JOB SHOP PROGRAMMING FOR MULTI-SIDE AND COMPLETE MILL-TURN MACHINING WITH TOPMILL AND TOPTURN FOR EVERY CNC

Both TopMill and TopTurn permit programming of comprehensive 2½ D milling processes in any desired machining planes on machining centers with up to 5 axes (milling with axes X, Y, Z and 2 of A, B, C; turning with axes Z, X and C, Y, B including counter-spindle). In addition, TopTurn can be used to program 2-axis turning with all turning machining cycles. Mekams can be used to convert programs of single-channel turning machining centers into programs for multi-channel machining centers.

The NC dialect used for TopMill and TopTurn workshop programming can be set to any DIN/ISO NC dialect or to a socalled plain text language and the user interface dialog with its graphic aids can be adapted correspondingly (there are quite a number of suitable examples on the demo version that can be downloaded from the internet). CAD data can be imported via an interface.

To achieve this adaptation, a CNC command code can be activated which converts the programming commands of the respective control system into the MTS internal displacement commands and very powerful machining cycles. Our standard command codes can model the standardized path commands as defined in ISO/DIN as well as almost all machining cycles of any control system. To achieve an adaptation which is very close to the features of a particular machine tool (e. g. with the integration of internal procedures in tool-change macros or workpiece transfers to the counter-spindle), an extension of the command code is needed, but this can be done for all types of machine tools.

MILLTURNSIM MACHINING SPACE & MATERIAL REMOVAL SIMULATION

Another special TopMill and TopTurn feature is the integrated MillTurnSim machining space and material removal simulation, which actively runs simultaneously with the entire programming phase and also includes collision monitoring between all moving and fixed machine components including chucking devices and workpieces and also exact machining time calculations. It takes into account the accelerations, torque limitations and tool change times for the respective machine tool. MillTurnSim is also available as stand-alone software tool.

For graphical display of the machine tool operation the 3D machine room simulation with 3D material removal simulation and 3D collision detection MillTurnSim is available besides the standard 2D display of workpart machining simulation with workpart top views and workpart sections views.

With the conventional navigation functions (zoom, rotate, shift etc.), the 3D graphical displays can be modified, parts of the machine tool can be blanked out and parts of the workpiece can be cut away to enable viewing of internal machining processes. As an optional feature, a graphic representation showing the workpiece edges can be called up for display. Different colors can be used to identify machined surfaces of particular tools and of the original workpart (material color).

The tools and chucking devices needed for NC program simulation are provided by the universal tool and chucking device management system TopCAT (computer-aided tooling) which permits users to add individual extensions. It is also possible to integrate machine-tool components for assembling machine-tool models in order to be able to simulate the machining space of specific real machine tools.

TopMill and TopTurn can be used not only as NC programming systems, but also to simulate externally produced NC programs in control specific command codes. The shop-floor programming systems TopTurn and TopMill offer three distinct operating modes:

MEASURING OF WORKPIECE

For quality assurance purposes, workpieces can be measured at any time. Depending on the selected dimensioning layout, the workpiece is depicted as several cross-sections of any desired orientation.

The position of any given cross-section plane is depicted as a section line in the other cross-sections. This section line can be moved using the mouse so that it coincides with a specific point.

The “transparent” 3-D workpiece view in which the workpiece cross-section planes are superimposed is shown in an additional window.