Process Engineering GETS A DIGITAL BOOST

Manufacturing Engineering, Mar 2007 by Morey, Bruce

Remmele engineers chose two performance simulation packages: Vericut by CGTech Corp. (Irvine, CA) and Metal Max by Manufacturing Laboratories Inc. (Las Vegas, NV). "We use CGTech's Vericut for all of our machining simulation needs, including Vericut machine and control files," says Conley. "With data exported from NX, Vericut simulates the cutting process on the shop floor utilizing the machine G-code to detect any issues prior to NC Program release." Remmele uses Metal Max, an accompanying performance analysis software package, to perform modal analysis to predict and eliminate chatter and other unwanted vibration. It provides recommendations such as surface footages and depth of cut in the material specified.

TDM Information Systems (Schaumburg, IL) provided the tool management function. This package is able to integrate with UGS NX and NX's simulation tools. Automated tool management alone was good; automating data transfer to CAM automation made it even better. "We needed a tool management system that was robust enough to talk with CAM automation," says Tom Shuga, CIM Manager for Remmele Engineering. TDM provided that.

Based on an Oracle platform, the engineering database management software is Remmele's own. Although there are systems such as Teamcenter from UGS or SmartTeam from Dassault available, Remmele chose to keep its own proprietary databasing software. It configures the master of the part data received from the customer, and shares the data with the plant. The data are synchronized nightly at each plant by the software to ensure data validity. Finally, they chose Predator DNC (Portland, OR) to populate machines with CAM data anywhere in Remmele.

Remmele has integrated these software packages so that the tool assemblies captured in TDM are imported to NX for CAM programming. Product data and CAM configurations are configured, controlled, and distributed on its single DNC system.

"With these systems, we are able to have configuration control of the engineering data at the start of the process," explains Shuga.

Purchasing a tool inventory system like TDM was only one step-populating it and establishing procedures for its use was critical. Remmele stores its tools in its TDM as virtual tool assemblies, rather than as individual tools. "Virtual tool assemblies have data tied to them, like build feeds and speeds for a particular material type and different processes. When a CAM programmer selects a tool assembly from the system, he pulls in not only geometric data, but also tool feeds and speeds," explains Shuga.

Remmele's tool-inventory-control system gives manufacturing engineers access to tools not only in their own plants, but also corporate-wide. It provides visibility to all crib inventories, receives order recommendations from all cribs, makes order decisions, sends order requests, and even faxes blanket orders to suppliers.

Technical data for each tool assembly stored in TDM need to come from somewhere. Remmele decided that calibrating the software to the reality of its shop floor, rather than using generic data, was vital to success. Each machine will be measured in terms of accuracy, feed and speed, rigidity, and control-technology limitations. Remmele currently has 75 premium machines that it will characterize.