Shop of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One team . Mr Brown was with the company when the software first arrived over 20 years ago .
“ Previously we would export CNC code from our CAM system , alongside creating some CNC code conversationally and editing this together into a single CNC program , with all the risks that go with that strategy ,” he explains . “ We had too many collisions on the machines and too much scrap as a result of human error . But once we had VERICUT , we could export all of our CNC code from CAM and validate it ( using VERICUT ). The initial investment was all about reducing risk and over the years that thought process has continued . We know that better use of CAM and more use of VERICUT simulations will reduce errors and the risk of machine
PPMA Total Show 2022 is already shaping up to be the launch pad for a host of exciting new product introductions , industry firsts and debut showings .
collisions . If code goes through VERICUT , we know it ’ s safe .”
Today , tool transfer from the CAM session , through VERICUT and on to a tool sheet is virtually seamless at the Mercedes- AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team . The opportunity for human error , perhaps adding incorrect details or picking the wrong geometry , is significantly reduced .
“ It ’ s always been about reducing scrap and protecting machine tools , which are obviously very expensive assets ,” says Mr Brown . “ A new spindle is around £ 20,000 these days . We ’ ve damaged spindles in years gone by and , when we scrutinised the root cause , it was predominantly human error ; someone manually editing a few lines of code incorrectly . Utilising VERICUT to simulate the CAM session has removed human error . Today , every CNC machined component is validated via VERICUT .”
THE PROCESS
When the Design department at the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One team releases a CAD model , the Production Engineering team imports it into a CAM session where various templates exist for the different machine tool types .
“ We program within the context of the machine regarding travel limits , access and other parameters ,” says Mr Peddle . “ Once we ’ re happy with the program we postprocess it and use our CAM-to-VERICUT interface to replicate the set-up we created in the CAM software before running the simulation . We also use VERICUT ’ s AUTO- DIFF module to check for any excess material or gouging . This is important as we don ’ t want to reach the end of the program and identify that we ’ ve missed a section of machining or gouged the part . It would be difficult and increase risk to manufacture some of our parts without AUTO-DIFF , by solely relying on the CAM package .”
He continues : “ Another advantage of VERICUT is its simulation speed , which in our experience is far greater than the core CAM product . This ensures a much more efficient and flexible work stream , where we can be programming certain component features while simulating others .”
Around 30 employees at the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team are trained to use VERICUT , at various levels . Production Engineers might need to create , edit or interrogate sessions , whereas machine operators might only replay the simulation to identify what type of machining operation is coming next in the sequence .
Issue 59 PECM 7