Topic: Interesting Machining Video from Work

[rrocket]

People on occasion ask if I have any videos of what we do here at work.  So I took a quick one some might find interesting.

This is a mold being machined using continuous 5 axis.  We do this to use the shortest tool possible.  It's more rigid and leaves a better finish.  The job (or on some machines, the head) is tipped just enough so there is clearance for the tool to get all the way down into the pocket without rubbing the holder.  Using this method, you can use a 25mm long tool protrusion to machine a 100mm deep pocket for example.

https://youtu.be/V-pOHe9a8MU

[Gurgie]

Very cool! Looks like a bigger part tho? I'm used to the precision small aerospace parts that my Uncle used to make at his shop.

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[rrocket]

Very cool! Looks like a bigger part tho? I'm used to the precision small aerospace parts that my Uncle used to make at his shop.

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Yes, it's a large mold.  2 lenses for a future auto.

[Gurgie]

Very cool! Looks like a bigger part tho? I'm used to the precision small aerospace parts that my Uncle used to make at his shop.

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Yes, it's a large mold.  2 lenses for a future auto.

Nice!! It's cool to see the end results with something like that.

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[rrocket]

Very cool! Looks like a bigger part tho? I'm used to the precision small aerospace parts that my Uncle used to make at his shop.

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Yes, it's a large mold.  2 lenses for a future auto.

Nice!! It's cool to see the end results with something like that.

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I wish I could show you the end results.   

The lens is sufficiently obscured by coolant, so no one will know what it is....and even then...it would be near impossible to guess correctly.

[tpl]

So how long before the parts themselves   or the mold are made by high speed 3d printing.

[rrocket]

So how long before the parts themselves   or the mold are made by high speed 3d printing.

Not in my lifetime I don't think...at least as far as what we do.

First is accuracy. We need to be within microns. Printing isn't close enough (yet). Second is material. The steel we use has to be very durable (enough for several hundred thousand parts). The steel also has to be able to be polished to a mirror finish for lenses/lighting. The ability to stand up to several hundred to thousands of tonnes of molding presses too. It also has to be repairable. After many thousands of parts, it will flash. The repair is done via full process welding. Also, the ability to do an engineering change...for example an upgraded part for a newer model or part change. Next is speed...it takes a minute to do a pair of lenses from an injection mold. Printing simply can't keep up..not even close.

So for what I do..I'm not sure it will happen.

But for prototyping a part..it's cool and has its place.

See below for a mold in action to see how fast it is.

https://youtu.be/w7LJy7CTW4o

[rrocket]

So you're telling us your job is to just stand there and watch a thing spin?  Must be nice.

No. I'm like an artist.

Instead of a block of clay, I get a block of steel. I get an electronic file of what the finished block is supposed to look like...and it's my job to turn the raw block into the finished product. Knowing what it's supposed to look like is the only help I get.

How I get there is up to me. I choose the tooling, I program it within the CAM system, and I cut it. While it's cutting, I'm programming the next step, running simulations, preparing the next tool, and listening to the machine cut..etc. I start with an 80mm cutter...and frequently finish off with a .3mm cutter..though 1mm is most frequently as small as I go on my particular machine. Oh...and I do this on 2 machines and 2 different blocks simultaneously.

That's an over simplification..but that's what I do. There's lots of personal style and creativity in how you reach the finished product.

[Jaeger]

Very cool indeed.