SPRING Technologies is presented on the front cover of Manufacturing News Magazine May 2014

SPRING Technologies is exhibiting in booth 868 at the MMTS (Montreal Manufacturing Technology Show), from May 12 to 14.

SPRING's exhibit will highlight the features, benefits and applications of the company's flagship simulation software, NCSIMUL Machine and Player 9.1. Specifically, with the growing adoption of remote and mobile software accessibility, SPRING will demonstrate its recently introduced mobile system called WYSIWYC (What You See Is What You Cut).

Thanks to NCSIMUL Player 9.1 embedded on a fully rugged, mobile Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1 and connected to machine tool controllers such as FANUC CNCs, shop floor operators and managers are able to interact remotely - in 3D and in real time using intuitive touch controls - with one or several CNC machines and their machining processes, as they execute the CNC program on the machine. 3D animations of CNC machining processes, as well as related work instruction sheets are directly accessible from the mobile application.

For the full online story click here

New Tutorials added to the Tips and Techniques Section of the blog

May 2014 Tutorials:

How to change the Control setting:

How to create an NCPlayer File:

http://ncsimul.blogspot.com/p/tips-and-techniques.html

AMD Online Magazine: Simulation for laying composite material

Aerospace Manufacturing and Design Online Magazine posted an article on SPRING Technologies to outline the result of several years’ collaboration with major aerospace customers, NCSIMUL Machine 9.1 can replicate material laying processes executed by numerical control (NC) machines.

This machining simulation software decodes NC programs, representing the machine environment in 3D to identify and analyze programming errors and collisions. A Composite option enables a dynamic representation of fiber ribbon laying, depicting the 3D form of the carbon fiber. Positioning of each fiber in the ribbon is managed independently.

The software alerts users to issues specific to the way composites are processed and liable to occur in machining. Alerts include fiber steering angle errors, twisting of taut fiber between the head and the position on the spool, fiber tension issues including speed disparities between fibers or sudden changes of direction that can create backwards laying.

Analysis functions can send information to the process planning department and the design office before going live. Analysis can be for the length of the laid material, layer thickness, fiber ribbon intersection angle, and aperture radius. The section-plane function gives insights into layering or possible holes in the material. At any time, the fiber path, or the end result of the material laying generated on the tooling in CAD, can be exported.

The software considers the shape of the initial tooling and the tension applied to the fibers. Fast algorithms enable fiber laying simulation with performances of 300m/min on a conventional CAD workstation.

For the full story click here

One small reason NCSIMUL Player surpasses other CNC simulation Reviewer

SPRING Technologies has always strived to be the leader in bringing the latest innovations to its customers. One such innovation is in NCSIMUL Player.

The viewing technology embodied in NCSIMUL Player is backward compatible and bidirectional compatible between 32 and 64 bit operating systems: the contents of a machining job generated by NCSIMUL Machine down to version 8.9.4 or the associated 3D movie can be displayed native on any 32-bit or 64-bit Windows 8 and 7 OS. 

This simple advantage makes it seamless for users to work in any version of the software and NCSIMUL Player will read the output. Users should work on cutting steal and reducing company expenses not software compatibility issues. 

For more details on NCSIMUL Player go to: http://www.springplm.com/contenu.php?ID=496

Turbomeca, a SAFRAN group company, uses NCSIMUL Machine to slash its time to market

“NCSIMUL Machine is a must-have; we were into payback as of year 2”

says Gilles Cazenave-Laroche - Head of engineering

Paris, 14 May 2014 – SPRING Technologies, vendor of solutions that enable manufacturers to optimize the use of their NC machines, explains why Turbomeca chose NCSIMUL Machine.

Corporate presentation

Turbomeca, a SAFRAN Group company, is the world leader on the helicopter gas turbine market. The internationally acknowledged engine maker designs, manufactures, markets and maintains a comprehensive and unique range of engines for makers of civilian, parapublic or military helicopters.

With 75 years’ experience in the field, Turbomeca has produced 70,000 turbines for 2,500 customers in 155 countries. The company has operations on five continents, with 16 sites, plus its Microturbo subsidiary, specialized in low-power gas turbines. With a workforce of around 6,320, it generated €1,126 M of revenue in 2012. 

Turbomeca’s philosophy is all about anticipating the future, designing, developing, certifying and supporting in order to stay one step ahead in technology. Adding core focuses on quality and safety, Turbomeca achieves the excellence it aspires to.

Challenge

Turbomeca’s organization is based on Centers of Excellence. Gilles Cazenave-Laroche, Head of engineering at the Excellence Center for rotating parts talks about his experience with SPRING Technologies solutions. 

In 1995, Turbomeca, after an in-depth study of the two leading machining simulation solutions ─ one French, the other American ─ opted for SPRING Technologies’ NCSIMUL Machine. “At the time we went for the better of the two products. It was the right choice because the solution is very well integrated into our specialty, spanning the whole machining process for our compressors, from CAM to the actual cutting of end parts on the machine. This is more than just realistically simulating ISO code”, explains G. Cazenave-Laroche.

Their immediate need was for a solution that would significantly reduce lead times and eliminate risks in the production of parts with high added value. This included simultaneous 5-axis machining. Given the cost of programming for these 5-axis machines, “we were into payback as of year 2”, enthuses G. Cazenave-Laroche. 

Next comes the long-term value. This is all about making tool paths more robust and reliable, while offering Turbomeca a training tool for programmers. “Our task is complex”, he adds. “With NCSIMUL Machine we not only train new employees, we use it to innovate. By simulating and testing, we can explore new, more efficient machining strategies.”

Gains

Today, machining simulation and NCSIMUL Machine are operational throughout the compressor production process. This even became an obligation for Turbomeca’s teams. “In our line of work, speed is everything. Speed and efficiency, of course”, he continues. “Our parts have a high material cost so we have to get it right first time. Also, any downtime on our NC machines has a direct impact on our throughput and our R&D projects, and consequently on customer satisfaction. With NCSIMUL Machine we can anticipate all this securely in the virtual environment before taking a chance on reality.” 

Today’s multi-purpose NC machines are increasingly complex. Even though CAM software comes with rendering capabilities “NCSIMUL Machine is a must-have”, says G. Cazenave-Laroche. Using simulation also significantly facilitates the development of post-processors for this type of machine. “Our corporate culture and reputation are based on safety and a very demanding approach. This is what we are currently deploying for this type of new machine with the SPRING Technologies’ machining simulation solution.” 

As NCSIMUL Machine continues to evolve, Turbomeca is looking at enhancements, including the optimization of cutting conditions, stress simulation to anticipate deformations, and vibratory phenomena. “In these areas, we are working in close collaboration with the innovation teams at SPRING. Our goal is the same as for any manufacturer, namely to constantly cut costs, and improve quality and productivity. With robust processes NCSIMUL SOLUTIONS makes all this possible. This is the challenge that we address daily with our high-tech technologies, notably those provided by SPRING Technologies.”

NCSIMUL Machine is verifying Iron-man helmet at Montreal Manufacturing Technology Show 2014

MMTS (Montreal Manufacturing Technology Show) 2014 started yesterday. Come and see us on booth 868 today and tomorrow. See the latest version of NCSIMUL Machine and the tablet application to synchronize the shop floor. 

Come see how NCSIMUL Machine is verifying the replica of Iron-man helmet

For more information on MMTS click here

Industrie Paris 2014 : SPRING Technologies Wins "Special Mention Prize" for Innovation

Journalists and manufacturers choose WYSIWYC® for the special award, a 3D mobile and synchronized CNC simulation solution

Paris – SPRING Technologies, vendor of solutions that enable manufacturers to get full value from their CNC machine tools, reducing production costs and speeding up their processes, has just won this year's Innovation Trophies "Special Mention Prize" at the Industrie 2014 show in Paris.

In front of over 850 industry guests, the award, offered in partnership with Arkea Banque Entreprises et Institutionnels, went to WYSIWYC® (What You See Is What You Cut), a dedicated solution developed by SPRING Technologies for shopfloor stakeholders, based on NCSIMUL Machine technology.

Acknowledging a company with an innovative project that has enabled it to grow or diversify into new markets, the award fully reflects the technological leadership of SPRING Technologies, venturing into new market segments and territories outside France, including Germany, China and the USA.

For the complete story click here.