Cnc Machines

Schaublin Machine Tools has supplied a medical device manufacturer with a Schaublin 48V CNC mill plus Renishaw probe technique to produce high-accuracy parts.

Schaublin engineers helped train Clada Medical’s Raphael Blowick, to use the equipment.

Blowick, not a production engineer, faced a steep learning curve when it came to machining.

Blowick said: ‘I’ve always liked designing parts in Solidworks.

‘The problem for me has been turning those plans into physical parts.’ Starting with the premise that for the medical parts they intends to make, accuracy plus technique consistency are more important than complexity, Blowick took advice plus invested in a Schaublin 48V mill fitted with a Renishaw OMP 40 probe.

they then took the decision to go further, purchasing GibbsCAM, to turn his 3D plans into machining programs, Renishaw’s Productivity Plus application, to automate the programming of probe routines, plus Renishaw’s CNC reporter, an SPC package used to analyse plus control the production method.

‘He introduced me to Guy Brown from GSPS, to set up the purchased program packages configured for the Schaublin 48V.’ Brown installed Renishaw’s Productivity Plus plug-in for GibbsCAM to integrate the creation of probing cycles with the creation of metal cutting gizmo paths within the Virtual Gibbs package.

they said: ‘Frank Boston from Schaublin Machine Tools supplied the Schaublin 48V milling machine, together with the probe technique from Renishaw.

A complete metal cutting technique can be defined plus simulated prior to machine prove-out.

Simulation provides graphical identification of the work piece plus shows any potential fixture collision with cutting tools.

Productivity Plus seamlessly adds the probe moves into the simulation, so that the whole technique is developed off-line.

The net result for Blowick is short plus reliable prove-out times.

‘The great thing about it is the way it updates the gizmo offset – I know I can get a precision part every time, with the technique automatically controlling itself.

they said: ‘The probe measures the part as part of the production cycle, with the measured data recorded by CNC Reporter, providing feedback to adjust the technique plus keep it within control limits.

‘Brown plus Boston helped me make a calibration part, incorporating most of the features I would be likely to machine.

‘I know exactly what i’ve to do plus the tools are all set up in the library, so I use it plus do not need to mess around with it or change it.

‘I can also get a printout for the Q plus A people or for my own records.’.

‘The probing moves are in there to control the technique but also to verify the finished parts – if there’s any variation that can be fed back to the CNC control.