Experience GibbsCAM FALL 2011 GibbsCAM 2011 Features Extensive New Enhancements and Improvements Hot Off the Press On July 11, 2011, Gibbs and Associates, developer of GibbsCAM® software for programming CNC machine tools and a Cimatron company, announced their release of GibbsCAM 2011, with dozens of enhancements to make NC programming easier and faster. m GibbsCAM 2011 to Be Demonstrated in Matsuura Exhibit at EMO m GibbsCAM to be Demonstrated at Haas Demo Days MORE ON PAGE 2 g GibbsCAM Has Reached Another Landmark Developing 1000th MTM (Multi-Task Machine) Post Processor On August 29, 2011, Gibbs and Associates, developer of GibbsCAM® software for programming CNC machine tools and a Cimatron company, announced that it developed its thousandth post processor for GibbsCAM in support of a large variety of Multi-Task Machines (MTMs) in late July. m GibbsCAM 2011 to Be Demonstrated in Willemin- Macodel Exhibit at EMO SEE LATEST NEWS ONLINE g See GibbsCAM at These Upcoming Events Mechatronics Technology Show Sep 29 -Oct 2, 2011 | Nagoya, Japan MORE ON PAGE 3 g Upgrade Your CAM Abilities Anyone who programs a CNC today has to be using CAM software, and the odds are they didn’t acquire it last week. All the leading CAM software companies have been in business 25 years or more. So, on average, companies have had their CAM software a dozen years. Would you believe CAM technologies have improved in that time? Have you kept up? Have you invested the small amount of time and money necessary to keep up? MORE ON PAGE 7 g GibbsCAM Success Stories Weatherford Case Study: CAM Delivers Links to Recent Press Releases Online MSV 2011, International Engineering Fair Oct 3-7, 2011 | Brno, Czech Wisconsin Manufacturing & Technology Show Oct 4-6, 2011 | West Allis, WI SOUTH-TEC Oct 11-13, 2011 | Charlotte, NC CMTS Oct 17-20, 2011 | Toronto, ON Wichita Industrial Trade Show Oct 18-20, 2011 | Wichita, KS SEE MORE EVENT DETAILS ONLINE g MORE ON PAGE 4 g Free MTM Webinar Presented by Andy Heffner, MTM Specialist MORE ON PAGE 6 g Customer Showcase KDM Oilfield Manufacturing Ltd. MORE ON PAGE 8 g GibbsCAM Video Showcase www.Cimatron.com GibbsCAM Vertical Lathe MTM Simulation WATCH VIDEO ONLINE g www.GibbsCAM.com NEXT PAGE g GibbsCAM 2011 Features Extensive New Enhancements and Improvements | PAGE 2} Includes New Features for Automatic Feature Recognition & Preservation, Hole-Making Automation, and 5-Axis Machining O n July 11, 2011, Gibbs and Associates, developer of GibbsCAM® software for programming CNC machine tools and a Cimatron company, announced their release of GibbsCAM 2011, with dozens of enhancements to make NC programming easier and faster. “I am very pleased with the result of our development effort in the past year,” said Bill Gibbs, founder and president of Gibbs and Associates. “The 2011 release delivers many significant new features to improve efficiency in programming and machining, all while retaining the ease of use for which GibbsCAM is known. Across the product line, users will find new tools to make their jobs easier and their work more productive.” GibbsCAM 2011 was officially released on July 8, 2011. Among the multiple additions and enhancements within the 2011 release, are the following: Enhanced Feature and Color Recognition and Preservation – To optimize efficiency and throughput, new tagging capabilities, combined with automatic feature recognition (AFR), allow users to control how GibbsCAM imports CAD models and manages part features and attributes. Color Modes were added to extend tagging and selection criteria of geometric elements – geometry, faces, surfaces and solids. When a part contains user-defined features, or elements tagged with a color attribute, users can switch among Color Modes to distinguish, select or isolate features or elements for manipulation, copying or machining. www.GibbsCAM.com www.Cimatron.com As a result of these enhancements, upon opening CAD models, GibbsCAM can read attributes, then recognize and preserve them as attributes in the GibbsCAM part file. Colors are preserved as CAD colors in the part file, and hole features in the model are recognizable and usable as hole features within GibbsCAM hole operations. Hole Making Capabilities for selecting, organizing, recognizing and drilling holes have been broadly enhanced. Hole Manager, a productivity tool within GibbsCAM, now includes a new Auto Wizard, which allows users to store default settings for reuse, quickly and easily, at any time. Using AFR, holes (and entities that resemble holes) are selectable by part face, set of faces, a hole’s interior faces, or by coordinate system to which a hole feature is aligned. This streamlining enables users to automatically recognize and program hundreds of holes with as few as three mouse clicks, greatly simplifying and speeding up hole-making operations. Also, GibbsCAM now includes support for the full range of SolidWorks hole features. Custom drill cycle options were added and, to reduce traverse and cycle time in drill cycles, a new check box enables reverse-order drilling. 5-Axis Enhancements include various new drill cycle options, toolpath conversion, toolpath smoothing and additional machining styles. The new hole making features make programming drill cycles at off-axis orientations very easy and extremely fast. Programmers can choose drill, variable peck, tap and custom drill cycles. A new Operation Modifier enables the conversion of 2.5- and 3-axis toolpaths for 5-axis machining, which allows use of shorter tools to achieve smoother toolpaths through tool-axis rotation when the work piece or tooling interferes with the tool holder. Toolpath smoothing methods have been implemented for all types of geometry, both STL (triangle mesh) and traditional surface geometry, to improve both tilt and rotary toolpath smoothness. Swarf cutting can now be specified two ways. Users can drive the tool using a) upper and lower curves, with or without a drive surface, or b) a parallel-to-curve strategy with tool-axis rotation. Also new is a 5-axis trimming strategy that uses wireframe geometry. Support for B-axis (tilting live tooling) was added to enable programming 5-axis milling with Y-axis offsets on lathes and multi-task machines equipped with a live-tooling B-axis. For more information about GibbsCAM and GibbsCAM MTM, or to locate your local GibbsCAM Reseller, go to www.GibbsCAM.com, call 1-800-654-9399, or email sales@GibbsCAM.com. GibbsCAM Has Reached Another Landmark Developing 1000th MTM (Multi-Task Machine) Post Processor | PAGE 3} O n August 29, 2011, Gibbs and Associates, developer of GibbsCAM® software for programming CNC machine tools and a Cimatron company, announced that it developed its thousandth post processor for GibbsCAM in support of a large variety of Multi-Task Machines (MTMs) in late July. Each of the 1,000 post processors is uniquely developed and configured for a specific MTM machine-control combination, representing machines from nearly 60 manufacturers. This landmark is significant for two reasons: 1) the use of MTMs is increasing rapidly because of the productivity that these machines can provide –and most MTMs require a CAM system for programming – and 2) after finding a CAM system that readily programs MTMs and overcomes their complexity, the biggest challenge for users is obtaining post processors that generate CNC code that optimizes efficiency of the machine tools, takes advantage of all available control options, and accommodates shop-process preferences, all critical to minimizing the cost of part production. In combination with its GibbsCAM software, widely known for its ease of learning and ease of use, the library of MTM post processors allows Gibbs to provide a more complete and immediate solution to customers who need the productivity offered by multi-task machines. “We are proud and gratified to have the strongest ensemble of MTM post processors in the industry,” said Robb Weinstein, Senior Vice-President of Sales and Strategic Planning of Gibbs and Associates. “We have been at the forefront of MTM programming since we decided to strategically focus on the MTM market, developing relationships with the largest manufacturers, and in five years, we have gained the renown of having the best, easiest to use, and most complete solution for MTM programming.” www.GibbsCAM.com www.Cimatron.com Whereas most CAM software vendors provide a post processor as a generic tool, and relegate configuration and implementation – reiterative testing, trouble shooting and correcting – to their users and resellers, Gibbs has a complete post processor department which develops, implements and maintains post processors. In support of customers and machine-tool builders world wide, the GibbsCAM post processor group maintains a current library of over 10,000 unique post processors to accommodate all types of lathes, mills and multitask machines, in combination with their associated controls. The 1,000 MTM post processors support the various multi-task-machine model-control combinations from the following manufacturers: • Amera Seiki • G. Boley • Century • Cincinnati • Clausing-Colchester • Doosan • EMCO • Fagor • Giddings & Lewis • Gildemeister • Haas • Hanwha • Hitachi Seiki • Index • Johnford • KMT (Knowledge) • Mazak • Monarch • Nakamura-Tome • Okuma • RCR • Star CNC • Takisawa • Toshulin • Trevisan • Victor • Wasino • WFL Millturn Technologies • Yama Seiki • Anca • Bumotec • Chiron • Citizen • DAC International • DMG • Eurotech-Biglia • Farrell • Ganesh • Gital • Hankook • Hardinge • Hwacheon • Intertech • Hyundai-Kia • Matsuura • Miyano • Mori Seiki • Nomura • PCC Olofsson • Schaublin • SMT Swedturn • Tornos-Deco • Traub • Tsugami • Warner & Swasey • Weiler • Willemin-Macodel • ZPS Customer Spotlight T | PAGE 4} Weatherford Case Study: CAM Delivers en years ago, Oil Country Manufacturing, Ventura, CA, drew the attention of Weatherford International Ltd., with a larger new model of tongs – the large multi-jawed wrenches used for making and breaking pipe, tubing, or casing. Oil Country’s development caused a stir because the product was similar and competitive to one produced by Weatherford. Taking an interest in Oil Country, Weatherford – also attracted to Oil Country’s flexibility and facility – bought the company. It became Weatherford Oil Country Manufacturing and a part of Weatherford’s Artificial Lift Systems division. Weatherford transferred some manufacturing to Oil Country, provided backing to increase production, and expanded the global reach of Oil Country products. Output more than tripled, straining CNC programmers already responsible for creating programs to machine parts for the traditional product lines. www.GibbsCAM.com “One of the challenges we faced immediately was that Weatherford used Pro/Engineer as their corporate CAD standard,” says Marcus Baertschi, Oil Country manufacturing engineering supervisor. “We needed to acquire all that part geometry to program CNC machines, while continuing to use geometry from Ashlar- Vellum’s Graphite, our CAD standard.” www.Cimatron.com Baertschi, an experienced tooling machinist and manual NC programmer, says they were too busy to search for computer aided manufacturing (CAM) software that would import Pro/ Engineer solid models without translation problems, use the models to program machine tools, and simulate machine motion. A year and a half later, they tackled the project, but by then, they had a good idea of what they needed. SELECTION CRITERIA There were many parts requiring several milling operations, sometimes needing additional conventional milling. The goal was to transfer them to horizontal machining centers, where they would run in fewer operations, back to back without waiting, so that parts came off ready for assembly. To achieve that, Oil Country established aggressive, but realistic, CAM software search criteria. “We evaluated cost and ROI; ease of use to get up to speed quickly; integration with Pro/Engineer and Vellum for various departments; accommodation of current manufacturing software; a trial period before purchase; and technical support,” says Baertschi. Among the many required features were the ability to import, translate, and manipulate solid models in industry standard formats; the ability to create and use machine models for simulation; toolpath verification and machine simulation; the ability to manage and simulate tombstone machining; and the ability to create and use an extensive cutting tool library. CONTINUED ON PG. 5 | GO THERE g Customer Spotlight CONTINUED FROM PG. 4 “We used a spreadsheet to compare five CAM packages, and GibbsCAM Solids Machining won hands down, with flawless import of the Pro/Engineer models,” Baertschi explains. “It met our criteria for solids import, ease of use and machine simulation, and the company had a reputation for good technical support.” Oil Country programmer Tino Velasco, agrees that GibbsCAM solids machining provides the tools he needs for visualization and simulation. He likes having multiple options when it comes to importing geometry, machining directly from it, or using a profiler to take cross sections to extrude into part shapes; manipulating stock material rendered with toolpath into new stock; easily hiding or revealing geometry, tools, or tooling; and interrogating models anywhere to obtain dimensional verification. www.GibbsCAM.com www.Cimatron.com | PAGE 5} “I have the part and tooling designs in front of me, before I put any tools on the part,” he says. “The machining is very simple, usually some flats, then some boring and drill cycles. My challenges are seeing the casting, seeing how it is mounted, and avoiding collisions between part, cutting tool, fixtures, Top left: Tino Velasco uses precise models of castings and all workholding devices and runs his finished NC programs in GibbsCAM Machine Simulation to detect and correct potential collisions. Top right: The challenge is seeing the casting, seeing how it is mounted, and avoiding collisions between machine, cutting tools, parts, and workholding components. Here, GibbsCAM runs the NC program for a rod hook bail in Machine Simulation. “Everything about seeing and using solids for programming Bottom left: To do all the milling, drilling, and tapping without adding setups and saves me time,” Velasco says. programming, Velasco had to machine the back through an opening on the mounting plate, and then reach from the end, between the part and the plate, with a 4” tool “But, I really like the simulation. mounted on a 15-5/8” extension. When we first got new Niigata Bottom right: GibbsCAM can create or import accurate representations of all machine machines, I was a very nervous tool components, tooling, and fixtures, and combine them with models of castings for programmer, afraid of breaking programming and machine simulation. something. Simulation gives me confidence that I have clearance and no collisions.” workholding devices, and the tool changer. Having these virtual tools is a real plus. Visualization is very difficult if all you have is He uses a gear case cover, which comes into the shop as a wireframe geometry. Lines and points in space to represent casting, to describe his challenges before solids machining and surfaces and holes can make programming impossible. simulation. Velasco would get a drawing, or CAD data treated as a blueprint, where he was to ignore measured geometry and Velasco says that having the ability to import and machine from follow specified dimensions. To arrive at the shape of the casting, solid models reduced his programming time by 70%. Baertschi he would start with a virtual block and nibble away at it. adds that using GibbsCAM solids machining and machine simulation to program the Niigata HN-63D (equipped with tool “The part has multiple profiles, steps and dips, plus cutouts, matrix and dual pallets) also reduced set-up time by 33% and handles and flanges. It took 75 to 100 operations to get my cycle time by 52%, replacing three conventional and two CNC stock to look like the casting,” Velasco states. “I would have milling operations with two back-to-back CNC operations. to measure the casting, draw it in Graphite, and go back and forth until I was done. Now I just import the model, and if I “Often,” says Velasco, “having machine and tooling component need to do some manipulating, I can do it in GibbsCAM, models is only the beginning.” without having to go back to Pro/E, and then run the program “I need assurance there will be no collisions at the machine,” in machine simulation, checking for collisions.” Velasco explains. “On the Niigata, I have a 39.4” diameter for Velasco explains that aside from eliminating repetitive part motion; it seems like a lot, but you add the special measuring and drawing operations, solid models enable him to workholding, plates, and clamps on a big part, and you may combine all the elements he needs to see before programming. have a problem changing tools.” CONTINUED ON PG. 6 | GO THERE g Customer Spotlight CONTINUED FROM PG. 5 REALIZING GAINS He cites a recent project, a rod hook bail, as an extreme example. | PAGE 6} and eliminated worry about on-machine crashes. Aside from saving 50% of programming time, they replaced six manual operations – conventional mill, lathe, saw, radial drill, pin stamp, and deburring – with three CNC (two lathe, one mill) operations, reducing set-up time by 22% and cycle time by 66%. “In programming, we always talk about machining strategy,” Velasco says. “For this part, the strategy was clearance, clearance, clearance. How can I move to get tools where I need them? The part, mounted on a vertical plate on Baertschi says they continue to realize gains in productivity a pallet, is about two feet as they introduce parts long, with a larger into the new processes. diameter on one end, but Through use of GibbsCAM we needed to mount it so solids machining and its centerline was parallel simulation, we have to the plate. To do all the greatly reduced new milling, drilling, and process and tooling tapping without adding turn-around time with set-ups and programthe ability to verify and ming, I had to machine simulate feasibility; the back through an improved accuracy by opening on the mounting replacing drawings with plate, and then reach solid models; increased According to Tino Velasco, the machining strategy for this from the end, between shopfloor confidence; rod-hook bail casting mounted on a Niigata Pallet, ready for the part and the plate, machining–is clearance. The opening in the plate provides improved safety and with a 4” tool mounted access to machine from the back side. quality; and greatly on a 15-5/8” extension.” reduced programming, Velasco knew that the tool would require manual changing, setup, and cycle times. For us, it is ideal,” Baertschi concludes. but simulation assured safe motion and clearance for the Reprinted in part by permission of GIE Media, © 2011 Today’s Energy Solutions June/ other tools. In the end, the visualization saved a lot of time, July 2011. A full version of this article can be found at www.GibbsCAM.com. Free MTM Webinar: Presented by Andy Heffner, MTM Specialist If you haven’t had the chance to attend our “Higher Profits from Complex Parts or High-Volume Part Production” Webinar presented by Modern Machine Shop and Gibbs and Associates, you can view it now! Primary topics: • The many benefits of using multi-task machining (MTM) • Typical MTM machine configurations & matching parts to machines • The challenges of programming and using MTM machines • Examples of MTM parts and programming, from simple to complex www.GibbsCAM.com www.Cimatron.com Click Here to Watch Webinar Online Upgrade Your CAM Abilities | PAGE 7} BY BILL GIBBS, FOUNDER & PRESIDENT, GIBBS & ASSOCIATES Anyone who programs a CNC today has to be using CAM software, and the odds are they didn’t acquire it last week. All the leading CAM software companies have been in business 25 years or more. So, on average, companies have had their CAM software a dozen years. Would you believe CAM technologies have improved in that time? Have you kept up? Have you invested the small amount of time and money necessary to keep up? Step 5: Does everyone who might benefit from CAM have training and access? Expanding access to your CAM software has many opportunities to benefit your business, if only being less dependent on a single individual programmer. Ease of use is a helpful feature of CAM software to minimize the cost of training. A CNC machine doesn’t improve or gain new abilities with time—it just wears out. But a CAM system does improve with time and gains new abilities. If you are not keeping up, not only are you not protecting the value of your CAM investment, but you are not protecting your ability to remain competitive in your CNC business. Your ability to produce parts at a lower cost than your rivals is very important. • Ways to program faster. The latest GibbsCAM offers users automation through Macros to fully automate repetitive family of parts or create custom drill cycles. It has new feature recognition from CAD data and new automatic program generation capabilities. • Ways to cut faster. The latest GibbsCAM offers VoluMill high efficiency roughing, plunge roughing per Sandvik recommendations, and groove tool turning per Iscar recommendations. • Ways to get post processors perfected. There is no need to edit G code. Step 1: Are you using your CAM software’s latest version? Most CAM companies offer a maintenance service (an annual subscription fee) to provide updates to their software. Costs vary with the company from 12 to 20 percent of the original purchase price. This provides you access to the latest and greatest version of your software. Having a product that offers this and provides ongoing improvement is a valuable part of your CAM software. Step 2: When was the last time you utilized training courses? Training is a valuable tool in making sure you are using your CAM software fully. For example, we get experi¬enced GibbsCAM users coming to factory training classes, making comments like “I didn’t know I could do that,” or “Who knew there was a better way to program that part?” Most CAM companies offer training through their resell¬ers, as well as online and video training. Step 3: Do you use your tech support? Most CAM companies offer phone support—people you can call and discuss your issues and desires with. Again using GibbsCAM as an example, you can call your GibbsCAM reseller, a CNC expert in most cases, for insight and assistance. Gibbs also offers a free factory phone sup¬port that customers can call. www.GibbsCAM.com www.Cimatron.com Step 4: Does your CAM support all your machines? Perhaps your shop has grown in the classes of machines it uses. Perhaps you’ve added five-axis, MTM or Swiss machines. Have you expanded your CAM to keep up? Benefits you are likely to discover: Take some time now and then to review how well you are using your CAM software. Invest a bit of time and money to keep up with the latest and greatest improve¬ments. Empower your people to stay current and trained on your software. I think you will find the results will help your business every day. For more information from Gibbs and Associates, a Cimatron Company, please visit www.GibbsCAM.com or call (805) 523-0004. Reprinted from the July 2011 PRODUCTION MACHINING Magazine and Copyright © 2011 by Gardner Publications, Inc., 6915 Valley Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio 45244-3029 Customer Showcase COMPANY: | PAGE 8 KDM Oilfield Manufacturing Ltd. Nisku, AB Canada USER SINCE: March 2010 LOCATION: The mark of a successful job shop is the ability to meet and exceed client needs, whatever the project on the floor. KDM Oilfield Manufacturing of Nisku, Alberta, went a step above and beyond that when it invested in a new 5-axis machine to help a client get out of a bind. To speed the success of that contract, the company invested in GibbsCAM software, which helped them get up and running on the new machine in short order. KDM has been serving oil and gas drilling contractors for a little more than four years. The company’s 15 employees, four CNC lathes and 10,000 square foot facility has primarily serviced equipment and built subcomponents for those drilling contractors, working in 4145 alloy steel. PART DESCRIPTION: This drill bit was created using the application of a 5-axis toolpath in GibbsCAM. GibbsCAM helped speed the process up when KDM was approached with the opportunity to find a new source for drill bits, as long as they were able to respond quickly to their supply requests. Are you doing some really cool programming with GibbsCAM? Would you like to show off your stuff in front of other GibbsCAM customers? If your answer is “Yes!” then forward your VNC files to us, along with pictures and other interesting information about the job. A panel of qualified experts will select winners to be published in the next customer newsletter. Entries that get published will receive a free GibbsCAM baseball hat. But here’s the best part: all submissions will be reviewed for potential selection as a case study story that may be published in a national manufacturing trade publication. Interested? Then e-mail marketing@GibbsCAM.com or call us at (805) 523-0004. Experience GibbsCAM is published quarterly by Gibbs and Associates, a Cimatron Company, based in Moorpark, CA, and is distributed free of charge. www.GibbsCAM.com ©2011 Gibbs and Associates, a Cimatron Company. All rights reserved. The Gibbs and GibbsCAM logos, GibbsCAM, Virtual Gibbs and “Powerfully Simple. Simply Powerful.” are either trademark(s) or registered trademark(s) of Gibbs and Associates in the United States and/or other countries. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. This document is for informational purposes only and is subject to change. www.Cimatron.com