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Altitude IncorporatedCNC Router Improves Industrial
Designs by Reducing
By Alan Ball, President |
The
other option for producing prototypes from solid models was to machine
them. At a tradeshow, Altitude saw that many of the solid modeling
software vendors were using a particular machine, the Techno Series
III PC-driven CNC router, in their booths to demonstrate the machining
of parts from their models. The manufacturer of the router, Techno-
Isel, also had a booth at the show, and there, Altitude evaluated the
router more thoroughly. They had learned that it cost less than
$16,000 and was designed for production routing and drilling on a wide
variety of materials including wood, plastic, MDF, solid surfacing
materials, and nonferrous metals. The price included a CNC programming
system, but Altitude chose to upgrade and uses Pro/MANUFACTURE.
The price and the capabilities included in the Techno CNC router system seemed appropriate for Altitude's needs, so the company purchased it. The technical specifications of the router they purchased included a working area for the router of 19" x 19" and Z-axis height of 8". The table features a rapid travel rate of 350" per minute, a Z-axis cutting force of 200 lbs. maximum, 0.0005" resolution and repeatability, and 0.003 inches /foot absolute accuracy. A key feature of the Techno servo system is its ability to cut 3D continuous contours at up to 200" per minute, far faster than most machining centers. Altitude, however, generally cuts at 60 inches per minute. Now, when a designer wants to make a quick prototype from Pro/ENGINEER data, toolpaths are first generated in Pro/MANUFACTURE, and then he sends it to the model shop to be produced on the Techno router. It takes about a day to program the router and produce a prototype, so by the next day a designer has a part to examine surfaces, fit together, or see what feels good in his hand. If the prototype is destined for client review, some additional time is spent finishing the part. Thanks to the accuracy of the Techno router, finishing time is minimal. The router has a positioning accuracy of ±0.1 mm in 300 mm and a repeatability of 0.01 mm. It has anti-backlash ball screws for play-free motion. These screws have excellent power transmission due to the rolling ball contact between the nut and screws. This type of contact ensures low friction, low wear, and long life. The ball screws also make it possible to produce parts to the router resolution of 0.0005 inch. For Altitude, this means that a part can be sanded down with 220 sandpaper in about 20 to 30 minutes. Altitude keeps the Techno router running on average 20 hours per week, although there are situations when it runs constantly. The Techno router has been very stable and reliable. It is constructed from extruded aluminum profiles that can support all the soft materials Altitude uses. The router has four ground and hardened steel shafts and eight recirculating bearings in each axis. This shaft and bearing system produces very smooth, play-free motion and an extremely rigid system that produces high-quality cuts. The only performance problem Altitude has had was one of the routers burning out. Since it was a standard Porter Cable production router, they were able to buy a new one locally and have the machine running again in a few hours. The other problem was noise, plus dust, created in an office environment. This was solved by enclosing the router in a cabinet constructed from the same aluminum extrusions used in fabricating the mill. For Altitude, the Techno CNC router fills the gap between blue foam models and service bureau prototypes. It provides more accurate models than those made by cutting with templates and a hot wire. Altitude doesn't use the Techno router to provide the highly finished models they get from service bureaus. These are painted with beautiful lacquer finishes, and Altitude doesn't have that capability in house. Prototypes made on the Techno router are accurate yet usually not finished to that extent, and serve more as a way of evaluating design concepts. Recently, for example, Altitude was asked to produce a game controller. Designers had eight options for the thumb button and needed to make prototypes to see how each one felt. It was impossible to get fine detail in such tiny parts with the blue foam so all eight buttons were milled on the Techno router. Using a 1/32" ball mill, the model shop was able to produce the parts with the same detail as the solid models created in the CAD system. Prototypes produced on the Techno router have been valuable in that they give designers and clients an accurate part to hold in their hands. This has helped Altitude improve the quality of its designs. Another benefit of having the machine is that it impresses clients and prospective clients. Not all industrial design companies have the ability to mill parts in-house, and Altitude finds this to be a good selling point. Getting clients in and showing them how quickly the company can get to hard prototypes has helped close several sales. |
| 2101 Jericho Turnpike, New Hyde Park, NY 11040 • Telephone: 1.800.819.3366 / 516.328.3970 Fax: 1.516.358.2576 Click here to send Web site related comments to Techno CNC Router Systems |
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