Bridging the Skills Gap – Part 5: Reduce Setup Time and Improve Productivity with Machining-Navi

Cost reduction, shorter cycle time, and high productivity are required to complete in today’s global market. For many operators lengthy setup processes can inhibit productivity and in turn be costly. Chatter and vibration are just two of the many reasons for inefficiencies.

Selection of the correct cutting feed and RPM is critical to reduce/eliminate chatter and maintain the desired surface finish. Harmonics occur during the cutting process between the cutter, workpiece and the machine. Machinists learn quickly that changing the RPM’s will change these harmonics. Unfortunately, our first inclination is to slow the RPM’s and this often makes the chatter worse. Increasing the RPM’s may be the correct action, thus improving surface finish, improving productivity and providing longer tool life. Today’s small lot sizes and the demand for the set-up part to be a compliant production part requires a more scientific approach to chatter control.

Okuma’s Machining Navi, one of Okuma’s Intelligent Technologies, is an optional function that uses the THINC^®-OSP control and sensors to monitor chatter. If chatter is detected, the function either recommends spindle speed changes or automatically makes the spindle speed adjustments eliminating guesswork by the machinist. It incorporates the knowledge and experience of a seasoned machinist into a technology resident in the control of the machine. This tool assists machinists at all experience levels to make the very best part possible with undetectable or no chatter present.

It’s available for both turning and milling machines. Machining-Navi for lathes and the acoustic type of Machining-Navi for machining centers can be either factory of field installed. Another type of Machining-Navi using embedded acoustic sensors in the machine spindle cartridge is only available as factory installed on most machines.

The benefits of Machining-Navi are: improved surface finish, improved tool life, less scrap, and higher productivity. It applies some of the knowledge of your highest skilled machinists into a technology that can be used by machinists of varying skill and experience.