Review engineering or manufacturing methods to determine the most effective and economical method whilst meeting drawing/specification requirements.

2-50 Inductive Digi Body

(K14) (S1) Above is the drawing of the 2-50 Inductive digital body. It is currently manufactured by a program written by hand on the WT150 Mill-turn. Due the the hand written nature of the program we are not currently using CAD/CAM in the manufacturing of the part. Because the program was hand written it does not make use of more modern machining techniques meaning it could be possible to get improvements in things such as tool life, cycle time and surface finish. The task to investigate such was assigned to me from my Manager (I. Clayton) as I am one of the early adopters of Fusion 360 and have the most internal experience with the software (K2) So i was chosen to work through the project. (B6)

The current long term goal is to fully integrate the CAD/CAM system within Bowers Group Manufacturing. This is ideally achieved through small incremental change to introduce the concepts to the shop floor manufacturing. This is required due to aging workforce on the shop floor being uncertain of modern techniques of manufacturing therefore it is important that we operate in a collaborative and transparent manner ensuring that we are all on the same page with regards to the manufacturing without bringing about resentment (B2)

The reason its important is the emerging powerful use of the CADCAM system has been long neglected in the Bowers manufacturing environment therefore by actively promoting it with careful integration means that performance is optimised with minimal conflict (B3)

The 8 Wastes of Manufacturing

Defects

  • Using manual programming can have sub optimal machining strategy causing defects in the component or tool

    Overproduction

  • Due to the lack of adaptability of a manual programming system overproduction is possible as the manufacturing is not configurable

    Waiting

  • Manual programming is not a turn-key solution, setup times can be standardised between all programs and tool numbers collected into common modes to avoid.

    Unused Talent

  • There are a number of talented machinists at Bowers Group who could make use of CAM programming to improve efficiency.

    Transportation

  • Although transportation is not particularly relevant in this context. There are still issues surrounding planning a new program and organising things around it.

    Inventory

  • Manufacturing without CADCAM can incur more wastage through extra bar, broken tools and other shortcomings requiring more inventory to be held for a reliable manufacturing process

    Motion

  • Manual programming incurs the cost of being stuck in front of a machine creating a program meaning that machine cannot be used.

    Extra-Processing

  • CAD/CAM can make use of advance toolpaths to do additional operations such as chamfering complex profiles such as the image below. This can be used to remove additional finishing processes in the finishing department reducing overall cost.

(S7)

The Advantages of CAD/CAM in Manufacturing

Implementing Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) in the production process of the 2-50 Inductive Digi Body could bring multiple benefits (K22)

Precision and Accuracy

CAD/CAM software is capable of delivering high precision and accuracy in designing and manufacturing. It reduces the chances of human error that can be introduced in a hand-written program. The software can design and manufacture parts with exact dimensions and specifications, and it ensures that every unit is identical to the last. This level of precision is beneficial for parts like the 2-50 Inductive Digi Body, where even slight deviations could impact the performance or integration with other components. (K7)

Efficiency

CAD/CAM systems can significantly increase the efficiency of the manufacturing process. They enable faster production cycles by automating and streamlining design and manufacturing processes. This could lead to a reduction in the time taken to produce the 2-50 Inductive Digi Body, thus increasing the output.(K23)

Cost Savings

By reducing the time and human resources needed in the design and manufacturing processes, CAD/CAM can result in cost savings. It can also minimize waste by optimizing the use of materials. Additionally, since the CAD/CAM software can simulate the production process, it can detect potential issues before they occur, preventing costly manufacturing errors.

Simulation and Testing

CAD software allows for robust simulation and testing before the manufacturing process begins. This feature is especially beneficial for complex parts such as the 2-50 Inductive Digi Body, allowing potential issues to be identified and addressed in the design phase.

Standardization and Compatibility

CAD/CAM software is compatible with various machinery and equipment, making it easier to standardize the production process across different locations or facilities.

Reverse engineering G-Code

Since we are working with a twin spindle machine there are two programs what are ran separately Ideally the first step in the process would be to reverse engineer each tool operation step by step

O3020(XT3 2-50MM DIGITAL BODY UPPER) 
(INDUCTIVE ELECTRONICS)
G1900D32.0L90.K0.5W0.5 
(BAR 1-1/4 INCH - 110MM OUT) 
(23/02/15)

From the start of the program we can see a few important things, the first one is that the stock is 1-1/4ins with 110mm stick out. For the rest of the program its important to visualise the machine layout to determine how ever operation should look in the CAD system. such as the coordinates

M100(WAIT) 
N12(PART OFF TOOL) 
G54
G0G40G99G96S300T1212M3 
M8 
Z0.15
X35.0
G1X-1.6F0.08 
G0Z1.0 
X40.0
M9 
G28U0M702
M5 
M1

The first operation is the parting off cycle and we can see that the end of the bar comes to Z0.15 The wait code m100 at the top is the spindle sync command so that everything can be ran continually

By looking at both the setup sheet and the program side by side we can evaluate these technical documents individually and additively to give a clear picture of how the machine is functioning as a result of what inputs and controls are applied then using Fusion360 we can place in each machining operation in as an event to be as close as possible to the hand written g-code but is abstracted away into fusion360’s software meaning it is much more configurable, readable and updatable. (S10)

Once the first set of operations has been reverse engineered on the program. As progress is made on the state of the model I made regular verbal communication to my manager on the status of reverse engineering to ensure that things are completed in a orderly manner (S17) (B7)