Faster CNC Programming Speed Obtained via Templates
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Recently US-based Ash Industries announced that they had succeeded in delivering CNC programs in very short period taking advantage of recent advancements in CAM software. The period was so short that it would make making medical device manufacturers think twice about using intermediary rapid prototyping methods like stereo lithography and 3D printing.
Ash Industries managed to deliver the first CNC programs for cutting mold plates to the shop floor in as little as 15 minutes after the completion of the mound design. In some cases, the advanced cutting strategies incorporated in these programs make it possible to mill all of the mold plates within one day.
Not only with fast speed, the company also launched a Super-Mold program. Their molds are super productive and economical with 1,000 molded parts for a set price. According to the company's leader, the ability to get molded parts so quickly and inexpensively will make medical device makers rethink about rapid prototyping (http://www.kaiao-rprt.com/) because the new approach will enable them to have a production mold ready to go as soon as necessary approvals have been obtained.
The improvement is caused by the new advancements of a CNC programming software, Mastercam. The company has set up programming templates within Mastercam so that possible repetitive tasks can be done automatically, with feeds and speeds already established and optimized within the template. In short, due to templates, programs can be delivered faster than the past. In turn, CNC machined molds can be obtained faster.
Faster mold-making speed and more powerful molds have become the main proofs that the company uses to question rapid prototyping. Rapid prototyping has been widely recognized as an indispensable part in product development stage in recent years. Its significance and necessity have rarely been questioned. The company's assertion is innovative and very modest. It's happy to find more traditional manufacturing and tooling methods like CNC machining and molding trying to propose new skills and means to compete.
