Virtual Beats Reality for Viewing Big Machines

 

At the Bohle Machine Tools booth, a digital display of this large turning center from Niles-Simmons reveals more about the machine’s capabilities than a live demo.

Seeing demonstrations of parts being machined is a big draw for many attendees at IMTS. Sometimes, however, live demonstrations leave something to be desired. That’s why Bohle Machine Tools has an alternative for introducing the latest designs and machining technologies from Niles Simmons Industrieanlagen GmbH, Chemnitz, Germany.

In live demos, coolant splash can obscure the action, for example. Large parts involving numerous operations can be tedious to watch. Many times, the action needs to be viewed from different angles to get a real picture of what’s going on inside the machine. For such reasons, Bohle is instead relying on the machine tool builder’s 3D virtual reality software in Booth S-8966. Visitors experience part-specific machining applications and get a closer look at several of Niles’ large machines and components through the custom virtual reality suite Niles uses in its design and manufacturing processes.

For example, visitors can view virtual machining operations by its heavy duty N50 MC turning-milling machining center, including the machining processes for two different parts: a large crankshaft with orthogonal turning/milling, boring/oil hole boring; and machining operations on a turbine shaft, showing TRAORI turning, hobbing, and inner contour machining. “This allows the observer to see the intricate details of an advanced machining operation, which would otherwise not be possible through the machine safety glass,” Wolfgang Henkel, Bohle president, says. “The virtual reality center makes you feel like you are standing right inside the work area.”