System and method for automatically tracking and utilizing excess material on a CNC machining system
AssigneeThermwood Corporation
InventorKenneth J. Susnjara
Life of this patent
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Abstract
In many manufacturing industries, off-fall or excess raw materials are often wasted as scraps. Even if the excess raw materials are later reused, they are not being used in an optimized way. The present invention discloses a system and method of profiling excess raw materials, assigning an identity to each excess raw material, storing the identity in a database, and using nesting part program techniques to identify an excess raw material best suited for the nested part programs.
Claims21
A method of managing an excess material left from a workpiece by using a computer numerical controlled machine with a controller connected to a database, comprising a plurality of steps of:
- selecting a workpiece program comprising a group of part programs to be performed on the workpiece;
- nesting the part programs onto the workpiece;
- machining the parts from the workpiece according to the part programs;
- formulating a characteristics profile of any excess material immediately following machining if the excess material fits a predetermined size criterion;
- deriving an identity encompassing the characteristics profile of the excess material;
- storing the identity in the database;
- storing the excess material for later use if no additional machine operations are to be performed;
- and
- discarding the excess material if the excess material does not fit the predetermined size criterion.
A method of managing an excess material left from a workpiece by using a computer numerical controlled machine with a controller connected to a database, comprising:
- (a) selecting a group of machine operations comprising part programs to be performed on a workpiece;
- (b) nesting the part programs on the workpiece;
- (c) machining the parts from the workpiece according to the machine operations, wherein the machining is performed on a worktable;
- (d) determining the dimensions and material of any excess material remaining on the worktable immediately following the machining step;
- (e) determining if any additional machine programs can be performed on the excess material that remains on the worktable;
- (f) nesting the additional machine programs into the excess material if any required programs can be performed;
- (g) machining the excess material according to the additional programs.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.