Follow #ToolTipTuesday to get the best performance from your ANCA machine

Read this in your language

Receive ANCA news direct to your inbox

Stay updated on the latest tips and technology

Grinding the perfect tool is a craft that can take many years to perfect. However, technology and automation have made the job of designing and grinding all types of tools much easier. Knowledge is power and we want our customers to have access to information on how to get the best out of their machines and software to be as efficient as possible.

Earlier this year we launched Tool Tip Tuesday where we share tips on how you can improve your tool designs, save time and delight your customers. Posted on our social channels LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and on our website, every week we send out a new post on a range of topics. Simply follow one of our channels or look out for the hashtag #ToolTipTuesday to read our informative posts.

This year we have covered the Whitestick, complex parameters, control points, cycle time display for Robomate and flute cross section among others. Read some of our tips here and remember, there is a new one every week.

Tip 1 - Scripting

Scripting can be used to create a tool geometry. Thomson Mathew, Software Product Manager said: “Exclusive to ANCA, scripting is a simple programming language that enables you to automate what was a repetitive manual task. Rather than drawing a tool design from scratch, having to add in the arcs of the geometry for example – you drop your tool script into iGrind or iPunch and it creates your design instantly - magic. A one-stop-shop the script creates a new tool file, adding operations and setting parameters automatically.” Where do you find these scripts you ask… contact us at marketing@anca.com to get trained up on how to create your own scripts or speak to your local branch to tell us what you need.

Tip 2 – CIM3D

Did you know you can simultaneously compare two tools in CIM3D? We’ll show you how to do this. Follow these steps: 1) Simulate a tool and save it as a VRML file, i.e. FILE > SAVE > VRML FILE (.WRL) 2) Make a change to the tool and simulate again. 3) Go to FILE > OPEN and select the saved VRML file. Both models will be shown side by side in CIM3D. Double clicking on the VRML model will display a menu with an “Edit position” option, which can be used to move the position of the model. You can also set the XYZ offsets to zero which will overlay the two models on top of one another. Turning on the “Cutting Edges” option and changing colour mapping can also help in comparing differences between models. This image shows a comparison of two corner radius tools – one with curvature gash and the other with plane gash.

Tip 3 – Auto save

Ever worked on a document or email which you’ve just invested a great deal of time in, only to have your computer crash and then realising you’ve forgotten to save it? We’ve all been there! By selecting Auto Backup in the User Preferences menu, your tool file will be automatically saved at regular intervals – which you can also set under Auto Backup Period. The file name will be the same as the tool but have a “.bak” extension. This ensures that your file is regularly backed up, and saves you time from having to manually do it which comes in handy when designing and creating complex cutting tools.