HSM Toolpaths Chapter Added to Feeds and Speeds Cookbook

I just finished posting the HSM Toolpaths chapter to the Feeds and Speeds Cookbook. If you’ve been wondering why those crazy swirly toolpaths are so popular, what the advantages for them might be, or how to figure feeds and speeds for HSM, check it out.

Comparison of the same pocket done with HSM and conventional toolpaths in GibbsCAM as shown by the GWE CNC Simulator…

… Read the rest

Remember Stuxnet? Technology Being Imported to the US is Being Laced With Hidden Hacker Tools

I’m not a huge fan of outsourcing manufacturing overseas, but now there is another reason to be concerned.

Remember Stuxnet? That was where the “good guys” (us presumably, though we won’t admit it outright) performed a little cyber-sabotage of the gear used to create Iran’s uranium-enrichment centrifuges for their nuclear program. Basically Siemens PLC’s controlling the VFD’s on the centrifuge motors were infected with some very clever viruses. All it took was for some hapless scientist to connect a USB key to a computer on the network the gear was on, and the virus spread. It was apparently a very clever virus indeed, far more advanced than typical hacker toys. So much so, it was assumed that it had to have been a true cyberweapon concocted by governments.

Now I read an article indicating a great deal of imported technology is being laced with hidden tools to help hackers break security over here. It was never a great idea economically to move so much of our manufacturing offshore, but now it is increasingly looking like a terrible idea from a Homeland Security standpoint.… Read the rest

Which Software Product Should We Build Next?

We’re making good progress on G-Wizard Editor, so it looks like it will be out before end of year. Of course just saying that out loud probably jinxes the schedule, software being what it is, but it’s time to at least start dreaming about new products.

Give us your input on that dreaming. We’re running a survey on what sort of software we should think about building next.… Read the rest

Part Zero, Touch Offs, and Zeroing

The latest installment in our G-Code Tutorial deals with Part Zero, Touch Offs, and Zeroing. In it you’ll learn what Part Zero is, the relationship of Work Coordinates to Machine Coordinates, and how to think about those concepts as you’re getting started with g-code. We’ll give you a recipe that saves a lot of time for where to put your Part Zero so you can drop a piece of material in the vise and go. We’ll also show you some videos such as this one on the Haimer 3D Taster:

Haimer 3D Taster…… Read the rest

Cool Little Rocket Plane Model Made With BobCAD

I loved seeing this cool little rocket plane model done via a BobCAD 3D profiling job on CNCZone:

Neat Rocket Plane…… Read the rest

Minimizing Chatter, Finding Stable Milling Speeds, and More

Every machinist hates dealing with chatter. The worst cases will tear apart your tooling, ruin your job, and wear out your machinery before its time. Not to mention, it just sounds terrible. I flinch every time I fire up a cut and a big dose of it comes back at me. It turns out you don’t have to put up with chatter. Even better, the answer doesn’t always have to be, “Slow way down.” Instead, you need to find the Stable Milling Speeds for your machine and tooling combination and use that.

A chatter test…

I just put up the latest installment in the Milling Feeds and Speeds Cookbook, and it’s all about Chatter. The article covers everything from a description of what Chatter is, to techniques for minimizing Chatter, and on into the Science of Chatter and how to really bring it under control and radically increase your productivity. We’ll also delve a bit into how to use G-Wizard’s Chatter Calculator and Cutting Knowledge Base as tools for the control of Chatter. Lastly, we’ll show you how to get organized with your tooling and some simple tests that will let you completely map out Chatter and bring it under your control.… Read the rest