High Fives or Thumbs Down for 5-axis?

Having once been somewhat adept at 3 axis metal cutting pantos and the geometric skills/knowledge required to run aforementioned machines I can unequivocally state there are few who would know how to run a five axis milling machine.

Would be fun to get to know tho.............

I've also been there done that on 3 axis and the challenge always was how to build the jigs needed to hold the parts, and then the programming of the machine. (I'm assuming that we're discussion CNC type machines). 3 axis is hard enough - 5 takes a great deal of knowledge and time. I suspect the time to build and test jigs/programs for 5 axis takes longer than setting up for multiple jigs in more than one operation on different axis.

But then I've been away from that technology for soooo long that I could be wrong!

Used a rotating tilt type table (non cnc) that was mounted on various jig travel plates. Mounting the jig and workpiece to within 1/2 thou. tolerance took some doing..........

I get a headache just thinking about it.

http://www.flowwaterjet.com/en/waterjet-cutting/Videos%20Brochures%20Tradeshows/videos.aspx

http://technorati.com/videos/article/funnyordiecoms-super-bowl-high-five-video1/

Worked with a pattern maker who had a 5 axis router. The unit had a vacuum table which held the material down and the unit could make patterns or models, cut and trim plastic vacuum forming and work off the 3D programs commonly being used. It could cut patterns out of composite plank or pattern urethanes/plastics complete with undercuts for vacuum forming tools.The operator could take the customer's model, add draft and shrinkage factors and could leave the unit running overnight and come in in the AM, remove a completed pattern and start up a new one while he went on programing the next job. Marvelous tool for use in model and pattern making. His big customer used it to trim and cut openings in his plastic parts.

I don't currently program CNC but I've done 3, 4 & 5 Axis in the past and I loved it. Programmed both A&B and B&C axis machines using APT, ComputerVision CNC, and SmartCam multi-axis (either table rotation commands or IJK vectors).

I've also done some consulting setting up post processors for 5 axis laser cutters. That's really fun stuff.

It's really cool when you can get a complex multi-axis machine to do your bidding and do it right. I do not understand why more companies don't take advantage of their machines.

And, yes, I have crashed machines. Once, a Sundstrand Omnimill 5 axis, putting the tool into the table at 400in/min.

At the very least, I would hope that a company with 4 axis capability would be taking advantage of multi-part tombstone machining.

Hooker

Having being in the aerospace industry, and working with other companies that do 5 axis machining. I have seen lots of different things. The biggest obstacle is getting people to try different things, to maximize what they have. This needs to be done with the tooling, fixturing,and the CAM software. If the machine is high speed capable, use tooling to match it. Depending on the table style, shop around for the best fixturing. Don't just buy what you have in the past that "works on a 3 axis machine". Shop around for something that allows full access to the parts, and that utilizes the machine capacity.

Once you "allow" the machine to do what it is made for, then you can fully see the benefits that it can offer.