Haas To Host National Demo Day September 14

Haas Automation Hosts National “Multi-Tasking Turning Center” Demo Day

On September 14, 2011, Haas Automation, Inc., will host a “Multi-Tasking Turning Center” Demo Day at more than 40 Haas Factory Outlets (HFOs) throughout the United States and Canada. This 18th national event will feature the new Haas ST and DS series multi-tasking turning centers with Y-axis and dual-spindle capability.

Off-Center Drilling

The Haas ST series Y-axis turning centers provide 4″ of Y-axis travel (±2″ from the centerline) for off-center milling, drilling, and tapping, and include high-torque live tooling and a servo-driven C axis for versatile 4-axis capability. The machines are available in standard and Super Speed configurations.

Haas DS Series Spindles

The Haas DS series dual-spindle turning centers provide the ability to turn both ends of a part in a single setup to minimize part handling, increase throughput, and reduce work-in-process. The opposed spindles support fully synchronized turning, and allow on-the-fly part pass-off to reduce cycle times. Adding Y axis, C axis, and live tooling to the machines creates powerful “done-in-one” machining solutions for any shop. The DS machines are available in standard and Super Speed configurations.

HFO Education

In addition to live demonstrations running on the Haas machines, each local HFO will host educational seminars on the latest trends for boosting output and increasing profits. Haas applications engineers – as well as representatives from major tooling, workholding, and CAD/CAM manufacturers – will be on hand to help customers adapt the newest machine technology and manufacturing strategies to their shop floor.

Thank You!

Those attending Demo Day 18 at their local HFO will receive a free limited-edition Haas T-shirt (while supplies last), and enjoy complimentary food and drink.

Built in the USA, all Haas machine tools are backed by the worldwide network of Haas Factory Outlets – the most extensive system of support and service in the industry. For more information about Haas Automation and Haas products, call 800-331-6746, or visit www.HaasCNC.com.

New Workshop dates added, and a new SprutCAM tutorial

Hope all our readers have been busy making plenty of chips this summer! We’ve certainly been very busy here at the Tormach home office in Waunakee. Here’s a few things I ran across in the last month that I wanted to pass along.

New SprutCAM tutorial from Sprut UK

Dave from Sprut UK has a new tutorial video that shows how to create process templates in SprutCAM that can be saved and stored for use with other projects. This is a very handy trick, especially if you find yourself programming multiple parts with the same tool. Thanks Dave!

Click here to view the embedded video.

New Workshop Dates
We’ve just added Tormach Workshop dates for the remainder of 2011. They are:
–August 23–26 (CNC Fundamentals)
–September 22–23 (CNC for Beginners)
–October 18–21 (CNC Fundamentals)
–November 15–18 (CNC Fundamentals)

You can see more details about the workshops and sign up here. Classes have been filling up fast this summer and class sizes are small, so don’t wait too long if you’re interested in attending.

Another Cool Project from Barry Upson
I saw these on CNCZone a couple weeks ago and thought they would be good to repost here. Barry has been featured on our blog before for some aftermarket auto parts he makes. You can check those out here.

These videos show some really clever workholding strategies. Lots of really good ideas. Great Work Barry!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

New Haas Super-Speed Rotary Table for High-Speed Machines

Adding a 4th-axis rotary table to a machining center is a proven way to boost productivity, reduce setups, and increase accuracy on multi-op parts. Adding a fast rotary table to a fast machine creates a high-speed package that slashes cycles times even further.

High Speed & Maximum Performance

The new HRT160SS super-speed rotary table from Haas Automation provides indexing speeds up to 570°/second to take advantage of the increased speeds and feeds of today’s high-speed machining centers. To gain the highest possible performance from the HRT160SS without sacrificing reliability or longevity, Haas engineers optimized oil patterns to reduce drag, modified the brake system for faster response, and increased accel/decel rates to cut cycle times.

Designed to complement the high-performance Haas DT-1 Drill/Tap Center, the HRT160SS is more than four times faster than the standard HRT160 rotary table. With its compact size, the HRT160SS easily fits into the work envelope of the DT-1, as well as other compact machining centers.

Accurate Machining

The HRT160SS is driven by a high-torque brushless servomotor that provides 150 ft-lb (203 Nm) of spindle torque for synchronous 4-axis machining, and it has a pneumatic brake that yields 100 ft-lb (136 Nm) of holding torque for stationary work. Indexing accuracy is ±15 arc-sec, with repeatability of 10 arc-sec. The 6.3″ (160 mm) platter of the HRT160SS has a center height of 5″ (127 mm), and a 1.5″ (38 mm) diameter through-hole. Six radial T-slots simplify fixture and workpiece mounting, and both manual and pneumatic tailstocks are available for additional workpiece support.

More About Haas Automation

Haas Automation has been a leader in 4th- and 5th-axis parts positioning since 1983, when the company introduced the world’s first fully programmable collet indexer. Today, Haas manufactures more than 35 models of precision rotary table to meet the needs of every shop. Built in the USA, all Haas rotary products are backed by the worldwide network of Haas Factory Outlets – the most extensive system of support and service in the industry. For more information, visit www.HaasCNC.com.

Icosahedron Machining? Ask a Geometrician

20-Sided Machining

What’s an Icosahedron? Tormach PCNC 770 Owner Chris Moller recently programmed a 20-sided part to cut on his 4th Axis with SprutCAM. Here’s some video he shared with us. He’s using an ER20 TTS tool holder held in a 5C collet adapter to deal with some tool clearance issues with the 5C collet closer. Nicely done, Chris!

Click here to view the embedded video.

New ER-16 Toolholders on the Web

We now have ER-16 TTS toolholders for sale. Check them out here. The ER-16 size is just a bit smaller than ER-20. They can be handy for getting into certain areas where ER20 just wont fit, and they’re also a tad less expensive too. The ER-16 size holds collets up to 3/8″ in size, vs. 1/2″ for the ER20 holders.

Teaching a Robot to Write

Teaching a Robot to Write
Groklab at the University of Iowa is hooking up a Tormach PCNC 770 to a ST Robotics 5-axis arm. So far, they’ve taught it Penmanship. And the robot (or the programmer) likes the Allman Brothers. For more on the Tormach for College Project, Click here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Duality Lathe Handles
I also ran across this post, which I thought was a really cool Duality Lathe Project. CNC’d tool handles for a chisel and file set.

Check it out here

Polar Plunge
Finally, for those interested in the Polar Plunge from last weekend — Watch our machinists jump into the icy water of Lake Monona for charity.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bob G. made the biggest splash of the day, and The guys raised over $1100 for Special Olympics. Thanks to Milling Around readers for their generous contributions to a great cause.

Customer Wins trip to Haas Automation HQ for HaasTec Open House

Ron Justice of Bellefontaine, Ohio, is the lucky winner of an all-expenses-paid trip to Southern California to attend Haas Automation’s HaasTec Open House in March. Ron was selected at random from attendees who registered online for HaasTec by February 1. For his prompt registration, Ron and a guest will receive round-trip airfare to California, and be provided with a rental car, hotel accommodations, and an extra day’s stay to play after visiting HaasTec.

Justice is the operations manager for Pleasant Precision Inc. (PPI), in Kenton, Ohio, which designs, builds, and runs plastic injection molds for the automotive, medical, construction, and consumer markets. Justice has been with PPI for nearly 30 years, during which he’s gone from “designing plastic injection molds using pencil, paper, and an electric eraser,” to using the latest CAD/CAM systems and CNC machine tools. “It has been fascinating to watch the evolution of CNC over the last 29 years,” Justice says, “especially the milling machines.”

At HaasTec, Justice will be able to see the latest Haas CNC technology up close and in great detail. There will be 20 machines cutting metal, including the new generation ST and DS turning centers, and guided factory tours – both above and on the production floor – to see how Haas machines are built.

In addition to his “day job,” Justice also operates a small business of his own, using a Haas OM-2 Office Mill to manufacture aftermarket parts for CarveWright Woodworking Systems®. The OM-2 “has the same control and capabilities of most bigger machines, just in a smaller footprint,” Justice explains. “For the size of the parts that I am machining, I couldn’t be happier. It has given me the ability to run a small business out of my garage, and has been everything I had hoped for.”

Haas Automation, Inc., is America’s leading machine tool builder, and HaasTec is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to visit the company’s headquarters and manufacturing facility. The event is scheduled for March 10 through 12, 2011, from 10 am to 4 pm daily. Registration is free, and available online at the Haas Open House Sign-Up.

Snow day? Not for SprutCAM Tutorials

Like much of the midwest, we’ve got snow up to our ears here in Wisconsin. If your snowbound like me, its a perfect day for boning up on SprutCAM. Here’s a brand new tutorial on how to do multi-sided machining in a single program with multiple work offsets.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Here are a few pics of the blizzard mayhem from last night. Brrrrrr!

Who are these guys? I mean, who buys these things?

This is a common question. It comes from people who happen by the office but have little understanding of what it is we do. It might be an insurance agent, a network consultant, or even the UPS delivery guy. The question is understandable as it always comes from someone with a conventional perception of CNC manufacturing. They see CNC as work that involves very expensive and very large machines. Something that is only done in a big factory or dedicated machine shop.

The question seems straightforward, but my answer is usually unexpected. What they’re expecting to hear is how the machines are used. Something like medical research, homebuilt aircraft, or rebuilding antique cars. The fact is that, in our experience, we simply cannot characterize our customers by what they make. It’s everything under the sun and there is no common thread for applications.

What I do see as a theme among our customers is an attitude. It’s difficult to pinpoint and I don’t have a name for it. Part of it is an appreciation for making things, for invention, and an entrepreneurial spirit. Another part of it is a bit of audacity, a refusal to accept convention and a tendency to think out of the box. A big factor is a willingness to learn. We see this attitude among our customers from all parts of the world. It’s a big part of what makes working here fun.

If you’re reading this, you probably understand what I’m talking about. You’re probably also one of us, as is most everyone at Tormach, someone who just has to make things, to move ideas forward. If you’ve got a name for this attitude, this personality profile, please let me know. It’s been difficult for me to explain to the people who just don’t get it.

Speaking of “one of those guys”…

We received some neat project photos from Jeff Rasnake in Virginia. Especially love that Gas Tank Cover. Jeff used the “Raster to Vector” feature in MasterCAM to convert the bitmap file to usable geometry. Thanks for sharing, Jeff!

Mommy Machinist: Young Mother Nurtures Career as Machine Tool Operator

Julia Bähr is an 18-year old mother to an eight-month old son and is in her second year of training as a cutting machine operator specializing in milling machines. Each day, Julia can be found working at the Haas CNC machines in the Haas Technical Education Centre (HTEC) of the Waldhaus socio-pedagogical youth facility in Hildrizhausen, near Böblingen, Germany.

Julia is the only female among 14 trainees who are currently in training as cutting machine operators, or as metal finishers at Waldhaus. Julia has found her place, and more than that: “She is a self-confident mum, quiet, but not too quiet, and she brings a whole different tone to our male-oriented workshop,” praises workshop manager, Edgar Stark. He wishes that the other trainees would occasionally look to Julia – her determination, her perseverance, and also her punctuality, as an example to follow.

Student Motivations

Herr Stark says that some of the male students in the Waldhaus workshops don’t demonstrate the same attributes. Many come from socially disadvantaged and often very difficult family backgrounds. Sometimes, for example, they find it difficult to get out of bed after a late evening, or when the desire to work has temporarily deserted them. This often makes it very difficult for the instructors to bring them back in line and to motivate them.

“We have no problems with Julia in this regard”, confirms Herr Stark. “She is able to motivate herself very well. ”

The night before this interview was a late one, thanks to her young son. “I got four hours sleep at the most”, she says, “but the next morning it doesn’t occur to me that I don’t want to work at the machines.”

Beginnings in Metal

Julia is motivated, even though the triple burden of a young child, school, and her workshop commitments weigh heavily upon her. She doesn’t show it, though, and talks enthusiastically about her work. Her blonde hair up in a ponytail, both thumbs hooked in the straps of her blue overalls in a casual manner, she explains how she ended up working with metal. First, she says, she wanted to become a hairdresser, but then she completed a short internship in her father’s locksmith shop, just for fun; she’s been crazy about working with metal ever since.

After finishing secondary school, she began a week long trial in the Waldhaus training workshops, and made a board game, bottle openers, and aluminum signs on the metal working machines. “That was great fun”, she remembers. It didn’t take long before she was given a fully-fledged apprenticeship. The HTEC concept is a unique, industry-led initiative that enables technical education establishments to acquire the latest CNC machine tools and related ancillary equipment, in order that students, often from disadvantaged backgrounds, may benefit from a technical educational experience that is relevant to modern industrial employers, preparing them for the manufacturing challenges of the future.

A Calling in CNC

Julia’s first time at a CNC machine was a special experience: “CNC was like, whoa! I was hooked. My first CNC machine was the Haas Toolroom mill where the control system was relatively easy to understand. You don’t forget something like that.”

Julia enjoys the challenge of making things with a CNC machine. She explains that considerable thought is required before the client’s drawings for a component are programmed and the piece of metal can be turned into the finished product. She has learned the programming languages for the Haas machines and has also studied the other CNC machines in the Waldhaus workshops.

Mastering these machines is a prerequisite for her intermediate examination this year. She wants to do well in this exam because it counts a whole 40 percent towards her final qualification after three and a half years of training. The next challenge awaits Julia during her internship: “5-axis simultaneous milling machines are everybody’s dream.” Julia is enthusiastically looking forward to her internship at a different company. She wants to learn new things and gain new experiences. CNC clearly inspires Julia, which is why her senior instructor Klaus Vötsch is not at all worried about her: “With her positive attitude, I have absolutely no doubts that Julia will do well.”

Enthusiasm to Overcome

Despite all this, Julia is conscious that she is still the odd one out. She is acutely aware of this at times, although working with metal and CNC technology itself has become second nature to her. She is the only female in a class of 28 in her vocational school, and many of her peers are older than her. The fact that she gets along well with the men helps her to hold her own.

Her girlfriends in her home city of Stuttgart have little interest in what she does: “We hardly ever talk about it,” she says, “but I’m happy with my choice of career as a machine tool operator, even if it is very different to my home life, raising my son. Naturally, I still prefer the smell of baby’s milk powder to that of metal filings.”

This interview was conducted in April 2010 by Albrecht Ackermann, Freelance journalist

About HTEC
The HTEC initiative is a partnership between European educational establishments, Haas programme in 2007 to counter what it regards as one of the greatest threats to the continent’s sustainable economic development: Namely, a shortage of talented and motivated young people entering the precision engineering industry with CNC machining skills.

Haas Automation – Advanced Tool Management

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