Displaying items by tag: Num

CNC specialist NUM has launched a series of brushless linear servo motors designed specifically for continuous duty cycle applications in machine tools.

  • Moving coil primary section fully encapsulated in stainless steel housing
  • Liquid-cooled design rated for continuous duty cycle applications

Until now, most linear motors on the market have been designed for general-purpose automation involving fast A-B positioning capabilities but relatively low duty cycles. NUM has taken a more conservative design approach, waiting until the market matured before creating a linear motor expressly intended for continuous operation in the harsh environment of modern machine tools.

NUM’s new LMX series linear motors incorporate a number of features to help mitigate the effect of arduous operating conditions. Their moving coil primary section is fully encapsulated in a robust stainless steel housing, with an integrated cooling circuit designed to maximise the flow rate, which also allows the use of low specific heat capacity cooling liquids. The motors have a short pole pitch to increase force density, minimise cogging forces and reduce thermal losses.

PR LMX

LMX linear motors comprise a metal track with multiple embedded rare earth magnets, and a coil assembly supported by a customer-supplied guideway. A key feature of the motors is that they are designed to operate with a comparatively large air gap of 1 mm, to reduce the impact of mounting tolerances on performance characteristics. For most machine tool applications, the track is held stationary and the coil assembly is free to move – but converse mounting arrangements are also practicable, with similar performance attributes.

Suitable for use with standard 3-phase sinusoidal brushless servo drives, NUM’s LMX series linear motors are especially cost-effective when teamed with the company’s NUMDrive X or new NUM DrivePro drives. Both these families of high performance drives feature a high degree of functional integration, making them some of the smallest on the market, and offer extensive safe motion monitoring and control options to help simplify design-in.

The new NUM DrivePro drives are likely to be of particular interest to OEMs seeking maximum performance from NUM’s new LMX series linear motors. Implemented using advanced system-on-chip (SoC) technology and based on a multi-core ARM processor, the drives employ bare metal programming to eliminate operating system latency.

NUM produces a wide range of electric motors, including spindle, servo, torque, synchronous and asynchronous, and now linear. According to Massimiliano Menegotto, Managing Director and CTO of NUM Group, “Choosing the best kinematic solution for any machine often involves a tradeoff between various technical factors. NUM can support machine designers, during the machine's development phase, with the selection of the most appropriate solution."

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US manufacturers Star Cutter Company and Garr Tool have jointly developed an innovative 5-axis CNC machine tool that completely automates the production of complex profile end mills – from blank to finished tool.

  • Star Cutter and Garr Tool develop innovative multi-process CNC machine tool for complete end mill manufacturing

Star Cutter Company specialises in carbide and preform manufacturing, cutting tools and CNC machines for tool/cutter grinding and hob sharpening. Founded in Detroit back in 1927, the company nowadays operates six manufacturing facilities at strategic locations throughout Michigan. Its Elk Rapids Engineering division is responsible for the renowned Star brand of CNC tool and cutter grinders.

Star Cutter’s new NXT 5-axis tool and cutter grinding machine is based on NUM’s Flexium+ CNC platform.Star Cutter’s new NXT 5-axis tool and cutter grinding machine is based on NUM’s Flexium+ CNC platform.

Garr Tool is the USA’s leading manufacturer of high-performance solid carbide cutting tools. From humble beginnings with Fred Leppien in his garage in 1944, it now operates a state-of-the-art 200,000 square foot manufacturing facility in central Michigan with over 150 CNC grinders. Garr Tool specialises in solid carbide cutting tools, including end mills, drills, reamers and routers.

Garr Tool makes extensive use of CNC automation, including tool grinding machines from Ulmer Werkzeugschleiftechnik (UWS) and Star-Cutter. All of these machines are based on control technology supplied by the specialist CNC company NUM. Star Cutter, for example, has partnered with NUM for cooperative development of application-specific CNC hardware and software since 1998, and nowadays bases nearly all its machine tools on NUM’s open-architecture Flexium+ CNC platform.

According to John Leppien II, Vice President of Garr Tool, “We use NUM’s NUMROTO software for tool production and reconditioning on all of our Star and UWS machines. Our operators regard it as very flexible and user-friendly, and we find that it encourages interdepartmental knowledge sharing and also helps to reduce our training overheads.”

A few years back, Garr Tool began producing a series of large diameter tools for use on high torque machines employed in the aerospace industry; however, manufacturing the tools involved multiple machines and multiple processes. The company therefore embarked on a collaborative project with Star Cutter’s Elk Rapids Engineering team, to develop a multi-process machine capable of handling the entire production task. The result was a 2018 development of a Star CNC Tool grinder which included NUMROTO end mill software, cylindrical grind, along with linear motors and drives, with all 5 axes on a closed loop chiller/coolant system. This thermally stable machine allows Garr Tool to maintain .001” in diameter on the OD of these tools during lights out for 48 hour unattended runs.

All 5 axes on Star Cutter’s new NXT tool and cutter grinding machine are controlled by a NUM Flexium+ CNC system.All 5 axes on Star Cutter’s new NXT tool and cutter grinding machine are controlled by a NUM Flexium+ CNC system.

Star's latest machine, the NXT tool and cutter grinder, now also incorporates these same features that were introduced to Garr Tool. Based on NUM’s Flexium+ CNC system and NUMROTO software, this new 5-axis machine tool features linear motors instead of ball screws on the X, Y and Z axes, direct drive torque motors on the B and C rotary axes, and a liquid-cooled spindle motor. There is a choice of three different types of spindle motor, to best suit application needs; these include a very high speed unit capable of 24,000 rpm, and a very high power unit rated at 28 kW.

The NXT has an exceptionally small footprint (including the spindle/axis chiller) of just 2300 x 2032 mm (7’ 6’’ x 6’ 6”), and an installed height of only 2284 mm (7’ 5”). These dimensions mean that the machine can easily be accommodated on the shop floor, where space is often at a premium. The base of the machine is cast in Zanite® Plus polymer composite to ensure mechanical rigidity and thermal stability.

Despite its diminutive size, the NXT offers a substantial grind zone, with maximum X, Y and Z travels of 500 mm, 650 mm and 750 mm (19.7”, 25.6” and 29.5”) respectively. The machine can accommodate up to 381 mm (15”) end work and up to 254 mm (10”) diameter parts. Automated wheel changing and probing is standard with up to 203 mm (8”) diameter wheels, and the NXT can also run up to 254 mm (10”) diameter wheels with coolant manifolds and up to 305 mm (12”) diameter wheels without.

The ability to use large diameter grinding wheels for profiling applications or small, sub 25 mm (1”) diameter wheels for PCD pocket grinding on the same machine introduces a remarkable level of production flexibility.

Star Cutter’s new NXT tool and cutter grinder features a fully integrated Fanuc 200iD compact 6-axis short arm robot to facilitate fully automated processing of round and flat tool blanks; the standard gripper can handle from 5 mm to 32 mm blanks, with other options available. In-process measurement data is fed directly to the CNC system’s NUMROTO software, to provide adaptive real-time control of the entire grinding process.

Based on a modular architecture, the NXT is designed for ease of integration with other forms of industrial automation and handling robots. An extensive range of factory-build and retrofit options include a traveling W-axis and a 12,000 rpm wheel dresser.

Aaron Remsing, Jr.
 Sales Manager
 for Star Cutter’s 
Elk Rapids Engineering Division, points out: “We believe that the NXT is the smallest and most capable CNC tool and cutter grinder on the market. Even though it is an evolutionary design, its performance is nothing short of revolutionary.”

Zanite® Plus is a registered trademark of BaseTek, LLC. www.basetek.com

 

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Available now, the latest version of Flexium software from CNC specialist NUM includes an enhanced RTCP (Rotation Tool Centre Point) function with tool vector programming that significantly simplifies the usage of five-axis machine tools.

  • Enhanced RTCP function with tool vector programming
  • New G code command and smoothing algorithms help improve surface quality

As one of the original developers of RTCP, NUM continually enhances the function to meet the changing needs of machine builders and end-users. The company’s implementation of RTCP includes twenty-four predefined kinematic configurations and its Flexium+ CNC systems can accommodate different kinematics on the same machine – for example, when different milling heads are needed.

NUM’s Flexium CNC software now includes an enhanced RTCP function with 3D workpiece compensation that significantly simplifies the programming of five-axis machine tools.NUM’s Flexium CNC software now includes an enhanced RTCP function with 3D workpiece compensation that significantly simplifies the programming of five-axis machine tools.

NUM’s basic RTCP function, invoked by ISO code G151, offers a number of user-specified variants. The function can be activated with an inclined coordinate system or after a positioning move. In either case, the CNC system automatically calculates the mechanical offset to ensure that the tool centre point is always in touch with the defined workpiece surface while the rotary axes are moving. The RTCP function can also be activated by the actual positions of the rotary axes.

Until now, programming 5-axis machines has often been considered an onerous task. The rotary axes are usually programmed directly with their angular position, which has the advantage that the position of the machining head can be imagined when viewing the part program. The disadvantage, however, is that the part program depends on the kinematics of the machine, and cannot be transferred to another 5-axis machine without modification.

The tool vector programming option of NUM’s RTCP function enables the direction of the tool to be determined by the vectors’ components along the X,Y and Z axes, rendering the part program independent of the machine kinematics.

The RTCP function in NUM’s Flexium CNC software can now be activated by the actual positions of the rotary axes. The RTCP function in NUM’s Flexium CNC software can now be activated by the actual positions of the rotary axes.

In some circumstances, aligning the workpiece to be processed on the machine can be a complex procedure. In these cases, to increase productivity, instead of moving the workpiece, NUM’s Flexium+ CNC system can now compensate for positioning deviations (including angles) by applying appropriate correction values. The workpiece remains misaligned, but the CNC system is aware of the deviations and compensates for them automatically.

NUM’s Flexium software, version 4.1.00.00 or higher, now features a special HMI (Human-Machine Interface) to allow the corresponding correction values to be entered. The coordinate system resulting from the shifts and rotations is called a ‘Balanced Coordinate System’ (or BCS) and the compensation function is known as 3DWPC (3D workpiece compensation).

Additionally, the software now includes a function to help machine users accelerate the roughing operation’s tunings and then achieve optimal surface finishes. Invoked by ISO code G732, the new function simplifies parameter optimisation and automatically computes pre-settings for roughing and finishing, with adjustable smoothing levels. The machine operator can select a range of attributes – such as profile tolerance, permissible chordal error and segment length – and invoke an optional smoothing algorithm to reduce mechanical shock and smooth the workpiece surface.

To further help machine operators achieve optimal results, NUM has also introduced a new algorithm that keeps the pivot point at constant speed. Part programs generated by CAD/CAM systems invariably comprise a multitude of small G01 segments – in the case of rotary axes, these are often distributed inhomogeneously – resulting in speed variations which affect surface quality. The new algorithms maintain constant speed at pivot points during the movement of rotary axes, allowing the discontinuities to be smoothed, resulting in an improved surface.

Five-axis machining, in which the tool is oriented in relation to the machining surface, has really come to the fore in the last few years. Machine tool builders are increasingly developing new kinematic configurations that capitalise on this technology, to help end-users further improve the performance of their machining operations.

A key factor behind the success of five-axis machining was the introduction of the Rotation Tool Centre Point (RTCP) function for CNC systems. NUM was an early developer of this function, which makes interpolated points track correctly by applying real-time compensation for the motion of the rotary axes.

For more information, please contact:

Steve Moore, NUM (UK) Ltd, Unit 3 Fairfield Court, Seven Stars Industrial Estate, Wheler Road, Coventry CV3 4LJ, UK.
Tel: +44 (0)2476 301 259; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; www.num.com.

NUM AG, Battenhusstrasse 16, CH-9053 Teufen, Switzerland.

Tel: +41 71 335 04 11; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; www.num.com.

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Available now, the latest version of Flexium software from CNC specialist NUM includes an enhanced RTCP (Rotation Tool Centre Point) function with tool vector programming that significantly simplifies the usage of five-axis machine tools.

  • Enhanced RTCP function with tool vector programming
  • New G code command and smoothing algorithms help improve surface quality

As one of the original developers of RTCP, NUM continually enhances the function to meet the changing needs of machine builders and end-users. The company’s implementation of RTCP includes twenty-four predefined kinematic configurations and its Flexium+ CNC systems can accommodate different kinematics on the same machine – for example, when different milling heads are needed.

NUM’s Flexium CNC software now includes an enhanced RTCP function with 3D workpiece compensation that significantly simplifies the programming of five-axis machine tools.NUM’s Flexium CNC software now includes an enhanced RTCP function with 3D workpiece compensation that significantly simplifies the programming of five-axis machine tools.

NUM’s basic RTCP function, invoked by ISO code G151, offers a number of user-specified variants. The function can be activated with an inclined coordinate system or after a positioning move. In either case, the CNC system automatically calculates the mechanical offset to ensure that the tool centre point is always in touch with the defined workpiece surface while the rotary axes are moving. The RTCP function can also be activated by the actual positions of the rotary axes.

Until now, programming 5-axis machines has often been considered an onerous task. The rotary axes are usually programmed directly with their angular position, which has the advantage that the position of the machining head can be imagined when viewing the part program. The disadvantage, however, is that the part program depends on the kinematics of the machine, and cannot be transferred to another 5-axis machine without modification.

The tool vector programming option of NUM’s RTCP function enables the direction of the tool to be determined by the vectors’ components along the X,Y and Z axes, rendering the part program independent of the machine kinematics.

The RTCP function in NUM’s Flexium CNC software can now be activated by the actual positions of the rotary axes. The RTCP function in NUM’s Flexium CNC software can now be activated by the actual positions of the rotary axes.

In some circumstances, aligning the workpiece to be processed on the machine can be a complex procedure. In these cases, to increase productivity, instead of moving the workpiece, NUM’s Flexium+ CNC system can now compensate for positioning deviations (including angles) by applying appropriate correction values. The workpiece remains misaligned, but the CNC system is aware of the deviations and compensates for them automatically.

NUM’s Flexium software, version 4.1.00.00 or higher, now features a special HMI (Human-Machine Interface) to allow the corresponding correction values to be entered. The coordinate system resulting from the shifts and rotations is called a ‘Balanced Coordinate System’ (or BCS) and the compensation function is known as 3DWPC (3D workpiece compensation).

Additionally, the software now includes a function to help machine users accelerate the roughing operation’s tunings and then achieve optimal surface finishes. Invoked by ISO code G732, the new function simplifies parameter optimisation and automatically computes pre-settings for roughing and finishing, with adjustable smoothing levels. The machine operator can select a range of attributes – such as profile tolerance, permissible chordal error and segment length – and invoke an optional smoothing algorithm to reduce mechanical shock and smooth the workpiece surface.

To further help machine operators achieve optimal results, NUM has also introduced a new algorithm that keeps the pivot point at constant speed. Part programs generated by CAD/CAM systems invariably comprise a multitude of small G01 segments – in the case of rotary axes, these are often distributed inhomogeneously – resulting in speed variations which affect surface quality. The new algorithms maintain constant speed at pivot points during the movement of rotary axes, allowing the discontinuities to be smoothed, resulting in an improved surface.

Five-axis machining, in which the tool is oriented in relation to the machining surface, has really come to the fore in the last few years. Machine tool builders are increasingly developing new kinematic configurations that capitalise on this technology, to help end-users further improve the performance of their machining operations.

A key factor behind the success of five-axis machining was the introduction of the Rotation Tool Centre Point (RTCP) function for CNC systems. NUM was an early developer of this function, which makes interpolated points track correctly by applying real-time compensation for the motion of the rotary axes.

For more information, please contact:

Steve Moore, NUM (UK) Ltd, Unit 3 Fairfield Court, Seven Stars Industrial Estate, Wheler Road, Coventry CV3 4LJ, UK.
Tel: +44 (0)2476 301 259; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; www.num.com.

NUM AG, Battenhusstrasse 16, CH-9053 Teufen, Switzerland.

Tel: +41 71 335 04 11; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; www.num.com.

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CNC specialist NUM has launched a unique 2D drawing tool that simplifies the design and creation of executable G-code files for CNC cutting machines.

  • User interface mimics popular CAD packages
  • Runs at the machine’s HMI panel or off-line on a programming PC

Known as NUMcad, the new drawing software runs directly from the machine’s operator panel and also under Windows on any standard PC. Its user interface mimics that of many popular CAD packages and is highly intuitive, making it ideal for people with minimal design experience.

NUMcad is a unique 2D drawing tool that simplifies the design and creation of executable G-code files for CNC cutting machines.NUMcad is a unique 2D drawing tool that simplifies the design and creation of executable G-code files for CNC cutting machines.

NUMcad is suitable for both design origination and design modification.

Simple drawing tools are provided for functions such as Line, Polyline, Arc 2P and Arc Center-Radius; and they are backed by a suite of editing tools such as Meet Two Lines, Shrink or Extend – and even Insert Micro-joint – which enables users to very easily customise and modify shapes.

If a user already has a CAD file and wishes to modify it, NUMcad allows AutoCad DXF files to be imported. And in the event that the user does not have a DXF file, but has created the shape on the CNC cutting machine itself, NUMcad also allows this shape to be imported from their customisable parametric shapes library.

The NUMcad software package includes a post processor; shapes or patterns that have been drawn or imported can be automatically converted into an executable G-code file for the CNC cutting machine.

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Using NUMcad, each segment of a cut can be set to rapid, marking, rough, medium or fine cut qualities, to achieve the user’s desired finish; the properties associated with the cut type are pulled from a Technology Table. Both standard shape and custom fly cutting functionalities are available, and associated functions include the ability to control the cut-side placement (kerf compensation) and tilt angle of the machine’s cutting nozzle. Nesting gives the user the option to create complex paths containing the same pattern. With settings like nesting type, number of pieces, sheet size, and scaling, the user can create a path that is sized and optimised to their liking. The added alignment settings allows the shapes to be rotated and offset for the minimisation and optimisation of uncut space – that could turn into scrap.

Much of the application development work behind NUMcad was carried out by the North American branch of NUM, which is based in Naperville, Illinois. According to Steven Schilling, General Manager of NUM Corporation, “We serve a large number of customers in the machine cutting industry, and wanted to create a software tool that would benefit as many people as possible. NUMcad meets this objective – it provides an exceptionally easy way to design or modify G-code files for 2D cutting applications.”

Windows® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.

AutoCAD is a registered trademark or trademark of Autodesk, Inc.

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