CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
9 May 2008
Implementation Investments
14 years with WorkNC Contributes to Success at HS Die
Formed in 1969, HS Die & Engineering Inc. has grown from a garage based workshop to a major force in the American toolmaking industry, with three mold manufacturing plants and a plant specializing in check fixture, secondary machines and robotics in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA as well as a mold repair facility in Illinois. Its customers are in the automotive and aerospace industries, and the company specializes in injection, compression, structural foam, and stack molds for parts such as instrument panels, seat consoles, and fascias. The No.1 plant is 140,000 sq ft and produces the larger tools up to 88 tons, while plants 2 and 3 are for manufacturing smaller tools. Additionally, No.3 plant has tool try-out facilities which range from 110 to 3,300 ton capacity.
HS Die has been using WorkNC for programming its machine tools for 14 years and now has 12 seats of the software. The No.1 plant has 75 mills, both horizontal and vertical, of which 19 are full 5-axis and 12 have positioning 5-axis capabilities. Brad Rhowmine, Programmer at the No.1 plant said, “The main advantage of WorkNC for us is its re-machining, it can’t be beaten. Other software packages we have looked at are nowhere near as good, even though some are much more expensive.” He continued, “The global roughing in the latest WorkNC G3 is even better than the previous versions. The tool does not skip around and stays in the roughing area. Sescoi also specially altered the spiraling diameter for our 4 inch and 6 inch cutters to suit our working methods.” Global roughing utilizes a dynamic stock model when roughing and re-roughing, which makes the cutterpaths highly efficient compared to systems that utilize a static stock model, or no model at all.
With the advent of WorkNC G3, which combines CAD manipulation, programming, toolpath editing and verification into one ergonomic interface, HS Die has found it easier to work with imported CAD data. Brad Rhowmine said, “The ability to check draft angles is very useful in helping us to select the correct cutter. Additionally, we can patch surfaces where necessary. The CAD functions are much easier to get at, overall the system is very easy to use, it can be learnt in one day.”
HS Die produces around 800 to 900 molds per year at its No.1 plant, and each can have between 50 and 1000 toolpaths, depending on the complexity of the job. Program production is generic, and output in APT format, so that toolpaths can suit a wide range of machine tools. This provides more flexibility on the shop floor, as the APT files can be postprocessed at the last minute to suit an individual machine, once the part’s route through the factory has been determined. For positioning 5-axis machining, the company produces one set of toolpaths to suit each angular location. Now that the company has evaluated and implemented WorkNC’s Auto 5 module it has been able to replace several separate 3+2 axis cutterpaths with one continuous simultaneous 5-axis cutterpath.
Auto 5 automatically translates 3-axis movements into 5-axis toolpaths, making it very simple to use and learn. It considers the limitations of the machine and collision avoidance between the tool, job and machine tool itself. Furthermore, it produces a superior finish by avoiding mismatched blending which can occur with 3+2 machining. Brad Rhowmine said, “The machine keeps running continuously for longer. Previously we had to stop each time we needed to change angles. We can also use shorter, more rigid, cutters and machine more of the part in one setting. We have minimized the use of EDM thanks to the re-machining capabilities of WorkNC and improvements in the quality of the tools we use.” Sescoi works in close collaboration with HS Die to help it to maximize productivity. “Sescoi produced a 5-axis job for us which we use for reference for future work, it has saved us a lot of time. We have found the service to be outstanding and we are looking forward to expanding our use of 5-axis machining and Sescoi’s unique Auto 5 system.”
Reliability is also important for HS Die Brad Rhowmine said, “We don’t have to worry about a crash with WorkNC, it is very reliable and we have found that its performance is superior to that of other CAM systems we have used. As well as the software’s re-machining, global roughing and Auto 5, we like its flat surface machining, which cuts with almost the full diameter of the tool without leaving islands, its rock solid toolpath editor and the new tool library.” He concluded, “WorkNC has changed the way we program, we would not be as successful as we are without it.”
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