Helicopter Part Flies With EDGECAM

Matsuura demonstrated at the Southern Manufacturing show how EDGECAM is the ideal software for 5-axis machining.

 

The Matsuura stand featured their best-selling MX-520 5-axis machine tool, programmed with EDGECAM to produce a scaled-down version of a helicopter rotorblade cover, using Seco cutting tools.

 

EDGECAM Pre-Sales Manager Lee Richards says the complexity of the component required state-of-the-art CAD CAM technology. “Visitors to Southern saw how Matsuura’s machine tool expertise coupled with EDGECAM’s software knowledge resulted in a fantastic, highly complex component.

 

“It’s difficult to show in real life what software can achieve. Being able to demonstrate the principals of EDGECAM’s offline programming system on our stand – then the visitors going to see the physical results on the machine tool – proved to be a major plus at the exhibition.”

 

The machining demonstration began with Waveform Roughing, before moving on to positional 5-axis cutting to access areas of the component which would traditionally require multiple set-ups. “Then simultaneous 5-axis toolpaths showed EDGECAM’s SWARF capabilities – finally finishing using the automatic chamfering technology.”

 

The rotor cover manufacturing process also benefitted from EDGECAM’s full machine simulation which provided complete visualisation of both the tool on the part, and kinematic movements of all axes, ensuring collision-free toolpaths that are within the limit of the machine tool. 

 

EDGECAM’s Strategic Partnership Manager Wesley Tonks says the Southern Manufacturing Exhibition highlighted the working relationship between EDGECAM and Matsuura, giving users confidence in integrating the two disciplines to produce components that otherwise could not be machined by only using the technology on the control.

 

“It also gave existing and potential EDGECAM users the opportunity to see exactly what the software can do in terms of how Workflow enables engineers to apply toolpaths within  seconds. Sometimes we had so many people on the stand we could have done with more space.”