ShopSolutions - SME VoluMill option to GibbsCAM. The shop’s primary business is building nitrous oxide and induction systems for drag racing

April 2014 | ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com 43

When Brandon Switzer started Switzer Dynamics, he

knew the equipment he would need to continue his

career in building engines and intake manifolds for

drag racing. He had started shops before, the first time right

out of high school to support his own drag racing, and after a

few years of working solo, he leveraged

his experience, expertise and reputation

into a partnership in Alabama, followed

by a new shop.

In February 2012, Switzer moved to

Denver, North Carolina, about 25 miles

north of Charlotte, where with 17 years’

experience and three employees, he

opened his fully equipped shop. Equip-

ment included a dedicated five-axis

Haas VF-6TR, a Haas VF-3SS with Jer-

gens table and small trunnion, a seven-

axis multitasking Haas DS-30Y, a seat

of SolidWorks to model intake manifolds

and other components, and a seat of

GibbsCAM to program the machines. In

addition to the MTM (multitask machin-

ing) and five-axis options, Switzer added

the VoluMill option to GibbsCAM.

The shop’s primary business is

building nitrous oxide and induction systems for drag racing.

Switzer does custom work and fabricates its own line of intake

manifolds by forming and welding sheetmetal. Equipment

includes welding and fabrication equipment, a CNC press

brake, and support equipment, such as a Behringer saw and

a flow bench.

It was in a previous venture that Switzer first began work-

ing with CNCs and GibbsCAM software. After he had pur-

chased machine tools and software, he spent a few days with

his GibbsCAM representative getting started with CNC ma-

chining and programming. When he subsequently acquired

the GibbsCAM five-axis and MTM software, he decided to

learn it on his own. He struggled through his learning process,

but it was the way he wanted to learn, and he’s now confident

with both software and machines.

Opening Switzer Dynamics with all new equipment at once

was a huge effort, because Switzer wanted to know how to

run everything, and he wanted everyone to know as much

as possible. Although each Switzer employee has an area

of expertise, Switzer has taught all of them to run the CNC

machines. This way, when the shop needs to keep produc-

tion running 24 hours a day, for days at a time, everybody can

take turns at extra shifts. This happens regularly, because the

shop takes on production machining work to keep its five-axis

and seven-axis machines busy.

Volumetric Machining Lightens Racing Manifold Intakes

ShopSolutionsCase Histories of Manufacturing Problem Solving

“I enter the tool diameter, the number of flutes, and my desired chip load per tooth, and VoluMill does the rest.”

New Switzer Dynamics intake manifold made for Reher-Morrison Racing Engines

qualified with a first place at its debut at Bristol in April 2013. Previously fabricat-

ed from sheetmetal, it’s now made with components machined from aluminum

billet and programmed with GibbsCAM.

Switzer believes that trial-and-error is a great teacher, and

that he learns a lot by finding the limitations of processes and

machines. To that end, he taught himself the use of the mill-

ing capabilities provided by the Y axis of his seven-axis Haas

and how to program its milling functions with GibbsCAM MTM

software. As a learning exercise, he programmed a buckle

he was making for Simpson Performance Products (New

Braunfels, TX), the company known for its racing harnesses

and safety equipment, for machining on the MTM. The part

is made of stainless steel, has pockets machined through

the part, and has to have all edges radiused so that harness

straps aren’t cut under load. “You would never run production

of this part on that machine, but I wanted to see if it could be

done,” said Switzer, “and I used GibbsCAM VoluMill, to see

how fast I could make the part.”

Switzer feels that he learned a lot from that exercise,

and feels better prepared for jobs that really belong on that

machine, which is normally used for running high-volume

parts that the shop uses and sells, such as the nozzles used

in nitrous oxide systems, and other parts that can be turned,

milled and completed in a single setup.

Shop Solutions

44 ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | April 2014

Manifold valley and flanges machined from billet show

the pattern VoluMill creates when it generates the most

efficient toolpath motion for running at maximum rpm and

feed rate while machining the ½” (12.7-mm) deep pock-

ets in a single pass. Switzer leaves the machined finish to

demonstrate part quality and beauty.

The production run of the Simpson buckle was done on the

three-axis mill, using VoluMill for roughing. It was a challenge

because it is 3/16" (4.7-mm) thick stainless steel that required

a lot of material removal with 1/8" (3.1-mm) end mills. Switzer

said that the shop runs carbide end mills on stainless steel

hard at 12,000 rpm and that tools work best and last longest

at high speeds and feeds with VoluMill. “On other jobs, we cut

big pockets in 1018 steel with a 1/2" [12.7-mm] end mill, at

12,000 rpm and 300 ipm [7.6 m/min],

and we get tool life that is easily five

times—up to ten times—what it is with

conventional milling,” he said.

Traditionally, roughing toolpaths are

generated as parallel offsets with sharp

corners and transitions, which require

stops, starts and variable speeds to

prevent tool breakage, reduce tool wear,

and avoid excessive loading and tool

dwell. In contrast, VoluMill develops

toolpaths optimized for volumetric mate-

rial removal, using continuous tangential

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Shop Solutions


Completed runner is programmed

with GibbsCAM five-axis software

and machined from aluminum billet

in four-axis with a wall thickness of

0.090” (2.3-mm) to replace sheetmetal

fabrication. Built-in bungs eliminate the

previous welding and manual machin-

ing required for sheetmetal runners.

motion, specialized contour ramping and adaptive feed rates

to achieve the highest feeds and speeds possible. By leveling

tool load, maintaining constant machine-tool motion and using

high-speed repositioning, the software produces more efficient

toolpaths, extends tool life and reduces cycle times significantly.

A fuel injection manifold that Switzer Dynamics makes

for Reher-Morrison Racing Engines (Arlington, TX) that was

previously made with sheet metal fabrication illustrates the

capability of VoluMill. The deepest cut they make for three-

axis manifold machining is 1" (25.4 mm), although most of

the pockets on valleys and flanges are 1/2" deep. Instead of

programming conventionally with two to four passes of 1/4

to 1/8" (6.3–3.1-mm), Switzer programs a single pass at full

depth and full speed for everything, relying on VoluMill to

generate a smooth toolpath.

Although VoluMill has tables of suggested parameters,

feeds and speeds, Switzer does everything based on chip

load, running at maximum spindle speed and maximum feed

rate. “I enter the tool diameter, the number of flutes, and my

desired chip load per tooth, and VoluMill does the rest,” said

Switzer. “It’s easy, and it’s really fast.”

Switzer said that a programmer or machinist who is new to

GibbsCAM VoluMill may not understand some of the vari-

ables, so he encourages experimentation. “It doesn’t take long

to figure out what tools can do, what ramp rates work best for

a tool’s geometry. VoluMill doesn’t need to know everything.

You just tell it a few things, and it does the rest. You don’t

have to worry about it squeaking a tool in a corner, or doing

something bad. It’s going to be perfect.”

The shop used to make intake runners by hand-rolling

sheetmetal or by using radiused dies in a press brake, then

welding the seam to close them. They would then build the

whole manifold, mount it on a manual mill, and plunge mill

the holes in the runners to weld the bungs into them.

Now, using the five-axis mill, they make the entire run-

ner from aluminum billet, with bungs already on it, ready

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to receive the nozzles, then weld the runners to the flange,

and weld the plenum on the assembly. The runner walls are

made to be 0.090" (2.2-mm) thick, to make them as light as

possible, so there is massive material removal. Still, mak-

ing the runners from billet is far more efficient than mak-

ing them by hand. For a production run, the shop usually

makes eight manifolds, requiring 64 runners. Machining the

runners, instead of making them from sheetmetal, easily

saves 75% of the time, and the shop has removed most of

the labor by eliminating welding and manual machining.

Furthermore, they’ve eliminated needing bungs, because

those are now built in.

To emphasize the quality of machining, the shop leaves

the toolpath as the finish on all machined parts for the mani-

folds, whether it is a VoluMill toolpath or a five-axis toolpath.

“When I see something polished, I look for the defects the

manufacturer is covering up,” Switzer said. “When somebody

sees the VoluMill pattern inside the pockets of our parts, they

can tell we have good programming software, and I like show-

ing the tool marks because it shows the quality of the work.

There’s no reason to hide that.” ME

For more information from Gibbs and Associates, go to

www.gibbscam.com, or phone 805-523-0004.

Feeding the Beast at Miller Welding with FMS

When its aging fleet of 630-mm horizontal machining

centers needed to be retired, Miller Welding & Ma-

chine (Brookville, PA), a shop that specializes in fabrications,

had two options: replace multiple stand-alone machines or

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Shop Solutions


At the heart of Miller Welding’s TIPROS FMS (flexible

manufacturing system) are two Toyoda FH630SX horizontal

machining centers.

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upgrade to a multipallet automation system. Given the plant’s

experience with a buffer-type cell for another operation, Miller

Welding took the automation route with TIPROS FMS (flexible

manufacturing system) and two FH630SX horizontal machin-

ing centers from Toyoda Machinery (Arlington Heights, IL).

With two loading stations on the 24-pallet cell, as well as

a 200-tool magazine for each machine, the plant was poised

to greatly increase production. “We didn’t have any specific

parts that we expected to be processed faster,” said Eric

Miller, vice president at Miller Welding. “What we did expect

was to replace as many as four machines with the cell. These

two Toyodas have already replaced five stand-alone machines.

We’re working on number six, and quite honestly, we expect

to replace more.”

It didn’t take long for Miller Welding to see an increase in

throughput. One of the company’s executives walked past the

FMS shortly after the automation cell had replaced just one of

the stand-alone machines. He questioned why the company’s

new investment wasn’t being put to good use, as the cell had

already sat idle for an hour. The answer was that the machine

started running from 5:30 am to 9:30 pm, finishing all the

work for the day that had previously kept two machines and

two shifts busy. It was then that Miller Welding began realizing

the benefits they were going to see.

Moving to newer technology, Miller knew cycle times

would be reduced. He also understood that the spindle utiliza-

tion an automation system provided would be much higher.

However, the combination of increased speed and uptime was

greater than anything the plant could have anticipated. In fact,

the process of transferring work from a stand-alone machine

to Toyoda’s FMS soon had made a name for itself among

Miller Welding’s engineers and operators: “feeding the beast.”

The system was so productive that the shop could not send

parts to it quickly enough, Miller said.

This increased productivity proved to be beneficial in a

breakdown situation on an older machine. Knowing the stand-

alone machine would be out of commission for an extended

period of time, Miller Welding was easily able to move produc-

tion from the down machine to the Toyoda FMS cell. With

this transition, Miller Welding met the customer’s production

requirement with minimal interruptions to the FMS’s regular

production schedule.

Within a year of installation, the FMS had 28 different parts

with more workpieces being added to the cell every week in

small quantities. This slow transition was no accident. “We

wanted to do it the right way and have consistent quality and

consistent expectations coming out of that cell,” Miller said.

Every part that goes into the cell has gone through a

routine in which the operator ensures all tooling and docu-

mentation are present. Programming for the cell is done

offline. While the operator proves the program, he takes one

of the FH630SXs off the cell to run in manual mode, while the

other machine continues with the scheduled parts. Once the

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It’s not a quick 10-minute process to add a new part to

the cell, but Miller Welding has put extra effort into a pilot

program to see if better up-front instruction for each work-

piece will prove to be advantageous at setting up the cell.

process is set, the part is introduced to the cell and its tooling

is added to the second magazine.

It’s not a quick 10-minute process to add a new part to

the cell, Miller conceded, but this extra effort is part of a

pilot program to see if better up-front instruction for each

workpiece will prove to be advantageous. “Everyone will say

that you don’t have time to do that. I think you don’t have

the time not to do it,” Miller said, “If you don’t take the time

upfront, then you’re going to have

problems that chew your time.”

To begin the documentation pro-

cess, Miller Welding’s manufacturing

managers asked its operators and en-

gineers how they could be better pre-

pared during the machining process.

By creating presentations for each

workpiece with tooling and fixturing

information, they could see how each

part should be machined and know

exactly what was expected of them.

This information gave Miller Weld-

ing the ability to bring operators up to

speed very quickly without sacrificing

production time.

After all operators were equipped

with the necessary part knowledge, it

only made sense to incorporate quality

control into the machining process. “We

wanted the ability to standardize our

processes and make certain the process

controls were robust. The part’s not go-

ing to come off of that machine unless

it’s right,” Miller said.

Besides standardizing its tomb-

stones and setting up tooling and

pallets in a way that could easily be

managed, Miller Welding began using

probing. Previously, one of the plant’s

major construction parts saw internal

rejection rates around 10%. Since mov-

ing the part to the FMS eight months

ago, only two parts have been rejected.

As is typical with any automa-

tion solution, Miller Welding noticed

its employees were concerned about

their jobs. Each stand-alone machine

required two operators per shift for an

area running two shifts a day, five days

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Shop Solutions


Continued on page 106

a week. The FMS cell required just one. “We’re not going

to lay employees off because now we can cut costs,” Miller

explained, “Yes, we could, but we can also reduce costs by

keeping them employed and putting them in lean and con-

tinuous improvement activities around the shop.”

By better utilizing its personnel, Miller Welding was able

to perform more kaizen events throughout the organization.

The first-hand experience of the operators gave them the

ability to know how to improve a manufacturing operation

or area.

In the meantime, Miller Welding is still working on

feeding the beast. Along with its usual fabrication jobs, the

installation of the FMS has allowed the company to penetrate

other markets. “I’ve been telling everybody that knows me,

‘If you’ve got anything that fits in a 30" [762-mm] cube, I

want to machine it for you,’” Miller said, “I can’t get enough

work for that machine.” ME

For more information from Toyoda Machinery, go to

www.toyoda.com; or phone 847-253-0340.

CNC Provides Shop with Needed Flexibility

Baum Machine (Appleton, WI) is one of the most complete

custom machine shops in northeast Wisconsin. Baum’s

capabilities include prototype and quantity production runs on

a wide variety of machined and simple or complex fabricated

components. To meet their customers’ requirements, Baum

requires flexibility, not just from their people, but also from

their equipment.

The word flexibility has taken on special meaning when it

came to selecting the automation products that Baum decided

to use. “We have to have the flexibility of the products to grow

with us,” said Karl Hornick, lead machine rebuild electrician.

“Baum Machine, which started out as a small one-machine op-

eration in 1989, has expanded into a multi-tiered business in a

55,000 ft2 [5110 m2] state-of-the-art facility. In other words, we

are growing in only one direction and that is up,” said Hornick.

What Baum Machine understands is that business growth

can only happen when both people and equipment maintain the

flexibility to compete in today’s manufacturing environment with

an eye toward what will be required in tomorrow’s environment.

As Fagor Automation (Elk Grove Village, IL) has learned

over the years, Baum is very serious about ensuring that their

products can meet strict flexibility requirements and has

selected its CNC control products with an eye toward meeting

the requirements of legacy equipment as well as the latest

state-of-the-art machines.

“We have machines that still require analog servo com-

mands. On new installations, however, we will require digital

Shop Solutions


Continued from page 50

Baum Machine’s capabilities include prototype and

quantity production runs on a wide variety of machined

and simple or complex components.

commands and some machines will need a mix of both ana-

log and digital servo commands due to motor concerns,” said

Hornick. “On top of these requirements the CNC must also be

capable of multiple feedback protocol interfaces.”

The Fagor 8055 CNC product series, which Baum uses, is

able to satisfy these requirements by allowing for both digital

or analog servo commands, which can also be combined on

the same control when necessary. In addition, both Sercos and

CAN digital protocols are available ensuring additional flexibility.

Multiple feedback protocols including both absolute or incre-

mental are available for the 8055 control and, in most cases,

with pre-manufactured plug-and-play cable assemblies.

Over the years, Baum specified that the PLC must have

the ability to be modified instantly from the keyboard. Prod-

ucts must be seamlessly married to each other, thus ensuring

not just a fast and efficient integration, but also assuring that

today’s advanced technology is quickly and easily accessible

and ready to run.

The Fagor 8055 CNC contains a built-in PLC that also

allows for CAN I/O modules as well as Local I/O, all program-

mable directly from the keyboard. This capability allows for re-

mote modules to be located in ideal locations within the shop

for best functionality. In addition, the 8055 CNC also includes

a built-in Logic Analyzer that allows for advanced, yet simple

PLC diagnostic assistance. The Logic Analyzer allows for up to

eight PLC signals/registers/timers to be monitored simultane-

ously on a single on-board plotter. The ability to program a

trigger and freeze of the signals helps make tough to diagnose

problems easy to solve.

Another aspect often overlooked is that Fagor Automation

products were designed to work together in harmony with one

another. Thus the Digital Drive System and Encoder Systems

complement each other to ensure the customer receives the

full benefit of today’s technology.

Fagor CNCs can quickly and easily be updated with new

features utilizing nothing more than the USB port on the

keyboard and requiring only a few minutes. The knowl-

edge that the 8055 is engineered around the concept of

simple programming utilizing both a conversational and

ISO G-code programming system in which no prior operator

experience is required to operate successfully has proven

to be the final key to all successful manufacturing opera-

tions. Every Fagor 8055 CNC contains a flexible parameter

set allowing for precise machine customization, but also an

on-board graphic editor that allows for true operator and

application customization. ME

For more information from Fagor Automation Corp., go to

www.fagor-automation.com, or phone 847-981-1500.


Fagor 8055 CNC is operator friendly in all respects,

including programming/operating and ease of new

feature updates and the ability to customize to suit

the operator or application.

Documents

ShopSolutions - SME VoluMill option to GibbsCAM. The shop’s primary business is building nitrous oxide and induction systems for drag racing