Multitasks machining needs industrial-strength CAM

You don't have to go far at a machine tool show before you hear someone complaining about the current global marketplace. There is no telling where your next machining competitor is going to be located, with China being mentioned most often. A big advantage of these far-off locations is their low cost of labour. The best way to compete is by reducing the labour cost of the parts we manufacture. This is exactly what multitasks machining, or MTM, machine tools do. As the name suggests, MTM machines do more than a single machining task in a single setup. A single-task machine is a basic mill or lathe. In the old days, most parts required multiple setups on multiple machines. When you take a close look at the labour costs in this style of manufacturing, it's surprising how much labour is involved with each setup, with each part transfer, and with the inspections required at each step. Just moving and storing incomplete parts around the floor is expensive. Machine time is not the only expense. To be accurate, you have to factor in a significant cost of scrapped parts. Each setup introduces an increased risk of human error and of scrapped parts. Of course, this invariably occurs and is detected in the last operation. MTM machines range from simple to complex. The simplest MTM is a lathe with a sub-spindle--able to perform work on two sides of a part, the equivalent of two setups. But this part transfer is automatic, and the alignment between setups is as good as it gets. You can add live tooling, B and C rotary axes, a Y-axis, and a second turret to support two tools cutting at the same time. This style of MTM is called a twin turn. Instead of turrets, some MTM machines use a mill-style automatic tool changer with a B-axis on the tool spindle. As these machines grow in size and horsepower they look more like large five-axis mills, not lathes, but they still combine and perform well on both types of machining. The Mazak Integrex machines are a good example of this kind of CNC. MTMs don't stop with two tools cutting on two spindles. Models can be found with three, four, or more tools cutting simultaneously, as they transfer parts through any number of part spindles. Some popular configurations use Swiss-style sliding headstocks, and sliding gang-tool changers, part grippers and robots. The range of MTM machine model configurations is incredible. "CAM software is a critical tool for the successful utilisation of MTM machines. Make sure you get the most out of your MTM machine. Make sure you pick a good CAM system." The goal of an MTM machine is to produce a finished part in a single setup. This single setup and this single part program are both more involved than part programs and setups on single task machines. But there is only one of each. MTM machines themselves are more expensive than single task machines. But they eliminate multiple setups. They eliminate part transfers and part handling. They eliminate the human errors associated with multiple setups. They eliminate the out-of-tolerance error accumulation of multiple setups. They eliminate multiple inspections. They occupy less floor space. They cut parts faster from multiple tools cutting at the same time. Material goes in, accurate finished parts come out. It-s amasing what MTM machines can do. Not only that, but they dramatically reduce the labour cost of a part. There is a direct relationship between the cost of programming and setup, and the minimum number of parts that can be economically run for a job. As the programming and setup costs increase, you need bigger job runs to amortise these higher costs. In the early days of MTM machines, they were commonly viewed as high-volume machines because of these high programming and setup costs. This is the lead-in for talking about CAM software because nobody should be programming these machines manually. Multiple tools cutting at the same time are iAir Max 2017