Form compensation option launched by NUM for NUMROTO tool grinding software

By OEM Update Editorial February 26, 2020 12:59 pm IST

NUM has launched a powerful form compensation option for its renowned NUMROTO tool grinding software. The new option enables tool manufacturers to “close the loop” between CNC tool grinding and measurement, in order to further increase process accuracy and consistency. The system inherently compensates for process variables such as temperature fluctuations and grinding wheel wear, and is likely to prove especially popular with manufacturers of the latest specialist precision tools, which demand unprecedentedly tight production standards.

Operators seeking to maximise the accuracy of tools produced on CNC grinding machines generally use a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) to obtain probed measurements of the machined part, using this information to influence the production process during subsequent machining operations. Until now, NUMROTO users processed the results from the CMM with proprietary third-party compensation software running on an external computer, before feeding a suitably corrected target profile back into the CNC machine.

Developed in conjunction with several key NUMROTO end users, NUM’s new form compensation facility forms a fully integrated part of the company’s form cutter package and completely dispenses with the need for any third-party software. The data exchange between the CMM and the CNC machine can be handled by XML interface or by export/import of the DXF file via a local area network.

The form compensation software employs advanced filtering algorithms to create a very smooth and precise compensation profile. The software always calculates the orientation of the grinding wheel and the path speed from the original profile, so that only the position of the contact point on the cutting edge is compensated — and not the orientation of the grinding wheel. This ensures that the surface quality of the tool is unaffected by the compensation.

NUM’s new form compensation option is compatible with NUMROTO version 4.1.2 or later. First launched in 1987, NUMROTO software has become the preferred choice for many of the world’s leading manufacturers of CNC machines for the production and resharpening of tools such as end-mills, drills, step drills, form cutters and many others. It is currently used on more than 6,000 machines worldwide. Compared to most competitive products on the market, the software provides a much more direct and efficient path between tool design, manufacture and verification.