With Heidenhain’s Programming Station, machine operators easily learn CNC programming using the same keyboard as the

CNC and emulation of the control unit.

May 2015 | AdvancedManufacturing.org 93

Machine controls

Smooth, Fast and FriendlyControls for Productivity

Patrick WaurzyniakSenior Editor

New solutions help machinists speed up

CNC programming with user-friendly machine

control options, features that guide decisions

and modern interfacesM

achine control providers continue to

offer increasingly innovative and intuitive

programming solutions for machin-

ists who are demanding more from

their CNCs. The latest machine controls come with

special features to complement hardware advances

and help machinists program the most complex parts

with increasing ease and guidance. Many of the latest

machine controls, for example, feature embedded

intelligence with software algorithms that can auto-

matically select the optimal machining method for a

given part.

Process reliability also ranks among CNC users’ top

priorities, and automating the process is key, said Julian

Photo courtesy Heidenhain Corp

94 AdvancedManufacturing.org | May 2015

Renz, TNC product specialist, Heidenhain Corp.

(Schaumburg, IL). “Process reliability and user-

friendliness is a big thing today,” Renz said.

Automating the Process

With the new Heidenhain TNC 640 milling

and turning control, users are able to automate

many machining processes, but this is not spe-

cific to the TNC 640, Renz said. “New functions

on the TNC 640 are better program verification

graphics that can detect material cuts, and a

function called Advanced Dynamic Prediction

[ADP],” he said. “ADP can better optimize feed

rates in advance, especially for dispersed point

distributions from NC programs generated in

CAM systems.”

Heidenhain’s Active Chatter Control is an

option on the TNC that helps with roughing. “We

can take away the oscillations from the cutter in

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Machine controls

The Fagor Automation line of CNCs offers many advanced software

programming functions including kinematics calibration for five-axis

machining setups.

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the lower and medium-frequency range with that feature,” Renz said of the chatter

control option. “It’s used for any kind of roughing cut, and we also have a Dynamic

Precision function for finishing operations.”

Another option, Adaptive Feed Control (AFC), helps machinists with roughing

operations. “ACC and adaptive feed control functions are good to automate pro-

duction as AFC allows automatic exchange of a sister tool when there is too much

wear on the tool, therefore preventing machining with dull tools and the high load

this would mean for the machine,” Renz said. “ACC removes chatter, therefore

removing the load in the first place. The ACC and AFC belong to our Dynamic Ef-

ficiency functions for roughing.”

Most of these advanced features are implemented by the machine builders,

depending on preferences. “It’s a function of what the machine builder wants to of-

fer. With some builders, these functions are offered as standard,” Renz said. “Many

machine builders have adopted these functions or are in the process of adapting

them.” Dynamic Precision is an option usually selected by the machine builder for

customers, and it requires some calibration, he added. “It brings up the precision

maybe 10–50 µm,” Renz said. “For some customers, that tolerance level may not

matter, but it’s absolutely demanded for medical applications.”

With Heidenhain’s Programming Station, users can easily learn to program CNCs

with the company’s machine control learning system, which teaches machinists using

a PC equipped with a special keyboard that is the same as the keyboards on the

TNC and other Heidenhain controls. This system mimics the machine control unit,

emulating the actual control’s acceleration and simulation of metalcutting processes.

Precision Machining

“It is definitely a ‘do-more’ market for CNCs at this point in time,” said Todd

Drane, marketing manager, Fagor Automation Corp. (Elk Grove Village, IL). “Things

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Machine controls

Three new functions to Siemens’ Sinumerik Operate HMI make it easier for

machinists to program milling and turning machines.

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98 AdvancedManufacturing.org | May 2015

previously handled by either programming technique or an ancillary function, cus-

tomers want solved in process by the CNC algorithms instead.”

Some of these new CNC innovations include Fagor’s 3D Compensation, which

Drane said allows compensating in 3D machining for problems due to CAD/CAM

generated programs, with machining tools not available in the shop. This feature cor-

rects 3D toolpaths to obtain the same final part with a different size tool, he said.

The CNC lineup from Fagor includes kinematics calibration, which performs

automatic calibration of five-axis machining systems during setup or maintenance,

Drane added, and virtual axis, a fictitious axis that always moves in the direction

in which the tool is oriented. “For movements perpendicular to the plane, you just

activate the virtual axis and the CNC will adapt the position of the rotary axes ac-

cordingly,” Drane said.

In the mold-and-die market, improved high-speed cutting (HSC) algorithms en-

able machinists to achieve smoother shapes and lower machine vibration, resulting

in better part finishes, Drane noted. The higher accuracy on current controls helps

resolve CAD/CAM-generated points more accurately, he noted, offering average

machining accuracy improvement of 30%.

“Depending on the demand of the parts, machining time is considerably re-

duced thanks to its new microprocessors, with a block processing time well under

1 ms and look-ahead between 300 and 2400 blocks, depending on the CNC

model,” Drane said.

Fagor’s latest CNCs have also been improved and enhanced with Renishaw

probing products. Fagor also has announced MTConnect connectivity for the

company’s 8055, 8060 and 8065 CNCs, Drane said.

Easy but Powerful

Machinists are looking for simplicity combined with capability, without asking for

it, Drane said. “In our experience, machinists’ greatest desire is to have the ‘tech-

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Machine controls

Bosch Rexroth’s IndraMotion MTX micro CNC platform allows five-axis interpolation,

making it highly functional with a lower cost.

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May 2015 | AdvancedManufacturing.org 99

nology make sense.’ They expect the capability to already

be there,” he said. “Machinists hate learning that their CNC

is not capable of a particular operation, and that they have to

either purchase an upgrade or find another means of creating

the solution. They are incredibly logical,

and they want their shop-floor partner

to be logical, too.” When operators

make a mistake in programming, they

want the CNC to tell what they did

wrong, he added, through on-board

diagnostic assistance.

Much of the programming today is

done with offline programming versus

at the CNC, Drane said, but it mostly

depends on the application. “Produc-

tion and complex parts are genu-

inely programmed offline. We would

estimate 60–40% in favor of offline

programming, but this is a variance

not just from manufacturing sector

to sector, but also region to region,”

Drane said.

Fagor has specialized in providing

an online programming system that

machinists can literally go from first

touch to fluently creating and execut-

ing successful programs in only a

matter of hours, Drane said. “The key

is keeping the machinist on the same

page. Multiple pages to program a

single cycle is counter-intuitive,” he

said. “Instead, we keep the machin-

ist on the same single screen for all

variables of the operation, including

tooling, feeds and speeds, and even

finishing pass variables.

“A graphic interface is always used

and an on-board CAD/CAM profile cre-

ator is a keystroke away,” he said. “We

think the advancements in shop-floor

programming over the past 10 years

have been nothing short of remarkable.

What was once thought to be impos-

sible to do at the CNC keyboard can

now be accomplished in a matter of

minutes in front of the machine.”

Built for the Shop Floor

Along with easier-to-use software, CNC developers are

also adding the convenience of touchscreens to make life

easier for machinists on the shop floor. Machinists now have

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100 AdvancedManufacturing.org | May 2015

more choices with ruggedized touch-

screens like the Black line of LCD

panels incorporated into Siemens’

Sinumerik CNCs.

The multitouch capacitive touch-

screen technology of the Black line

control panels enables machinists to

work at the control even while wearing

tough shop-floor gloves. “One of the

newest things I’m seeing more of a

trend of again that is coming back is

a lot of people are looking for touch-

screens for their controls,” said Randy

Pearson, dealer support manager, Ma-

chine Tool Systems, Siemens Industry

Inc. (Elk Grove Village, IL).

“The Black line panel we had at

IMTS is a multigesture touch-type

panel. Some of the OEMs are going

more toward this direction where they

get away from hard buttons,” Pearson

said, “and they go with one or two

touch panels on their machine for the

operator interfaces.

“Due to the prevalence of all the

iPhones and Androids and iPads, it’s

one thing where they can touch and

move around on everything,” Pearson

said. “It’s got to be more rugged than

the phones. The multitouch capacitive

screens in the panels don’t require skin

contact, so operators can work on the

panel with their gloves on.”

Siemens has also invested in

improved software with its Sinumerik

Operate offering used with all of the

company’s controls. At Aerodef in Dal-

las, Siemens added the new Sinumerik

Integrate production software with new

IT tools for part data and process man-

agement, while also introducing three

new cycle functions to the Sinumerik

Operate human-machine interface

(HMI) that improve programming of

turning and milling machines.

Unified Control Architecture

With its new Series 0i-F CNC

introduced at IMTS, FANUC America

Corp. (Rochester Hills, MI) introduced

a new cost-effective, entry-level

control that incorporated the same

control architecture as FANUC’s

higher-end controls. The 0i-F is the

company’s successor to the 0i-D con-

trol, and it’s aimed at up to four-axis

machining applications for job shops.

“The 0i-F integrates everything

together with the seamless control ar-

chitecture,” said Paul Webster, CNC en-

gineering manager, Fanuc America. “It’s

the same form, fit and function—from an

operation and maintenance standpoint,

it’s all the same. This allows machinists,

maintenance and management to have

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unified architecture as its high-end CNCs.

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the same platform across the board, and more easily learn and

integrate new systems into the manufacturing framework. A lot

of the driving development is that they all work the same.”

In addition to the 0i-F CNC’s commonality of design,

the control features a 15" (381-mm) display option, built-in

Bluetooth technology and digital servo adapter with a new

EtherCAT interface. The 0i-F CNC has common operability,

maintainability and the same networking options as the Se-

ries 30i CNC plus a highly compatible PMC ladder, translat-

ing to easier operation and maintenance.

The new control succeeds FANUC’s highest-selling

control ever, the 0i-D, Webster said, noting that in machine

controls, reliability is paramount. “The big thing is reliability,”

he said. “If your cell phone breaks, it’s one thing but it’s a

lot different with a control. The 0 Series control is by far our

most favorite and the 0i-D was a super-high seller.” The CNC

has nine total controlled axes for a one-path system for both

0i-MD (milling) and 0i-TD (turning) and a two-path system

now available on the 0i-MF with 11 total controlled axes.

More Five-Axis

The IndraMotion MTX lineup of machine controllers from

Bosch Rexroth Corp. (Charlotte, NC) has been expanded to

allow five-axis interpolation on its lower-end CNC offerings,

including the MTX standard and MTX micro models. Bosch

Rexroth expanded the CNC line in response to market demand

of using advanced four and five-axis functionality for milling,

grinding and other machining using lower-end CNC controllers

with up to 999 block look-ahead, said Karl Rapp, automotive

and machine tools application engineering manager.

“This way Bosch Rexroth extends functionality formerly

found only in mid- to high-end CNCs to the lower-cost ma-

chinery market, enabling OEMs to now offer more solutions.

With its compact packaging, the Rexroth IndraMotion MTX

micro especially can provide a small footprint and quick com-

missioning. This is with standard CNC operator panels or by

using a Windows-based operator interface.”

At the upper spectrum, for multistation machines do-

ing high-production, the Bosch Rexroth IndraMotion MTX

Machine controls

advanced CNC, the CML 85 with a dual-core CPU, is now

capable of 60 simultaneous motion channels, 99 axes and

32 spindles, Rapp said. “This is in response to the often

highly compact, multistation rotary and linear-style transfer

machines that are bringing high-volume precision production

with five- or six-sided machining, with single clamping,” he

said. “These machines push the productivity with the short-

est workpiece cycle times at excellent precision.”

Expanded Multitouch HMI

New HMI solutions are also available from Bosch

Rexroth, which introduced its CNC HMI that is optimized

for widescreen multitouch displays connected to compact

industrial PCs (embedded line i5/i7 CPUs) with Windows 7,

Rapp said. OEMs can configure horizontal or vertical opera-

tor displays including HMI screens, keyboard quick keys,

and fieldbus-connected traditional operator panels, Rapp

said, and the display includes the optional mobile operator

panel model VH2110.

“The market for industrial PC displays is changing,” Rapp

said. “Today, if you buy a laptop about 90% of them now

have touchscreens. All of this technology is pushing into the

market for machine controls with the multitouch displays.

“For the widescreen format we completely adapted the

software. Our software HMI allows the OEM to use it horizontal

or vertical, and you can swipe the keyboard for data entry. It

has custom keys, and you can input specific, frequently used

cycles. They become interactive objects on the screen.”

?Bosch Rexroth Corp. 800-REXROTH / boschrexroth-us.com/cnc

Fagor Automation Corp.800-423-2467 / fagorus.com

FANUC America Corp.888-326-8287 / fanucamerica.com

Heidenhain Corp.847-490-1191 / Heidenhain.com

Siemens Industry Inc.800-879-8079 / usa.siemens.com/cnc