C A M

S y s t e m

Challenging metals madeeasy with ESPRIT®
Not all parts are created equal. In someindustries, components made from standard
issue materials just don’t have what it takes toperform over the long term. Depending on theindustry, sometimes you need a component thatcan withstand tougher-than-usual conditions.
That’s where Winsert comes in.
Marinette, Wisconsin-based
Winsert develops, casts andmachines a number of heat-,wear- and corrosion-resistantalloys into parts that can withstandhigh load pressure, corrosive
fuel environments and hightemperatures. These products
include valve seat inserts; exhaustgas recirculation (EGR), engine
brake, exhaust brake, and turbo
system wear components andFrom left, Paul Dickinson, vice president of special
projects at Winsert, and new product technician
machinist Jeff Kubash use ESPRIT to examine
a custom fixture to support 5-axis machiningof a part that requires very high tolerances andexperiences high tool forces during machining.

assemblies; and valves andblades for various applications
used in the medium- to heavyduty engine, food and chemical
processing, and forestry industries.
Winsert’s R&D center focuseson solving issues related tomaterial wear by determining
the optimal materials, system
wear and performance for eachapplication, with an emphasis
on providing the highest quality
solution at the lowest cost.
Nearly 40% of the company’sprojects begin in the prototype
sample cell department, which
creates pre-production parts from
Winsert’s proprietary cobalt-, nickeland iron-based alloys. The very
thing that makes these materials
so special is also what makes themdifficult to manufacture: the heat-,wear- and corrosion-resistant alloys
are a challenge to machine because
they cause extreme machine toolwear. Because these materials
are developed to address specificcustomer needs, there are also nostandard cutting recommendations.
But Winsert can’t compromise on
the robustness or uniqueness of
its materials. “We can never relax
or do what our competition doeswith industry-standard materials,”says Paul Dickinson, VP special
projects at Winsert. “We have tomachine cast alloys that easily
rival the most challenging cobalt
and nickel base materials.”
While Winsert’s parts vary incomplexity, foundry patterns
require very clean toolpaths thatwill generate the required finishes
at a consistent draft without
wasting time cutting air. Confidence
in the code and simulation is a1

“The proof is when I am
talking shop with otherprofessionals, listening
to their frustrations andlimitations with their CAM
system. They explain
how much time is spent
generating toolpath, editingcode at the machine, andtheir complete lack ofconfidence with the code. It
is nice to be on the other sideof that coin with ESPRIT.”-- Jeff Kubash
new product technician machinist, Winsertmust, as many of the programs
have long cycle times and often
machine only one part. AndWinsert is often asked to commit
to short lead times on projects
that require foundry tooling.
All told, there are a lot of challenges
to surmount, and Winsert needs an
exceptional machine shop to ensure
it can rapidly evolve alongsideits customers to manufacture
functional and high-quality designs.
The shop runs more than 70
proprietary CNC 2-axis lathes, three
Miyano BNE and BNA series 6-axis
lathes, a Hurco 3-axis mill and a
Kitamura 3XiF vertical mill. While it
was still only a lathe shop, Winsert
began running ESPRIT in the late
1990s, due to its “impeccable”
lathe CAM capability and versatility.
When the company added milling
operations in 2009, ESPRIT
continued to deliver, even thoughother brands were evaluated.

“ESPRIT became the clear choice,”
Dickinson says. “And yes, wewould have changed to a bettersystem if we’d found one because
productivity is that important.”
ESPRIT enabled the company
to save processes and create
better toolpaths; it also provided
better options for 3D machining
and clean, accurate G-code.
“The proof is when I am talking
shop with other professionals,
listening to their frustrations
and limitations with their CAMsystem,” Jeff Kubash, new producttechnician machinist at Winsert
says. “They explain how muchtime is spent generating toolpath,
editing code at the machine, andtheir complete lack of confidencewith the code. It is nice to be on theother side of that coin with ESPRIT.”
Kubash says that the special
features ESPRIT has developed
over time — including templates,
tool libraries and saved processes— have helped Winsert reduce timespent on front-end programming.

Cycle times have been reduced by
as much as 90 minutes throughsuperior roughing toolpaths andenhanced 3D processes. ESPRIT
also allows the company tocontrol cycle times and eliminate
extra tool moves that once left
tool marks on the work piece.
The future of Winsert lies in
expanding its heavy-duty alloy
success into new industries.
With new product lines being
introduced all the time, Winsert
and its prototype sample cellare working to become evenmore responsive and flexible
in order to accommodate
demanding customers withhighly specific needs.
“We create our future by excelling at
what we do every day,” Dickinsonsays. “The future of Winsert is tocontinue to diversify our portfolio,
both inside and outside the engine.
We’ll do that by consistently
exceeding customer rapidresponse requirements. And that’s
why we choose to use ESPRIT.”

Kubash and Dickinson run their ESPRIT G-code through a Kitamura Mycenter-3XiF vertical mill.

2DP Technology Corp.
1150 Avenida Acaso
Camarillo, CA93012 USA
Tel: + 1 800 627 8479
Outside the US: + 1 805 388 6000
Email: esprit@dptechnology.com

Copyright © 2017 DP Technology Corp.
All rights reserved.
ESPRIT is a registered trademark ofDP Technology Corp.

C A M

S y s t e m