Turning Software maximizes material removal rate.
Press Release Summary:
Adaptive control productivity solution, i Adapt(TM) for Turning, optimizes cutting feed rate in real-time based on programmed spindle load, compensating for conservative assumptions and process variation to help reduce cycle times. It works with all material types and requires no special programming for interrupted cuts. Product helps increase tool life by applying constant and predictable cutting load. All adaptive monitoring is programmable through CNC and is transparent to operator.
Original Press Release:
GE Fanuc Automation Introduces New i Adapt(TM) for Turning and Enhances i Adapt for Milling to Reduce Cycle Times up to 40%
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - March 22, 2004 - GE Fanuc Automation Americas, Inc., a unit of GE Infrastructure, today introduced i Adapt(TM) for Turning, an adaptive control productivity solution for turning applications, as well as enhancements to its i Adapt for Milling solution. By automatically maximizing a machine's material removal rate during rough cutting, i Adapt can reduce cycle times by as much as 40 percent, increase tool life and allow users to leverage their existing installed base of CNC technology.
"In roughing cycles, maximum material removal rates are even more critical than precision and surface finish. As an enabling technology for this stage of the machining process, i Adapt can help improve production at shops of all sizes," said Douglas Peterson, vice president, CNCs and lasers, GE Fanuc Automation. "By reducing cycle times and increasing the efficiency of their existing machines, small and medium size shops, as well as large organizations, can decrease lead times, cut down on their costs and become more competitive in a payback period measured in days."
i Adapt maximizes material removal rates and minimizes cycle times by optimizing the cutting feed rate based on a programmed spindle load. By optimizing the feed rate in real time, i Adapt compensates for conservative assumptions and process variations to help reduce cycle times. Every part, including the first, is optimized automatically, eliminating the need for manual part program optimization.
Because there are so many variables to the cutting process, many of which change from machine to machine and blank to blank, real-time optimization is a key feature of i Adapt. Though manual part program optimization is possible for some variables, they have to be reapplied each time a change is made to the part design or to the process. Therefore, it is often very difficult - as well as increasingly uneconomical and impractical - for a part programmer to manually optimize a part program, particularly with manufacturing lot sizes continuing to fall. In addition, even when manual optimization is attempted, the part programmer must use a conservative feed rate to protect the machine from overload. i Adapt addresses this concern with limits monitoring to protect machines from damage.
i Adapt works with all material types and requires no special programming for interrupted cuts. All adaptive monitoring is programmable through the CNC and is transparent to the operator. In addition to the shorter cycle times resulting from an optimized feed rate, i Adapt can also increase tool life by applying a constant and predictable cutting load.
In addition to i Adapt for Turning and i Adapt for Milling, the i Adapt family now also includes solutions available through a variety of third-party machine tool builders.
About GE Fanuc Automation
GE Fanuc Automation, a joint venture between GE and FANUC LTD of Japan, delivers automation hardware and software designed to help users reduce costs, increase efficiency and enhance profitability. With solutions and services catering to virtually every industrial segment, GE Fanuc Automation provides a diverse array of capabilities and products, including controllers, embedded systems, advanced software, motion control, CNCs, operator interfaces, industrial computers, and lasers. Headquartered in Charlottesville, VA, GE Fanuc Automation is a part of GE Infrastructure and combines the diverse global strengths of the GE family with the local presence customers need to design, develop and maintain their automation investments.
For more information, visit www.gefanuc.com or contact: GE Fanuc Information Center, P.O. Box 8106, Charlottesville, VA 22906, Phone: (800) GE FANUC, Fax: 434-978-5205, e-mail: gefanuc@gefanuc.com.
i Adapt is a trademark of GE Fanuc Automation Americas, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
