TiNi Aerospace, a specialist manufacturer of aerospace components based in Northern California, has moved into Swiss machining successfully with a Tornos ST-26 machine and Delcam\u2019s PartMaker CAM software.
\nLocated in California\u2019s Silicon Valley, TiNi Aerospace specialises in the manufacture of mechanical-release devices for the aerospace industry, based on the company\u2019s specialist Shape Memory Alloy technology.\u00a0 Its products have been used on scientific missions flown by NASA, ESA and JAXA.\u00a0 Underwater applications of the devices include ballast release, buoy detachment, payload separation, instrument recovery and disentanglement manoeuvres on vehicles such as Alvin, the first manned submersible capable of travelling to the deepest regions of the ocean floor.
\nHistorically, TiNi outsourced much of its machining work to shops in the Bay Area.\u00a0 The company recently decided to bring some of its parts in-house.\u00a0 It started with components appropriate for Swiss applications, such as titanium bolts, so that it could turn around small batch sizes for its internal R&D and testing efforts.\u00a0 TiNi made its first Swiss machine a Tornos ST-26, based on the combination of functionality to price that it offered against other machines on the market.\u00a0 To better harness the power of the Tornos ST-26, TiNi chose PartMaker SwissCAM for its programming.
\n“The challenge we have is achieving tight tolerances at short volumes.\u00a0 We don\u2019t have a long production run to optimise our processes, plus everything is slightly different to the previous job,\u201d said TiNi Operations Manager, David Bokaie.\u00a0 “PartMaker has worked amazingly well in helping us manufacture our designs on the Tornos ST26.\u00a0 Particularly with being new to Swiss machining, PartMaker really helps us tap into what the Tornos machine can do,\u201d continued Mr. Bokaie.
\nAs the Tornos ST-26 was TiNi\u2019s first Swiss-type lathe, it was imperative that the company chose software suited to the task of programming the machine productively and intuitively.\u00a0 “PartMaker is really easy to use; the learning curve has been awesome,\u201d said Richard Cosman, TiNi\u2019s CNC programmer responsible for the new machine.
\nWith introduction of the Tornos ST-26 and PartMaker into its manufacturing process, TiNi has been able to program quickly and achieve better cycle times.\u00a0 “PartMaker helps us produce a good part the first time, which means a lot faster turnaround.\u00a0 Parts that we previously would have had to do in two set-ups, we are pushing out in half the time,\u201d claimed Mr. Cosman.
\nMuch of the success TiNi has enjoyed with PartMaker can be attributed to the close cooperation between engineers at Delcam and at Tornos.\u00a0 Tornos provides the developers of PartMaker with a great deal of information that helps them develop robust programming solutions for the machines.\u00a0 By working together proactively, Tornos and PartMaker engineers were able to ensure that the PartMaker solution for the Tornos ST26 was robust before putting it into customers\u2019 hands.
\nAdditionally, Tornos supplied PartMaker with solid models of the ST26 that were incorporated into the software\u2019s simulation technology.\u00a0 As a result, PartMaker users are able to achieve almost virtual-reality quality simulation of their parts cutting on the ST26 offline on their PCs before sending the program to the machine.
\nTiNi has also been impressed with the quality of the technical support provided by PartMaker.\u00a0 “The support I have received from PartMaker has been incredible.\u00a0 If I ever have problem, their support team is right there with the solution,\u201d stated Mr. Cosman.\u00a0 In a business where “failure is not an option\u201d according to Mr. Bokaie, this superior level of responsiveness has been particularly helpful to TiNi in meeting the high demands it has of its products.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TiNi Aerospace, a specialist manufacturer of aerospace components based in Northern California, has moved into Swiss machining successfully with a Tornos ST-26 machine and Delcam\u2019s PartMaker CAM software. Located in California\u2019s Silicon Valley, TiNi Aerospace specialises in the manufacture of mechanical-release devices for the aerospace industry, based on the company\u2019s specialist Shape Memory Alloy technology.\u00a0<\/p>\n