This means that if you want to shorten the machining time by increasing the infeed rate, for example 5 mm instead of 0.5 mm, the tool radius has to be increased several times over to obtain a high surface quality at the same time. Since the tool diameter cannot be increased at will, barrel cutters only work with a section of the desired tool diameter – a circle segment. Larger step-over distances can be realised due to its bigger radius, while achieving high quality surface finish. The hyperMILL^® MAXX Machining finishing module realises fast, high-quality machining jobs with general, tangential and tapered barrel cutters. All tool paths are checked for collisions.

‘Tangent plane machining’

With ‘tangent plane machining’, OPEN MIND has developed a special CAM innovation for plane machining. Time savings of up to 90 per cent can be achieved together with the tapered barrel cutter. Path distances of six and eight mm are possible with the large radii of the tapered barrel cutters. This results in optimal surfaces and longer tool life.

‘Tangent plane machining’ is equally well suited for straightforward and hard-to-reach planes. Tool paths are generated automatically and checked for collisions.

Companies in various sectors such as tool and mould making, aerospace or the automobile industry reap tremendous benefits from the straightforward and reliable programming strategies available with the hyperMILL^® MAXX Machining finishing module.

‘5axis helical drilling’

‘5axis helical drilling’ is another performance strategy presented at EMO 2015. Holes can be machined easily and efficiently with this solution. This cycle involves helical milling with a forward lead angle. A tilt angle to the side is then used as part of collision avoidance process.

The advantages: Only one tool is needed for different drill diameters. Pre-drilling is not necessary and the strategy is very well suited for 

materials that are hard to cut. The process features safe chip removal and reduces stress on the tool.

Practical tests have shown that, with ‘5-axis helical drilling’, the machining time can be reduced by 20 to 25 per cent compared to conventional drilling.

With the optional hyperMILL^® Maxx Machining performance package, OPEN MIND is offering innovative solutions that deliver a significant performance boost. Since cost and time pressures are crucial factors in manufacturing, companies can quickly realise economic benefits with the CAM strategies available with the power package.