The multiple award-winning custom bike manufacturer Thunderbike manages its large number of individually machined parts using the CAM suite hyperMILL from Open Mind Technologies AG. Thanks to the five axis machining strategies from hyperMILL the number of operations could in part be halved and the run times significantly reduced, particularly for the elaborate, fully-milled wheels. A wheel design that resembles turbine blades with its internal free-form surfaces is just one example of the particular challenges encountered. Here the hyperMILL strategies stock roughing and rest material roughing are used. Functions which noticeably simplify programming can be effective for transforming already programmed component areas. Turn-mill jobs based on five-axis technology require reliable collision checks in order for the operator to be sure that the planned processes are actually possible. There is perfect interaction between hyperMILL and the control system used by Thunderbike, the Heidenhain.
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