The manual setting and programming CNC, an unnecessary torture for operators

"Alp should be a center of technical knowledge and the key to achieve this is the communication and the relationships between my employees," - says Şenay İdil, director-general, who has managed a perfect culture among their staff on how to control the production processes. By talking to the engineers is clear that share the same enthusiasm to achieve the best results - "We analyze the entire production process cycle time and we were able to reduce the time of adjustment in some cases up to 50 %" said Cenk Akin", responsible for Engineering Department.""Software Productivity + and inspection of piece of Renishaw probes have made this possible." The benefits include not only saving in time and costs; We cannot rely entirely on the production process, given that we have removed the possibility of human error. "The repeatability of the process has improved - we have reached a higher level of quality using probes with less than a micron repeatability".

When you start the manufacture of a new piece a process engineer is assigned to the piece and is responsible for all the processes of the production cycle. The client sends the file CAD engineer and decides a machining process, including the selection of machining tools, using a CAM system of Unigraphics. The CNC program that generates the CAM is loaded into the software Productivity + of Renishaw, where the engineer adds inspection cycles. This final program is sent to the corresponding machine by means of a DNC system and machines a piece of proof before the commencement of its mass production.

Productivity + reduces time and costs

Software Productivity + was acquired in July 2007 with the aim of reducing the time of development of the process - the working environment of Alp is highly automated so it was not considered acceptable to manually schedule the inspection routines. Productivity + is based on a graphical environment that allows a "friendly" programming and easy to use. Alp engineers simply use CAD model characteristics to control, or defined parameters from the Windows of dialogue to define the inspection program. When it is complete, you select the desired post-processor and the CNC program generates automatically, ready to be sent directly to the machine.

For greater security, inspection routines can be graphically simulated in software, correcting errors before it reaches the program to the machine. Cenk Akin, head of Department of engineering, explains the key factors of benefit for Alp, "Productivity + facilitates inspection routines checking before sending them to the machine." "If you are running the machine to check processes rather than to produce pieces are losing money".

While Productivity + has been acquired recently, Alp leads using inspection of piece of Renishaw probes for years - "in fact, all the new machines are requested from factory with such probes". Engineers can remember the difficulties which were before you start to use the Renishaw probes on Alp - "the operator needed to manually align the piece on the table, or we needed a special tooling of large cost for each of the references that we mecanizábamos." It was necessary to change this method of manual setting and move to a more automated and reliable - method it was torture for operators.

Now operators use simple systems of mooring and programmed the machine that you use the probe and calculate the zero exact piece. The probe is used also as process control, for example, each piece is checked before the finish machining and once it is inspect the critical points of the workpiece in the machine itself. The cycle time, to eliminate the manual setting and the time of inspection in a three-dimensional machine, has been reduced by up to 50%.

Another important feature for us is that using the inspection of the probe routines can automatically update the zero part of the machine. We used to rely on the good do the operator, who could be easily - confused have avoided many rejections due to this. "The accuracy has improved - the probe is calibrated regularly and normally we reached repetibilidades of less than one micron in measurements".

The objective of reducing in Alp setting times is particularly important, since mechanized pieces have many variations and have a great deal of flexibility. Some sets of pieces can be mecanizing over a year, but some machines change series 2 or 3 times a day with only a few pieces for each series. It is therefore particularly striking that Alp is about achieving near-zero setting times, using pallet changing systems to allow operators load parts while the previous piece is being machined, and by part inspection probes to calculate the zero piece in seconds.

Philosophy and history of Alp Aviation

Senay Idil, CEO of Alp, explains how the company. "We do not in general machining, or manufacture simple pieces of the aerospace sector." We carefully select our clients with the idea of establishing long-term relationships. This is because that we believe in doing a job that we know will continue at the time, so we can establish a strategic plan for growth at the time of the signing of the contract.

Our idea of establishing a long term relationship applies both to clients as to suppliers. The technologies that we are talking about, piece of software Productivity + and Renishaw inspection systems, are critical to, with a relatively low investment, operate the machines in the most efficient manner possible. In 2006 we invest 12.5 million in machines and other systems after a period of careful consideration, but it was clear that he wanted that each machine had a tube for inspection of piece.

"Quality is a key element in the manufacture of parts for the aerospace sector, with a dimensional control 'in-process' defined by production engineer, but with an independent verification of 100% of the relevant characteristics of the final piece".

It should be recalled that Alp began in Eskisehir, Turkey, in 1998 as an independent company at the same time that Sikorski was looking for suppliers. Alp started manufacturing parts for them since then, and in June 1999, Sikorski - "impressed with the service offered by Alp" - bought 50% of the company. All decisions are taken in conjunction with Sikorski and their employees are working permanently in Alp.

Most of the components manufactured for Sikorski have as destiny USA, although some pieces are sent to the Czech Republic or Ankara in Turkey, where the components are added to the helicopters in final assembly.

Another customer of Alp is Pratt and Whitney, for whom elements of the rear of the fuselage of the F135 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft are manufactured. Landing gear are also manufactured for Goodrich. Work for this company is a clear example of how has been introduced and tested a new component of a fully automatic mode. Currently Alp is looking for more clients in the civil sector, in particular is working with the Turkish company TAI to try to get to manufacture components for the Airbus 380 and the Boeing 787.