Module Works Press Release – Real time collision avoidance on the CNC controller
Part I Nobody wants to hear that a collision just happened, but instead that a collision can be avoided. Real-time collision detection running on the CNC controller finds and prevents collisions before they happen. This two part article explains why collision avoidance on the CNC machine is indispensable and how you can ensure real-time performance, even on CNC controllers with less powerful processors. The need for real-time collision checking on the machine As machining processes become more and more sophisticated, the risk of collisions between the tool, workpiece and machine components increases. Collisions mean costly downtime and cause expensive damage to the workpiece, spindles and sometimes even the whole machine. Most CAD/CAM vendors provide simulation software to check the toolpath for collisions before it is sent as NC code to the machine. But there is no guarantee that the real machine behaves exactly like the simulation. The simulation and the machine might interpret an NC command differently and produce different tool movements, or perhaps the operator has used a different size tool to the one in the simulation. Jog-mode is another risk because no CAM or NC based simulation can predict collisions that might result from the manual adjustment of the machine axes. These types of collisions are particularly common on complex mill-turn machines where the axes and machine components are close together. Then there is all the NC code that is programmed on the shop floor: even if these programs are simple, they have not been verified and can contain a potential collision.