The moldmaking department of a manufacturing company demands

the same skill and attention to detail as an independent moldmaker

does. However, the manufacturing company puts more emphasis on
throughput and versatility from moldmaking machines to ensure that
molds are ready in time to keep the injection molding machines
running and turning out quality products. Typically, the captive
moldmaker will not have dedicated moldmaking machines but
instead prefers a machine that accommodates 3D contouring as well
as drilling, tapping and other general machining operations. These
were exactly the problems facing the moldmaking department at
KBI, a Valencia, California, manufacturer of CPVC and PVC plastic
irrigation, plumbing, industrial and pool/spa valves and fittings.
Until recently, KBI had subcontracted most of its moldmaking
operations. But maintaining a competitive edge in the price-
sensitive market for thermoplastic valves and fittings required the
quality, speed, flexibility and cost control of building molds in-house.
Mike Arms, vice president of engineering at KBI, explains, "When I
originally started looking, I was considering a moldmaking machine
out of Germany. It was a very good machine for high speed milling of
contours but very limited in what it would do in the X, Y and Z
planes. It had a limited work envelope, and it would not drill or tap.
We needed one machine that would do it allcut mold bases,
cavities, holes, inserts and threaded inserts and occasionally
machine parts."
KBI purchased a Fadal (Chatsworth, California) Performance Series
VMC 3020, featuring heavy duty construction, a 15,000-rpm spindle,
Siemens (Elk Grove Village, Illinois) Sinumerik 810D CNC control, chip
washdown and auger. Mr. Arms explains, "The German moldmaking
machine was double the cost of this Fadal, and it had limited
capabilities. With the Fadal VMC, I expected to need some support
because the control was new to us. Fadal not only showed us how to
use the CNC's ShopMill Operator interface to quickly set up our tooling and workpieces, but the
company also showed us how to use the network connectivity to link the machine to our
CAD/CAM system. The new design looked as if it would get us the accuracy and throughput that
was needed. Because we're not always machining high tolerance surfaceswe do a lot of plain
milling and drilling and making some blocksI needed the versatility that the Fadal promised."
Because all KBI products carry a lifetime warranty against defects, warranty costs are a critical
issue. By delivering a smoother surface finish, the VMC 3020 turns out higher quality molds,
making parts that fit together better and meet higher test pressures. Mr. Arms says, "We have a
list of 136 molds, and they all use replaceable inserts. So we can run a family of products in each
mold. From the outside, our products look fairly simple, but they can be very complicated
unless you think several winding cores in different planes at the same time is not complicated.
Our molds tend to have a lot of mechanical parts, more than fancy parting lines or contours. Due
to the assembly work we do here, the quality has to be exceptional. We get a very good quality
surface finish and accuracy. We do a little polishing, usually only after engraving. Most of the
handwork is disappearing."
By adding Metacut software to its existing CAD/CAM systems, KBI is able to convert NC programs
from point files to CIP Interpolation (3D Arcs programming), reducing the size of its programs
and cycle time for contouring operations while increasing accuracy and surface finish
smoothness. Similar to NURBS, CIP is a programming technique that is more efficient than
conventional linear and circular representation, enabling a reduction in the size of the NC
program and providing for smooth contours with smooth transitions between spline segments.
Programming with linear blocks creates bottlenecks in the execution of the NC program,
historically known in the CNC world as "block processing time." The transition between linear
High Speed Machining Cuts Moldmaking
Cycle Time
The moldmaking department of a manufacturing company demands the
same skill and attention to detail as an independent moldmaker does.
However, the manufacturing company puts more emphasis on throughput
and versatility from moldmaking machines to ensure that molds are ready
in time to keep the injection molding machines running and turning out
quality products.
Case Study From: 8/15/2001 Modern Machine Shop
Click Image to Enlarge
The Fadal VMC 3020 with
Siemens 810D control has
made it possible for KBI to
machine molds and take
care of the many other
operations with high
accuracy and throughput.
The combination of the
Siemens 810D CNC control
with integrated digital
drives maximizes
performance. The control
system accurately follows
the programmed tool
path, even with the high
accelerations, high
velocities and high gains.
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Cadkey and Visicad. It has the ability to network, so I transfer the files to my machine operator,
and he will write the point-to-point code with Visicam. Then it will be filtered through Metacut,
changing the programming to CIP arcs and reducing a 20 MB program down to 2 MB. It smoothes
the positional interpolation to an arc, allowing the machine to travel much faster and look
ahead much further for potential problems, giving us higher feed and speed rates. Generally,
after we have verified it on Metacut, we get 100 percent reliability."
The Fadal VMC 3020 with Siemens 810D control has made it possible to machine molds, as well as
take care of the many other operations required of it with high accuracy and throughput. As a
result, KBI is able to maintain its competitive advantage and continue to grow. Mr. Arms
explains, "Our competition is worldwide, including mainland China, so we have to be
competitive. But there are a lot of factors, including quality and reliability. We're a growing
company, and we're doing it with technology and productivity. The Fadal and Siemens control
help us maintain our commitment to quality and throughput."
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