Conference proceeding
Virtual 3-D Laboratory for CNC Machining and Automation Curriculum
Association for Engineering Education - Engineering Library Division Papers, p23.1357.1
23 Jun 2013
Abstract
Virtual 3-D Laboratory for CNC Machining and Automation CurriculumGlobal competitions are forcing manufacturers, designers and engineers to constantly innovatenew product manufacturing strategies in reducing product development cost and time.Contemporary manufacturers have the option of selecting optimum technologies or processes tosuit their manufacturing environment. When these technologies are judiciously combined toaddress a specific manufacturing challenge such as the one presented in the paper, rapid productdevelopment for quantity production, will produce suitable results in terms of cost, quality, andtime. Equipping engineering students with the skills and knowledge required to be successfulglobal engineers in the 21st century is one of the primary objectives of undergraduate educators.The key to unlocking the full potential of the Computer Numerical Control (CNC) programmersand engineers lies in the ability to use the full range of the productivity tools incorporated intothe CNC equipment and software, while providing realistic operation, part programming, andmaintenance environment. Using actual CNC equipment or machine tools to deliver the hands-on experience that is vital to acquiring and demonstrating competence might be too expensive,especially when multiple locations are used for training purposes. Software simulators andhardware emulators can mimic the actual lathes, machining centers, and compound applications,while lowering the overall instructional cost, enabling students to acquire the required skills in asafe environment.The fundamental challenging problems in manufacturing education are related to: (a) Improvingthe student–instructional technologies interface to incorporate the required learning tools; (b)Improving teaching and learning effectiveness in online course and training. Therefore, the 24hour access to intensive and informative training tool is desired.This paper discusses the development of a virtual 3-D laboratory set of activities consisting oflearning modules and tutorials that will provide students with a realistic interaction with CNCmachine. The simulators used enable development of complex machine troubleshootingscenarios that are not feasible on real equipment. These simulators provide a realistic operation,part programming and maintenance environment at a fraction of the cost of using a real CNChardware or a production machine tool, therefore lowering the training costs. These simulationtools are basically means of optimizing part, machining process and tooling design. Hardwareand software simulators allow the users to learn how to program and operate the CNC machinein a virtual environment while the goal of the tutor system is to enhance student learning whenthe instructor is not available. Incorporating 3D animation allows students to visualize themachining processes and provides greater understanding of the challenges and operatingcharacteristics. Machine simulation includes real components like coolant, sound for machiningoperations and chips generation. Simulation software has over fifty different control models sothat not only our students will get familiar with the HAAS CNC milling machine that exist in ourlaboratory but also other universal control models such as Fanuc (Fanuc USA) or Sinumerik(Siemens).
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Details
- Title
- Virtual 3-D Laboratory for CNC Machining and Automation Curriculum
- Creators
- Yalcin ErtekinIrina Nicoleta Ciobanescu HusanuRadian BeluJack Zhou
- Publication Details
- Association for Engineering Education - Engineering Library Division Papers, p23.1357.1
- Publisher
- American Society for Engineering Education-ASEE
- Resource Type
- Conference proceeding
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Engineering Leadership and Society/Engineering Technology; Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics
- Identifiers
- 991019170153904721