Your CAM software should do what your machine can do.
Take a look at these advanced features that produce parts of higher quality.
Using Two Tools to Balance Cutting Forces Pinch milling uses live milling tools in the upper and lower turrets or spindles to machine opposite sides of the workpiece at the same time.
Pinch Milling
Pinch milling allows the CAM programmer to synchronize two multi-axis surfacing toolpaths to be machined at the same time on a single machine. The axis motions of upper and lower milling tools are performed on a multi-tasking machine with a B-axis head (XZCB) and a lower turret (XZ) that supports live tooling and possibly also Y-axis travel. The turning spindles provide the C-axis motion and provide balanced support at each end of the workpiece. 
Developed in collaboration with Mori Seiki Co., Ltd. (patents pending).
Faster Cycle Times
With two tools cutting the same profile simultaneously, overall cycle time can be reduced. Typically, for long parts, the machining process will require a semi-finishing operation to smooth the stock material after roughing to provide a smoothed stock around the entire part for the finishing tool. This uniform stock puts unwavering cutting forces on the tool to achieve a smoother finish.
By simultaneously utilizing the lower turret to machine the workpiece to finish stock while the finishing tool is cutting the workpiece to zero, the overall process time eliminates nearly all the time needed to machine the semi-finishing toolpath, as opposed to doing the operations sequentially.
Another technique is to start the cut with the lower turret tool until a fixed distance is reached, while the second tool waits. The second tool (the finishing tool in the B-axis head) then follows the first by this fixed distance. This provides enough stock clearance for a larger radiused endmill to be used for finishing because a path has been cleared for the larger tool by machining ahead with the lower turret.
B-Axis Contouring for
Multi-tasking Machines B-Axis Contouring achieves higher performance from multi-tasking machines by cutting continuously along inner and outer profiles in one step, and with just one tool.
Traditional contouring cycles require a series of turning tools with differing tool geometry. B-axis contouring adopts a more efficient approach by continuously rotating the B-axis as the tool follows the contour, allowing the cutting tool to reach areas that would otherwise be inaccessible due to the tool’s geometry.
B-axis contouring offers a unique opportunity for advanced users of mill-turn machine tools, or for those who seek to streamline operations, as the cycle reduces the number of required cutting tools and tool changes. This results in a smooth and step-less finish, as well as significant savings in both time and money.
Advances in Rotary
Technology Developments in multi-axis wire EDM machining present new opportunities for cutting complex shapes unattended — and precisely — in just one setup.
Rotary Wire EDM
Submersible rotary tables for wire EDM allow programmers to index, or to cut using continuous variable high-speed rotation. Instead of clamping a part to the work table, it is held in a chuck mounted on a rotary table. The rotary table then allows for the rotation and cutting of the part without the need to unclamp and reposition the part between cutting operations.
Turn-and-Burn
Indexed wire EDM operations are commonly referred to as “Turn-and-Burn” or “Turn-then-Burn” operations. This process is simple because the EDM operations are created like any other EDM operation, but a positioning move is added between them.
There are several advantages to “Turn-and-Burn” including the reduction in set-up time. The stock is mounted on the rotary table with a built-in clamping device, then rotated into as many positions as required. There is no unclamping of the workpiece, so accuracy is maintained between cutting operations.
Turn-while-Burn
Synchronized rotary motion is commonly referred to as “Turn-while-Burn,” during which rotation of the part occurs during the burn at the same time as the XY or other rotary movements.
With an integrated rotary axis, the efficiency of taper cutting is increased through the use of a rotary axis placed horizontally. With the workpiece positioned on its side instead of vertically, the part can be rotated to the wire instead of the wire being tilted into positions that are not optimal for flushing. Rotating the part not only improves flushing, but also allows for much higher taper angles.
An integrated rotary axis makes it possible to machine part geometries that were previously impossible to manufacture on wire EDM machines. In some cases, rotary EDMs can cut geometries impossible to produce using any other machining method.
Spin-and-Burn
EDM turning is similar to lathe turning, except that the wire does not exert mechanical pressure on the workpiece. The advantages of “Spin-and-Burn” are high accuracy and zero part stress. This allows for the production of symmetrical parts with minimal diameters and tiny details.
High-Speed Roughing Between Walls 5-Axis Trochoidal Channel Roughing is a high-speed roughing cycle that maintains a constant cutter load to remove material in a channel bounded by two walls.
Benefits of Trochoidal Channel Roughing
• Tool moves along a circular path that constantly adapts to the shape of the channel
• Suitable for difficult-to-cut materials, such as titanium
• Can replace several phases of conventional machining
• Results in a uniform amount of rest material
• Constant tool load reduces tool wear
• Cutting of undercut geometries
Applications for Trochoidal Channel Roughing
• Ideal for machining deep cavities with thin walls
• Developed for the machining of blisks, but can be used in any application
• Perfect for use in cases where tool pressure presents a risk when removing material between two walls
The Evolution of Revolution
in Lathe ToolsPutting a spin on turning tools results in a 2,000% increase in tool life, and opens the door to new turning techniques.
A New Take on the Turning Tool
This new cutting technology employs a specialized insert mounted at the bottom of a cylindrical tool shank held in a rotary spindle. The rotation of the spinning tool results in the faster dissipation of heat, as both heat and wear are distributed around the entire diameter of the tool. This allows for dry machining, thereby eliminating the costs of coolant and its disposal. Mounted on a B-axis spindle, the tool can also be inclined as it cuts for even more effective cooling.
Advantages
“This technology is promising because of all the advantages it provides,” said Olivier Thenoz, DP’s mill-turn product manager. “In the end, it means better productivity.”
“The advantage of the spinning tool is that there is no one single point on the tool that is in contact with the workpiece all the time, and this is very good for heat dissipation and tool wear. Cutting conditions are no longer limited by the heat generated in the process, but by power available in the machine.”
The spinning turning tool was developed jointly by Mori Seiki and Kennametal Inc., while the solution used to drive the tool was developed by DP Technology.