2019cnc4-5

36 www.CNC-West.com CNC WEST April/May 2019 Cascade leverages the power of Vericut as part of their intake protocols on investment castings. They write a probing routine and verify it in Vericut before they tie up time on their CMMs. The probing module is an added feature in Vericut and goes hand in hand with the machining simulations. They simulate the probing, they simulate the machining and in the end they get no surprises. Vericut ensures confidence from start to finish. Cascade’s programmers write extensive probing rou- tines before, during, and after machining the part. From start to finish they verify what they are doing matches the predicted accuracy from the information they already gathered. They verify all their probing routines in CG- Tech’s Vericut software. They simulate the part in Veri- cut and run the probing routines from there. “We have our simulated part completely probed and verified in Vericut before it even gets on our CNC machines,” de- tails Troy. “The entire probing process is run through Vericut same as you do on a machining center.” Cascade also utilizes Vericut on their larger 4 and 5 axis machin- ing centers. The probing module is an addition module available through Vericut and something you don’t find in every shop. “The programs we run in Vericut are our own,” continues Troy. “We tell it what we want to mea- sure, and it does the simulation work. Check here, here, here and these other critical areas. Every probing routine is verified to work before we commit CNC time to the process.” Only after the routine is verified do they have the confidence to put it on the CNC. At Cascade prob- ing verification is less about probe crashes (though still important) and more about confirming the logic of how they are going to go after manufacturing the part. “We le- verage probing a lot more than most shops,” adds Devon. “Some shops might touch off 3 points to find a zero and that is about it, our probing programs are very complex with hundreds if not thousands of measurements. There is direct communication of dimensional data between the metrology lab and the CNC machines. And, all our machining centers are equipped with Renishaw probes, ensuring exact part placement every time.” Cascade purchased their first seat of Vericut in 2013 to support a specific program that they felt would elevate their position in the aerospace manufacturing game. “My dad had his eye on this external airflow inlet for years. It was his white whale. He wanted to get this job so badly,” tells Devon. “Originally it was an aluminum investment casting, but a design change necessitated the part being changed from a casting to that of a billet hog out. We bid