Software & Digital Solutions

Planning is critical when operating CNC machines. When I began machining, CNCs were just coming into mainstream use. The first shops I worked in had only conventional (manual) machines. It wasn't until the mid-1980s that I started to notice the incredible versatility of CNC machines. The complex contours and shapes the machines could generate made many jobs much easier. The use of templates to file and sweep in surfaces was rapidly becoming a thing of the past.

The benefits of creating and using a virtual machine tool. At trade shows and elsewhere, people on the cutting edge of manufacturing are touting the benefits of digitalizing the machine tool environment, where technologies are employed that make use of digital data. It's at the heart of the much-discussed drive toward Industry 4.0.

Whether done manually or with a powered device, scraping guide ways is critical to machine tool performance.

Roush Yates Engines in December announced a partnership with Mastercam that makes the CAD/CAM software company the "Official CAD/CAM Software" of Roush Yates Engines. "Mastercam's commitment to innovation and first class customer service perfectly align with Roush Yates Engines' vision," said Doug Yates, president and CEO of Roush Yates. "Their dedication to providing state-of-the-art software tools for CAD/CAM manufacturing, and superior software products are why Roush Yates has partnered with Mastercam."

OMAX® Corp., a global leader in advanced abrasive waterjet technology, has increased the capacity of its state-of-the-art training center in Kent, Wash., to provide OMAX and MAXIEM® JetMachining® Center owners with enhanced resources for improved productivity and profitability. As a key element of the company's headquarters and manufacturing campus, the training center features a new technology classroom that supplements an existing equipment lab.

Hexagon Metrology announced last November that the company was changing its name to Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence and rebranding to reflect increasing capabilities in data-driven industrial manufacturing solutions. The change aligns the business more closely with Hexagon's overall strategy to offer software-centric information technology solutions that improve quality and productivity across entire industry workflows, according to a Nov. 12, 2015, company news release.

In October 2015, TRUMPF purchased approximately five acres of land adjacent to Interstate Highway 90 in Hoffman Estates, Ill., a northwestern suburb of Chicago. Located within one of the core zones of the sheet metal business in North America, this site will serve as the future home of the TRUMPF Technology Center and the center of excellence for Industry 4.0, according to the company.

The end of manual machining isn't near. There are certain tasks you can do with conventional machines that CNC machines are just not good at, such as "blending," reports the October Shop Operations column in Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

A Seattle shop reaps the benefits of constant chip load machining, according to the October Get With The Program column in Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

Another recent Zoller innovation is »caz« software – Computer-Aided Zoller, the virtual measuring machine. "It's going to be a huge time-saver," Matt asserted. "Previously we would have to create the inspection program in front of the inspection machine. Since our Star Cutter tool grinding machines come with Numroto operating software, we can export the tool model from the Numroto machine programming software as an STL file, including a 3D image, and write the inspection program from that before the tool is even ground."

While the U.S. greenback has markedly appreciated in the last year, the Boston Consulting Group's Global Manufacturing Cost-Competitiveness Index shows that the U.S. remains one of the lowest-cost locations for manufacturing in the developed world. Productivity increases are largely responsible, and a key factor in this success is a relentless push to data-driven manufacturing.

5ME's new Dashboards feature allows users to create a one-screen view of machine tool performance data pertinent to their job function.