hybrid manufacturing – Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News | Manufacturing | Automation | Quality Control

Mastercam Announces New Add-On for Additive Manufacturing

Christellee — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 00:00:38 +0000

Mastercam announced a new Add-On product, Mastercam APlus by CAMufacturing Solutions, designed for additive manufacturing. APlus can be used with Mastercam Mill, Lathe, or Router licenses.

Mastercam, announced a new Add-On product, Mastercam APlus® by CAMufacturing Solutions, designed for additive manufacturing. APlus can be used with Mastercam Mill, Lathe, or Router licenses.

Using the same interface Mastercam users are familiar with, APlus customers can program, backplot, and simulate their 3D printing scenarios just like they would with traditional toolpaths in Mastercam. APlus uses Direct Energy Deposition (DED) and has toolpaths developed specifically to handle any geometry in Additive Manufacturing (AM), as well as features and utilities designed to remove uncertainty out of the process and to improve efficiency.

Hybrid manufacturing provides users with the versatility to build parts from scratch, add features to an existing part, or to repair a worn or damaged part. APlus integrates seamlessly with Mastercam to allow users to generate Additive Manufacturing toolpaths, as well as visualise the additive and machining outcome.

Kenneth Fortier, Technical Product Manager, Mastercam says “APlus brings Additive Manufacturing to the Mastercam user in a form that is consistent with the workflow used for over 40 years. Direct Energy Deposition is making its way into many machine shops and being able to program hybrid machines or dedicated additive machines using Mastercam makes the transition seamless. With the hybrid process of alternating adding material and milling allows parts with internally machined features to be created that would have been impossible without additive.”

Since Additive Manufacturing is not simply reversing machining toolpaths, all features and toolpaths are designed and developed to ensure users experience efficient and practical results for the additive and hybrid manufacturing process. A great application for using APlus is for blade repairs where the tips of individual blades are showing wear.

To repair the part, the user machines off the worn tips using a suitable toolpath in Mastercam. Using APlus, you can 3D print or deposit material onto the machined surfaces to near net shape.

Finally, you machine the printed sections to the desired specifications. This process can dramatically lower costs when compared to buying or machining a new blade, or even stocking spare parts.

WANT MORE INSIDER NEWS? SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DIGITAL MAGAZINE NOW!

CONNECT WITH US: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter

Letter to the Editor
Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you’d like to share with our readers? APMEN News would love to hear from you!

Email your letter to the Editorial Team at Christellee@epl.com.sg

The post Mastercam Announces New Add-On for Additive Manufacturing appeared first on Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News | Manufacturing | Automation | Quality Control.

Hybrid Manufacturing Processes And 5 Or More Axis Machining Used Producing Complex Parts (Part 2)

Christellee — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 01:22:49 +0000

Naiara P. V. Sebbe, Filipe Fernandes, Vitor F. C. Sousa and Francisco J. G. Silva continue their comprehensive review on the facets of various process combinations, with 5 or more axis machining and hybrid manufacturing.

Standard manufacturing methods lost their traction to advanced ones for profitability. Hybrid manufacturing combines two or more distinct processes in a single piece of equipment. There are several types of hybrid manufacturing, although the most common combines laser additive manufacturing (AM) and 5-axis machining processes.

Machining with 5 or More Axis

5-axis machining, in addition to the X, Y, and Z axes, has two rotary axes, which greatly improves machining efficiency and accuracy. This is commonly used to machine blades, rotors, dies, molds and propellers, among others. It is hence the most important piece of equipment related to cutting—allowing the production of final components with more complex shapes impossible to obtain in a 3- or 4-axis m Figure 7 exemplifies a 5-axis tool with table tilt A-C and X, Y, and Z axis, showing the flexibility presented by these systems.

My et al. showed a mathematical model that analyses and compares the kinematic performance of six configurations of 5-axis machines. Xu et al. emphasised the need to avoid changing tool orientation in 5-axis machining, and proposed a smoothing method oriented to kinematic performance.

Using double-flank milling, Bizzarri et al. investigated fabricating screw rotors, since it was applied in 5-axis flank machining. Double-flank milling is feasible as a designed tool for symmetrical profiles. Bo et al. demonstrated a customised tool for machining narrow and curved regions with high precision, validated the algorithm using commercial software.

Prabha et al. integrated the Unigraphics NX6 CAD/CAM software into 5-axis CNC machines, to machine steam turbine blades, and made the measurement through 3D coordinates, observing great efficiency in relation to dimensional accuracy. Huang et al. emphasised the geometric errors in 5-axis machine despite the machine precision, and defined two models: “Rotary axis component displacement” and “Rotary axis line displacement” — analysing machining of five axes with discrepant results. 5-axis machining’s accuracy determines the processing success, manufacturing parts and products; possessing great advantage in flexibility and efficiency.

Read more here —–> https://t.ly/Jk0_0

WANT MORE INSIDER NEWS? SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DIGITAL MAGAZINE NOW!

CONNECT WITH US: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter

Letter to the Editor
Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you’d like to share with our readers? APMEN News would love to hear from you!

Email your letter to the Editorial Team at Christellee@epl.com.sg

The post Hybrid Manufacturing Processes And 5 Or More Axis Machining Used Producing Complex Parts (Part 2) appeared first on Asia Pacific Metalworking Equipment News | Manufacturing | Automation | Quality Control.