Please download this critical update.

It fixes the "No Internet Connection" error that was introduced by our service provider changing its configuration and not telling us in advance.

Thank you everybody for feedback and support!

Update: iOS app is now on sale too!

Hey!

FSWizard for Android is on a huge sale right now!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.beta.fswizard

And here is the link to iTunes store:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fswizard-pro/id774456543?mt=8

Check it out. This will not last long!

It has been long time since FSWizard iOS app was updated.

Now finally the wait is over!

With new design, new materials and tool types....

And with the new instant update functionality, that allows me to publish updates within hours for both the iOS and Android platforms, new features will be soon and many!

Check out the new FSWizard apps over here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/developer/eldar-gerfanov/id741521900?mt=8

Also you can get FSWizard for Android here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.beta.fswizard_lite

By the way. The only difference between the Lite and the PRO version is limited number of materials. All other restrictions have been permanently removed!

After more than a year in development and having its entire code base rewritten FSWizard Android app has finally been released to production!

The main goal of the initial production release was to not drop the ball. So the number of new features is relatively small.

The biggest visible improvement is the new design that conforms to the mobile UI standards.

We also support more materials in the lite version of the app than ever:

For HSMAdvisor customers all the available materials will be downloaded after the Login.

Another improvement is the sliding Speed and Feed overrides that are now located not only on the usual Overrides panel, but also on the Result panel:

This allows you to see the effect your changes make in the real time.

The new version of the app also allows to push immediate updates and hot fixes.
So expect a lot of new features delivered to you faster.

As you might have guessed I did not re-design the whole app just to add a couple of new sliders and a new design.

My plans is to fully integrate FSWizard with HSMAdvisor having them exchange tool libraries and cutting data.
Ant the core design changes that i made will allow for this work to proceed forward.

New FSWizard. Check it out if you have not already!

PS. for now the update is only available for Lite Android version of the app. FSWizard PRO Android and all version for iOS are still sporting old version. But I expect to update them within a week as well.

I have just released FSWizard for android to public beta testing.

https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.beta.fswizard_lite

Sign up and run it through its paces!

When asked by a prospective customer which License Type a he/she should buy, I always say "If you have Internet connection, buy the Floating License".

The advantage of Floating License for this is very simple: it offers great flexibility.

• Flexibility in where to use the software: You can install and register computers all on your own without needing to contact support.
• Floating License can be used on multiple computers. And depending on how many seats are in the license, will determine how many HSMAdvisor instances can run at the same time.

And now we have 2 more points

License owner can set up a separate License Access password.
This allows organisations to give access to their HSMAdvisor seats without compromising their License Accounts. 

Second improvement is the "Max Seat Parking Period" option that can be used to make sure users do not occupy seats for periods of time, longer than allowed by the owner.

These options were introduced to make it easy for College professors to issue temporary seats to their students.

You can check it out on our updated License Control panel: https://hsmadvisor.com/?page=user_keys

Just click on the "Set License Password" button after logging in to your license.

Hello everybody!!

Hope each one of you had a lot of fun during the holidays!
I have just uploaded HSMAdvisor version 1.521 but because of huge amount of changes, i will not release it to the wild right away.

There is a week or so of testing in it as I see it.
Any one of you could help me out a bunch by downloading and  trying the updates.

Plugins: HSMAdvisor for MasterCAM

Standalone: HSMAdvisor

Let me know if you find anything wrong with it!

Cheers!

I personally would like to wish every one of my supporters Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

I like to consider every sold seat a start of new partnership with the goal of making Your work easier and more productive every day.

New year will bring lots of very cool developments and I am glad, that since all of the licenses we sell never expire, every single on of my customers will be able to enjoy the latest improvements.

Cheers and Have Great Holidays!

I came across a very educational post on Practical Machinist.

The topic-starter used over-aggressive speeds and feeds for his tiny BT30-taper machine and the retention knob (a.k.a Pull Stud) snapped causing the holder to drop lower, disengage from drive lugs and mess up the spindle bore in the process.

Just in case you don't know. Retention Knob looks like this and is used to pull the tool holder in to the spindle bore, thus holding it in place:

(Retention knob is the detail on the right)

This whole article is to remind everyone the importance of proper tool holder and retention knob maintenance.

Retention Knob Tips

• Retention knobs (according to HAAS) have service life of about 6000-8000 hours.
  That means that if a tool holder is used 3 hours a day, you should replace the knob after 8 years in service.
  For smaller BT30 knobs, you should probably replace them every 4 years.
• Retention knobs should be lightly oiled or greased (if TSC is used) once a month to lubricate the draw bar.
• There should be no visible damage or rust on the knobs.
  
• Do not exceed the maximum cutting force recommended by your machine manufacturer.
  Some of those high-helix end mills create large down-force that could in certain cases cause the knob to snap!
• Also retention knobs should be torqued to manufacturer specs and the tightness should be regularly checked. Overtightened knobs may lead to taper of the tool deforming and causing uneven contact with the spindle bore.

Tool Holder Maintenance Tips

• Keep Tool Holders clean. Especially the taper part that is matching to the spindle bore.
  Wipe them with a clean cloth. 
• Do not use sand paper to clean tool holders! Soft Scotch-brite is acceptable to clean very dirty ones.
• Repair dings and notches on the taper.
  Even an aluminum chip will cause a ding, that will create a high spot around it.
• Replace worn-out tool holders with new ones.
  Signs of ageing is uneven contact with the spindle bore and fretting (blackening of taper in certain spots)
• It is also a good idea to re-grind the spindle as well when replacing the tool holders - there are lot's of services that do that for very reasonable price.
• Like wise when a new machine is purchased, only new holders and retention knobs should be used. Using old worn out holders on a new spindle bore will lead to its premature wear and even damage.

Those are all the things I could think of at the moment.
Let me know if there is anything missing.

Have a safe and productive week!

3D Prining is about to to take over traditional machining the same way CNC Machining took over manual machining.
Eventually 3D printing will replace casting too.

Since 3D Printing does not require complicated setup and programming, this in turn will lead to massive loss of machining-related jobs.

Read more to see if this is true!

There is an interesting topic over at Practical Machinist forums that I took a small part in.

The topic itself is quite a long read, so I decided to compile different opinions into one small article.

First of all. For those who are not familiar with the term....

What is 3D Printing.

(Valve block Courtesy of www.vttresearch.com)

3D Printing (later in this article as printing) is a process of producing a part by adding layers of material (contrary to machining) from bottom to top.
It is also known by a broader term as additive manufacturing.

What are PRO's of Printing and why do we need it at all?
Since very few people make a living machining plastics, we will discuss relatively new Metal 3D Printing.

Why Print

One of the main benefits of Printing is ability to create shapes that are not otherwise possible to create by other means.

High-performance car manufacturers and aerospace companies (NASA 3D Printed rocket engine in the thumbnail) manufacture parts that have internal support structures that are near impossible to cast or machine by other means.

Medical prosthetics companies manufacture artificial titanium and plastic custom-made limbs that and light and strong at the same time.

You must have noticed the trend: Printing is great very small volume manufacturing, where complex shape of parts and design complexity make other forms of manufacturing not viable.

But that is not it!

Scalability

Lately several companies are making headway in increasing the scalability of production metal Printing.

Scalability is the ability to quickly increase the number of produced parts with minimal increases in production equipment.
Injection molding, for example, scales great. Molding machine can pop out multiple parts per cycle with each cycle taking very short time. (depending on many parameters like size, material, cooling etc. but measured in seconds).
Want to produce more parts per cycle? Simply add more mold cavities!

CNC Machining, on the other hand does not scale well. A single spindle can produce only one part any any given time. If you want to make double the number of parts you need to double the number of spindles. And there are 2 spindle machines for that.

So where is Printing on scalability? 

Not surprisingly Printing does not scale well.
Not only parts take longer time (hours not minutes) to produce. But you also get the same issue as CNC machining - one machine can produce only one part at any given time

And this is where some companies are promising huge advancements lately.
Check out this one for example: https://www.desktopmetal.com/products/production/

They claim to be close to providing technology, that really looks like traditional inkjet printing. This allows the carriage that deposits the material (and also applies binder and dries) layer by layer to print multiple parts per pass. So printing 10 parts versus one part will not take that much more time.

(Image courtesy of desktopmetal.com)

Strength

So just how strong the Printed parts are? Are they able to withstand high pressures, vibrations and all kinds of loads that parts in demanding applications face?

Well, apparently they are.
Check out this promo page showing the characteristics of the materials they can print: Direct Metal Laser Sintering Materials
These numbers are indeed very close to normal bar stock, that is provided by a foundry.

Also check out this article in MMS Online (page 70) about CIMP-3D using laser fusion 3d printing in manufacturing flight-critical part for a Navy helicopter.
If you check the article, however, you will notice that in this particular case the printed part almost defeats the whole purpose of printing:

(Before and after machining. Image Courtesy of MMS Online)

It is easy to see that the printed part has only rough features and requires considerable after-machining to get all the surface finishes and sizes just right. The as-printed part is no where near the condition that would let in anywhere near a helicopter engine!
To be fair this part was just a proof of concept that a 3D printed part can be approved to be used in such a high-demand application.

After-Machining

The elephant in the room that Printing companies do not want to talk about is the subsequent after-machining, that many printed parts require in order to get them ready for shipping to customer.

This is the reason that not some machine manufacturers (Mazak, Mori, Matsuura) produce printers that combine traditional machining and 3D printing.

Health Hazards

It is no secret that inhaling fine metallic dust used by most printers may not be very good for ones health.
Yet there will be need for someone to handle such dust.
And there will be a lot of that need on many stages of producing the part. From preparing the raw material, to subsequent sanding and machining to recycling.

So considerable investments in developing a safe workplace will need to be made.

In conclusion

After research this topic I believe 3D Printing has its place in a machine shop. But it is nowhere near the point where it is going to cost machinists their jobs an masse.

Just like Investment Casting for example.