HSM Machining

Look for the HSM machining of the round central pocket in the beginning.
Here we have a 12mm 6 flute Coated hi-performance endmill, cutting 1" deep at 0.047" (10%) rWOC.
at 10000 RPM and 300 ipm feedrate. the chipload works out to be 0.005". Material is 4140 pre-hardened steel.

Impressive isn't it?
Those results have been achieved with uber-expensive BlueSwarf tap-test technology.

This is one video that caught the eye of one of my HSMAdvisor trial users:

Being a geek and wanting to help the user make the right decision I immediately punched the numbers into my HSMAdvisor app.

Here is what I've got:Read More

Being as vast and as complex as it is HSMAdvisor Tool Database may seem overwhelming for many users despite all the benefits of using it.

To address this issue I have just added a new category to our HSMAdvisor on-line Help resource called Tool Database & Tool Inventory

Here is a the opening article of that category:

Quote:

An integral part of HSMAdvisor is its very powerful Tool and Cut Database also known as Tool Database

Tool Database allows you to not only store your tools in one convenient location sparing you the time needed to key-in your tool type, size etc.
It is very extensible and since its inception has grown both in size and functionality.

With every update the list of its features keeps growing and at present it can (among many other things) do the following:

Store and Edit geometric Tool data, Including automatic creation of tool data from a sample tool entry.
Store/Create/Manage Custom Tool Manufacturer Cutting data using Manufacturer Brand/Series names
Store and Manage Tool Handling data like: Number of Tools in stock, Ordering Vendor Information, Physical location in the shop
Set up Low Tool Stock warning levels and add tools, that are low on stock to a Request List to be ordered.
Create and Export customizable Tool Request Orders for use in purchasing.
Restock received tools into the Tool Database
Attach Cutting Data (Known as just "Cuts") to tools for various cutting scenarios in different materials.
Store complete MasterCAM Tool and ToolPath parameters for easy importing/Exporting of MC operations
Organize Tools into Libraries
Share a single Tool Database between many HSMAdvisor seats in real-time.

In the following articles we will describe the main functions of the Tool Database

In all there are 5 articles in there already describing many of its functions in detail.
Please check them out if you are not sure what the Tool Database does and how to use it.

And as always: when in doubt - ASK :)

I personally use HSMAdvisor at work every day and trust its results 100%

I have to say my program now knows about machining more than i do. I certainly can not remember cutting speeds and feeds, reduction factors, depth of cut and a ton of other information for every material I have ever cut.

Now add to that the various possible combinations of tool/material/coating and it becomes a no brainier, that a good speed and feed calculator like HSMAdvisor saves a ton of time and money by improving your tool life and productivity.

It is not only good for HSM (High Speed Machining) but also for general machining, drilling tapping, you name it.

The algorithms it employs are far superior to what other calculators are using. Take for example the real-time depth of cut/deflection optimization, that other calculators do in a separate window and take a few seconds to complete.

Here is a quick video lesson where i show the steps involved in creating a simple contouring toolpath in MasterCam x9:

And here is the video of machining the actual part:

I regularly follow practicalmachinist.com forums.
Especially the cnc machining section of it.

I notice when CNC Speeds and Feeds questions come up people often suggest my HSMAdvisor Machinist calculator.
A referral by a satisfied customer is the best referral in my opinion. Thank you to everyone doing this great favor to me and my prospective users!

Other times users of HSMAdvisor question speeds and feeds it generates and instead of going to me, they ask on forums.
Which is always fine, because extremely often "wrong" results mean something wrong in users expectations or the data he feeds the calculator

In the process of discussion it usually turns out that the calculation results were correct, but because user decided to use a depth of cut or tool length, larger than he should have, HSMAdvisor compensates and gives a very conservative feed rate.

Just like in this forum post over here: Engraving with a 1/32 ball mill machinist wanted Read More

As a developer of a very successful line of speed and feed calculators I sometimes get questions like : "I calculated speeds and feeds for a conventional toolpath. Got 5.5 cubic inches MRR(Material Removal Rate). And then I calculated S&F for the same endmill with HSM parameters turned on and got almost the same amount of MRR! What is even the point in using HSM parameters?" -they ask.

I would like to clear some things up for my friends.
In this article I will explain exactly WHY HSM machining is better and HOW to achieve better productivity and tool life.

For starters here are the main features of a HSM-capable cutter:

As usual there are several components of HSM that need to be present in order for it to work to its fullest. These are:

a) Machine
b) Tool
c) Workpiece geometry
d) Workpiece material

I intentionally did not number these as each one of those is equally important.

We have one major feature in this release and a lot of small improvements:

Starting form this update every HSMAdvisor installer and executable file will be digitally signed.
This will keep both your IT guy and your Antivirus Program happy.

I made a decision to invest into signing my executables because users were complaining about AV programs like Norton shutting down my software.

You can download the latest version in our downloads section

What's New:

Digital signing added to the executable files
Maximum Tapping RPM added to the Machine Definition dialog to recognize the fact that tapping speed is often a lot smaller than the maximum spindle speed available on most machines.

Improvements:

Major work is being done to translate HSMAdvisor to other languages
Typos fixed all over the place
Machine Definition dialog functions improved
Thread Milling tool type now includes DOC and WOC fields
Cutting speeds for several materials have been adjusted
Fixed condition where restoring the window in "Narrow" mode would cause controls to disappear until Maximize button was pressed
Tool drop-down box now better scales and crops extra-long values to make room for all columns

I would like to thank everyone who has helped with the development of our software by investing your time and money, making suggestions, reporting bugs, recommending our software on various professional online message boards and to your colleagues.

Every bit of money I charge for our software goes back to development.

Unlike most other software developers, who often hold back on features to not allow their products to compete with each-other, every useful feature available on mobile FSWizard goes to the desktop-based HSMAdvisor and vise-versa. Even if it ends up hurting overall sales.

I was the first developer who was able to bring a speed and feed calculator as complex as FSWizard to the mobile platform and I have just uploaded another update to FSWizard Mobile app, that makes it even more powerful. Almost as powerful in fact as HSMAdvisor.

Why bother? Why create a competing product that does almost as much, but costs almost 3 times cheaper?

Because I know that most of our mobile users are not only unable to buy a more expensive desktop product, but they are also often younger, less experienced and hold machinist positions without access to desktop computers.

These users deserve every help they need to grow skills and their careers.

And when they grow to be CNC Programmers and get to sit in the office, they would need something more convenient and more powerful.

I hope they then remember that the same guy who develops FSWizard:Mobile also develops an even cooler desktop application called HSMAdvisor, that will certainly help keep their bosses even happier than before!

Once again, thank you, guys. Please have a Safe and Prosperous New Year.

Here is the list of recent changes to FWizard:Mobile v1.38

We have finally reached version 1.00!

Here is a list of new and improved features:

What's New

Material Drop-Down list now shows 'X' on the row when the current Library Tool has Custom Surface Speed and Chipload settings.
Load Tool dialog box now has Tool Type Icon. The same column shows a readable Operation Type Icon for finishing, roughing, etc.
Drilling Tool Types now allow user to enter a custom Pecking value
Milling Tool Types now have Editable Plunge RPM and Plunge Feedrate
Milling Tool Types' updated Circle/Ramp Dialog now allows to specify whether ramp settings apply to Plunge feedrate of Milling feedrate

What's Improved

Custom Speeds and Feeds tab on Edit Tool Dialog was improved with new buttons to reset custom Surface Speed and Chipload settings
Glitch with certain diameters in metric mode being missed is fixed
Load Tool/Cut Dialog box' Search was improved
Load Tool/Cut Dialog box now features much improved tool and cut list with better readability and usability
Ballnose Tools have been improved to better show changing effective diameter for different depths of cut.

Now, because a picture is worth a thousand words, here are some screenshots as well.

Updated and Improved Load Tool/Cut Dialog:

Note new Tool Type and Cut type Icons in the third column.Read More

I have just uploaded a pretty big update to HSMAdvisor. Check it out on DOWNLOAD page!

In this update i have completely redesigned the way Tool and Cut Drop-Down lists work.

Now Information is diaplyed in neat columns and rows. Rows also alternate in color.

But wait, there is more!

You can also now change the order and the type of information displayed in these Drop-Down lists!

Just Right Click on either Tool or Cut DropDown list to choose the visibility of any column:

You can use Up and Down buttons to re-order columns in a way that pleases your eyes.

New Things:

Redesigned Tool and Cut dropdown lists on the FSWizard page
Ability to not only choose the kind of data displayed in the lists, but also order of columns.
Added "Generic" switch to the Tool Information Dialog that allows to create tools with editable cutter geometry (can change things like diameter, flute lengths etc.)
Added NITRONIC 50-60 and ToughMet 2-3 to material list.

Improved Things:

Fixed faulty in/mm conversion for saved metric cuts
Adjusted cutting speeds for some stainless steels

Resources and Software For High-Performance CNC Machinists

One Case of HSM Machining: HSMAdvisor vs. All

The New Help Category: Tool Database & Inventory

MasterCAM x9 Lesson: Simple Contouring. Speeds and Feeds, Depth of Cut

Perfect Ballnose Engraving Speeds and Feeds in Production Environment

Key factors Determining Success of High Speed Machining (HSM)

The. First. Ever. HSMAdvisor hook for MasterCAM X9

HSMAdvisor v1.146 released