Manufacturing Technology

          FeatureCAM 2015 R2 includes the Vortex milling calculator to help users obtain the maximum benefit from the high-efficiency area-clearance strategy.   The 2015 R2 release of Delcam’s FeatureCAM feature-based CAM software incorporates a milling calculator to help users obtain the maximum benefit from the Vortex high-efficiency area-clearance strategy. Other enhancements, among the 280 customer-requested improvements since the initial 2015 release last September, include the ability to create multi-tool blocks within machine designs, better control over toolpath output and more efficient automatic selection of tools. FeatureCAM was the world’s first feature-based programming software when it was launched in 1995. Constant development since then has ensured that the system has retained its leadership in programming speed and ease of use, while an increased range of strategies has been added to provide more efficient toolpaths that give greater productivity on a wider range of machinery, including mill-turn machines, five-axis mills and wire EDM equipment. The Vortex area-clearance strategy in FeatureCAM produces safe toolpaths with a much deeper cut by using a controlled engagement angle that maintains the optimum cutting conditions for the whole toolpath. As a result, higher feed rates and material-removal rates are possible, making the cutting time shorter by as much as 70%. In addition, cutting is undertaken at a more consistent volume-removal rate and at a near constant feed rate, so extending tool life and protecting the machine. The radical nature of Vortex can make it difficult for users to set the optimum parameters when they first apply the strategy. To overcome this problem, Delcam has added a calculator that provides an easy way to maximise productivity and efficiency with Vortex. The calculator uses control of the maximum chip thickness to calculate the appropriate feeds and speeds that will minimise the cutting time while maintaining […]

While it is used all over the world as a light packaging and insulation material, EPS (expanded polystyrene) is a problem as waste. This is why VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is currently developing an affordable and environmentally friendly alternative for polystyrene from PLA bioplastic, which is derived from organic sources. The annual production volume of EPS is 5–6 million tonnes per year. Usually this non-biodegradable material ends up on waste tips or is disposed of by burning, which results in compounds that are hazardous to health. PLA (polylactide) is a bioplastic made from renewable materials with the help of lactic acid. VTT is investigating methods of foaming bioplastics to make beads that are further refined into products such as insulation sheets, using methods typical of EPS manufacturing processes. The expansion of the bioplastic by foaming is carried out with consideration for the environment, using carbon dioxide. The density and heat insulation properties of the new biomaterial are similar to those of polystyrene. VTT plans to take its development work closer to industrial processing and to proceed from laboratory work to factory testing. Therefore, in order to collaborate in this development it is now looking for partners from among companies operating in the field. PLA products similar to polystyrene already exist, but their problem is their high price. In collaboration with companies operating in the field, VTT will be looking for new and more efficient production methods to enable the manufacturing of affordable products. VTT is also developing a process for PLA based on extrusion foaming, in order to replace polystyrene in traffic and packaging applications, for example.

Gold nanoparticles smaller than 10 nanometers spontaneously self-organise in entirely new ways when trapped inside channel-like templates. A new study shows that this feature could facilitate easier nanoscale manufacturing of biosensors and plasmonic devices with intricate, high-density surface structures. Generating surface patterns at scales of 10 nanometers and below is difficult with current technology. An international team, led by Joel Yang from the A*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering in Singapore, is helping to circumvent this limitation using a technique known as ‘directed self-assembly of nanoparticles’ (DSA-n). This approach takes spherical nanoparticles that spontaneously organise into ordered, two-dimensional films when inserted into lithographically defined templates. The templates impose geometric constraints that force the films to organise into specific nanoscale patterns. Most patterns produced by DSA-n, however, are simple periodic arrangements. To broaden this technique’s capabilities, researchers are exploring ‘structure transitions’ that occur when template constraints become comparable to the size of the nanoparticles. At these dimensions, the small spheres can dislocate from typical periodic positions and reorient into unpredictable new geometries. Previous studies have used real-time video microscopy to capture structure transitions in microscale colloids, but direct imaging of sub-10-nanometer particles is nearly impossible. “That’s where we came up with the idea of using templates based on channels with gradually varying widths,” says co-author Mohamed Asbahi. “With this system, we can track the self-assembly of the nanoparticles according to the space accessible to them.” Using electron-beam lithography techniques, the team carved out an array of inward tapering trenches designed to fit 1 to 3 rows of gold nanoparticles. After depositing a monolayer of 8-nanometer particles in the template, they used scanning electron microscopy to identify any emergent width-dependent patterns. Between periodically ordered rows, the researchers saw clear evidence of transition state zones — regions where the tiny spheres buckle […]

VISI software was at the heart of a mould maker’s recent move to new 6,500 square foot premises. KA Tooling say VISI gave them confidence to invest in additional CNC machines and move to larger premises to meet the growing demand for their custom made injection mould tools. According to Director Alex Hill, VISI ensures jobs are finished on the machines much faster than with their previous software. “When we first installed VISI the efficiency gains in terms of speed and accuracy enabled us to take on more work, but we were becoming limited by the size of our premises and number of machines.” They recently moved to their new larger more efficient premises, Alex says they utilise VISI to the full – four seats of VISI Modelling and VISI Machining, a VISI Viewer package, and a seat each of VISI Mould, Electrode, Flow-Lite and Compass Technology. “We maximise technology to reduce costs and improve turnaround, especially in the aluminium market, and VISI enables us to achieve this with top quality moulds. The days of producing aluminium tooling to get the customer’s product to market and then replacing it with a P20 steel tool after around 50 shots off it, have gone. We make aluminium tools where customers produce over half a million mouldings.” As KA Tooling now manufacture more than 100 high precision tools a year, Alex Hill says VISI’s Compass Technology is particularly important for automating the process of manufacturing bolster sets. “It’s rules based machining, by setting parameters for different features within a bolster plate. Thanks to Compass, we’re now using just one machining centre, rather than two, to produce bolsters. “We offer an expedited service – customers come to us because we can offer a two week turnaround from start to finish, whereas most companies quote […]

By Professor Sami Kara Director of Postgraduate Research Faculty of Engineering University of New South Wales Manufacturers in New Zealand and Australia are hearing a constant refrain: to remain competitive in the global manufacturing marketplace, companies must become more productive with fewer resources and must find ways to differentiate themselves from the competition. As well as becoming more ‘lean’ there is increasing pressure to become more environmentally sound. The answer, according to our research at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, could be Life Cycle Engineering (LCE). LCE is an approach to product design and manufacture that takes into account the entire product life cycle from beginning to end. With increased resource scarcity there is an opportunity for manufacturers to minimise their environmental impact and improve return, by controlling the entire product life cycle. This is a dramatic departure from the traditional manufacturing approach, which generally concerns itself with the product’s life cycle only up until the end of its warranty period, which has resulted in a disposable society, where many products are simply sent to landfill. The world has limited resources to sustain production. Approximately 89 million barrels of oil and liquid fuels were consumed per day worldwide in 2011 . By 2030 China alone is expected to consume 17.5 million barrels per day . Limited copper resources will cause similar issues. With this increased pressure on resources, manufacturers will eventually have to find alternatives to using high levels of raw materials. If products were designed from the beginning to be dismantled at the end of their lifespan, it would make the recycling process much easier and more cost-effective, and significant resources would not be wasted. LCE would go some way to addressing this issue but to be truly viable it must […]