Maximizing Machine Efficiencies0 pages

VoluMill™ from Celeritive Technologies

Maximizing Machine Efficiencies
Ultra-High Performance Toolpath (UHPT) Technology Can Transform U.S. Manufacturing
By Alesa Lightbourne, Ph.D.

Since the dawn of machining, the
manufacturing industry has looked for
ways to squeeze greater efficiencies
out of existing equipment, materials
and labor. Computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) and computer numerical
controlled (CNC) machining were
huge steps in the right direction several
decades ago. But in recent years, we
have seen only small, incremental
improvements in machining productivity. This is because research focused
primarily on computerization to
streamline toolpath generation, and
on expensive toolpath “optimizer”
software, slowing feedrates at corners
to reduce stress on tools. Nearly all
innovations assumed a parallel-offset
toolpath used for roughing out parts –
not realizing that this was the real
bottleneck.
A breakthrough technology changes
all this. Ultra-high performance
toolpath (UHPT) software improves the
way that tools cut their way through
material, using high-speed continuous
tangent motion rather than sharp,
interrupted movements. Field applications prove that UHPT technology can
safely double machine output, extend
tool life, and create a much more
productive competitive manufacturing
enterprise in the global marketplace.

Figure 1: A standard toolpath (left) makes parallel cuts through material, requiring
numerous stops and starts. UHPT technology (right) designs toolpath cuts in continuous
motion, doubling machine efficiency.

Avoiding the corners and
stop signs
Imagine driving through a neighborhood without arterial streets. At each
corner, you must slow down or stop at
a stop sign, make a turn, and proceed
for another block, always encountering changing traffic conditions. Or
think of a rural road that skirts the
perimeters of various farmers’ fields,

filled with tractors and trucks. Slow
down, pass, stop, turn, go, sharp turn,
go. Slow down. It’s maddeningly
inefficient.
That’s how basic toolpaths drive
today’s CNC machines. Modeled
on manual methodology, existing
toolpaths are derived from the geometry being machined. They start with
the material boundary and keep