A E RO S PAC E DY N A M I C S I N T E R N AT I O N A L

Aerospace supplier needs fast CAM solution that can program anythingAerospace Dynamics International uses NX CAM to speed NC programming for large, complex parts produced on high-speed, five-axis machines

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Difficult jobs, tight deadlinesAerospace Dynamics International (ADI) manufactures largecomponents such as aircraft wing spars and bulkheads and panels for the space shuttle’s external fuel tanks. Due to theirlarge size and critical applications, these parts can be difficult to machine. “Our parts are very large and we must hold extremelyclose tolerances,” explains Brian Carlson, NC programmingmanager at ADI. “Yet our customers are raising the bar higherand higher each year in terms of how soon they expect delivery.”

In the past, ADI’s programmers used either an Automatically Programmed Tool (APT)-like NCprogramming language to code toolpath motion by hand or an earlier-generation graphical CAMprogram. There were drawbacks to both methods. With hand coding, it was possible to achievevery precise toolpath motion even on high-speed, five-axis machines. But hand programmingtook a long time. Another drawback was that it was difficult for programmers to work on eachother’s projects. “They had to be dragged kicking and screaming to another’s job. Coding styledifferences had become a big problem,” says Carlson. The other method, using graphical CAMsoftware, sped NC program creation somewhat but it was still labor-intensive when used tocreate toolpaths for high-speed machines. It was also difficult to revise five-axis programs oncethey were generated.

Complete programming control, easy to make changesThe installation of seven seats of NX CAM gave ADI the combination – fast programming andcomplete motion control – needed to meet customers’ tight delivery schedules. NX CAM’sdeveloper, Siemens PLM Software, pioneered high-speed machining (HSM) technology, workingin conjunction with machine tool and controller manufacturers. For jobs that require HSM onfive-axis machines, NX CAM has become ADI’s software of choice.

Issues:

Deliver large, complexcomponents to aerospaceOEMs on increasingly tight schedule

Find fast yet highly accuratemethod for programming high-speed, five-axis machines

Approach:

Import customers’ Catia files

Use NX® CAM’s sequential mill for complete control offive-axis NC programs

Take advantage of software’splanar mill and sequential milltools for fast roughing

Results:

Greater volume of workproduced per NC programmer

Toolpath creation for airplanewing ribs down from 260 to152 hours

Space shuttle fuel tank panelNC programming droppedfrom 10 days to three

Aerospace Dynamics International no longer has time to code intricate machine motion byhand, yet it still needs the control that hand-programming provides.

Siemens PLM Software

NX

Solutions/Services

NX CAM

Client’s primary business

Aerospace DynamicsInternational Inc. is a

$60 million-a-year prime vendor supporting the aeronautics

and aerospace sectors.www.adi-aero.com

Client location

Valencia, California,United States

“People say that you have touse a programming languagesuch as APT to get totalcontrol over machine function.But we have total control with NX CAM, and it’s muchfaster than hand coding.”

Brian CarlsonNC Programming ManagerAerospace Dynamics International

“With the sequential mill function in NX CAM, we can getthe tool to do anything we want, even for somethingcomplex like five-axis finishing,” says Carlson. “The soft-ware can program any feed rate change, any step-over,looping passes, whatever we need.” NX CAM also makes it easy to modify existing NC programs. “If the machiningtechnique doesn’t work, it can be a real bear in other CAM systems to modify the code,” Carlson adds. “With NXCAM, it’s much easier to make changes.” Carlson says thatthanks to the efficiencies of NX CAM, ADI programmersusing this software are putting out a very high volume of work.

Productivity boost, hours savedHaving CAM software that can create complex toolpathsaccurately saves ADI a great deal of time. A good exampleis the NC programming for ribs of a commercial airplane.The work was originally done with the APT-like language and took 400 and 260 hours, respectively.(The higher number is for the first in a series of programs; the lower number is for the last in theseries, which draws upon the work of the earlier programs.)

When the company won the contract for similar airplane ribs, Carlson decided to have the pro-gramming done in NX CAM. “The first program took 260 hours, the second took 190 and the thirdtook 152,” he says. “On the first program with NX CAM, we equaled the best we could do with all ofour experience in hand programming. On the last, we took more than 100 hours off the best timewe had ever accomplished by hand.”

Programming for space shuttle fuel panels used to take 10 days per panel with hand coding.With NX CAM, one panel (the last in a series of six) was recently programmed in only three days.“That was very fast but all six were perfect to plan,” Carlson says. “The motion was every bit asgood as hand-written code.”

ContactSiemens PLM SoftwareAmericas 800 807 2200Europe 44 (0) 1202 243455Asia-Pacific 852 2230 3308www.siemens.com/plm

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