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CNC MACHINING EUROPE is published by Haas Automation Europe. CNC Machining Europe is distributed free of charge by Haas Automation Europe and its authorized distributors. CNC Machining Europe accepts no advertising or reimbursement for this magazine. All contents of CNC Machining Europe are copyright 2008 and may not be reproduced without written permission from Haas Automation Europe. CNC Machining Europe is distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Automation distributors, and by individual subscription request. Contact Haas Automation Europe headquarters via mail or fax to be added to the subscription list. Haas Automation, Inc. & CNC Machining Europe magazine names ©2008. www.HaasCNC.com. | Haas Automation USA, +1 805-278-1800 | Haas Automation Europe, +32 2 522 99 05 | Haas Automation United Kingdom, +44-1603-760 539 | Haas Automation Asia, +86 21 5046 2202

FEATURESSinclaire Harding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Progressive Portugal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Rocker Science. And the Art of Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Hydroforming Design Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

The MulticrackerTM : A Modern Miller’s Tale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

CYCLE TIMEWindshear Inc. holds Grand Opening . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Congratulations to Leanders Bros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Haas Automation Europe Celebrates 25 Years of Affordable Technology . . . . . . . . . .32

Haas supports European Championship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

What a difference a year makes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

THE ANSWER MANApplication Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

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On The Cover

Cover Photo: Richard Berry

In This Issue

Opportunity KnocksSomeone once said that learning and innovation go hand in hand. “The arrogance of success is

to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.” Well, times are changing faster than ever and with change, comes the opportunity to innovate.

In manufacturing industry in particular the companies that thrive are usually the ones that continuously and consistently innovate, bringing new and better products to market more quickly than their competition. This magazine profiles some of those companies and the technology or products that they develop. Every one of them is a success because it meets the challenges of competitive manufacturing head-on, even when times are tough (in fact, especially when times are tough).

Our cover story, Florida based Scorpion Performance, is fighting the threat of business migration to lower cost economies by investing in automation and by engineering smart tooling and fixturing. Scorpion’s products are pretty good, too!

German company PTW has invented a device for saving energy in the earliest stages of food and bio-fuel processing. The MulticrackerTM couldn’t be simpler, yet it addresses two of the most fundamental issues faced by its users: the rising cost of energy and commodity foodstuffs.

As its name suggests, Swedish company Hydroforming Design Light is using water to innovate the forming process, discovering new and exciting applications every day and winning orders from around the world.

Portuguese mould maker P J Ferramentas proves that there’s still plenty of room to improve more traditional engineering disciplines, and UK company Sinclair Harding has resurrected and updated eighteenth century technology to build beautiful timepieces coveted by royalty.

Innovation is also a priority at Haas Automation: the pursuit of new and better ways to machine metal is relentless. At its factory in the US, Haas employs a design team of more than 100 engineers in its quest to make CNC manufacturing technology better, faster and lower cost than it has ever been.

Many companies report that their number one constraint on growth is the inability to hire workers with the necessary skills. Haas Automation is tackling the shortage in the precision machining sector at a grass roots level. Its innovative Haas Technical Education Centre (HTEC) program continues to grow in Europe and around the world, helping to ensure that there’s plenty of creative talent entering the industry in years to come. In 2000, President Clinton had a message for students and businesses everywhere, “What you earn depends on what you learn.” Companies can’t innovate without educated people, so let’s all keep learning. Our shared future depends on it.

Matt Bailey

Nothing says “Power and Performance” like a set of high-ratio anodized-aluminum rocker arms. These are from Scorpion Performance.

Sinclair Harding

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In the late 1700’s, English scientist and engineer John Harrison won the government sponsored Longitude Prize for designing and building a clock that could be carried at sea aboard a rolling ship; a project that took him most of his working life to achieve. For the first time, sailors were able to estimate their east-west position by the accurate comparison of Greenwich Meantime (set on the clock) with local time, deductible by gauging the passage of the sun. Harrison’s original creation is still kept in the Maritime Museum, Greenwich, which is where Yorkshire based Sinclair Harding owner and managing director Robert Bray spent three hours studying its movements, before building his homage to Harrison’s genius.Story and photos by Matt Bailey

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“Our version of the Harrison clock is the Sinclair Harding H1,” says Bray, “a three quarter size representation which we started in 1999 and which took five years to develop and finish. It started with a visit to see the original. The curators at the museum won’t allow photographs, so the only way to replicate the workings of the original is to memorise them long enough to make a sketch.”

Sinclair Harding also hand-build’s intricate skeleton clocks, prettily decorated sun and moon clocks, mesmerising Congreve (rolling ball) clocks, elegant long case Grandfather and Grandmother clocks and less well known but enigmatically named ‘table regulators’.

“The company was started in 1967 by a man named Mike Harding and was originally based in Cheltenham,” says Bray. “My uncle, Brian Kitson, had a passion for clocks and went to see Harding two weeks before the company was due to cease trading.” Kitson bought what was left of the company, which included its most important asset, its reputation, and not a lot else.

Little more than a decade later and the staff of the resurrected Sinclair Harding have shaped and polished that reputation into something as precious as one of its creations. Its many clients, including private collectors and prestigious

jewelers, seem to agree; the company’s order books are in rude health.

“Every year we exhibit at the big clock and watch making show in Basel, Switzerland, and every time, we come away with enough work for the next 12 months.”

The oldest clocks are sundials, first used, according to best estimates, around 5 500 years ago. But, sundials are not just the oldest method of telling the time; they’re also the most reliable, governed by the sun’s predictable trace across Earth’s sky. However, they have two significant flaws, the first is that they are only reliable when the sun shines sufficiently to cast a shadow. The second is that even when they’re reliable, they are not precise. Precision, when it comes to telling the time, is where man has applied his engineering ingenuity.

“We use traditional methods to build our clocks,” says Bray, “but we also use the best available technology to make the component parts.”

In the tightly packed, labyrinthine industrial unit that Sinclair Harding calls home, sit a variety of machine tools, some ancient and well used, others still as shiny as the day they were installed, such as the company’s Haas Mini Mill and Haas OL-1 Office lathe.

“Within 5 minutes of using the Haas control, I was convinced,” he says. “It was so intuitive and easy to use. As soon as the machines were installed we started transferring part programs. We thought the machines would be busy at least 2 days a week. Little did we know at the time: They haven’t stopped since!”

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“Before we bought the Haas machines we compiled a wish list of functionality,” Bray recalls, “but we didn’t think we’d get everything we really wanted for the money we had available. I guess that’s why it was a wish list!”

After the company’s relocation fell through, the idea of squeezing even more equipment into its already ‘busy’ workspace seemed ridiculous. But it wasn’t just the size of the Haas machines that persuaded Bray he’d found what he was looking for.

“Within 5 minutes of using the Haas control, I was convinced,” he says. “It was so intuitive and easy to use. As soon as the machines were installed we started transferring part programs. We thought the machines would be busy at least 2 days a week. Little did we know at the time: They haven’t stopped since!”

Bray bought the Haas Office Lathe as a second machine to support his main lathe. “As the workshop is very cramped, it’s the perfect size,” he says. “With the same control as the MiniMill it was quick and easy to learn and the editable QuickCode allowed us to create a series of programs.”

For science and technology, the 18th century was a busy and exciting time and the many breakthroughs of the period underpinned and gave impetus to the early days of the

industrial revolution. Great leaps in understanding revealed the secrets of the human body, animal and insect life, electricity, light, chemistry and gases. Mankind’s curiosity gathered pace, inspired and emboldened by the age of discovery. By our modern day standards Harrison worked in an inconceivably primitive workshop, with few mechanical tools besides basic metal formers and shapers. Yet, he created a time piece that changed the world and helped give rise to the largest human migration in history as Europeans sailed the oceans in search of new lands to settle and new opportunities.

CNC machines have made the clockmaker’s task faster and less labour intensive, but traditional craftsmanship – not dissimilar to the methods used by Harrison, 300 years ago - still accounts for about a 50% of the time taken to make a Sinclair Harding.

“Every last piece, even those you cannot see, is hand polished,” says Bray. “We also make springs from strips of brass, which we hammer out to give them the shape and spring qualities. Our dials are made of Brass, engraved and filled with wax. We finish them by rubbing the dial with a concoction of Silver nitrate crystals, salt and cream of tarter which deposits silver onto the surface. It’s a very old process and the mixture recipe is a closely guarded secret.”

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The hands on the company’s more complex clocks take about 2 days to make. The blanks are wire-cut, then each one is hand filed to give it a 3D shape, highly polished, then turned an electric blue by heating in a tub of brass filings until the desired hue is achieved. It’s then quenched to hold the colour.

Sinclair Harding also builds movements for other, well-known manufacturers: beating horological hearts that count the seconds anonymously for spectators at cricket grounds, passengers in railway stations and passers-by in other public spaces around the country. “This is an important side to our business,” he says, “but client confidentiality means it’s not something we typically talk about.”

However, Bray can reveal that he personally designed and made the clock that was presented to the Queen at the opening of the refurbished St. Pancras train station in November 2007. The shape of the clock reflected the architecture of the famous engine shed and the dial was a faithful copy of the large clock in the Station, which in turn is a replica of the clock made when the station was first opened in the 19th century. Bray made the drawings from a photograph of the original clock dial and used HaasCAM from OneCNC to create the first program. One of the challenges was machining the 3-dimensional filigree around the outside of the dial. Bray made drawings from photographs of the original dial and used HAASCAM OneCNC to create the first program.

“We were only making one piece at the time, there being only 1 Queen; from a solid piece of 1mm-thick engraving brass. The blank is clamped through the centre and on the outside and the first part of the operation is to engrave some of the detail at different depths to give the part a 3D look. I engraved the pockets and the inside diameter detail, removed the centre, re-clamped over the engraved filigree and engraved the outside detail.”

The original machining cycle took a whole day, but the company subsequently won a repeat order, and after much ‘playing around’, Bray got the time down to about 1 hr 10mins. “Mind you,” he says, “the cycle times are not that important: there’s always plenty of hand finishing to do while the MiniMill is running.”

Whilst most people know Portugal for its history of exploration

and its fortified port w

ines, it’s mainly only those who work in the

manufacturing sector who are aware of the growing reputation of

Portuguese companies making press tools for the world’s best

known automotive firms. Aveiro based PJ Ferramentas Lda (PJF)

is a good example of such a company.

Story and photos by Matt Bailey

Progressive

Portugal

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Like many toolmakers of its ilk, PJF has diversified into other areas and built a strong engineering knowledgebase, giving it a technological advantage

over its rivals in the far East, where a great deal of European mould work has migrated over recent years.

Since 1995, progressive press tools and dies have formed the core of PJF’s activity. The tools the company produces are complex but need little or no human intervention between material feed and completed component. The company’s expertise has attracted a growing number of automotive first tier customers such as Gestamp, Faurécia, John Deere, Bombardier, Bosch and more recently, TRW.

“We’ve enjoyed good success in recent years and results have been positive,” explains company director Pedro Santos. “We are now very well known in the European automotive market and our goal is to become an industry ‘reference point’ for the design and manufacture of tools to form sheet metal parts.”

PJF’s advantage is founded on its deep understanding of die development. Santos claims that a recent trip to China to assess the competition revealed that its Far East rivals have yet to gain the same level of know-how. “This is largely because of process complexity,” he explains.

Following the receipt of a customer component drawing, PJF develops a ‘strip layout’ using CAD software. This is submitted for client approval before further discussions lead to the development of detailed 3D CAD drawings. These are again submitted for approval before the designs are finalised and raw materials can be ordered. Machining, hardening and assembly follow before the tool is tested using PJF’s in-house press. The first parts to come off the tool allow the company to focus on improving tolerances so that dimensional reports can be submitted that meet customer requirements. Once the report is accepted, PJF has to prove the same characteristics on the customer’s press. Only when this final phase has been successfully negotiated does PJF get paid. When the customer’s plant is in Europe, it’s difficult for overseas companies to provide such a high level of service and commitment.

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“China has the ability to manufacture simple tools, but not tools for complex processes such as deep drawing,” says Mr Santos. “In time this will change, of course, but until then hopefully we can take steps to ensure we remain competitive.”

Technology is a significant and common differentiator when it comes to negating the labour cost advantage enjoyed by competitors in low wage economies. A couple of years ago, PJF began a project to refurbish its ageing machining capacity. After seeing CNC Haas machine tools at an exhibition and meeting with the Portuguese distributor, the company bought and installed a Haas TL-1 CNC/manual toolroom lathe. This was followed soon after by a TM-1 toolroom mill, a VF-7B vertical machining centre and, most recently, a VM-2 vertical machining centre.

“The Haas machines represent a very competitive price-to-specification ratio,” says Mr Santos. “All of our Haas

machines have performed very well and so whenever we think about a new investment in machining, we now always think Haas.”

The company uses its Haas machines to manufacture components for from tool steels. The fixtures used are mainly press systems and magnetic plates, typically holding multiple parts, which are frequently left to run unattended overnight or at weekends. The advantage gained in cycle times, however, is difficult to estimate, as Mr Santos explains.

“It’s very different from part to part,” he says. “We don’t machine two parts alike; every part has a different definition so we don’t measure cycle times. Instead we compare the estimated production time with the actual time achieved, and also the time taken on different machines. The performance of Haas machines in these terms is excellent.”

“The Haas machines represent a very competitive price-to-specification ratio,” says Mr Santos. “All of our Haas machines have performed very well and so whenever we think about a new investment in machining, we now always think Haas.”

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All of the Haas machines are programmed by PJF shop floor operators. There is no CAD/CAM department at the company: the result of a decision several years ago to optimise its resources and train operators in the latest programming skills. Currently PJF has five operators trained to work with Haas machine, with a further two to be fully trained and ready by the summer of 2008.

The Haas machines have certainly been kept busy in the short time since installation. Regular customers typically order between 6-8 tools to fulfil a particular project, while PJF develops up to 12 progression tools a year for each client. The company manufactures progression tools up to 3m in length and also undertakes ongoing reconditioning and tool modification programmes.

In addition, Santos reveals that the company is actively pursuing opportunities to manufacture transfer tools, which use robots to move large fabricated parts, such as car chassis components, between various pressing operations.

All of these activities demand high quality levels of the machined parts that constitute PJF’s tools.

“Our company deals in quality,” says Mr Santos. “At PJF quality is never an accident; it always results from intelligent

work. We are certified to ISO 9001:2000 and we were the first company in Portugal to obtain the accreditation with regard to the design and manufacture of stamping and cutting tools.”

Linear tolerances on PJF’s machined components are typically 0.05mm with 0.02mm usually required for positioning. Surface finish is also critical.

“On some parts, such as stamping punches and dies, the finishing is very important,” confirms Mr Santos. “Just like on moulds for plastic injection processes we need a very smooth finish to avoid friction in the sheet metal forming process. Today polishing has no part in our production process: the component has to come off the Haas machines in a finished condition.”

Quality is just one of the differentiating factors that PJF is hoping will help retain and win business in what is sure to be a period of change.

“Change is the new paradigm for my generation,” says Mr Santos, son of the founder. “If we don’t evolve we won’t survive so we are constantly challenging ourselves.”

PT Ferramentas, Ldawww.pjf.pt

�2 | www.HaasCNC.comRocker Science.

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And the art of Automation

Story and photos by Richard Berry

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Step out of the South Florida sunshine into a cool white building. ¶

Pass a display of newly manufactured medical instruments in the lobby, and continue down a spotless glass-walled corridor toward a doorway marked “R&D Lab.” ¶

You might assume you’ve entered one of the region’s top medical research facilities. ¶

And then you’re startled by the bark of a 500-horsepower engine roaring to life on a dynamometer nearby. ¶

This is not your typical manufacturing shop.

Scorpion Performance of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, manufactures aftermarket automotive parts for the performance racing industry – and they produce them

with a passion. They have to; there’s a world of competition out there. There’s also a serious sense of conviction in founder Robert Stopanio’s voice when he emphasizes: “We face manufacturing competition from everywhere today, especially from Asia.” Then he smiles and says, “The good news is, we’re winning!”

It’s a familiar story. As more manufacturing work goes overseas in search of cheaper labor, companies throughout North America are feeling the competition – including Scorpion. After thoroughly analyzing his situation, Stopanio set a clear, head-on course of action for the company. “Equipment is available the world over, and aluminum is the same commodity everywhere,” he explains, “but Asian manufacturers have that one enormous advantage over us: inexpensive labor. We decided to fight that advantage with our own ‘strong suit’: automation.”

Scorpion’s signature products are high-performance rocker arms – bolt-on replacements for the pivoting levers that sit in the cylinder heads atop most internal combustion engines, opening and closing the valves. Speed enthusiasts know that one of the easiest and least expensive ways to get

more power from an engine is to swap out the standard OEM rockers with higher-performance sets, which often retail for less than $300. Scorpion’s products are well designed, well made and expertly marketed. Business is great.

Scorpion has been steadily increasing its production for years. And in 2007, the 45-worker, 3-shift shop manufactured nearly a half-million rocker arms, which sold through a network of approximately 100 distributors and private labels. The growing company is now poised at a productivity “tipping point,” and Stopanio is determined to shake up the industry. It won’t be the first time this clever entrepreneur has made waves.

In the Beginning

Stopanio first developed a passion for engines and speed in his teens, while working at the local Miami-Hollywood Speedway. He soon began moonlighting as a custom builder, souping up big marine engines for offshore racing enthusiasts. He became known for doing things right, and exceeding the expectations of his customers. Stopanio and Blue Thunder Engines, the cutting-edge company he established, quickly gained fame in offshore racing circles around the world.

Scorpion’s products are well designed, well made and expertly marketed. Business is great.

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That marine racing environment, where millisecond success was often the result of both scientific analysis and mechanical tinkering, is what shaped Stopanio’s future. It also proved the value of analytical research and development. “In racing, if you follow the leaders, you’ll always be behind them,” Stopanio observes. “You have to do research and development in order to stay ahead.” It’s a firm belief that he’s carried over into manufacturing.

Stopanio’s in-house manufacturing began when he discovered there were very few reliable sources for the rocker arms his demanding engines required, so he researched the problem and developed a way to make his own. Recognizing this as yet another unique opportunity, Stopanio launched Scorpion Performance in 1999. He brought over the team of engine builders and engineers he’d groomed at Blue Thunder, and began another determined race to contribute to the automotive performance industry with products “Made in America, and Proud of it.”

Smart Machine Details

Scorpion’s rocker arms start out as cut-to-length extrusions of 7000-series aluminum. They’re milled on six sides, drilled in two axes, CMM inspected, de-burred, mirror-polished, anodized and laser-etched before going

to the assembly area. There, steel trunnion seats, pins and rollers are pressed in automatically. It’s work that’s either labor-intensive or machine-intensive, depending on how you approach it. Stopanio uses automated machines to do as much of the work as possible.

On the shop floor, Scorpion engineer Billy Allen shows how they do it. He points to a large, wire safety-cage containing three 5-axis Haas VF-2SS Super Speed vertical machining centers flanked by various tooling stations he designed and integrated. A bright yellow FANUC M-16 robotic arm, floor-mounted in the center, serves the entire cell. Allen says the integration between the FANUC arm and the Haas controls was quite straightforward. “We do all the engineering in-house,” he explains, noting that the robots arrive as bare arms with actuators. “The interface electronics, the solenoid valves, the special tooling, and all the stuff on top, we design ourselves.” It’s a reliable production system that works around the clock.

A lot happens during each of the machines’ 3-minute cycles. First, extruded aluminum bars, loaded in quantity through a wide slot in the cage, are cut to length by a gravity-fed, servo-controlled chop saw. Next, the robot grabs the freshly cut piece and loads it into the first VF-2SS. Blurring through a full 340-degree arc, the yellow arm dives into one


machine, and then another, transferring the evolving rocker arm through a range of shaping, boring and probing operations. Finally, the robot holds each machined part over a de-burring polisher, before dropping it onto a conveyor that carries the completed piece to a collection station outside the cage.

If done manually, the eight-step process would require the same five pieces of equipment, but an additional four operators – and a lot more time. “We still have earlier hand-loaded configurations in operation,” notes Allen. “They work well, and add to our production. You can actually see our evolution throughout the shop. We started out with Haas VF-4s fitted with simple, efficient, multi-part fixtures. We then moved to 4-axis Super Speed VF-4s with high-speed tool changers, and used more complex pin-indexed fixturing. Now, with the latest automated cells, we’re running three generations of production on the floor. Every time we come up with a new idea,” he adds, “things just get faster!”

The newest robotic cell produces one complete rocker every minute. “Speed is important,” Allen contends, “but the really creative part is designing a cell that will work flawlessly – 24 hours a day.”

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“Every time we come up with a new idea,” he adds, “things just get faster!”


Their Own Destiny

Robotic technologies are obviously the key element in Scorpion’s battle to compete with low-wage factories. “But it comes down to more than just integrating a robot,” says Stopanio. “Through our R&D efforts, we’ve perfected good product designs, and developed a lot of smart tooling and fixtures for these fast Haas machines. And, of course, we control our own destiny by doing as much as possible in-house.”

When Scorpion was first getting started, the shop batched 100 parts at a time, and sent them out for anodizing. But they soon became frustrated with the inevitable variations in the returned units. More than just appearance was at stake – parts left too long in the acid bath would develop blown-out holes. Later, during assembly, press-fit bearings would fall right through the oversized IDs, and an entire week’s work would have to be scrapped.

As a result, the shop was forced to develop in-house finishing and anodizing capabilities to hold the tolerances they demanded. “When you’re making small, precision parts, the number-one thing you have to focus on is quality,” says Stopanio. The episode marks the beginning of a “control your own destiny” creed that has since become a major part of Scorpion’s business philosophy.

Today, the company anodizes all their own products, as well as a wide variety of precision parts for other manufacturers – including the demanding optical- and medical-instrument industries. Scorpion is preparing to automate the critical chemical processes with robotic installations similar to their successful machining cells. Again, instead of depending on the robot manufacturers to integrate their equipment into Scorpion’s existing production lines, Stopanio has put his street-smart engineers to work designing complete, self-contained robotic cells around Haas machines. “Once again,” he stresses, “it’s a matter of controlling our own destiny.

“When a private-label client calls us at nine in the morning and says he needs a set of specific-ratio rockers with a custom color and logo on them, it’s no problem for us. By 4:30 that afternoon, we’re shipping it out in a custom-designed box,” Stopanio notes.

No Limiting Factors

“Our only limitation here is space,” says Stopanio. “We have 30,000 square feet, but our machines are installed out to the back door, and there’s just no more room.” To solve the problem, Stopanio is having an additional 80,000-sq-ft manufacturing facility, comprising three buildings, built in Ocala, Florida. He already has machines and robotic equipment in storage, anticipating the big move-in, and he’s

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planning for ISO certification to further enhance Scorpion’s production capability. As you might expect, the new facility will be fully automated, using Scorpion’s latest generation of ideas.

“We’ve got the system down so well that we can make a product, turn it around quickly and fully compete with companies in Asia,” Stopanio states. “Now comes the expansion; there’s no limits. We’ll probably have 90 Haas machines in our second location.”

“Everybody thought Rob was crazy when he started this venture,” remembers Scorpion’s Vice President of Marketing, Moe Rustam. “They said: ‘The Asian manufactures are going to kill you!’ But Rob’s vision was greater than all that.

“I suppose that’s a lot like Haas making machines in California and selling them in China. People just find it hard to believe. But when you’ve got a good quality product, and you do a good job with automated manufacturing – and you stand behind your name – you’re going to be successful.”

Scorpion Performance

www.scorpionperformance.com

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A rocker arm is the pivoting “seesaw” link found between an engine’s camshaft and each of its valves. These simple levers translate rotary camshaft “data” into linear motion, causing the valves to open and close at precisely the right time.

Designing the rocker arm so its pivot point (fulcrum) is closer to one end than the other creates a mechanical advantage, which is defined as the ratio between the two fulcrum-to-tip distances. Most standard small-block engines use rocker arms designed with about a 1.5-to-1 ratio. In other words, each arm moves its corresponding valve 1.5 times the distance of the camshaft’s lobe lift.

High-performance rocker arms come in significantly higher ratios: up to 2-to-1 for NASCAR engines. By simply bolting on a set of higher-ratio rockers, it’s possible to increase valve lift by 7 to 10 percent, allowing the engine to breathe better, and thus produce more power. Specially designed high-lift camshafts can do the same thing, but they’re more expensive to manufacture, and much more difficult to install.

In reality, many people who swap out rocker arms have already changed the camshaft, valves and springs in their engine. For these enthusiasts, the rockers are just one part of the puzzle – but a very important one.

Rocker Arms 101

SIDEBAR

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An innovative Swedish company is deploying newly developed, patented production methods to ‘reinvent’ the hydroforming process. Today, the company claims to offer its customers the most cost effective production of hydroformed components in the world, with Haas CNC machine tools playing a vital role.

Hydroforming Design Light


Hydroforming is a cost effective process for shaping malleable metals into lightweight, structurally stiff workpieces. It uses water at high pressure to press room-temperature working material into a die. The process allows complex shapes to be formed that would be difficult or impossible with conventional solid die stamping. Parts produced by hydroforming can also be made with a higher stiffness-to-weight ratio and at a lower unit cost than traditional stamped or stamped and welded parts.

The hydroforming process has been around a long time, and today is one of the fastest growing metalforming technologies. Famous hydroforming applications of decades past include such diverse items as helmets for the British Army in World War I and kitchen tap spouts in the 1950s. However, a Vansbro-based Swedish company called Hydroforming Design Light (HDL) AB, has developed patented machine construction and patented tooling solutions to bring the process up-to-date and cost-effective for modern manufacturing.

“In the past hydroforming has been more or less exclusive to industries manufacturing very large volumes [automotive, for example] or sectors with high investment capital availability [such as aerospace],” says Managing Director Alvar Palmcrantz. “This will now change. Our patented machine construction has, with all factors equal, an investment cost that is a fraction of what can be found available on the market today.”

Readers can be forgiven for thinking this is a story about a machine building company. Yes, Hydroforming Design Light AB manufactures and assembles its own, high value hydroforming machines, but right now the company is busy generating the bulk of its revenue by subcontracting its innovative processes.

“At the moment we are definitely a subcontract company,” confirms Mr Palmcrantz, “however, we already have customers who want to buy our machines, so maybe in a couple of years we could explore this potential revenue stream fully, but not yet.”

So why hydroform in the first place? Well, water in the right quantities and at the correct pressure can be very powerful. Consider the effects of water erosion, for example. As a process, hydroforming stretches material more evenly than conventional forming techniques such as stamping and deep drawing, and results in a more cost effective construction with lower weight – sometimes as much as 50% lower. In comparison with traditional methods, other hydroforming benefits include the ability to draw deeper sections, tooling at less than half the cost of other techniques, less material spring back, higher precision on detail and better surface quality.

Hydroforming Design Light offers three principle variations of the hydroforming process: Tube hydroforming starts with a tube placed in a tool that is then filled with fluid at pressures


around 4000 bar until the pipe deforms into the recesses of the tool. Automotive structures, exhaust parts, handles and furniture components are suited to this method. Sheet hydroforming is where sheet material sits on top of a tool and is deflected into the tool profile using high-pressure hydraulic fluid. Many vehicle panels are produced this way. Finally, so called ‘pillow’ hydroforming ‘inflates’ two metal sheets joined by laser welding into the tool. Containers such as fuel and oil tanks are manufactured in this manner.

Of course, one thing that all of these processes have in common is the need for accurate dies, the production of which until recently HDL trusted to local subcontract machine shops.

“We bought the Haas VF5 CNC vertical spindle machining centre from the local Haas Factory Outlet, a division of Edstroms, primarily to manufacture our tools and dies,” states Mr Palmcrantz. “In the long run, when we have more Haas machines, we will have enough capacity to undertake at least 50-60% of our tooling requirements in-house. A plant growing as quickly as this needs the capability to produce its own tools.”

Although a relatively young company, its turnover already stands at more than €1.5 million. However, at the end of 2008, HDL says this will be as much as four times higher. The company is a member of the Hydroscand family of companies supplying industrial components to European customers since 1969. Group turnover is approximately 100 million euros, a statistic that has grown at least 20% every year over the past five years.

“We also bought the Haas machine because we want to be very quick to service our customers,” continues Mr Palmcrantz. “One of the impressive factors about the Haas is that we can machine steel dies as quickly as aluminium dies, which we make occasionally for lower volume orders. That said, many of the cavities we machine are extremely

complex and it is not unusual for some dies to stay on the Haas for a full day or even two.”

Before parts reach the Haas machine, which is fitted with a TR 210 trunnion table, Hydroforming Design Light uses a ZCorporation Spectrum Z510 machine to generate rapid 3D prints of high definition, full-colour prototypes from CAD models.

“We make 95% of our mistakes at the modelling stage,” says Mr Palmcrantz, “which means we scrap less material and save a lot of time.”

Today, Hydroforming Design Light’s main customer is Volvo Truck. And while it’s fair to say that automotive and commercial vehicles are the mainstay of the business, the potential for this innovative process is vast. The company is currently working on a diverse range of customer projects that include ski-poles, heat exchanger/water cooler parts, telecommunications components, refrigerator doors and aircraft seat frames. All will benefit from tremendous weight and material savings without any sacrifice to strength.

“In another application we manufactured hexagonal framework tubes for radio masts,” explains Mr Palmcrantz. “The design increased component stiffness by 40%. We calculated that for a 30m high mast, our version would weigh 89kg compared with 1400kg using traditionally manufactured parts. With this method the customer could use stainless steel, which although is 4-5 times more expensive than galvanised steel for instance, would still be far cheaper overall.

“Material thickness has nothing to do with component stiffness,” he concludes; “shape is far more influential. There are really very few limitations to hydroforming, perhaps just the imagination of the component designer.”

“One of the impressive factors about the Haas is that we can machine steel dies as quickly as aluminium dies, which we make occasionally for lower volume orders. That said, many of the cavities we machine are extremely complex and it is not unusual for some dies to stay on the Haas for a full day or even two.”

2� | www.HaasCNC.com

MulticrackerTM

:A Modern Miller’s Tale

Rising energy costs and increased competition for finite resources: These fundamental issues are increasing the potential for conflict in our global society. We must all, it seems, endeavour to do more with less. German engineering company and Haas CNC machine tool customer PTW Technologies GmbH has developed a machine that not only reduces energy consumption but also simultaneously expedites fuel production and aids in food processing.



In 1978, after the first global oil shock, American author Maurice Berkeley Green published a book entitled Eating Oil, documenting how food

production in the western nations had come to be entirely and excessively dependent on oil. In the intervening 30 years, and despite Green’s warning, that dependence has increased rather than declined.

Currently world oil and liquid fuel consumption are predicted to increase by almost 900,000 barrels per day through 2008 and by 1.4 million barrels per day in 2009. In 2005 Western European governments were already predicting an inflation rate of 5% a year on food prices for the next decade. At that time oil was around $60 a barrel; in June 2008 West Texas Intermediate reached $145 a barrel. So suffice to say, today even affluent, Western nations can no longer depend on cheap energy and plentiful, bargain priced commodities. There are simply more people competing for limited resources in the global marketplace.

In this global context - and in answer to one client’s challenge - PTW Technologies GmbH based near Frankfurt, Germany invented a radically new, simple and yet highly efficient machine to grind or ‘crack’ grains, seeds, nuts and just about any crushable raw material that can be fed through the hopper. PTW christened their invention the Multicracker and it uses substantially less energy than

traditional grinding or crushing methods and can ‘crack’ up to 40 metric tons of grain per hour.

PTW joint CEO Martin Rothmann explains how the Multicracker came into being.

“We were contracted by an Austrian producer of bio-fuel,” he recalls, “they were at the time using a 300hp hammer mill to grind corn prior to turning it into ethanol alcohol and were seeking a more efficient grinding technology.”

Obviously any type of fuel production only makes sense if the energy required for production is less than the energy in the finished product. The bigger the difference, the better – for the producer and for the environment.

“Our client needed a machine that would use less energy but be at least as productive as their old hammer mill.” PTW decided to approach the ancient problem of milling grain from a totally new direction. Rothmann continues, “In 2003 we built a functional prototype to test the ‘cracking’ process we had developed. We were still unsure if our idea would work on an industrial scale, but the client tested our machine and it worked like a charm!” At that point PTW knew they were onto something with global potential.


“The Multicracker cutting discs are rough turned on our Haas SL30 lathe then we use our Haas EC300 Horizonal Machining Centre to finish the discs. The EC300 is also used to make most of the remaining parts for the Multicracker: bearing boxes, base plates, spindles – we make about 90% of the machine in house.”

The Heart of the Machine

So, what’s the secret behind the patented technology that makes the Multicracker so revolutionary? Martin Rothmann sums it up in one word: “Scissors” he says. “Normally a hammer mill works with a dull, heavy head that breaks the grains by falling on them, so you need a lot of energy to constantly lift the hammer. However with sharp scissors you need less energy because cutting is more energy efficient than crushing.”

Pairs of intermeshed, rotating disks inset with hard, sharp ceramic teeth are the heart of the Multicracker. The cracking disks are lightweight and powered by twin 18.5 kW Siemens electric motors through a belt driven transmission system. The distance between the disks is variable to allow precise regulation of the size of the ground output and the entire machine is centrally regulated with Siemen’s proven S7-300 control system.

Rothmann elaborates further: “Another advantage over hammer milling is the uniform output of the Multicracker. We even offer machines with twin pairs of cracking disks for multi-stage grinding.” PTW reckons the basic Multicracker uses as little as 1 kW of electricity per ton of raw material processed, saving up to 80% in energy costs compared with conventional methods.

From Prototype to In-House Series Production

Once PTW had perfected the Multicracker it became obvious they had a machine with worldwide sales potential. After patenting the core technology, PTW faced the challenge of manufacturing and marketing the Multicracker in series.

PTW’s core business had always involved producing high quality parts for industry so the decision was made to produce


the Multicracker in-house utilizing their Haas dominated machine shop. Rothmann explains: “The Multicracker cutting discs are rough turned on our Haas SL30 lathe then we use our Haas EC300 Horizontal Machining Centre to finish the discs. The EC300 is also used to make most of the remaining parts for the Multicracker: bearing boxes, base plates, spindles – we make about 90% of the machine in house.”

The advantages of in-house production are substantial, both for PTW and for their customers. Rothmann sums it up, “We make special machines for special customers. The basic Multicracker is adapted to the exact application specs of each client and we immediately produce the machine ourselves, shortening delivery time and reducing costs.”

PTW once used machine tools from another source before turning to Haas. “We are very satisfied with Haas machines and with the Haas service concept.” CEO Rothmann tells us, “We once used very expensive machines from a competitor but now when we make the same parts with the Haas machine they are just as accurate and they cost us 30% less to produce.”

PTW now owns five Haas machines and is looking to purchase more in the future. “We bought a Haas TM1 Toolroom Mill to train employees but three weeks after it arrived we received a contract for high speed drilling. We created an automatic feed for the machine and have made over 700,000

parts on it in the last two years. Our ROI on that machine alone is fantastic!”

The World Gets ‘Cracking’

With the demand for Multicrackers rising as energy prices increase, Rothmann’s newest concern is automating production and moving into new markets. “We don’t sell many Multicrackers in the United States right now,” says Herr Rothmann. “Energy prices are very low in the USA compared to, say, Morocco, where they pay €0.75 per Kilowatt Hour. One of our Moroccan customers saves €40,000 per month on electricity with his Multicracker!” But the times are changing and with $4 per gallon gasoline, US industry is also looking to alternate and more efficient energy sources.

One emerging market that Martin Rothmann is very keen on is Africa, where there is an enormous shortfall of basic food and energy costs are particularly high. He believes that the Multicracker can play a vital role in helping people in developing countries make the most of their resources and help them to feed themselves.

The greatest challenge of the 21st century is undoubtedly how to do more with less: More food for more people from less space using less energy. PTW’s answer to this daunting problem is the Multicracker, a new machine that helps solve a global problem one small grain at a time.

CEO Rothmann tells us, “We once used very expensive machines from a competitor but now when we make the same parts with the Haas machine they are just as accurate and they cost us 30% less to produce.”


cycle TimeCNCMACHINING

America’s Windshear Inc. celebrated the opening of the world’s most advanced automotive wind tunnel on July 18th. The event, which drew nearly 300 attendees, marked the opening of the first commercially available, full-scale, single-belt, 180-mph rolling-road wind tunnel in the world.

Windshear Inc. holds Grand Opening

Representatives from global automotive manufacturers, motorsports teams and local government joined Windshear employees for the ceremony. Local dignitaries and the press were on hand to welcome Windshear to the community. The high-tech facility was completed just 15 months after breaking ground in April 2007.

Windshear welcomed its first customer, a Formula 1 team, in June 2008, and is 95 percent booked for the remainder of the year. Demand for test slots into 2009 remains strong.

“We are very pleased with the progress made on opening the wind tunnel to customers,” said Peter Zierhut, business manager, Windshear. “Our facility offers highly accurate, repeatable data previously only available to a select few Formula 1 teams, and previously not available anywhere in North America.”

Windshear uses a Single-Belt FlatTrac Rolling-Road system from MTS Systems. The road is a continuous steel belt running beneath the vehicle to simulate the road beneath a racecar traveling on a speedway. This provides the most accurate aerodynamic road simulation possible in the automotive industry, and greatly advances capabilities for motorsport organizations, as well as automotive manufacturers.

Jacobs Technology, the advanced-technology arm of Jacobs Engineering, operates the Windshear facility. Jacobs Technology specializes in design, construction and operation of wind tunnels for automotive, aerospace and defense industries throughout the world. Other Jacobs Engineering facilities include NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Langley Research Center, a cold-climate wind tunnel for Hyundai Motor Company and the Crosswind Facility for GE Aircraft Engines.

For more information about Windshear, please visit www.windshearinc.com.

About Windshear

Windshear Inc., headquartered in Concord, N.C., operates the only commercially available full-scale, single-belt, rolling-road wind tunnel in the world. The firm’s clients include top-level motorsports organizations and auto manufacturers.

Windshear is an independently operated entity of Haas Automation Inc.


The Leanders Bros drag racing team – Sponsored by US machine tool builder Haas Automation Inc - is the 2008 European Champion after speeding to victory in this year’s contest with the help of its innovative, Haas machined slipper clutch.

The FIA European Championship consists of five races that are held at different venues throughout Europe. As previous winners of the championship in 2006 and with a good showing in 2007, Leanders Bros knew what they were facing in order to grasp this victory in 2008.

The Sweden based team took its first win in the second race, held in Finland, and crossed the line with a time that equaled the European record of 5.694 seconds. A superior performance meant a win in Sweden and the fastest race time at the Germany meeting. Santa Pod, England hosted the final races of the season, but unfortunately the blower belt on the car broke at the end of the first qualifying stage. “This was caused by the force of 1 000hp taking it’s toll on a car that, due to bad weather, was forced to undertake the race in a slower and more controllable speed than the 5.60 seconds it was built to run at,” says driver Ulf Leanders. This breakage gave the team an agonising wait for the other competitors to complete their races before it was

certain that they were the 2008 European Champions. Leanders eventually finished top of the leader board with 335 points; 20 points clear of the runner-up.

Using a Haas EC400 horizontal machining centre, the team has made 10 versions of its slipper clutch this year - two of these designs they have used themselves, and other teams - to help evaluate its design and performance - used a further five. One of these teams ran in the “Pro Modified” classification and, although it missed out on a European record by 1/100th of a second, the car recorded the fastest final speed at 383 km/h.

So, what’s next for the European champions?

“The team is already preparing for next season’s European Championship,” says Ulf, “ and we are also hoping to participate in races in the USA throughout the Autumn and Spring.” However, to make this dream a reality, the team needs to find additional sponsors. “We believe we have the car to compete at the highest level in the USA. We also have a very innovative clutch which we will continue to develop and ultimately commercialise and make available to other teams around the world.”

Congratulations to Leanders BrosFIA Top Methanol Funny Car European Champions for 2008!


Haas Automation Celebrates 25 Years of Affordable Technology


In 1983, Gene Haas founded Haas Automation, Inc., to manufacture the industry’s first fully automatic programmable collet indexer. Designed to increase production in Gene’s own machine shop, the Haas 5C indexer was an instant success, and over the next 4 years, the product line expanded to include a wide selection of fully programmable rotary tables, indexers and machine tool accessories.

In 1988, Haas Automation achieved another industry milestone by introducing the first American-built vertical machining center (VMC) to sell for less than $50,000 – a price unheard of at the time. The Haas VF-1 sold for a published price of $49,900, and quickly became the industry benchmark for affordable CNC technology.

Today, 25 years later, Haas Automation is the world’s leading manufacturer of CNC machine tools – building, selling and shipping more machines per month than any other single builder in the Western World. All Haas products

are manufactured in the company’s 1-million-square-foot facility in

Southern California, and distributed through a worldwide network of more than 120 Haas Factory Outlets. Each HFO has complete showroom facilities, factory-trained service personal, extensive spare-parts inventories and fully stocked service vehicles to provide the industry’s best service and support.

From the start, Haas Automation has provided reliable, affordable machine tool solutions – at published prices – to job shops and contract manufacturers around the world, relying on volume sales rather than per-unit profit to build the company. Extensive use of lean manufacturing methods and just-in-time production practices allows the Haas Automation to produce high-precision CNC products while maintaining exacting quality and value-based pricing.

At present, there are more than 90,000 Haas CNC

machines and 55,000 Haas rotary products in use around the world. In 2008, the company will build more than 14,000 machines, with around 60 percent of them going to international markets.

Participants at the prestigious Euroskills 2008 in Rotterdam, Holland

(September) competed using the latest Haas CNC lathes and vertical machining

centres. The machines were supplied and supported by the company’s European

headquarters in Zaventem, Belgium, and gave students the opportunity to operate state-of-the art CNC machines, as used by more than 50,000 of the world’s leading manufacturing companies.

Haas Automation enjoys a well-documented reputation for encouraging and nurturing careers in precision engineering, thanks in large part to its worldwide network of modern, purpose built HTEC’s (Haas Technical Education Centres). As well as featuring Haas CNC machine tools, HTEC’s are also supported by some of the biggest and best-known names in precision tooling, CAM teaching software, CAD and workholding solutions.

At EMO 2007 - Europe’s largest manufacturing trade fair - Haas Europe Managing Director Mr. Peter Hall announced the company’s goal of 200 HTEC’s in Europe within the next 5-7 years, each one conforming to the high-standards already established in more than 600 similar facilities in North America and Canada.

“European manufacturing companies know only too well that one of the most serious problems with doing business on our high-cost continent is the critical shortage of manufacturing technologists, including skilled CNC machine operators and technicians,” says Mr. Hall. “The intention is that HTEC’s will serve as incubators of local economic growth, provide the inventors, technologists and entrepreneurs of tomorrow and give young people opportunities for exciting and productive careers.”

Mr. Hall is equally enthusiastic about the potential of the biennial Euroskills competition and is keen that Haas Automation Europe does all it can to help such high profile and worthwhile grassroots events.

“Modern manufacturing is an exciting, high-tech and lucrative industry. At Euroskills, talented young people challenged themselves and got their hands on the very best technology available. I speak on behalf of everyone at Haas when I say we were very proud to be part of it.”

The CNC machining category at Euroskills 2008 was won by David den Hartigh from the Netherlands (pictured) who collected the Gold medal. Nico Kleer from Luxembourg was awarded Silver.

Haas Supports European Championship



Haas Technical Education Center

Haas Technical Education Center


It’s been just over a year since Haas Automation launched the HTEC (Haas Technical Education Centre) program in Europe and the acclaimed

teaching initiative is already proving that inspired ideas work irrespective of different languages and unhindered by national borders.

What a difference A Year Makes



Announced at EMO 2007, the European HTEC program is on target to achieve its first-year goals with a total of 9 official Haas CNC teaching facilities open at the time of writing and another 9 planned to open before the end of 2008, including Russia, Belarus, Sweden and Portugal. In 2009 the company will oversee at least another 30-35 HTEC’s in Europe – in several countries including Ukraine, Spain, Lithuania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and France - each of which will be founded and managed by local Haas distributors (known as Haas Factory Outlets – HFO’s).

“The HTEC program is like a snowball gathering momentum,” says Haas Europe Managing Mr. Peter Hall. “When an HTEC opens in a particular country it captures the imagination of similar schools and colleges, inspiring those institutions to follow the same path.”

The European HTEC program was launched to counter what Haas regards as one of the greatest threats to sustainable economic development on the continent: the shortage of talented and motivated young people entering

precision engineering industry with CNC machining skills; skills that Mr. Hall personally considers to be the cornerstone of advanced manufacturing industry.

“I believe that one of the major reasons for the shortage is that we fail to attract young people to study and make a career in CNC technology,” he says. “We’ve found that many schools use antiquated machine shops equipment and that as a result the students do not learn the skills needed by their local industry. We feel that without modern CNC machines and modern CNC technology, and without up-to-date continuous training, teachers find it difficult to motivate young people to choose a career in what is actually a very exciting, very advanced sector.”

As well as providing CNC machine tools and CNC simulators, Haas also helps schools to renovate and modernise classrooms and workshops. The company has found that when they’re taught in clean, high-tech and well-equipped educational facilities, young people – as well as their parents and local employers – soon change their view of manufacturing.

“Investing in a facility shows students that today’s manufacturing is a high-tech business full of exciting and well-paid opportunities. We also provide an HTEC facility set-up and a student motivation package, which includes apparel, visual displays, and reading and learning materials – all of which go towards to creating a great-looking and inspiring place to study.”

Together with its program partners - KELLER, MasterCam, Esprit, Renishaw, Sandvik Coromant, Schunk, Blaser, Urma and Chick - Haas plans to open 200 HTEC’s across Europe within 5 years.

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the ANSWER MaNCNCMACHINING

Dear Haas,

I need some information on how to lock programs and parameters on machines so we don’t have different operators changing programs and machine parameters all the time.

Sincerely,Michael

Dear Michael:

The best and most secure way to protect programs and parameters on a Haas machine is with the memory lock keyswitch option. This can be purchased from your local HFO and installed in the field. You can also use Settings 7 and 8 to protect the programs and parameters, but these settings are easily changed.

Haas Applications

•••

Dear Haas,

I have to machine a part that is very similar to one I did last week. Is there a simple way to duplicate a program in memory so that I can save my original and modify the duplicate program for my new part?

Sincerely,Richard

Dear Richard:

Yes, there is an easy way to duplicate a program on the Haas control. Simply press List Program, cursor to Device and select Memory. Then cursor to the right and select the program to be copied, and then press enter. Now, key in the letter O followed by a new program number, and then press the F2 key to duplicate the program. The duplicate program will be listed in the directory with the new number. (On older controls, there’s a similar method using the F1 key.)

Haas Applications

•••

Dear Haas,

Is there a way for the user to recover programs after they have been erased?

We had an operator accidentally hit the wrong key and all of the programs except O00000 are gone.

Sincerely,Ben

Dear Ben:

Unfortunately, there is no “undo” function for when this happens. However, the Haas control does prompt the operator to be sure that this isn’t done by accident. We recommend regular backups of the programs in your machine to prevent total loss of programs. As with any other computer system, it’s a good idea to back up your files to an external device for safe keeping. On newer Haas machines with a built-in USB port, this can be done easily using a USB memory stick. On older machines, files can be backed up to floppy disk or via RS-232. If your machine has the Ethernet option, you can back up your files over the network.

Haas Applications

•••

Dear Haas,

With the G73 high-speed peck cycle, what setting needs to be changed if I require the drill to retract 0.100” in the hole? Right now, the drill is only moving a really small amount, and chips are packing up in the flutes. I could use G83, but I don’t want the tool to come completely out of the hole while it is drilling.

Sincerely,Jeremy


Dear Jeremy:

You can control the retract amount in the G73 peck-drilling cycle by changing Setting 22. Setting 22 is the canned-cycle delta Z; this setting specifies the distance the Z axis retracts to clear or break chips during a G73 canned cycle.

Haas Applications

•••

Dear Haas,

My new Haas VMC has a side-mount tool changer with 24+1 tool capability. How can I use my tool numbers from the CAM tool library, which consists of 150 tools, without having to change the numbers in an editor? I would like to have the program go straight to the machine.

Sincerely,Jack

Dear Jack:

CAM systems with Mill Tool Table Assignments allow tool libraries that exceed the number of tool numbers and pockets available on the machine. Haas machines with side-mount tool changers allow tool numbers up to T200 in a program. To set your machine for this, use Setting 90 to set a tool-number range – from the number of pockets in the tool changer up to the maximum of 200. With Setting 90 set to 200, the control will display 200 tool length offsets, and increase the tool numbers available in the tool-pocket table to 200. Programmers can use CAM libraries up to 200 tools, and post programs without having to manually edit the G-code for the tool data. (For tool numbers with 4 digits, see the Advanced Tool Management section in the Operator’s Manual.)

Haas Applications

•••

Dear Haas,

How do I set up a dead stop in my SL-30? Can I use a bar feeder for a dead stop?

Sincerely,Desmond

Dear Desmond:

Fabricate a tube that attaches to the face of the chuck throat. Use the three-hole pattern available when you remove the center plate to attach the dead stop there. This tube can have an adjustment rod at the back for use with jobs of different lengths.

It is not recommended to use a bar feeder as a dead stop, because the pushrod will rub on the workpiece as it rotates. The pushrod does not rotate with the workpiece. If you want to use the pushrod as a stop, we recommend that you program the pushrod to reference position, load the part and then retract the pushrod after the chuck closes. The V axis is used to control the pushrod. Moving the pushrod away from the rotating workpiece will prevent the workpiece from rubbing and damaging the stationary pushrod.

Haas Applications

•••

Dear Haas,I have an SL-20, and while I was paging

through the Settings I saw something called SSV. What is it and how do I use it?

Sincerely,Jacob

Dear Jacob:

SSV stands for Spindle Speed Variation. SSV varies the spindle speed during turning to prevent vibration from building, or cancel vibration by changing its frequency. This feature lets the operator vary the spindle speed as defined by two Settings; M-codes are used to turn this feature on and off during the cycle.

Programming an M38 command varies the spindle speed continuously by an amount specified by Setting 165, and with a duty cycle determined by Setting 166. An M39 in the program turns off SSV. A program stop command such as M30 or pressing RESET will also turn SSV mode off.

Here’s an example: When turning a long shaft, it may have a tendency to chatter as the diameter gets smaller, because the diameter of the workpiece is significantly smaller relative to the length being turned. By giving Setting 165 a value of 50 and Setting 166 a value of 30, a programmed rpm of 1000 would vary from 950 to 1050 rpm, and cycle through that range every three seconds.

SSV can be used while OD or ID turning; it is not available while threading or tapping.

M38 SSV ON

M39 SSV OFF

Setting 165 SSV Variation (in rpm) this is how much we want to vary the rpm.

Setting 166 SSV Cycle (scale is 0.1 second) 30 is 3 seconds.

Haas Applications

Haas Automation EuropeMercuriusstraat 28 • B-1930 Zaventem • Belgium Tel: +32 (2) 522 99 05 Fax: +32 (2) 523 08 55 [email protected] www.HaasCNC.com

Haas Automation, Inc.2800 Sturgis Road • Oxnard • California 93030 Tel: +1 (805) 278 1800 Fax: +1 (805) 278 2255Toll Free: 800 331 6746 www.HaasCNC.com

Haas Automation AsiaNo. 96 Yi Wei Road • Building 67 Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone Shanghai, 200131. P.R.C. Tel: +86 (21) 3861 6666 Fax: +86 (21) 3861 6799 [email protected] I www.HaasCNC.com

EN_11/2008

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