POSTED ON 5/19/2020 – As manufacturing technology has grown more and more sophisticated, the level of complexity has grown as well. Even modest machine tools today have precision that can be measured in microns – which means part and tool setup must be just as precise. Of course, CNC technology has always depended on accurate measurements, but the process of part locating and inspection can be cumbersome and time-consuming. So, just as Mazak simplified CNC programming with MAZATROL, it now offers a software solution called SMOOTH Set & Inspect that makes part setup, inspection and tool setting as simple as answering a few questions and hitting a machine’s “cycle start” button.
A part of the SMOOTH TECHNOLOGY suite of software solutions available on MAZATROL Smooth controls, SMOOTH Set & Inspect fully integrates Renishaw inspection probes with Mazak’s CNC platform. The result is a secure, efficient solution that can cut inspection setup down from 10-15 minutes to 20 seconds, time savings that add up quickly.
The key to SMOOTH Set & Inspect is the streamlined user interface, which offers a conversational platform for inspection and tool setting much like MAZATROL itself. After selecting whether to perform a measurement or calibration cycle, users make a selection from a list of part feature types or tool setting options and enter in the correct parameters. The control does the rest of the work, automatically generating an inspection program, and results are available immediately through the interface for quick corrections.