PDD - CNC Machines.pdf

Team Members

Adersh Kunju

Arun Ramachandran

Bhareth Balagopal

Jabil M.B

PDD Assignment – CNC Machines

1

Table of Contents

BRIEF HISTORY .................................................................................................................................................................. 2

CNC PROGRAMMING .................................................................................................................................................... 2

CNC MACHINES – PROGRAMMED USING OPEN-SOURCE LINUX SOFTWARE .......................................................... 3

PLANNING ......................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Marketing function ....................................................................................................................................................... 3

Design and Manufacturing functions ............................................................................................................................ 3

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................................................................. 4

SYSTEM LEVEL DESIGN ...................................................................................................................................................... 6

CNC System Market Potential ................................................................................................................................... 7

DETAIL DESIGN .................................................................................................................................................................. 7

Major Reasons for MNC’s being huge players are .................................................................................................... 9

TESTING & REFINEMENT ................................................................................................................................................... 9

SWOT Model ............................................................................................................................................................... 10

PRODUCTION RAMP UP: ................................................................................................................................................. 10


2

COMPUTER NUMERICAL CONTROLLER (CNC) MACHINE (PROGRAMMED

USING OPEN-SOURCE LINUX SOFTWARE)

BRIEF HISTORY

Numerical control (NC) is the operation of a machine tool by a series of coded instructions consisting

of numbers, letters of the alphabet, and symbols that the machine control unit (MCU) can understand.

These instructions are changed into electrical pulses of current that the machine's motors and

controls follow to carry out manufacturing operations on a work-piece.

The numbers, letters, and symbols are coded instructions that refer to specific distances, positions,

functions, or motions, that the machine tool can understand as it machines the work-piece.

A form of NC was used in the early days of the industrial revolution, as early as 1725, when knitting

machines in England used punched cards to form various patterns in cloth. Even earlier than this,

rotating drums with prepositioned pins were used to control the chimes in European cathedrals and

some American churches. In 1863, the first player piano was patented; it used punched paper rolls,

through which air passed to automatically control the order in which the keys were played.

The introduction of software-based controls in the early 1970s replaced the NC hardware design with

complete computer logic that had more capacity and could be programmed for a variety of functions

at any time. This made it possible to revise, modify, or update CNC programs or parts of programs at

any time on a computer. In turn, CNC machines became easier to use with their menu-selected

displays, advanced graphics, and ease of programming. The required input technical information is

stored on a kind of input media such as floppy disk, hard disk, CD ROM, DVD, USB flash drive or RAM,

etc.

CNC PROGRAMMING

CNC Programming is where all the machining data are compiled and where the data are translated

into a language which can be understood by the control system of the machine tool. The machining

data is as follows:

a) Machining sequence – classification of process, tool start-up point, cutting depth, etc.

b) Cutting conditions – spindle speed, feed rate, coolant, etc.

c) Selection of cutting tools

CNC programming requires technicians to use computers in order to control machine tools for the

purpose of repeatedly manufacturing complex parts (usually metal). Using a program written in the

complex G-Code notation, technicians ensure that all products adhere to the same precise

measurements. CNC Mastercam was one of the first companies to produce the necessary software for

this particular industry. Mastercam changed the way we produce and build. In a way, Mastercam

helped pave the way for the last 60 years of industrial growth.


3

Since programming CNC machines was lobbied by a group of companies around the world, it led to an

exponential increase in costs for services such as programming, set-up, after sales services, etc.

CNC MACHINES – PROGRAMMED USING OPEN-SOURCE LINUX SOFTWARE

The product that is being dealt with here is Computer Numerical Controller for machining operations,

which is programmed using Open-source Linux software. The programming language being open-

source will reduce the costs involved in programming the CNC machines to a great extent. Moreover,

the programming can be done according to the individual machine operator’s conditions and criteria.

PLANNING

The first phase of the product development process is planning. The planning activity is referred to as

‘Phase Zero’ since it precedes the project approval and launch of the actual product development

process. This phase begins with corporate strategy and includes assessment of technology

developments and market objectives. The output of the planning stage is the project mission

statement, which specifies the target market for the product, business goals, key assumptions and

constraints.

The Planning phase consists of a lot of tasks and responsibilities to be carried out with respect to the

different key functions involved in launching the product.

The key functions and the tasks involved in them include the following:

Marketing function

There is huge opportunity in the CNC machines market today. Until now, CNC programming has been

under control of a lobby of international companies and this was the main reason for the skyward

costs associated with purchase as well as programming of a CNC machine. Moreover, these companies

issued standard packages and the programming needs of individual machine operators could not be

taken into consideration. Therefore, the introduction CNC machine programming using Open-source

Linux software would be a perfect solution to counter these problems.

Furthermore, the market could be differentiated into different segments such as:

Companies that manufacture a product

Companies that produce production work pieces for other companies

Companies that produce tooling

Companies that produce prototypes

A very good marketing strategy would be identify these above and more target segments and market

the product accordingly to fit with the expectations of the customers in these segments.

Design and Manufacturing functions


4

The product platform and architecture, which in this case is the Open-source software Linux, should

be well researched on and the product should be able to overcome any difficulties which may arise

during fabrication. Moreover, new technologies which may arise in the market should be thought

about and considerable time should be spent on deciding strategies to cope with future competition

that may arise due to newer technologies.

Also, production constraints and supply chain strategy should be evaluated.

Other major tasks in this phase include:

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

Concept development stage involves determination of the competitors for the product and the

identification of lead users for the product. For CNC system expertise is concentrated with Japan and

Germany- There are 2 major manufacturers of CNC systems worldwide-FANUC and Siemens, and

almost all CNC machines manufactured in India import their CNC systems from these two firms. The

lead users for the product are all small, medium and large Indian machine tool manufactures.

Concept development stage should be done in an organized and systematic format. The following are

the steps involved in concept development stage.

Research

• Available technologies should be studied in detail and improvements made

Finance

• Financial constraints should be evaluated and financial goals planned

Management

• The project resources should be allocated as per requirements


5

Concept Generation as such is an iterative process that goes through several filters that acts as

checkpoints to analyze and control the quality of ideas that an organization processes. At the end of

the Concept development process the team arrives at one or at most two ideas that are worth the time

and effort to pursue.

Identify the customer needs: For a CNC machine controller it should be precise and user

friendly, customers prefer those CNC‘s which can make a precise machining and that which has

a low error percentage. They also prefer the user friendliness of the software which acts as an

interface between the user and controller. CNC market is dominated by MNC’s Germany and

Japan which offers precise control over machining activity. But these controllers software can’t

be personalized or changed according to the user. So the customers also are more tend to

purchase a product which offers the precision of these MNC’s and that it can be personalized

according to user.

Establish target specification: Based on the above mentioned needs of the customers the

specifications will be obtained by preparing the metrics of needs and specifications and

determining the priority of these specs in satisfying customer needs. This process of determine

the needs should be conducted by making a complete metric, which is formed by dependent

variables. The matrices should also be practical which can be easily evaluated by the team.

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

0 1 2 3 4 5 6

No

: o

f C

on

cep

ts

Time & Iterations

Identify the customer needs

Establish target specification

Generate, Select and Test product concepts

Final specifications

Plan Downstream Development


6

Generate Select and Test product concepts: The process of concept generation is done by

understanding the problem and need thoroughly and breaking it into sub problems and

coming up with solution conducting an external and internal search for solution. A good

combination of these solutions would generate an excellent concept. There could be a couple of

concepts for a problem , the selection of the apt concept is done by evaluating each concept

with respect of the customer needs , the selection is also done by conducting a detail strength

and weakness analysis. In this case our product has a great strength over its competitors is that

it can be personalized and made user friendly. But it lacks a brand name like Siemens which is

a drawback for the product. Those concepts which are satisfactory after conducting the

analysis would be taken for the testing phase. The testing is planned to be conducted by survey

method. Where a survey would be developed which can satisfy the purpose of the concept test.

The survey would be conducted among a selected sample of population and the consumer

responses would be measured and these results would be interpreted to get the test result

about the product. The final selection of the concept would be based on this survey result.

Final specifications: The firm would arrive at final specifications by taking those specifications

which passed the concept test phases. The firm at this stage would also be aware of the

limitations of the product and the solutions to overcome these limitations. The developers

should also have to do decide on the tradeoff between the cost and performance so that the

product can be made suitable for the target population.

Plan Downstream Development: The firm creates a detailed plan for the development

processes. The plan includes the strategies that should be adopted to minimize development

time and the resource management for the project completion. This phase also involves the

economic analysis of the project i.e. the manufacturing cost estimation and the feasibility of

manufacturing the product is done during this phase.

SYSTEM LEVEL DESIGN

This stage includes the formulation of plans for new products and the future extensions planned in the

product family. The industrial design of the product is also planned in this stage. The industrial design

should in such a way that it satisfies the ergonomic needs and aesthetic needs. The ergonomic needs

involve the ease of use of the product, the maintenance of the product .The product safety and the

safety it offers to the user are considered in this stage. The CNC system developed should be well

equipped with all safety interlocks like overload tripping relays, heat controlling mechanism so that

the users would be safe and they would find it easy to use it. Since the software developed is

developed on an open source platform it could be easily personalized and can be operated according

to the users wish. These decisions regarding the usage procedure and steps involved in the operation

are decided in this phase. The aesthetic needs involve the differentiation the product offers and the

pride which gets added to the user. Here for CNC system the product can be differentiated by its cost

advantage and high and technology used to manufacture it. The products final assembly line scheme is

also decided in this phase.


7

The Indian machine tool industry depends entirely on imports for all the critical components it needs

to build CNC machines. These are products like Anti‐friction linear guide ways, Ball screws, Precision

spindle and ball screw support bearings, CNC controls, Spindle and axes servo motors with drive

controllers, Feedback measurement systems. These imports are mainly doe from Japan, Germany and

China. These imports constitute to be one of the major factors which increase the cost of the CNC

system. The practical issues related to the product manufacturing and using of the product would be

identified in the previous phase and this phase involves formulating solutions for these problems. The

product review and identification of further issues are also done here.

CNC System Market Potential

(Source: Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers Association, IMTMA)

Out of this total consumption 83% of machine tools are CNC machine tools. (Source: IMTMA)

Conducting a cost analysis of a machine tool approximately 26% of cost of a machine tool is due to the

CNC system installed in it. (Source: IMTMA)

So the potential market for CNC system is:

Total Consumption of CNC machines is 83% of Rs. 1, 17,642 Million = Rs. 97642.86 Million.

Total cost of CNC system is 26 % of Rs. 97642.86 Million = Rs. 25387.14 Million

Market potential for CNC system is Rs 25400 Million (approx.) and it’s growing at a rate of 15%

DETAIL DESIGN

The next major impetus in the machine tools market in India will be fuelled by the changes bought by

increased efficiency, meeting customized demand and reduced costs.

Indian Machine Tool Industry 2010-11 & 2011-

12 (INR Million)

2010-11 2011-12 Growth

Rate

Production 36,238 42,990 19%

Exports 1,358 1,802 33%

Imports 67,033 76,454 11%

Consumption 1,01,913 1,17,642 15%


8

Since this product development centers on the change in software along with the cost reducing factors

that are built along with it, the product as such has a market. With detail design we are trying to bring

in various cost factors that are part of the product design process. This also includes the indigenous

sourcing of materials, production volume, the number of unique parts that goes into and the

development time that it requires (both peak internal & any external).The market has a huge potential

to address the gap left by MNC’s who address the high cost category leaving out the SME’s that make

up a huge chunk.

Decide the type of organization

Concentrate on the type of design specialized by firm

Harping on Mission Values of the organization

The above Gantt chart displays how important & essential are stages like design & testing, it

provides a bird’s eye view of how a project is functioning on different dimensions time, cost,

and error among many other variables. The detail design helps organization to break down the

project into smaller integral components that work alone and are allotted to different teams to

reduce the workload and speed up the process. Like above displayed activity diagram different

processes are done parallelly to reduce cost as well as enhance productivity. Real-time

management of the chart helps to identify potential problems & progress.

Task Sequencing

Components Check

Dependency check on individual blocks are done

Planning Concept

Development System Level

Design Detail Design

Testing & Refinement

Production Ramp-Up

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400

Initiation

Planning

Concept Development

System Level Design

Detail Design

Testing & Refinement

Production Ramp-Up


9

Major Reasons for MNC’s being huge players are

Manuals & circuit diagrams were not available leading to problems in operation and servicing

Machines cannot be used directly, need total refurbishing, which negates the reasons for

buying cheaper second hand machines

Machine electronics are outdated and needed total replacement with the latest version

The Market share of Indian Companies in this entire sector is very low due to cost, manufacturing

capability, access to capital & technology.

TESTING & REFINEMENT

During the testing and refinement stage, a number of prototypes are built and tested. Even though

they are not made from production components, prototypes emulate production products as closely

as possible. These alpha prototypes are necessary to determine whether the performance of the

product matches the specifications, and to uncover design pitfalls and gain in-the-field experience

with the product in use. Later, beta prototypes are built from the first production components

received from suppliers. It is also an integral part of the prototyping stage, involves limited

distribution of the new product to select stores and end consumers. Marketing people should stay in

touch with store managers and evaluate how well the product is selling.

Dev. promotion and launch materials

Facilitate field tests

Reliability, performance and life tests

Get regulatory approvals


10

Implement design changes

Begin supplier ramp-up

Refine mfg. processes

SWOT Model

PRODUCTION RAMP UP:

At the beginning of a new production ramp up, almost all of the investments in research, product

development and manufacturing have already been made. Delays in reaching the production at the

target volume will also delay the revenues even more into the future. During the initial stages of the

production we will cater to key customers who are very much in need of our product and whose

involvement is high in the buying procedure. This will ensure proper feedback from the customers

which will help us in bringing changes in the production activities and will push us faster towards full

production capacity.

The product that we are dealing with is a high technology product and as such the rate of product

introductions are high in this field .Due to faster product introductions the price falls of these products

are also very fast. In order to counter this we suggest the use of faster ramp up strategy.

The problem with analyzing and coming up with an actual production number is a very hard process

considering the nature of the product; it depends on few factors like...

Relative Advantage

o Product performance relative to incumbent

Compatibility

o Consistency with existing values/experiences

Complexity

S

•Open Source System

•Customizable

W

•Would Need Programming Knowledge

•Design

T

•MNC Cost Cutting

•Similar Products

O

•Large Market •Market Timing


11

o Ease of Use

Triability

o Possibility to experiment with product

Observability

o Visibility of usage and impact

Faster ramp ups will increase the life time sales volume of the product and also will hasten market

penetration, potentially raising subsequent market share and deterring competitors.

Organizational Model

The organizational model that can be implemented in the production and the entire process can be

such that there is integration between management team, project team & any other functional

member or group involved. The project can be completed by breaking down the processes by

functionalities and then grouping them avoiding overlapping and thereby reducing time and cost.

Parallel development efforts will help in completing work faster if all the activities required are

mapped prior and assigned properly.

PDD - CNC Machines.pdf

Documents