HAAS CNC MAGAZINE 1997 Issue 2 - Summer.pdf

WWW.HAASCNC.COM

VOLUME1

NUMBER2

SUMMER’97

Cover StoryHendrick & Haas – Refuse to Lose

FeaturesTour the Haas Facility

Machining F-14 Parts

High-Tech Tool Path

Valenite on Aluminum

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It has been described as both thebrave new world, and thedestroyer of all things human.

Predictions have been both ominous,and uplifting. Some thought the techno-logical age would free mankind for alife of leisure and recreation. Others,like Albert Einstein, predicted idlehuman hands would eventually lead toself-destruction.

As it turns out, reality is some-where in between. True, the adventof technology in the workplace hascost some jobs. But it also has freedhuman hands from tedious tasks.Technology has been able to out-per-form human capability by leaps andbounds; yet, it took human minds andhands to conceive, design and buildthat technology.

These were some of my thoughtsas I sat down to write this articleabout technology and the modernwork force. It is true that technologyhas changed our work force; but,at Haas, we have not reduced theoverall number of jobs.

In reality, as we’ve introducednew technologies to improve ourproducts, our requirements for higher-skilled employees has mushroomed.Each new generation of equipmentwe’ve invested in has required anequal investment in personnel to setup and operate those machines.Because of our investment in this ever-increasing cutting-edge technology,higher skills are constantly required tomeet the technological challenges.Our company has seen a rise in ouraverage salaries and benefits, yet thecorresponding productivity increaseshave far exceeded both the investmentin equipment and personnel.

If you look at the big picture, therelationship between technology,equipment, people and productivitylooks very encouraging. By constantlyadding the latest technology, wecreate a permanent win-win situation.Cutting-edge technology, operated by

higher-skilled workers, produces betterproducts. But, there’s more to thisequation than just better products.

In the past, attempts to increasequality were slow and extraordinarilyexpensive. These advances weremade one small step at a time.Investment in equipment and wages,although seemingly extraordinary atfirst, really is nothing more than prim-ing-the-pump. At Haas, by embracingtechnology, our initial investments are

paid back quickly through higher qual-ity products, skyrocketing productivityand better wages for our work force.

The ultimate benefit of today’shigh technology is the quality of prod-ucts produced. As a manufacturer,today’s technology enables us to holdhigher tolerances and maintain betterrepeatability. As a result, we providebetter-quality products to our cus-tomers. Not only is this evident in themachine-tool industry, but the autoindustry, aerospace, electronics andconsumer goods industries as well.

As time advances, Haas continuesto add newer, faster and more auto-mated equipment. It’s an on-goinginvestment used to improve processesand, ultimately, our final product. Thisnew technology has made it possiblefor us to compete on a global scale.This ability to compete globally has

also been realized by many otherAmerican companies in a varietyof industries.

So, rather than reducing the num-ber of jobs, technology has actuallyincreased them – and made them bet-ter. These new jobs do require a higherset of job skills than at any other time inhistory, but they also pay better wagesand offer greater opportunities foradvancement than their predecessors.

This march to a new technology-

based economy is played out in almostevery industry around the country. Theformula is simple: If you merge newtechnologies into a business to improveprocesses and products, sales, andthe company, will grow and prosper.As the company grows, new jobs areadded. Due to the changing techno-logical conditions, higher skills areconstantly required to meet technologicalchallenges. As this cycle continues,salaries and benefits move upwardsand, with them, the quality of every-one’s life.

It is this ability to design and putto work new technologies and innova-tion that has brought “Made in TheU.S.A.” back where it should be.Technology, ingenuity and innovationhave put America back to work –enriched work – and back to the fore-front of technological leadership.

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EDITORIALEDITORIAL

THE MASTHEAD:CNC Machining is published by Haas Automation, Inc., 2800 Sturgis Road, Oxnard, CA 93030(805) 278-1800, Fax (805) 278-6364. Postmaster: Return invalid addresses to Haas Automation,2800 Sturgis Road, Oxnard, CA 93030-8933 postage guaranteed. CNC Machining is distributedfree of charge by Haas Automation, Inc., and its authorized distributors. CNC Machining acceptsno advertising or reimbursement for this magazine. All contents of CNC Machining are Copyright© 1997 and may not be reproduced without written permission from Haas Automation, Inc. CNCMachining is distributed through a worldwide network of Haas Automation Distributors, and byindividual subscription request. Contact Haas Automation headquarters via mail or fax to be addedto subscription list. Published quarterly. © Haas Automation, Inc. & CNC Machining Magazinenames. Designed and Printed in the U.S.A. www.HaasCNC.com

VOLUME1 SUMMER1997

NUMBER2

IndustryNews

InsidePerspective

ShopFocus

TechTips

NewProducts

On the Cover

98% Up-Time Sets Standard

Shop Reduces Cycle Times,Increases Productivity withNew CNC Machines

Technology and theWork Force

Tour of the New Haas Facility

In Search of the Perfect Tool Path – p12High-Speed Machining ofAluminum – p23

From Prototype to High-Productivity, Haas Pushesthe Envelope Again

EditorialStory1

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6

10

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Technology and the Work ForceBy Denis Dupuis, General Manager, Haas Automation, Inc.

Haas Automation and its employees benefit from the company’s ongoing investment in high-technology.

Jeff Gordon, aceNASCAR driver forHendrick Motorsports,climbs into the cockpitof his Chevy MonteCarlo for the start ofthe Martinsville 500.Hendrick employs Haasmachine tools extensivelyin their race program.See cover story p14.

Photo: Scott Rathburn

page

In this issue ofMACHINING

NEWS

2 3CNC MACHINING • SUMMER 1997 WWW.HAASCNC.COM

98% Up-TimeSets IndustryStandardOXNARD, CA – On April 1st of thisyear, Haas Automation launched themachine-tool industry’s only “98% Up-Time Guarantee.” Designed to back-up CNC machines purchasedbetween April 1, 1997 and December31, 1997, this guarantee promises tocompensate Haas owners if machineservice or repairs result in more than2% down-time.

“Haas has always been an engi-neering-driven company,” said PeterZierhut, Marketing Manager for Haas.“From the start, we’ve believed inbuilding highly-reliable productsdesigned for efficiency and depend-ability,” he said. “Our customers knowfirst-hand how reliable Haas CNCmachines are, but we wanted every-one to know.”

The 98% Up-Time Guarantee is afairly simple concept which hasbrought a lot of attention to Haas

Haas Shows Off toBig Crowds atWESTEC ’97LOS ANGELES – March 24, 1997, was open-ing day of WESTEC ’97 here in SouthernCalifornia, where Haas Automation unveiledtheir new 5,250 sq. ft. booth, and debuted ahost of new products. “The booth elements andoverall concept are completely new,” saidNorine Peters, Trade Show Manager for Haas.“This is the first public showing.”

By far, the hit of the show was the newHaas VR-6, a 5-axis machine with contouringspindle-head. Endless crowds formed, blockingtraffic, for a glimpse of this cutting-edgemachine. Though only a prototype at this point,customers lined up to place orders immediately.Another high point of the booth was the firstproduction-model VF-10. This massive VMC(120" x-travel) dazzled crowds by endlesslymachining a 10-foot-long piece of aluminuminto a web-work of pockets, then rapidly millingthem off, just to start again.

Seriously stealing the thunder from compet-ing booths near and far, was the VF-6 with50-taper spindle. This machine sent up plumesof smoke and steam as it tirelessly hogged anddrilled a chunk of 1018 steel. Every time itcranked up a crowd would form and jockey forviewing position. It was hard for anyone to

HAAS TAKES IT TO THE DIRT WITHJOHN SCOTT MOTORSPORTS

Take an alcohol-fueled, 800-hp V-8, stuff it into a 1200-pound roll-cage onwheels, drive it around a half-mile dirt track at speeds up to 140 mph – side-ways – and what do you get? Sprint car racing! It’s a dirty job, but somebody’sgot to do it.

Sprint car racing is what John Scott Motorsports is all about – they love toget dirty. Considered one of the premier sprint-car teams (non-winged) in theU.S., John Scott Motorsports is poised for a serious run at the 1997 SCRA(Sprint Car Racing Association) championship title.

Haas Automation, the premier machine-tool builder in the U.S., is the featuredsponsor of John Scott Motorsports for the 1997 racing season. Haas producesa full-line of high-performance, affordable machine tools, including CNC verticaland horizontal machining centers, CNC lathes and rotary tables.

Competition in sprint-car racing is fierce, so many teams are looking tocomputerized machining techniques to gain the competitive edge.

“Sprint carsare built from theground up from acollection ofparts,” said JoeCuster, driver forJohn ScottMotorsports.“There’s a lot offabrication thatgoes into buildinga winning car,”he said. Haasprovides thetype of CNCmachines perfect-ly suited for theracing industry.

“This sponsor-ship is a naturalcombination,” saidPeter Zierhut, marketing manager for Haas Automation. “Haas machine tools arebeing used extensively in the racing industry, and John Scott Motorsports is asuccessful racing team with championship potential. Our sponsorship is a chancefor Haas to show our support for the racing community, while increasing ourname recognition by backing a winning team.”

John Scott Motorsports is based out of Hesperia, California, and considersPerris Auto Speedway their home track. Less than a year old, Perris is consideredthe “Finest dirt oval complex in the nation.” One of the only teams campaigningtwo cars this year, John Scott Motorsports is comprised of drivers John Scott andJoe Custer. Custer, driving car #30, is a sprint-car rookie, but has a long historyof off-road motorcycle racing. John Scott, driving car #83, has been racingeverything from Karts to Formula cars since 1973. Last season, Scott consistentlyfinished in the top five in SCRA events. In 1997, Scott is vying for the SCRApoints title.

INDUSTRY NEWSINDUSTRY NEWS

Automation since its announcement inmid-March. Simply stated, Haas isbacking up all their CNC machinespurchased between April 1, 1997and December 31, 1997 with a guar-antee. If the machine requires serviceor repair during the first year of owner-ship, the time between the first servicecall and a satisfactory resolution of the

problem will berecorded in a log.At the end of the firstyear, if the combineddown-time exceeds2% of normal expected

production time, Haas will reimbursethe owner for each hour beyond the2% threshold.

“We feel that a goal of ‘98%Up-Time’ is well within the acceptablerange for modern machine tools,”Zierhut said. “In fact, we know thatHaas machines perform well withinthis range, and the reliability of ourproducts exceeds the 98% up-timeframework,” he said.

For complete published detailsabout the industry’s only 98% up-timeguarantee, contact your officialHaas Distributor.

compete with the standard set by Haas in thisyear’s booth.

Other products seen for the first time werethe Haas APC, an automatic pallet changer forHaas’ mid-range VMC’s; the HL-6 lathe, a pre-production 25" x 44" CNC turning center withprogrammable tailstock and up to 6" barcapacity; and the HS-2RP, a pre-production hori-zontal machining center with 38" x 33" x 30"travels. These machines prove that Haas contin-ues to get bigger and better every year. Theydemonstrate the ever-expanding Haas line, andshow the position Haas now commands inengineering and product design.

“We designed our new booth to embracethe high-tech nature of the machine-tool industry,and better communicate the leading-edge atti-tude that is part of the Haas philosophy,” saidPeter Zierhut, Marketing Manager for Haas.“Visitors seemed to take note of the flow of traf-fic through our booth, and the variety ofmachines we had on display,” he said. “Part ofwhat makes Haas booths so special at theseevents, is that we have our machines actuallyproducing real parts – it’s more of a demonstra-tion arena for us than a beauty contest.”

During 1997, Haas will be represented atevery significant machine-tool show in the USand around the world – including the EMOshow, one of the biggest in the world.

Ask your Haas distributor for an upcomingevents schedule.

The GrandOpeningOXNARD, CA – On Friday March 21,hundreds of customers, vendors, distrib-utors, special guests and members ofthe press invaded Oxnard, California,to attend the most important machine-tool event of the year. Nearly 500guests converged on the 86-acre sitewhere Haas Automation heldofficial Grand-Opening Ceremoniesfor their new 420,000 sq. ft. head-quarters and manufacturing facility(see article, “Tour of the Haas newfacility,” on page 6)

An overall feeling of awe hung inthe air as guests toured the new facility.Overwhelmed by the sheer size of theplant, they anxiously vied for a glimpseof one of the largest, most automatedmachine-tool operations in the United

States. Guest speakers for the ribbon-cutting ceremony included OxnardMayor Manual Lopez and a represen-tative from Senator Cathy Wright’soffice, as well as Gene Haas. Theevening culminated in an elegantdinner, and a keynote address on the

state of manufacturing by Al Moore,president of the Association forManufacturing Technology.

John Scott gets sideways in his Haas-sponsored sprint car.

Haas Automation unveiled a brand-new booth at WESTEC ’97.

Continued on page 9

Haas Automation Inc.

“When you’re building race cars, you can’t afford to have machines go down. Not having the partcould mean the difference between winning and losing on Sunday. We’re in the business to winraces, and Haas gives us the reliability and accuracy we need to stay in the winner’s circle.”

– Jim Wall, Engineering Group Manager,Hendrick Motorsports, Harrisburg, North Carolina

“If you’ve got to have accuracy down to 50 millionths, go ahead and buy a $1.5 millionmachine. If you want to make somemoney, buy 15 Haas machines andturn out 14 times more work.”

– Mark West, Owner/Partner,Stan West CNC Co.,Willits, California

“The Haas VMC’s are a big part of our success. They allow very aggressive machining rates,and provide the tight tolerances and high repeatability we need for machining molds.”

– Brad Berkley, President and CEO, Global Tool and Engineering, Carrollton, Texas

“When we renovated our 50-year-old machine shop, we hadone opportunity to make the right choice in machinetools. We considered machine quality, up-time,capacity and flexibility, as well as ease-of-use.Haas gave us world-class equipment at a pricewe could afford.”

– David Goodreau, President, NewmanMachine Works, Burbank, California

“I love my Haas! It still holdsmicrons after 3 years! That’s why Ibought the second one, becausethe first one was so good.”

– Mike Keyte, Owner, SuperBike Mike,Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

TOOL & ENGINEERING, INC.

Call Haas for complete details 800-331-6746.

800-331–6746

Real-world reliability from people who know,our customers:

Haas 98% Up-Time Guarantee effective April 1997 – Limited to first year of ownership. • Complete published 98% Up-Time Guarantee details available from Haas Automation, Inc., 2800 Sturgis Road, Oxnard, CA 93030.

Perspective

6 CNC MACHINING • SUMMER 1997

INSIDE PERSPECTIVEINSIDE PERSPECTIVE

I had the pleasure of “being there.” So, with the aid of a few photos andsome descriptive text, let me point out some of the features of “One of America’slargest, most modern machine-tool manufacturing facilities to date.”

Built on an 86-acre industrial site, with plenty of room for future expansion, thenew Haas headquarters and manufacturing facility spans 420,000 sq. ft. Haashas invested millions of dollars in the building and new equipment, and currentlyemploys more than 600 people at their Oxnard, California, headquarters.

The plant is divided into two main areas. The machine-shop side of theoperation, where parts are made for both CNC machines and rotary products,occupies 166,000 sq. ft. More than 150 machine tools operate within thisarea, with unattended machining being the norm. A multitude of flexible manu-facturing systems (FMS) run around the clock in three shifts – one manned andtwo unmanned.

This machine shop is close toa “Just In Time” (JIT) operation, stayinga mere three days ahead of assem-bly, and a scant eight days aheadof shipping.

At the start of the manufacturingprocess, a bank of band saws cut 12million pounds of raw material eachyear. This number grows steadily asHaas adds new products, and salescontinue to grow.

On the shop floor, amongst those150 machines, are the following: 16400 mm HMC’s with a total of 256pallets – some as large as 25" square.These machines produce 425 differentparts, with 250 new parts addedeach year. By September, Haas willhave installed 4 additional HMC’s withan additional 48 pallets.

Just a short distance away are4 HMC stackers with 16" pallets.Designed to save floor space, thesestackers have 81 pallets in total, running300 different parts. Haas will beadding two more stacking HMC’s byyear’s end, and expects to add 150new parts each year.

Next to the stackers sit even larger,600 mm HMC’s used for mid-sizedparts. For Haas, a mid-sized part canbe up to 5,000 lbs in weight, and31" square. These HMC’s have acombined total of 60 pallets, and runin 24-hour shifts.

Moving along in the tour, there’sa grinding department filled with 10surface grinders, precision ID/ODgrinders, gear grinders, thread grinders,and gear hobbers. The latter beingused to cut Haas’ precision spindleand worm gears for all rotary products.

A bit beyond midway throughthe shop area, off to one side, sits aquality control room built to exactingspecifications, and fully temperaturecontrolled. This area is used to CMM-inspect all parts produced in themachine shop.

Directly out into the floor area, offto the right, sits a variety of Haas lath-es with automatic parts loaders, HaasHMC’s and Haas VMC’s. Twenty-five

Tour the New Haas Facility

A picture may be worth a thousandwords, but actually being there isworth a thousand pictures.

Although you may not be able to travel tothe new Haas Automation facility rightnow (and you should some day), it is,nonetheless, an awe-inspiring sight.

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Continued on page 8

Above: Haas’ new California headquarters. Right: Technicians complete assembly of Haas CNC controls

NEWSpercent of the machines in the entireshop are Haas – proof that Haasbelieves in their own products.

Closing out the machine shopside of the tour is a series of double-column machines capable of machin-ing 5-sides of a 22-foot long part. Thelargest part machined in this area isthe base casting for the new HaasHL-6 lathe – weighing 15,000 lbs.

Moving to the other side of thebuilding, we enter the assembly floorand inventory area. Occupying some200,000 sq. ft. in all, I’m taken backby the distances from one side of thebuilding to the other – I liken it to acenter-field home run.

Below us I see row upon row ofHaas vertical machining centers beingassembled. All machines, regardlessof size, are built during a daytimeshift, but are tested unattended for acomplete 24-hour cycle. Within thesewalls, all Haas products – VMC’s,HMC’s, CNC lathes and RotaryTables – are sub-assembled, assembledand completely tested.

Haas officials estimate productionis currently running about 60%. At thislevel, the assembly lines produce 20

CNC machines and 10 rotary prod-ucts each day, for a total of morethan 8,000 products per year. Thetotal time required to assemble aCNC machine is, on average, onlyfive days. This includes a completerun-in test, 125-point inspection,critical ball-bar test and, finally, a testcut before shipment.

Along the west wall, which frommy vantage point on the upper walk-

way seems like agood 480 feet(probably everyinch of that homerun), is a 70,000sq. ft. inventoryarea that feeds theassembly and ser-vice departments.

At the far northend of the assemblyarea, rows of palletracks store ready-to-assemble iron cast-ings as a three-daybuffer for assembly.Beyond, is the turfof electrical magic.

Haas, as anengineering/manu-facturing/high-tech

company, looks to innovation as away to keep costs in line as theydesign and build their products. Oneof the key ways I saw this put intopractice was their use of the sub-assembly manufacturing processes.

The final leg of the facility tourtakes us over the electrical assemblyarea, where Haas employees build thecontrols for all Haas CNC machinesand rotary products. Beginning as elec-trical sub-assemblies and progressing tofull-fledged CNC controls, the parts arewired together and rigorously tested for72-hours before being moved to finalassembly, where testing is continued.

In one of the most unique situationsin the machine-tool industry, Haasactually designs and builds their ownmachine and CNC control as a singleunit. They have discovered how totake control over quality and delivery– simply make it themselves.

In what would be a split secondon the time-line of the IndustrialRevolution – a mere 14 years – HaasAutomation has built what some com-panies never achieve – success. Thisnew facility is yet one more in a longline of amazing achievements from thecompany that remade the Americanmachine-tool industry. – D. Hunter


Haas Automation Ltd., andCosworth celebrate the 500th

Haas vertical machining centerinstallation in the UKNORWICH, NORFOLK, UK – One thing all Haas customers have in common is a keen sense of competitive spirit and the desire to finish first. This couldn’t be more true than one of the world’s most successful F1 engine builders, andrecent addition to the growing list of Haas machine owners: Northampton- based Cosworth.

Cosworth has a winning tradition in perhaps the most competitive industryon Earth. From the most successful F1 engine ever built, the Ford Cosworth DFV,to the exquisitely engineeredmodern racing engineswhich powered MichaelSchumacher to his 1994F1 World Championship,Cosworth consistentlydemonstrates that secondbest is not acceptable.

We are delighted toannounce that Cosworthrecently took delivery of the500th Haas VerticalMachining Center to beinstalled in the UK. On aspecially arranged visitfrom the new, state-of-the-artHaas plant in SouthernCalifornia, Mr. Al Nodarse,Director of Sales, presented CosworthRacing’s Manager ofF1 Engine Build Mr. KenHorton with an engravedsilver punch bowl.Commenting on this land-mark occasion, Mr. Nodarse said “Our association with Cosworth epitomizes ourmutual affinity for winners, and is indicative of Haas’ position in the UK machine-tool market and our customers’ perception of our standards of service and support.”He added “Since Haas Automation Ltd. introduced Haas machines to the UK in1991, the list of Haas owners has grown longer and more distinguished at animpressive rate. Cosworth is a strong example to all other Haas customers, presentand future: You’re in excellent company.”

Haas Automation Ltd. is the principal supplier of Haas CNC machines androtary products in the UK. Since first importing Haas vertical machining centers in1991, the company has built a service and support team of 18 factory-trainedengineers coordinated from the Midlands Technical Centre in Leicester. In March1997 Haas Automation Ltd. was officially recognized as International Haasdistributor of the year, installing more Haas products into a single territory thanany other Haas distributor in the world.

Haas hits mile-stone: 10,000machines

In one of the most remarkableachievements in recent history, HaasAutomation, Inc., has produced their10,000th CNC machining center. OnJune 6, 1997, Denis Dupuis, GeneralManager for Haas, presented themachine’s keys to Steven B. Camp,Regional Manager for Parker HannifinCorp., Motion & Control Group.

What makes this achievementeven more spectacular is that Haashas only been building machines foreight short years. Since the introduc-tion of their very popular VF-1 VMCin 1989, Haas has built a loyal fol-lowing of satisfied customers thatcontinues to grow, mostly by word-of-mouth.

By blending innovative engineer-ing with cost-controlling in-houseproduction, Haas delivers highly-accu-rate and dependable CNC machinesat affordable prices – a formula forsuccess that continues to this day.

Now fully operational in their new420,000 sq. ft. facility in Oxnard,CA, Haas is poised to double their400-machine-per-month output beforethe year 2,000. The company contin-ues to exceed customers’ expectations,while introducing innovative newmachines at an amazing rate. Industryinsiders and observers see Haas atthe-top-of-the-heap before the close ofthis century.

Continued

State-of-the-art machine shop fills 166,000 sq. ft. Top: One of three assembly lines.

Tour of the new Haas FacilityTour the Haas Facility

Aerospace C ose-Up

10 CNC MACHINING • SUMMER 1997

Founded in 1939, NewmanMachine Works services the commer-cial and military aerospace industry.Their customer base is the prime aero-space contractor market – Boeing,Northrup, Rockwell, etc. At present,Newman employs 10 people, andhas 13 machine tools in their 3,300sq. ft. shop. “We are very much atraditional, family-owned, small jobshop,” Goodreau said.

Faced with a shop full of agingmachines that finally started to causefinancial troubles, Goodreau andco-owner Gene Newman knew itwas time to rebuild the company.“Between the downtime, and trying tofind service people to come fix ourmachines, it was putting us out ofbusiness,” Goodreau said. “We justcould not afford to wait for thesepeople to return our phone calls – if they did at all.”

“There aren’t many options forcompanies our size. If you’re going to

stay busy, and continue to meet thecustomer’s needs, you have to invest innew technology and equipment. It’slike continuing your education,”Goodreau said. “For small companies,the future depends on modernization.”

Taking that giant step, NewmanMachine Works is now replacingtheir aging CNC equipment withnew machines. They looked to HaasAutomation for reliability, price andservice. “Our goal is to become aworld-class company,” Goodreausaid. “Haas gave us the opportunityto buy world-class equipment at aprice we could afford.”

“We needed to replace old,used CNC equipment, and felt thatby buying locally, we would have theprompt service we need to keep ourmachines running,” said GeneNewman, co-owner of the shop. “Weknew the reliability of Haas machin-ing centers from talking to people inour industry. Price, financing and

availability of the machines made iteasier to select Haas,” he said.

Newman Machine Works pur-chased their first Haas VF-2 verticalmachining center (30" x 16" x 20" trav-els) in April, and another VF-2 in July of1996. They then installed a Haas HL-4lathe (14.5" x 34") in January, 1997,and have plans to purchase a HaasVF-3 VMC (40" x 20" x 25").

“Where the Haas machineshave really helped us is in precision,”Goodreau said. “They’ve helped uscut out many operations, and allowedus to bring other operations in-house,”he said. “That saves a lot of moneyand time. It’s made a huge differencein our company. Plus, our people likerunning state-of-the-art equipment, andare much more excited about work.”

“Our productivity is up about30%,” said Harold Howell, Newman’sgeneral manager. The Haas machineshave enabled them to produce qualityaluminum parts faster, and with better

IN order to survive in today’s competitivemarketplace, small job shops must findways to cut costs and increase produc-

tivity – without sacrificing quality. “People aren’tgoing to accept second best any more,” saidDavid Goodreau, president of Newman MachineWorks in Burbank, California. “You have toexceed the customers’ expectations, or they’regoing to go somewhere else.”

Shop Reduces Cycle Times, IncreasesProductivity With New CNC Machines

Continued on page 28

SHOP FOCUSSHOP FOCUS

There are different levels ofsophistication in tool-path verification.Simple simulation is the most basic.A 3-D simulation enables users toactually see “exactly” what will occuron the machine and how the part“takes shape,” rather than forcing oneto imagine how each cut will affectthe part.

The next level of sophistication isactual verification, which enablesusers to detect problems in program-ming techniques. With verification,problems such as fast feed errors, and

potential collisions can be easilydetected and eliminated during theprogramming phase.

Analysis of the finished partdelves deeper into the verificationprocess. Is it dimensionally accurate?Does it match the design intent?Detailed analysis identifies the exacttool-path record responsible for anyproblems on the part. It also enablesthe user to compare the originaldesign with the finished machinedpart to reveal any discrepancies,gouges or undercuts.

The final level of sophistication inthe verification process is optimizingthe tool path for the most efficientmachining possible. Verification soft-ware enables the user to send CNCprograms to the shop floor that arenot only proven, but are optimizedwith the best possible feed rate infor-mation. The software does this byautomatically analyzing the machiningconditions and the amount of materialremoved by each cut, and thenassigning the best feed rate for thatparticular cut. The result is greatlyreduced machining time (as much as50% or more).

The Benefits of Verification Software

Reducing or eliminating prove-outs saves machine-tool, operator, andpart-programming time, which, in turn,decreases the overall time to market.Verifying part programs on the com-puter reduces or eliminates the costof machine-tool crashes, rework,scrapped parts, and damaged tool-ing, fixtures, and clamps. And, partprograms can be created that properlycontrol feeds, speeds, and coolantduring the programming phase.

Quality is also enhanced,because tool paths verified and opti-mized on the computer produce bettersurface finishes, do not leave dwellmarks on the part, and place lesswear and tear on the machines.

Verification software also acts asa valuable training tool for program-mers, operators, and students withoutrisking a collision, or using valuablemachine-tool time. Screen capturesand playback animation files can beused to create documentation thatenables operators, trainees, andmanagers to visualize the processbefore machining.

For more information on thecapabilities and advantages of verifi-cation software technology, contactCGTech, developers of VERICUT®,714-753-1050 or www.cgtech.com.

The CAM Process

CAM software has made theprocess of creating tool paths easier,but the need remains to test and verifypart programs before productionmachining. After the tool path iscreated, it is converted into commandsspecific to a particular NC machine,either internally or through an externalpost-processor. A number of mistakescan occur at any time during thisprocess. For example, the programmercan inaccurately input data or causean error through incorrect use of theCAM system; the CAM system canproduce errors in the tool path; or thepost-processor can introduce errors oroutput code unsuitable for themachine’s control.

Verification Techniques

There are a variety of tool-pathverification techniques available tohelp manufacturers ensure that thepart will be machined safely andcorrectly. The most rudimentary is tomanually scan the NC data to identifyobvious errors. But this is time consum-ing and error prone, and otherproblems such as collisions between

tools, the part, and fixtures usuallycannot be detected until the actualmachining takes place.

Therefore, most manufacturersutilize prototype machining from wood,wax, foam, plastic, or other prove-outmaterials. But prove-outs are also costly,time-consuming processes. Eachrequires setup, run-time, and clean-up –and there still is the possibility of adangerous machine-tool collision.

The most sophisticated manufac-

Machining Tips


C reating the “perfect” tool path fora CNC machine is a tricky task.The goal of every programmer is

the same: to create a tool path that is safeand produces a production-worthy first-time part in a cost-effective manner. This isan achievable goal, but as the complexityof the part program increases, the door toerror widens.

turers take advantage of NC/CNCsimulation and verification technologyto verify the accuracy of the partprogram on the computer at theprogramming stage. While there is nocomplete substitution for productiontesting, verification software greatlyreduces, if not eliminates, the manyiterations of tool-path testing.

The Software Verification Process

The “virtual machining” process isquite similar to setting up and runningan actual prove-out on the machinetool. First, the user defines a block ofstock from which the part will be cut.

Stock shapes can vary from simpleblocks, cylinders or cones to complexCAD models.

Then, the user defines the cuttingtools and any fixtures that will beused, and finally inputs the tool path.The software then uses solid modelingtechnology to simulate the machining.Any errors detected during the processare highlighted so they can be easilyidentified and corrected before thepart program is sent to the shop floor.

In Search of the Perfect Tool Path

TECH TIPSTECH TIPS


NASCAR – The National Association forStock Car Auto Racing. The key wordhere is “stock.” The whole point being

for the cars to closely resemble the stock, produc-tion automobiles the average Joe drives on thestreet. These are American-made cars, of course,and typically come in three flavors – Chevrolet,Ford, and Pontiac. So, just run down to the localcar dealer, pick up a late-model piece ofAmerican iron, bolt on a few performance parts,and you’re ready to race, right? ➨

NASCAR – The National Association forStock Car Auto Racing. The key wordhere is “stock.” The whole point being

for the cars to closely resemble the stock, produc-tion automobiles the average Joe drives on thestreet. These are American-made cars, of course,and typically come in three flavors – Chevrolet,Ford, and Pontiac. So, just run down to the localcar dealer, pick up a late-model piece ofAmerican iron, bolt on a few performance parts,and you’re ready to race, right? ➨

350 and a maximum of 358 cubicinches. The engine must be naturallyaspirated, and use a Holley single four-barrel carburetor of 750 to 830 cfm.The main engine components – block,cylinder heads, intake manifolds – muststart as stock, off-the-shelf, OEM cast-ings. In short, it must be a productionengine. Granted, it’s a productionengine from the ’50’s, but a productionengine nonetheless. Race teams canmodify these production enginestremendously – as long as they staywithin the rules. Hendrick Motorsportsuses Chevrolet engines; and, by thetime they hit the race track, very littlehas been left untouched.

One of the main ways to gainhorsepower in an engine is to improvethe air/fuel flow through the cylinderhead. The more mixture you can stuffinto the combustion chamber, the morehorsepower is generated. This is typi-cally done by relieving and shapingthe ports and combustion chambers,and polishing the surfaces. It is one ofthe most time-consuming and expen-sive parts of building a race engine.“Cylinder heads have always been anexpensive component in a racingengine assembly,” Wall said. “They’reusually the things that you wait on.”

Typically, a skilled craftsman – ahead porter – would painstakinglycarve out a set of cylinder heads from aset of stock castings. Through experi-ence and feel, he would sculpt and pol-ish the ports in an attempt to improveperformance through increased airflow.It was a process that took up to a weekto complete. Each head was a work ofart, and the head porter was the artist.

Like fine art, however, head port-ing is difficult to duplicate. It’s difficult toget the same results from port-to-port, letalone from head-to-head. As a result,you end up getting a mix of engines –some good, some not. “You’d have tenengines, and you might have two orthree that were really, really good,”Wall said. “The others would be allover the place.”

“We would develop a cylinderhead, or a pair of heads, that wouldrun real good on our engine,” Dorton

said, “and we wanted to reproducethat; make another set like it. But, eventhough you try to do everything thesame, there’s no guarantee the next setwill work as well.”

As Hendrick Motorsports grew,this became more and more of a prob-lem To stay competitive, and meet thedemands of their growing race pro-gram, they needed to produce moregood cylinder heads, faster. To meetthis need, they farmed the work out toseveral outside suppliers. But this seri-ously increased lead times for theheads, and left them too dependent onothers for important parts.

The solution was to bring the cylin-der-head operations back in-house.

“We realized earlyon a need to incorporatemanufacturing into ourprogram,” Wall said.“The volume was there,and once the volumegets to a certain point,you’ve got to get themanufacturing in-house.”But how would they meettheir increasing demand,without bringing in alarge stable of headporters? The answerwas to automate theprocess, so they couldaccurately mass producethe cylinder heads. HMS began investigat-ing the use of computer-ized machining tech-niques. Several of theirsuppliers were alreadyutilizing CNC machines,so they knew the technol-ogy was sound.

“We put a proposaltogether for Mr. Hendrickto purchase a machiningcenter, a coordinate mea-suring machine (CMM),and CAD/CAM soft-ware as a starting pointfor producing fully-machined assemblies in-house,” Wall said.“We wanted to control

our own destiny, so to speak, with cylin-der heads. We didn’t want to rely onoutside vendors for a key component ofour engines.” With hand porting, it’s dif-ficult to maintain consistency and repeata good design once it’s been devel-oped. There are certain points that aredefined – the entrance on the intakemanifold, the combustion chambers, thevalve seats – but the transition betweenthose points – from the intake flange tothe valve seat – is left up to the headporter, who determines how much mate-rial to remove. “He usually starts fromthe original surface of the casting,”Dorton said. “And, from one port, orone head, to the next, there’s a plus orminus 0.030" casting tolerance. So a

Yeah, right! Any resemblancebetween a NASCAR Winston Cuprace car and the car you’re driving ispurely cosmetic. Sure, they both havean engine and four tires and use someof the same parts, but the resemblanceends there. As a matter of fact, the caryou’re driving is far more technologi-cally advanced – electronic ignition,computerized fuel injection, dual-over-head-cam multi-valve engines, variablevalve timing, and light-weight compos-ite materials. In contrast, NASCARrace cars are more like the muscle cars of the ’70’s – 350 V-8’s, four-bar-rel Holley carbs, standard ignitions,and steel bodies. So, how do you turnsuch outdated technology into avehicle producing 720 horsepower,525 ft-lb of torque, and capable ofreaching nearly 200 miles per hour?That, my friend, is the question pon-dered by each of the 42 NASCARteams every weekend.

The object is to build the fastest,most powerful, and best handling vehi-cle, while staying within the guidelinesof the NASCAR rule book. There arerules governing vehicle height, weight,body shape, wheel base, displace-ment, induction, wheel size and a slewof other things. And, indeed, raceteams must use many stock parts as theirstarting point. Through meticulous mas-saging modification and assembly,

these parts are transformed intothe fire breathing monsters thatattack asphalt ovals around thenation every Sunday.

For some insight into thebuilding of successful NASCARrace cars, we visited HendrickMotorsports (HMS) in Harrisburg,North Carolina.

Hendrick Motorsports currently fields three NASCARWinston Cup teams, as well asa Chevrolet pick-up truck in thenew NASCAR SuperTruckSeries. Combined, Hendrickteams have won two WinstonCup championships, more than75 major races, and threeDaytona 500’s. Hendrick driversTerry Labonte (#5) and JeffGordon (#24) finished first andsecond, respectively, in 1996,and both are currently makingserious runs for the 1997 WinstonCup Championship.

One of the keys to Hendrick’s suc-cess is their engines. Painstakinglyhand-built, these engines are thelifeblood of the race program. RandyDorton, director of the engine depart-ment at Hendrick Motorsports, is anaccomplished builder with a long his-tory. He keeps a watchful eye on theengine department. “I’ve been headof the engine program since Rick

(Hendrick) began (NASCAR racing) in1984. There were only about threepeople then, and now there are 45,”Dorton said.

Dorton has been building raceengines since the early ’70’s, when hebuilt a 427 Ford for racing on local dirttracks. In the early ’80’s, he put togeth-er an engine shop of his own, wherehe built drag-boat engines for RickHendrick. Hendrick was interested ingetting into NASCAR, so he bought arace car and contracted with Dorton forthree engines. Before those three werecomplete, the order was increased tosix. Shortly thereafter, Hendrick boughtDorton’s shop as the core engine groupfor his NASCAR team, and HendrickMotorsports was born.

“After Rick (Hendrick) gotinvolved, the company began togrow, and the volume of engines gothigher and higher,” said Jim Wall,Engineering Group Manager forHendrick Motorsports. Wall hasworked with Randy Dorton since1981, and has been with HendrickMotorsports since their inceptionin 1984.

According to NASCAR rules, aWinston Cup engine must be a small-block V-8 displacing a minimum of

Reggie Hart puts a just-built Hendrick engine through its paces on the dyno.

Jim Wall ports a cylinder head at Hendrick Motorsports using an HS-1R 5AX.


17WWW.HAASCNC.COM

guy could easily have 0.060" more orless material, depending on what’sbeen changed in the casting, from headto head and port to port,” he said. “As a result, he could take outtoo much material, or not enough mate-rial. He could start with a port that wasplus 0.030" and another one that’sminus 0.030". Now, he takes out0.060" more material than he intended,based on a template or gauge, andends up in water.”

To port cylinder heads by machine,you start with a set of heads youalready know workwell, and digitize theirshape through detailedmeasurement with acoordinate measuringmachine. This way,you’re starting with aprecise definition ofwhere everything is sup-posed to be. “It mayseem like a point inspace three inches downinto a port,” Dorton said,“but you have definedexactly where that point is. Once you’vedefined each point, it makes it easy toreproduce the design,” he said. “Weneeded volume, and this is definitely onemethod for us to get that.”

“The major components of ourengine assembly that require a lot ofmachining are the blocks, the cylinderheads, the pistons and the intake man-ifolds,” Wall said. “We began looking

for a CNC machine that could do a lotof different things,” he said. “Not nec-essarily a machine that could do aspecific task better, but one that wasflexible enough to do all the differentjobs we needed to do – blocks, cylin-der heads, pistons and manifolds.”

After much research, HMS settledon a Maho 800 universal machiningcenter – a German-built machine withboth horizontal and vertical spindles,and 5-axis capabilities. Costing morethan $400,000, this was a seriousinvestment for a race team. In addi-

tion, they purchased a Brown andSharpe CMM, and Point ControlCAD/CAM software.

The first project everyone wantedto tackle was porting a cylinder head.They started with a proven cylinder-head design; used the coordinate mea-suring machine to precisely measure,define and digitize the design; thenused the CAD/CAM software to write

the program for the CNC machiningcenter. “It’s kind of a tough part to startout with for your first part,” Wall said.“We had to build a lot of fixturing,design some tooling and have it made.It took us right at six months to get acylinder head design that we had fullymachined and ran on an engine,” hesaid. Once the process was up and run-ning, HMS was able to turn a 5- to 7-day job into an 8- to 10-hour job.

The success HMS found usingCNC machines prompted them tobring more and more operationsin-house. However, the more jobs theybrought in-house, the less machine timethey could devote to cylinder-headoperations. Although the Maho 800had served them well, it was no longerfast enough to meet their growingneeds. Plus, they were starting to havesome service concerns with themachine. “The Maho had done itsjob,” Dorton said. “We were very sat-isfied with it. But we had developedmore and more things we needed torun on a machining center.”

This prompted the need for addi-tional CNC equipment. “We realizedwe needed a turning center,” Dortonsaid. “That was coming more andmore into play with us. And, we felt weneeded to expand ourselves in hori-zontal and vertical again.” The distrib-utor who sold Hendrick Motorsportsthe Maho suggested they take a lookat machine tools from HaasAutomation, Inc.

“We needed faster machines thatwere more reliable,” Wall said. Wewanted something that was Americanmade; a company that was going tobe there for parts and service. We’veknown about Haas for a long time,because of their rotary products,” hesaid. “The 5-axis work (cylinder heads)relies heavily on rotaries, and Haashas a tremendous amount of experi-ence in that market. One of the con-tractors we’ve used for years, FrankWiess Racing Components inIndianapolis, has made a ton of partsfor us on Haas equipment,” Wall said.“We knew it was good equipmentbecause they did good work with it.”

18 CNC MACHINING • SUMMER 1997Continued on page 20

19

Jim Wall, left, and Randy Dorton show off a winning cylinder head, ported on a Haas HS-1R.

A selection of car parts machined on Hendrick’s VF-4 and HL-4.

500

engine brackets, braces, accessories,small surfacing jobs, drilling, tapping,and profiling.” Wall emphasized, how-ever, “These machines aren’t limitedjust to engine components. We areusing them to manufacture car parts aswell. Our long-range plan is to use itfor 5-axis work, and make quite a fewchassis parts on it,” he said. “The VF-4lets us make parts now that we could-n’t make before. With 50 inches ofX-travel, you can put some big parts onit. By the end of the year, it’s going tobe swamped, probably with chassisparts. Those guys do a tremendousnumber of parts, and they run into thesame issues that we do in the engineshop, in terms of turnaround, delivery,and dealing with sub-contractors,” hesaid. “The VF-4 is a nice machine, andthere’s no doubt it has allowed us toimprove ourselves.”

The final machine to arrive wasan HS-1R horizontal machining centerwith 24" x 20" x 22" travels and abuilt-in 4th-axis rotary. To better suit thecylinder-head operations, Haasfitted the 4th-axis with an optional19" x 40" extended table. HMS hadalready obtained a Haas HRT-210rotary table and hydraulic tailstockin anticipation of 4-axis work onthe VF-4.

Wall fitted the rotary and tailstockto the extended table on theHS-1R as the 5th axis, and designedflanges to hold a cylinder headbetween them. With only a few adjust-ments to the existing program, theyhad the machine running cylinderheads in record time. “What took usthree months to set up on the Maho,”Dorton said, “took less than a monthon the Haas. Literally within 30 days,the Haas went from the crate, to cut-ting chips on a head – with 98%Haas components.”

“The focus of the horizontal iscylinder heads,” Wall said “That’s theprimary use. We’ll run it around-the-clock unattended if we get in a bindand really need parts.” The higherspeed of the Haas (10k-spindle, 710-ipm rapids) has allowed HMS toreduce the cycle time for cylinder

heads to about 6 hours, as opposed to5- to 7-days for hand porting, and 8-to 10-hours on the Maho. “That num-ber is a strong function of how fine ofan increment you use,” Wall said. “Tomake a nice finish, you need an incre-ment of 0.040" max. On the Maho, Ihad to use about 0.060", because wewere very limited by the memory and

DNC ability of the control,” he said. “IfI got programs that were too big, theMaho had a hard time with them, itwould balk. Out of a 10-hour pro-gram, you could spend as much as 45minutes balking, waiting for the controlto load code.” This results in dwellmarks and reduced surface finish. “Weended up having to code the partaround the limitations of the machinetool,” Wall said.

With the Haas, however, “Themaximum spacing I used is 0.040",and in some areas I used 0.020",”Wall said, “I was intentionally trying tomake the program big. The (cylinder-head) program we’re running on theHaas gives nice finishes and the incre-ments are nice. The Haas cuts muchmore efficiently, because it’s got

inverse-time motion, which keeps aconsistent chip load on the tool. Theprogram is more than 11 megs,” hesaid, “and the whole thing fits into theHaas’ memory.” (Hendrick’s HS-1R has8 MB of optional expanded memory.)“On the Maho, 7 or 8 megs is themaximum you can do, and you haveto trade-off balking time. The Haas

compresses the program, takes out thecarriage returns and line feeds, andstrips out the parts of the program youdon’t need for the control.” This way,a much larger program can be loadedinto the control’s memory.

The Haas control is designed andbuilt in-house features dual, high-speed32-bit processors. “It’s very user friend-ly,” Wall said. “I like the way it’s laidout, especially the similarities betweenthe lathe and the mill. The vertical, thehorizontal and the lathe all have basi-cally the same control. They functionthe same and program easy,” he said.

But reduced cycle times are notthe most important thing at HendrickMotorsports. “We’re not in the busi-ness to make parts,” Wall said.“We’re in the business to win races.


At the same time HendrickMotorsports was looking for newequipment, Haas Automation waslooking for a race team to sponsor.“We wanted to find a team that wouldbe a good showcase for our equip-ment,” said Peter Zierhut, MarketingManager for Haas Automation. “Wewere looking for a successful team thatwould take full advantage of the capa-bilities of our machines.”

After touring the Hendrick facility,and discussing the needs of HendrickMotorsports, a sponsorship agreementwas reached for the 1997 NASCARWinston Cup season. Haas agreed toprovide three machines – a lathe, a ver-tical machining center and a 5-axis hor-izontal machining center.

“It sounded like Haas was a goodcompany,” Dorton said, “and it sound-ed like good equipment. They had aninterest in racing, and we had a need

for more equipment.”“I’m really excit-

ed about being ableto work with amachine-tool manu-facturer that’s basedin the United States,”Wall said. “They’reAmerican made; Ilike that,” he said.

The first Haasmachine to arrivewas an HL-4 lathewith 14.5" x 34"turning capacity and programmablehydraulic tailstock. “There was nothinghere in the way of CNC turning equip-ment,” Dorton said, “we had to toolourselves up for it. We set ourselves upwith jaws and fixtures, and immediate-ly went to work making parts. The firstpart was a front dampener washer,and we very quickly were turning

pulleys and suspension parts,” he said.Just recently, they have begun turningwrist pins for their race pistons – a jobthey could not have done without theHaas lathe.

Next to arrive was a VF-4 verticalmachining center with 50" x 20" x 25"(xyz) travels. Hendrick wanted thismachine mainly for plate work –

Picture this: You’re in bumper-to-bumper traffic, and some smartass is drivingdown the middle of the lanes slowing everyone down. You’re sitting there with720 horses under the hood chomping at the bit, ready to race. Finally, the slow-poke pulls off and you punch it. Slamming through the gears with unbridled fury,your faithful mount leaps forward. The problem is, 41 other drivers are doing thesame thing, and they’re trying to beat you. Forget the 2-second rule about follow-ing too closely. You’ll be lucky to see daylight between these cars. Then, just asthings start to open up, all 42 cars try to stuff themselves into the same 12-degreebanked corner at the same time. It’s kind of like high-speed bumper cars.

This was the scene at Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Virginia, on April21 – the eighth points race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Season. With70,000 dedicated race fans on hand, 42 drivers battled it out for 3 hours, 44minutes and 30 seconds to see who would take the top spot. Five hundred lapsafter the starting flag, Jeff Gordon, a 25-year-old young buck from California,crossed the finish line first to win $99,225 in his Hendrick Motorsports ChevroletMonte Carlo. This victory marks Gordon’s second straight win at Martinsville, andhis third straight win of the season.

At 0.526-miles long, Martinsville is one of three short-tracks on the NASCARWinston Cup circuit. It’s a flat track, with corners banked a mere 12 degrees,and relatively slow by NASCAR standards, with top speeds below 95 miles perhour. Fifty years old this year, Martinsville has been referred to as two drag stripsconnected by a pair of U-turns. The 800-foot straights provide little time for pass-ing, and the corners are filled with the bump-and-grind and love taps that charac-terize short-track racing.

Goody’s Headache Powder 500, Martinsville, Virginia.side barside bar

After starting fourth, Gordon need-ed only 20 laps to take the lead, andthat’s where he stayed for 432 of the500 laps of the Goody’s HeadachePowder 500. Leading by more than astraightaway during most of the race,Gordon was only challenged for thenumber one spot on restarts.


Continued on page 22Evidence of the flagrant disregard for personal space common in NASCAR racing.

Randy Troyer checks an engine mounting plate machined on the VF-4.

Jeff Gordan (24) makes his move past Elton Sawyer (90) during the Goody’s Headache Powder 500.

App ications

side bar


With 11 cautions throughout the race, restarts were common. However, Gordon’s consistency, and the quickness of hispit crew, kept him in the lead. By lap 98, he had pulled away from the rest of the pack with a 6.66-second lead over sec-ond-place Bobby Hamilton (#43). A yellow flag on lap 101 erased that lead as the leaders pitted for fuel and fresh rubber.Quick work by Gordon’s pit crew returned him to the track first, and when the race returned to green Gordon methodicallyincreased his lead once again. By lap 176, Gordon had stretched his lead to 5 seconds over Kenny Wallace (#81), whonow held second-place.

Potential disaster struck on lap 328 as leader Gordon tried to lap Jimmy Spencer (#23), and the two cars collided in turnfour. Gordon spun a 360 in a cloud of smoke, but was able to keep going and only lose two positions. “I just stood on thegas,” Gordon said. “I was just praying I didn’t get into anything. Then I was worried about somebody hitting me.”

Second-place Bobby Hamilton (#43) shot through Gordon’s smoke and into the lead. But 48 laps later, Gordon regainedthe lead position and held it for good. Hamilton grabbed second-place, followed by Mark Martin for third. Gordon’s Hendrickteammate Terry Labonte (#5) ran his typical consistent race to finish a strong fourth.

Point standings following Martinsville had Dale Jarrett leading by a mere 45 points, followed closely by Terry Labonte andJeff Gordon. At this rate, it looks like the future could hold a repeat of last year’s one-two performance for Hendrick Motorsports.The only question is: Who will take first-place – Gordon or Labonte?

If we can do something to make a bet-ter part, but there’s a big penalty incycle time, we’ll pay the penalty incycle time to get a better part. We lookat it like we’re our own customer, andthat’s a double-edged sword. Whenyou’ve got the ability to do it, you bet-ter get it done, because if you don’t,you really don’t have any excuses,” hesaid. “We’re not trying to cut corners.We’re trying to make parts that are asgood as they can be.

Hendrick Motorsports continues togrow and continues to win races.Once again, as demand out paces supply, they are looking to acquiremore CNC equipment. They continueto bring more and more manufacturingin-house, and are looking to add atleast three more machines – anotherlathe, another horizontal,and possibly Haas’ newHS-2R large horizontal.

“To me, our engineprogram is a lot like steer-ing a battleship,” Dortonsaid. “You get in the har-bor; it’s pretty dangerous.Sometimes you’ve got tosteer quickly. Having theHaas equipment gives us alot of power to be flexible.That’s one thing that keepsus afloat here, our flexibility.

So, if you know design, you have theengineering, you have the raw materi-als and you have the manufacturingequipment, you’re pretty much ready forwhatever comes up,” he said.”

At this point, you can be sure oftwo things – Hendrick Motorsports willbe in the winner’s circle, and HendrickMotorsports will have Haas machinesin their shop.

TECH TIPSTECH TIPS

There is a common perceptionthat aluminum is easy to machine and,therefore, requires almost no special-ized tooling or knowledge to process

successfully. Conventional wisdomholds that aluminum can be cut onany machine tool with enough powerto turn a spindle; and with virtuallyany tool material from hard maple todiamond. Both of these beliefs arewidespread, and absolutely incorrect– and any engineer who buys intothem is in for a rude awakening.

Define High-Speed

Before looking at the facts aboutaluminum milling, it’s appropriate todefine “high-speed” as it concernsthese applications. Given today’s tech-nology, “high-speed” is generallyaccepted to mean surface speedsbetween 1 and 10 kilometers perminute, or roughly 3,300 to 33,000

High-Speed Machining of Aluminum

Separating Fact from Fiction in High-Speed Milling of Aluminum

H igh-speed milling of aluminum, once the exclusiveprovince of the aerospace industry, is rapidly becominga challenge for manufacturing engineers in all fields.

The automotive industry, in particular, is forecasting a dramaticincrease in the useof aluminum for majorpowertrain compo-nents. All this alu-minum will have tobe machined reliably,and in high volume.

feet per minute. Speeds above 10km/min are in the ultra-high speedcategory, and are largely the realm ofexperimental metal cutting.

Obviously, the spindle rotationsrequired to achieve these surface cut-ting speeds are directly related to thediameter of the tools being used. Onetrend which is very evident today isthe use of very large cutter diametersfor these applications – and this hasimportant implications for tool design.

Misconception number one: You Don’t Need Much Power toMachine Aluminum.

Part of the reason this myth haspersisted is that, until quite recently,most high-speed machine tools have

been, in fact, little more than drillingmachines. Even giant spar mills usedin the aerospace industry do their cut-ting with tools not much different fromordinary end mills.

While it may be true in a relativesense that less horsepower is requiredto mill aluminum – as compared tosteel – it definitely is not true in anabsolute sense. What many fail toconsider is the amount of horsepowerrequired to rotate a spindle at speedsof 7,000 rpm and higher.

As a rule of thumb, plan onusing one horsepower for every1,000 rpm of spindle speed, just torotate the spindle and the tool. Theenergy required to cut the workpiecemust be supplied in addition to thisbasic minimum.


side bar continued

By Tom Howes, Valenite, Inc.

Terry Labonte (5) jockeys for position during the Goody’s 500. Despite set-up problems, Labonte finished 4th at Martinsville.

Gary DeHart, team manager for the #5 car driven by Terry Labonte, contemplates strategy prior to the race.

One Secret of Productivity

Once the minimum speed thresh-old is reached, making a high-speedmilling operation productive is reallyless a question of cutter speed than itis of feed rate. All else being equal,increasing the feed rate will improveefficiency faster than an equalchange in any other cuttingparameter. Because the horse-power/feed rate relationship isnon-linear, it is, quite literally, acase of “the faster you go, thebetter it gets.”

Moving the table faster isalso a function of machinecapability, although not directlyrelated to spindle horsepower.A beefy, rigid machine tool withpowerful axis drives and largeprecision ballscrews will yieldproductivity well out of propor-tion to its cost premium, in mostcases. This should be consid-ered when selecting a machinefor high-speed applications.

Generally speaking, thepresent generation of machinetools can provide table feeds inthe range of 300 to 600 inchesper minute, and some of today’scutting tools are perfectly capa-ble of using that kind of feed ratewithout difficulty.

Misconception number two: You CanCut Aluminum with Anything.

This may be literally true, but thefact is that face milling aluminum withanything other than diamond tools is awaste of time and money for mostapplications. The one major exceptionto this rule is poor quality castings withsilicon or sand inclusions, which oftenquickly damage diamond tools. Still,the most common cause of diamondinsert damage is loose, broken, or mis-loaded parts, rather that normal wear.

It makes economic sense to stockboth a roughing and a finishing

grade of diamond, because polycrys-talline tools have a definite “grit” sizemuch like grinding wheels. Don’tmake the mistake of depending onthe use of “worn out” finishing toolsfor your roughing applications.

First of all, diamond tools seldom“wear out” in normal use, so you will

have to buy roughing tools anyway. Ifthey do fail, for example if you’remachining castings with hard inclusions,they are likely to be damaged in theprocess, so you will still have to buyseparate roughing tools.

Fine “grit” finishing grades arenot really suitable for many roughingapplications anyway. You will bemuch farther ahead to buy, and use,the right grade tool for the job fromthe start.

Why Brazed Tools Make Sense At HighSpeeds

The forces generated in a facemill rotating at 10,000 rpm can betruly phenomenal. For this reason, any

indexible insert mounting system mustbe designed to restrain the inserts underthese forces. It’s not just a question ofkeeping the insert from becoming aprojectile, it also must be held in a veryprecisely controlled position if the cutteris produce an acceptable finish.

Valenite rates the speed potential

of their HVA cutters by testing to thepoint where centrifugal forces are suf-ficient to cause a properly installedinsert to move 0.0005", and then lim-iting operational speed to one thatwould yield 33% of the test force tomove the insert. This maximum recom-mended speed is then etched intoeach individual cutter body.

While this may sound extremelyconservative at first glance, in prac-tice it is not. Don’t forget that cuttersbeing tested in the laboratory are notsubject to the impact and vibrationof an actual cut, both of whichincrease the force that must be resistedby the insert.

Realistically, a cartridge with abrazed insert should have a higher

App ications

24

side barside barAt the tremendous speeds used

for high-speed aluminum milling, tools,tool components, and inserts tend tostore kinetic energy. This energy canbe released with potentially danger-ous effect should a tool or tool-holdingsystem fail. At the rotational speedscoming into use today, screws,wedges, anvils, and inserts are allcapable of producing dramatic dam-age should they suddenly becomefree-flying objects.

Particular attention must be paidto tool maintenance, and to machineguarding – the last line of defense foroperators and other personnel. Ballistictesting carried out in the Valenite labo-ratories clearly demonstrates the needfor substantial barriers between peopleand high-speed milling operations. Bewarned, conventional machine guards

and shields may not be sufficient tocontain the energy released if a high-speed tool fails.

This concern for safety also carriesover into the area of tool maintenance.It is absolutely imperative that toolsused in high-speed operations bedesigned and balanced specificallyfor such use. At present, no standardsexist regarding interchangeabilitybetween standard and high-speedtooling, and this can lead to potentiallydangerous situations unless carefullymonitored. Using a conventional toolin a high-speed spindle is an unsafepractice, and should be avoidedat all costs.

Another concern with high-speedmilling is maintaining the originalintegrity of high-speed tooling.Valenite’s policy is to strongly recom-

mend that only original equipmentparts be used to replace worn ordamaged components, and that allhigh-speed tools be maintained in an“as-new” condition at all times. To thisend, we have designed the cartridgesused in our line of high-speed cutters,the MasterMill® HVA, to only fit thosespecific bodies and not be inter-changeable with any other cutter.

Until industry-wide standards forinterchangeability and balance arecreated, any shop contemplating theuse of high-speed milling tools shouldcarefully examine their control systemsand tool maintenance procedures.Doing so is the best way to ensurethat the beefed-up guards and shieldsrecommended for high-speed machineswill never be put to the test.

– Tom Howe

CNC MACHINING • SUMMER 1997 WWW.HAASCNC.COM

speed potential than one using anindexible insert – simply becausethere are fewer mechanical compo-nents involved. When properlyused, brazed inserts make excellenteconomic sense in high-speedmilling applications.

Don’t Forget About The Chips

High-speed milling operationsproduce an incredible volume of chipswhich, in turn, have an abrasive effecton the surface finish. Chip control – orchip removal – is a major factor limit-ing high-speed milling operations. Todeal with these chips there are threebasic options.

Cutting fluids can be used toflush away the chips, but this is notalways successful. At the high rotation-al speeds involved, fluids applied tothe cutter diameter tend to atomizebefore they can flush away the chips.

Not only will your finishes not beimproved, but you will often end upwith an environmental problem aswell, because the coolant mist has tobe controlled.

However, Valenite’s coolantmounting screws have been verysuccessfully applied on machinesequipped with through-spindlecoolant. The inertia of the coolantexiting through the cutting tool hasresulted in as much as a 100%increase in achievable feed rates,with improved surface finishes.

Because high-speed milling ofaluminum presents no heat problemsfor the insert, compressed air is oftensubstituted for liquid cutting fluids withgood results. Air does have draw-backs – mainly noise, and control overflying chips. There are, however, manysuccessful applications in which chipsare blown out of the cutting zone.

Another effective solution to the

chip problem is a vacuum systemwhich “sucks” the chips out of thecutting zone. While this approachcan be as noisy as blowing the chipsaway, it has the benefit of collectingthem very efficiently.

Conclusion

Aluminum is, without question,going to play an increasinglyimportant role in all manufacturing,and particularly in the automotiveindustry. High-speed milling is aproven, reliable process for machin-ing aluminum that offers the potentialfor truly impressive productivity. Thekey to realizing this potential is a thor-ough understanding of the realities ofthe process as the basis for carefulplanning and application develop-ment. Using the right machines, withthe right tools, under the right condi-tions will lead to success.

Take Care with High-Speed Milling

A selection of Valenite high-speed cutters. For more information contact Valenite at 800-544-3336

New Products & Features

New Lathe Provides Large Capacity, More Versatility

High Productivity Automatic Pallet Changer


Increased productivityand unattended opera-tion are now possiblewith the new AutomaticPallet Changer (APC)option for Haas VF-3 andVF-4 VMC’s. The APCfeatures twin 19.5" x 40"pallets, which increase pro-ductivity by allowing non-machining tasks, such asfixture setups and partchangeovers, to be per-formed off-line. For exam-ple, while machining partson one pallet, parts canbe loaded and unloaded onthe other pallet.

This turnkey system is sim-ple to operate and requires mini-mal training. Seamless operation is

Large travels, high tool capacity and increased productivity – at an afford-able price. That’s what sets the new Haas HS-2RP horizontal machining centerapart from the rest of the pack. With generous travels of 38" x 33" x 30" (xyz),this traveling column, 4-axis HMC is perfect for machining large parts. The built-inrotary table and pallet changer further increase flexibility and boost production.

Weighing more than 25,000 lbs, this versatile HMC features massive cast-iron construction and triangulated wide-stance castings. Internally reinforced withheavy ribs, these castings resist flex and damp vibration to provide accuracy of±0.0002" and repeatability of ± 0.0001".

The high-productivity, servo-driven pallet changer allows a workpiece to bemachined on one pallet, while the other pallet is loaded or unloaded outside themachine. Each 500-mm pallet easily handles payloads up to1,200 lbs, and indexer accuracy is ± 15 arc-sec, withrepeatability of 10 arc-sec.

A standard 15-hp motordrives the spindle to speedsof 7,500 rpm through avibration-isolated, 2-speed gearbox.This powerfulgeared head pro-vides low-end cut-ting torque for hardsteels, as well ashigh speeds forsuperb finishes.High-speed, brush-less servo motorsprovide rapids up to710 ipm to furtherreduce cycle times,and a 22-hp,10,000-rpm spindleis available as an option.

The 40-pocket(40 taper) automatic tool changermoves with the column for faster tool changes, and is fully enclosed to pro-tect tool tapers from chips and coolant. Tool-to-tool changes are 8 seconds, withchip-to-chip times of 10 seconds. To reduce downtime, an automatic, load-sensingchip conveyor removes chips from the enclosure, and automatically reversesshould a jam occur.

Driving the HS-2RP is the highly-refined and user-friendly Haas CNC control.Featuring dual, high-speed 32-bit processors and program execution speeds up to1,000 blocks per second, the Haas control is FANUC™ and YASNAC™ com-patible. Exclusive Haas OneTouch™ features, such as OneTouch™ power-up andOneTouch™ tool offset, further increase productivity by reducing normally complexfunctions to the push of a single button.

Contact Haas Automation for full details about VMC’s, HMC’s, CNC TurningCenters and a full line of Rotary Tables and accessories – 800-331-6746.

Manufacturers and job shopsalike will appreciate the generoustravels, large workpiece capacityand competitive prices of HaasAutomation’s new HL-6 CNC lathewith programmable tailstock. With amaximum turning diameter of 25",maximum part length of 44" and a40" swing, this precision CNC lathe is perfect for large, heavy-duty cutting operations.

Equipped with a high-perfor-mance, 2-speed gearbox, the HL-6provides 1,250 ft-lbs of peak torqueat 200 rpm for low-speed, high-torque cutting. Yet, the lathe’s 30-hpmotor provides spindle speeds to2,500 rpm for finish cuts. So,whether you’re taking heavy roughcuts in hardened stainless, or youneed mirror finishes on aluminumalloy, the HL-6 has what it takes.

A robust 15" hydraulic chuckcomes standard on the HL-6, and thespindle’s 45⁄8" thru-hole allows bar

feed operations up to 4". The stan-dard 10-position, automatic tool turretrapidly indexes tools in one second,and a tool presetter and chip augerare available as options.

Built of heavily-ribbed,American-made iron castings, theHL-6 utilizes Haas’ exclusiveanti-flex, torque-tube design forsuperior rigidity. Weighing inat 21,000 lbs, this ruggedmachine completely damps nor-mal machining vibrations, pro-viding positioning accuracy of ± 0.0002", repeatability of ± 0.0001", and superb surfacefinishes. A programmable hydraulictailstock, with wide-spaced linearguides and 44" of travel, furtherensures high accuracy.

At the heart of the HL-6 lathe isthe highly-refined and user-friendlyHaas CNC control. Built around theoperator, this control is constantly being improved to ensure optimum

performance. Featuring dual, high-speed 32-bit processors, and pro-gram execution speeds to 1,000blocks per second, the

Haas control is fully FANUC™ andYASNAC™ compatible. This, alongwith unique Haas OneTouch™ fea-tures, such as OneTouch™ power-upand OneTouch™ tool offset, combineto establish the Haas control as theindustry’s benchmark for productivityand ease-of-use.

COMING SOONCOMING SOON

Large HMC is More Versatile, Increases Productivity

provided through the Haas CNC control, so no additional electronics arerequired. Air and power are supplied by the VMC, and the enclosuredoor opens and closes automatically during pallet changes.

The APC features side-loading steel pallets, with a standard5-inch hole pattern, which handle payloads up to 1,000 lbs withease. Pallet change times are 30 seconds, with chip-to-chip times of45 seconds. A heavy-duty, cast-iron base provides stability, while

precision locating pins and bushings assure repeatability of±0.0002". The weight of the APC is approxi-

mately 2000 lbs.Available as a factory-installed

option on Haas VF-3 (40" x 20" x 25")and VF-4 (50" x 20" x 25") verticalmachining centers, the Haas APCfeatures three-point leveling for fast,easy set-up. The cast-iron base issecured directly to the VMC – eliminat-

ing the need for further anchoring.Scheduled for availability in early

Summer, 1997, the APC will have anestimated MSRP of $19,995.

Shops having limited floorspace, but needing a lathe with larg-er bar-feed capacity and higherpower, will appreciate the new HL-2Big Bore (BB) precision CNC lathefrom Haas Automation, Inc.

Haas starts with their shop-proven HL-2 lathe with programmabletailstock, then adds a healthy dose offeatures from their larger HL-4. Theresult is the HL-2BB – a high-capacityCNC lathe with a compact footprint.(Also available without tailstock as an HL-1BB.)

This powerful machine features amaximum turning diameter of 10", amaximum part length of 20", and a20" swing over the front apron. Itcomes with a 10" chuck, and allowsbar-feeding up to 2.5". A standard 30-hp motor drives the spindle to3400 rpm for finish cuts, and provides283 ft-lbs of torque for heavy cuttingoperations. Brushless AC servo motorsprovide rapids of 710 ipm, and thestandard 10-position, automatic toolturret indexes tools in one second. Atool presetter, parts catcher and chipauger are available as options.

With prices starting as low as$65,900, Haas Big Bore CNC lathesare the perfect fit for shops seekinglarge capacity with a small footprint.

Big-Bore Lathe Provides LargeCapacity, Small Footprint

surface finishes, he said. And, thegeared head allows heavier, deeperrough cuts without stalling the machine,which further shortens cycle times.

One of the main challenges forNewman Machine Works is machin-ing complex shapes out of stainlesssteels, while maintaining high accuracyand short cycle times that will keepthem profitable.

“Predominantly, our work is15-5PH stainless,” Howell said.“We do a lot of 3-axis machiningand blending, with heavy roughing inhard materials, combined with complexshapes. Just about everything we dorequires multiple set ups,” he said.

A recent military job is a perfectexample of the challenges faced byNewman. The task was to machine a109-lb piece of 15-5PH stainless plate,8" x 39" x 1.25", into a mount for anew missile being adapted to theNavy’s F-14 fighter. The finished partweighed a mere 6 pounds, and hadto meet stringent military specifications.

From the blueprint, Howellworked out the tooling needed for thepart, which consisted of a base plateand a main fixture plate. Since thepart’s length exceeded the x-travel ofthe VF-2, re-fixturing was requiredhalf-way through the operation. Toinsure accuracy and repeatability,location pins were set using the Haas.“I’m able to trust this machine (VF-2) togive me locations that are jig-boreaccurate,” Howell said.

With the tooling determined, thepart was laid out on a CAM system,the data was translated and the opera-tions extracted. The program wasuploaded to the Haas VF-2 via the 3.5"floppy drive. Then, the part was provedout, first in wood, then in aluminum.

The first step was to rough cut thepart and get it ready for heat treating.“We hogged off all the excess material,bringing the part to 21 lbs and leavingapproximately 0.100" per surface,”Howell said. “The original program forthis operation clocked out at 10 hours,”he said, “ but with the Haas, I was


able to increase my feed rates andknock that down to 7 hours per part.”The result was nearly a 30% reductionin cycle time.

“I was surprised at the rigidity Iwas seeing, and the cuts we weretaking,” Howell said. “I like to programaggressively, and on other machines Iwould have to pull back on my pro-gram feeds and speeds to keep fromstalling the spindle. On the Haas, I didnot have to pull back my feed rates. Infact, I was able to increase my aggres-sive programming,” he said.

When asked about problemsstalling the Haas machines, Howellreplied “I’ve tried. I’ve pushed it rightup to a constant 80% spindle load,and it ran for hours with a 1" endmilltaking a pretty good cut in 15-5 stain-less. The geared head allows heavier,deeper rough cuts without stalling themachine. Other machines would havestalled under the same conditions. Idefinitely can say I push harder onthe Haas machines,” Howell said.

Once roughed out, the part wassent for heat treating, and a blanchand grind operation to ensure straight-ness. The next step was to finish cut

the 21-lb piece down to the finalweight of 6 lbs. “After heat treatingthe material was harder, but we stilldidn’t have any trouble,” Howell said.“We switched to carbide end mills,and TICN-coated cobalt, and wereable to finish the parts in 4 hours.”Feed rates on the finish cuts wereclose to 10 ipm using a 3⁄4" carbideendmill at 800-900 rpm.

“Considering the tool life I got,I probably could have gone faster,”Howell said. “I probably could haveincreased my rpm and feed rate andcut another 30-45 minutes off eachpart. Even at the faster rates, we’reable to get a finer finish (than onother machines).”

Howell said he likes the HaasVF-2’s because of “how much powerthey’ve got to push a big endmillthrough hard materials, then follow itup by holding a fine tolerance. Howsolid the machine is has a lot to dowith the accuracy,” Howell said. “TheHaas machine definitely gives a bettersurface finish because of its rigidity.”

Machining a 109-lb plate downto a 6 lbs finished part creates a lotof chips, so Howell was grateful their

Haas VF-2’s were fitted with theoptional chip conveyor. This auger-style conveyor automatically removeschips from the enclosure to eliminatedown-time.

“The chip conveyor is a greatidea,” Howell said. “I just use M codesto turn it on and off during the pro-gram, and we are able to haul chipsout the whole time without openingthe doors.”

“I think the coolant nozzle’s the

best, though,” Howell said, referringto P-Cool™, Haas’ programmablecoolant nozzle option. Controlled viathe program, P-Cool™ automaticallydirects coolant precisely at the part.

“We have the coolant nozzlechanging its position with each tool,and we have the ability to programcoolant location changes incrementallyas tool depths change,” Howell said.“Using M codes, we are able to finetune the coolant during the cut. That, Ithink, is fabulous. And, anyone who’sever gotten a soggy armpit fromreaching inside a machine (to adjustcoolant nozzles) would appreciate P-Cool™.” Because the operator does-n’t have to open the door, cycle time

is reduced. Plus, once programmed,P-Cool™ makes the changes automat-ically for each of the following parts.

Howell found he had no troubleprogramming with the Haas control.Having a background in many differentcontrols, including FANUC™, he fellright into it, he said. “In fact, two ofthe programs we’re running currentlyI wrote at the Haas control. I justpunched them into MDI (Manual DataInput), then renamed them into memory

with a title block, so I could savethem afterwards.”

“The Haas control has a greatreputation in the marketplace,” saidDavid Goodreau. “I haven’t run amachine in years, and I was able tostep up and run programs within afew hours. It’s good for training, andemployees take to it quickly. It givesthem a sense of confidence,” he said.

“When we started this transition,we had 6 CNC machines, and everyone had a different control. It was anightmare,” Goodreau said. “Wecould hire people who had experiencewith one control or another, but nobodyhad experience with all of them. Now,with the Haas machines, it’s all the

same control, all the same program-ming – everybody understands it.”

“Our interest is high profitability,and I think that standardization, andstaying with the Haas family ofmachines, really is a strategic movefor us that will pay dividends,”Goodreau said.

At Newman Machine Works,they’ve invested in their future bypurchasing new CNC equipment.Their improved ability to machine

stainless steels into complex shapes,while maintaining good cycle times,will assure their success in the longterm. Through the use of Haas VF-2vertical machining centers, Newmanhas increased their productivity,reduced cycle times, improvedaccuracy and surface finish, andincreased tool life. All this adds up tohigher profits.

“We’re pretty confident we canpush the part enough to make moneyon it, and still give our customer agood price,” said general managerHarold Howell. “You have to be ableto give the customer a high-quality partat a good price, or you’re not goingto be doing the part anyway.”

Harold Howell displays heat-treated and finished versions of an F-14 missile mount he machines out of 15-5PH stainless on a Haas VF-2.

Continued from page 10

A 3/4" carbide endmill is used for the finish cuts on the F-14 missile mount. Feed rate is 10 ipm at 800-900 rpm.

Aerospace C ose-Up

Built to Cut–Guaranteed!

98% Up-Time.Depend on It.

HAAS CNC MAGAZINE 1997 Issue 2 - Summer.pdf

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