Reprinted from PRODUCTION MACHINING Magazine CAM System Aids with Productivity and Simplifies Complex Parts Edited by Lori Beckman \ When an old machine on a shop floor begins to be a burden, many shops immediately look for an updated replacement for the equipment. However, purchasing new software for the machine might be a simpler and more cost-effective solution. In the case of Webber Metal Products, upgrading the CAM system was all it needed in order to increase productivity and simplify complex part production. In 1973, plant manager Jim Webber volunteered his sons for the manufacture of parts needed to meet a critical delivery. He purchased a drill press and the required castings, and put his boys to work in his garage, launching his own company, Webber Metal Products, in Cascade, Iowa. Within 2 years, the shop had moved to a 1,200-square-foot facility and continued outgrowing facilities. By 1992, manual programming at the machine controls was becoming a bottleneck, so the company invested in a CAM system. By 1999, the shop had tired of the system. It had become cumbersome, partly because it had not been updated since its acquisition and partly because the company continued to grow, adding new machines. Instead of an upgrade, Mr. Webber decided to purchase GibbsCAM, selecting the 2-axis lathe and 3-axis milling modules. Beyond its ability to program their machines, he chose GibbsCAM for its apparent ease of learning and ease of use. He wanted programmers to get up to speed fast, with a reliable system that would simplify and speed up programming. Denny Brackemyer, at the company for 15 years at the time, was the first user of GibbsCAM at Webber. He had gained experience with manual programming at the machines and had also used a FANUC off-line programming system. GibbsCAM looked easy enough, so the programmers learned it on their own, without training. As the company grew, acquiring more capable machines, the shop added GibbsCAM Solids Machining and the multiaxis and MTM (Multi-Task Machining) modules, relying on the GibbsCAM Reseller for any required training. Solids Machining enables machining surfaces and solids directly and provides modeling capability. Part files arrive from customers in various formats, including STEP or IGES. “My preference is SolidWorks, because GibbsCAM opens those files directly, and it's really nice and clean,” Mr. Brackemyer says. :: ABOVE: Webber uses heat-treated 4140 steel to make several types and sizes of rock-drill bits, ranging from 2 inches to 9 inches in diameter, up to 15 inches long, all enabled by multi-axis machines and GibbsCAM programming.

The shop does not have a CAD system and relies on GibbsCAM for modeling. “We use its solid modeling a lot, mainly to build our stock bodies that we start with,” Mr. Brackemyer says. “If the customer doesn’t have a solid model and sends prints, we’ll build our own from the prints. Any modeling and geometry creation we do is done with GibbsCAM. Sometimes, we modify the model for manufacturing, like unstitching holes from surfaces, so we can surface machine without tools dipping into the holes.” As the company grew, Mr. Brackemyer saw increasingly complex parts coming into the shop. Along the way,...

The shop does not have a CAD system and relies on GibbsCAM for modeling. “We use its solid modeling a lot, mainly to build our stock bodies that we start with,” Mr. Brackemyer says. “If the customer doesn’t have a solid model and sends prints, we’ll build our own from the prints. Any modeling and geometry creation we do is done with GibbsCAM. Sometimes, we modify the model for manufacturing, like unstitching holes from surfaces, so we can surface machine without tools dipping into the holes.” As the company grew, Mr. Brackemyer saw increasingly complex parts coming into the shop. Along the way,...