Leverage strategic assets through DP Technology’s KnowledgeBase

By Niraj M Wanikar, Chief Editor, CNCTimes.com, 2015-03-02 10:04:05

KnowledgeBase gives you the power to leverage your shop's most important strategic assets — its best machining practices developed over the years — for maximized productivity and a sharpened competitive edge. ESPRIT's KnowledgeBase™ provides a push-button approach for any programmer or operator to determine the best method to machine a given part or feature by automatically selecting the most appropriate machining cycles, cutting tools, and machining parameters. Free your lead CNC programmers from repetitive parts programming, let them focus on strategic process planning to further improve your best practices — and take your enterprise to a whole new level of production machining.

Streamline Programming

With ESPRIT's KnowledgeBase™ the days of relying on your memory to recall what worked before are gone. In KnowledgeBase™, process-specific information is stored securely and is readily available to any operator or programmer. ESPRIT uses the accumulated "knowledge" of your shop's best practices and preferred methods to automate CNC programming. Streamline your parts programming with ESPRIT's KnowledgeBase™ and achieve an unprecedented degree of automation, quality, and consistency.

Close the Productivity Loop

The multi-user SQL database built into ESPRIT's KnowledgeBase™ closes the loop between CNC programmers and the shop floor by providing a central repository for accumulating shop-wide machining experiences. Refine your best practices using real-world input and apply them automatically for flawless consistency throughout your enterprise.

Sharpen Your Competitive Edge

Your processes are always up to date with KnowledgeBase™ — each time a process in KnowledgeBase™ is used to program a part, the process is automatically retrieved and updated to reflect improved methods, refining your machining in a cycle of continuous evolution. KnowledgeBase™ eliminates guesswork, and shop-wide consistency means unprecedented manufacturing productivity and profitability.

Part-Feature KnowledgeBase

ESPRIT's Automated Feature Recognition is a powerful KnowledgeBase™ component providing CNC programmers with a new level of productivity-enhancing speed and accuracy. Automated Feature Recognition subdivides a given part into features like pockets, slots, shoulders, and holes. Each feature has a set of known physical characteristics including height, thickness, draft, volume, and area. This KnowledgeBase™ component automatically categorizes these features into feature cases based on a shop's standards, terminology, and each feature's characteristics. Examples of feature cases described in KnowledgeBase™ include: Large Open Pocket, M10 x 1.5 Tapped Hole, Thin Wall Part Face, and O-Ring Groove. With KnowledgeBase™ your programming automatically starts with a clear definition of what you are about to machine.

Process KnowledgeBase

The Process KnowledgeBase provides detailed tool control and extensive process automation, automatically choosing the most suitable process to machine a given feature — including machining cycles, cutting tools, speeds and feeds, and all associated machining parameters. When a process is applied, process steps are automatically adjusted to accommodate the feature geometry and other feature characteristics. Programmers can also easily create new processes and update details of existing processes with the Process Manager. All machining parameters are presented in a color-coded display for a clear visual representation of each parameter's source and condition.

Speeds and Feeds KnowledgeBase

A Speeds and Feeds calculator presents the best cutting speeds and feeds for each machining situation based upon the part material class and condition, cutting tool style and material, machining operation, and axial and radial depths of cut. The Speeds and Feeds KnowledgeBase Manager allows programmers to add and update cutting speeds for any given situation, and the optional CUTDATA™ database simplifies programming with over 100,000 speed and feed recommendations.

Cutting Tool KnowledgeBase

The Cutting Tool Manager provides an effective method for managing cutting tool information for consistent and accurate tool selection. The powerful Cutting Tool KnowledgeBase, a multi-user database, works integrally with the Process KnowledgeBase to provide automated tool selection and can be accessed quickly and easily, whenever needed.

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