NUM offers a family of cost-effective control systems well suited to address all aspects of gear manufacturing. Configured with a state of the art CNC, motors/drives, and user-friendly software, these ìoff the shelf solutionsî can be used in new machines or to re-control existing machines. The embedded machining cycles for gear hobbing, shaping or grinding, and automatic gear/tool alignment are governed by a graphical and conversational menu-driven Human Machine Interface (HMI). The NUM gear control systems saves the OEM or integrator years of software development, while reducing the cost of employee training. They are perfectly suited for the production of any size or type of gears at a reasonable cost.
The PC- or CNC-based HMI allows the operator to program the machine without knowledge of ISO code programming. The operator is guided by pictorial information and questions presented on the screen. Entry screens provide the machine operator with a comprehensive graphical approach that depicts the hob or grinding wheel, the gear, and associated setup data in a clear and concise manner. He or she simply fills in the data fields presented on the screen. After this data entry session, the program is automatically generated, stored, and it is ready for execution. Online step-by-step video tutorials and graphical simulation further facilitates the operation. In addition, the operator can combine conversational/graphical programming with ISO programming or use one or the other individually, if desired. NUM application engineers familiar with gear manufacturing are available to help with system integration and technical support.
With the Simple Electronic Gear Box package, the CNC synchronizes cutter rotation and axial tool motion (Z axis) with the rotation of the workpiece (C axis). This configuration is principally designed for the simplest machines with three axes (X, Z, and C) and a spindle. With the Full Electronic Gear Box package, the CNC adds tangential tool movement (Y axis) to the synchronization of the Z and C axes. This configuration is designed for applications with up to six axes (X, Y, Z, A, C, and W) and a spindle, allowing for manufacturing of bevel and helical gears with straight or conical cutting tools.
The gear alignment option provides cutting tool and gear re-synchronization via a non-contact sensor, allowing for automatic ìtool-workpieceî timing pickup, when reintroducing a precut or hardened gear into the machine. These solutions will be presented at the NUM Corporationís IMTS booth #D-3232.
More information is also available by contacting Brian Kordzinski at (630) 505-7722 orbrian.kordzinski@num.com. The companyís Web site is [www.num.com].
