April 2014 | ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com 43
When Brandon Switzer started Switzer Dynamics, he
knew the equipment he would need to continue his
career in building engines and intake manifolds for
drag racing. He had started shops before, the first time right
out of high school to support his own drag racing, and after a
few years of working solo, he leveraged
his experience, expertise and reputation
into a partnership in Alabama, followed
by a new shop.
In February 2012, Switzer moved to
Denver, North Carolina, about 25 miles
north of Charlotte, where with 17 years’
experience and three employees, he
opened his fully equipped shop. Equip-
ment included a dedicated five-axis
Haas VF-6TR, a Haas VF-3SS with Jer-
gens table and small trunnion, a seven-
axis multitasking Haas DS-30Y, a seat
of SolidWorks to model intake manifolds
and other components, and a seat of
GibbsCAM to program the machines. In
addition to the MTM (multitask machin-
ing) and five-axis options, Switzer added
the VoluMill option to GibbsCAM.
The shop’s primary business is
building nitrous oxide and induction systems for drag racing.
Switzer does custom work and fabricates its own line of intake
manifolds by forming and welding sheetmetal. Equipment
includes welding and fabrication equipment, a CNC press
brake, and support equipment, such as a Behringer saw and
a flow bench.
It was in a previous venture that Switzer first began work-
ing with CNCs and GibbsCAM software. After he had pur-
chased machine tools and software, he spent a few days with
his GibbsCAM representative getting started with CNC ma-
chining and programming. When he subsequently acquired
the GibbsCAM five-axis and MTM software, he decided to
learn it on his own. He struggled through his learning process,
but it was the way he wanted to learn, and he’s now confident
with both software and machines.
Opening Switzer Dynamics with all new equipment at once
was a huge effort, because Switzer wanted to know how to
run everything, and he wanted everyone to know as much
as possible. Although each Switzer employee has an area
of expertise, Switzer has taught all of them to run the CNC
machines. This way, when the shop needs to keep produc-
tion running 24 hours a day, for days at a time, everybody can
take turns at extra shifts. This happens regularly, because the
shop takes on production machining work to keep its five-axis
and seven-axis machines busy.
Volumetric Machining Lightens Racing Manifold Intakes
ShopSolutionsCase Histories of Manufacturing Problem Solving
“I enter the tool diameter, the number of flutes, and my desired chip load per tooth, and VoluMill does the rest.”
New Switzer Dynamics intake manifold made for Reher-Morrison Racing Engines
qualified with a first place at its debut at Bristol in April 2013. Previously fabricat-
ed from sheetmetal, it’s now made with components machined from aluminum
billet and programmed with GibbsCAM.
Switzer believes that trial-and-error is a great teacher, and
that he learns a lot by finding the limitations of processes and
machines. To that end, he taught himself the use of the mill-
ing capabilities provided by the Y axis of his seven-axis Haas
and how to program its milling functions with GibbsCAM MTM
software. As a learning exercise, he programmed a buckle
he was making for Simpson Performance Products (New
Braunfels, TX), the company known for its racing harnesses
and safety equipment, for machining on the MTM. The part
is made of stainless steel, has pockets machined through
the part, and has to have all edges radiused so that harness
straps aren’t cut under load. “You would never run production
of this part on that machine, but I wanted to see if it could be
done,” said Switzer, “and I used GibbsCAM VoluMill, to see
how fast I could make the part.”
Switzer feels that he learned a lot from that exercise,
and feels better prepared for jobs that really belong on that
machine, which is normally used for running high-volume
parts that the shop uses and sells, such as the nozzles used
in nitrous oxide systems, and other parts that can be turned,
milled and completed in a single setup.
Shop Solutions
44 ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | April 2014
Manifold valley and flanges machined from billet show
the pattern VoluMill creates when it generates the most
efficient toolpath motion for running at maximum rpm and
feed rate while machining the ½” (12.7-mm) deep pock-
ets in a single pass. Switzer leaves the machined finish to
demonstrate part quality and beauty.
The production run of the Simpson buckle was done on the
three-axis mill, using VoluMill for roughing. It was a challenge
because it is 3/16" (4.7-mm) thick stainless steel that required
a lot of material removal with 1/8" (3.1-mm) end mills. Switzer
said that the shop runs carbide end mills on stainless steel
hard at 12,000 rpm and that tools work best and last longest
at high speeds and feeds with VoluMill. “On other jobs, we cut
big pockets in 1018 steel with a 1/2" [12.7-mm] end mill, at
12,000 rpm and 300 ipm [7.6 m/min],
and we get tool life that is easily five
times—up to ten times—what it is with
conventional milling,” he said.
Traditionally, roughing toolpaths are
generated as parallel offsets with sharp
corners and transitions, which require
stops, starts and variable speeds to
prevent tool breakage, reduce tool wear,
and avoid excessive loading and tool
dwell. In contrast, VoluMill develops
toolpaths optimized for volumetric mate-
rial removal, using continuous tangential
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Shop Solutions
46 ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | April 2014
Completed runner is programmed
with GibbsCAM five-axis software
and machined from aluminum billet
in four-axis with a wall thickness of
0.090” (2.3-mm) to replace sheetmetal
fabrication. Built-in bungs eliminate the
previous welding and manual machin-
ing required for sheetmetal runners.
motion, specialized contour ramping and adaptive feed rates
to achieve the highest feeds and speeds possible. By leveling
tool load, maintaining constant machine-tool motion and using
high-speed repositioning, the software produces more efficient
toolpaths, extends tool life and reduces cycle times significantly.
A fuel injection manifold that Switzer Dynamics makes
for Reher-Morrison Racing Engines (Arlington, TX) that was
previously made with sheet metal fabrication illustrates the
capability of VoluMill. The deepest cut they make for three-
axis manifold machining is 1" (25.4 mm), although most of
the pockets on valleys and flanges are 1/2" deep. Instead of
programming conventionally with two to four passes of 1/4
to 1/8" (6.3–3.1-mm), Switzer programs a single pass at full
depth and full speed for everything, relying on VoluMill to
generate a smooth toolpath.
Although VoluMill has tables of suggested parameters,
feeds and speeds, Switzer does everything based on chip
load, running at maximum spindle speed and maximum feed
rate. “I enter the tool diameter, the number of flutes, and my
desired chip load per tooth, and VoluMill does the rest,” said
Switzer. “It’s easy, and it’s really fast.”
Switzer said that a programmer or machinist who is new to
GibbsCAM VoluMill may not understand some of the vari-
ables, so he encourages experimentation. “It doesn’t take long
to figure out what tools can do, what ramp rates work best for
a tool’s geometry. VoluMill doesn’t need to know everything.
You just tell it a few things, and it does the rest. You don’t
have to worry about it squeaking a tool in a corner, or doing
something bad. It’s going to be perfect.”
The shop used to make intake runners by hand-rolling
sheetmetal or by using radiused dies in a press brake, then
welding the seam to close them. They would then build the
whole manifold, mount it on a manual mill, and plunge mill
the holes in the runners to weld the bungs into them.
Now, using the five-axis mill, they make the entire run-
ner from aluminum billet, with bungs already on it, ready
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April 2014 | ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com 47
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to receive the nozzles, then weld the runners to the flange,
and weld the plenum on the assembly. The runner walls are
made to be 0.090" (2.2-mm) thick, to make them as light as
possible, so there is massive material removal. Still, mak-
ing the runners from billet is far more efficient than mak-
ing them by hand. For a production run, the shop usually
makes eight manifolds, requiring 64 runners. Machining the
runners, instead of making them from sheetmetal, easily
saves 75% of the time, and the shop has removed most of
the labor by eliminating welding and manual machining.
Furthermore, they’ve eliminated needing bungs, because
those are now built in.
To emphasize the quality of machining, the shop leaves
the toolpath as the finish on all machined parts for the mani-
folds, whether it is a VoluMill toolpath or a five-axis toolpath.
“When I see something polished, I look for the defects the
manufacturer is covering up,” Switzer said. “When somebody
sees the VoluMill pattern inside the pockets of our parts, they
can tell we have good programming software, and I like show-
ing the tool marks because it shows the quality of the work.
There’s no reason to hide that.” ME
For more information from Gibbs and Associates, go to
www.gibbscam.com, or phone 805-523-0004.
Feeding the Beast at Miller Welding with FMS
When its aging fleet of 630-mm horizontal machining
centers needed to be retired, Miller Welding & Ma-
chine (Brookville, PA), a shop that specializes in fabrications,
had two options: replace multiple stand-alone machines or
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Shop Solutions
48 ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | April 2014
At the heart of Miller Welding’s TIPROS FMS (flexible
manufacturing system) are two Toyoda FH630SX horizontal
machining centers.
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upgrade to a multipallet automation system. Given the plant’s
experience with a buffer-type cell for another operation, Miller
Welding took the automation route with TIPROS FMS (flexible
manufacturing system) and two FH630SX horizontal machin-
ing centers from Toyoda Machinery (Arlington Heights, IL).
With two loading stations on the 24-pallet cell, as well as
a 200-tool magazine for each machine, the plant was poised
to greatly increase production. “We didn’t have any specific
parts that we expected to be processed faster,” said Eric
Miller, vice president at Miller Welding. “What we did expect
was to replace as many as four machines with the cell. These
two Toyodas have already replaced five stand-alone machines.
We’re working on number six, and quite honestly, we expect
to replace more.”
It didn’t take long for Miller Welding to see an increase in
throughput. One of the company’s executives walked past the
FMS shortly after the automation cell had replaced just one of
the stand-alone machines. He questioned why the company’s
new investment wasn’t being put to good use, as the cell had
already sat idle for an hour. The answer was that the machine
started running from 5:30 am to 9:30 pm, finishing all the
work for the day that had previously kept two machines and
two shifts busy. It was then that Miller Welding began realizing
the benefits they were going to see.
Moving to newer technology, Miller knew cycle times
would be reduced. He also understood that the spindle utiliza-
tion an automation system provided would be much higher.
However, the combination of increased speed and uptime was
greater than anything the plant could have anticipated. In fact,
the process of transferring work from a stand-alone machine
to Toyoda’s FMS soon had made a name for itself among
Miller Welding’s engineers and operators: “feeding the beast.”
The system was so productive that the shop could not send
parts to it quickly enough, Miller said.
This increased productivity proved to be beneficial in a
breakdown situation on an older machine. Knowing the stand-
alone machine would be out of commission for an extended
period of time, Miller Welding was easily able to move produc-
tion from the down machine to the Toyoda FMS cell. With
this transition, Miller Welding met the customer’s production
requirement with minimal interruptions to the FMS’s regular
production schedule.
Within a year of installation, the FMS had 28 different parts
with more workpieces being added to the cell every week in
small quantities. This slow transition was no accident. “We
wanted to do it the right way and have consistent quality and
consistent expectations coming out of that cell,” Miller said.
Every part that goes into the cell has gone through a
routine in which the operator ensures all tooling and docu-
mentation are present. Programming for the cell is done
offline. While the operator proves the program, he takes one
of the FH630SXs off the cell to run in manual mode, while the
other machine continues with the scheduled parts. Once the
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April 2014 | ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com 49
It’s not a quick 10-minute process to add a new part to
the cell, but Miller Welding has put extra effort into a pilot
program to see if better up-front instruction for each work-
piece will prove to be advantageous at setting up the cell.
process is set, the part is introduced to the cell and its tooling
is added to the second magazine.
It’s not a quick 10-minute process to add a new part to
the cell, Miller conceded, but this extra effort is part of a
pilot program to see if better up-front instruction for each
workpiece will prove to be advantageous. “Everyone will say
that you don’t have time to do that. I think you don’t have
the time not to do it,” Miller said, “If you don’t take the time
upfront, then you’re going to have
problems that chew your time.”
To begin the documentation pro-
cess, Miller Welding’s manufacturing
managers asked its operators and en-
gineers how they could be better pre-
pared during the machining process.
By creating presentations for each
workpiece with tooling and fixturing
information, they could see how each
part should be machined and know
exactly what was expected of them.
This information gave Miller Weld-
ing the ability to bring operators up to
speed very quickly without sacrificing
production time.
After all operators were equipped
with the necessary part knowledge, it
only made sense to incorporate quality
control into the machining process. “We
wanted the ability to standardize our
processes and make certain the process
controls were robust. The part’s not go-
ing to come off of that machine unless
it’s right,” Miller said.
Besides standardizing its tomb-
stones and setting up tooling and
pallets in a way that could easily be
managed, Miller Welding began using
probing. Previously, one of the plant’s
major construction parts saw internal
rejection rates around 10%. Since mov-
ing the part to the FMS eight months
ago, only two parts have been rejected.
As is typical with any automa-
tion solution, Miller Welding noticed
its employees were concerned about
their jobs. Each stand-alone machine
required two operators per shift for an
area running two shifts a day, five days
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Shop Solutions
50 ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | April 2014
Continued on page 106
a week. The FMS cell required just one. “We’re not going
to lay employees off because now we can cut costs,” Miller
explained, “Yes, we could, but we can also reduce costs by
keeping them employed and putting them in lean and con-
tinuous improvement activities around the shop.”
By better utilizing its personnel, Miller Welding was able
to perform more kaizen events throughout the organization.
The first-hand experience of the operators gave them the
ability to know how to improve a manufacturing operation
or area.
In the meantime, Miller Welding is still working on
feeding the beast. Along with its usual fabrication jobs, the
installation of the FMS has allowed the company to penetrate
other markets. “I’ve been telling everybody that knows me,
‘If you’ve got anything that fits in a 30" [762-mm] cube, I
want to machine it for you,’” Miller said, “I can’t get enough
work for that machine.” ME
For more information from Toyoda Machinery, go to
www.toyoda.com; or phone 847-253-0340.
CNC Provides Shop with Needed Flexibility
Baum Machine (Appleton, WI) is one of the most complete
custom machine shops in northeast Wisconsin. Baum’s
capabilities include prototype and quantity production runs on
a wide variety of machined and simple or complex fabricated
components. To meet their customers’ requirements, Baum
requires flexibility, not just from their people, but also from
their equipment.
The word flexibility has taken on special meaning when it
came to selecting the automation products that Baum decided
to use. “We have to have the flexibility of the products to grow
with us,” said Karl Hornick, lead machine rebuild electrician.
“Baum Machine, which started out as a small one-machine op-
eration in 1989, has expanded into a multi-tiered business in a
55,000 ft2 [5110 m2] state-of-the-art facility. In other words, we
are growing in only one direction and that is up,” said Hornick.
What Baum Machine understands is that business growth
can only happen when both people and equipment maintain the
flexibility to compete in today’s manufacturing environment with
an eye toward what will be required in tomorrow’s environment.
As Fagor Automation (Elk Grove Village, IL) has learned
over the years, Baum is very serious about ensuring that their
products can meet strict flexibility requirements and has
selected its CNC control products with an eye toward meeting
the requirements of legacy equipment as well as the latest
state-of-the-art machines.
“We have machines that still require analog servo com-
mands. On new installations, however, we will require digital
Shop Solutions
106 ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | April 2014
Continued from page 50
Baum Machine’s capabilities include prototype and
quantity production runs on a wide variety of machined
and simple or complex components.
commands and some machines will need a mix of both ana-
log and digital servo commands due to motor concerns,” said
Hornick. “On top of these requirements the CNC must also be
capable of multiple feedback protocol interfaces.”
The Fagor 8055 CNC product series, which Baum uses, is
able to satisfy these requirements by allowing for both digital
or analog servo commands, which can also be combined on
the same control when necessary. In addition, both Sercos and
CAN digital protocols are available ensuring additional flexibility.
Multiple feedback protocols including both absolute or incre-
mental are available for the 8055 control and, in most cases,
with pre-manufactured plug-and-play cable assemblies.
Over the years, Baum specified that the PLC must have
the ability to be modified instantly from the keyboard. Prod-
ucts must be seamlessly married to each other, thus ensuring
not just a fast and efficient integration, but also assuring that
today’s advanced technology is quickly and easily accessible
and ready to run.
The Fagor 8055 CNC contains a built-in PLC that also
allows for CAN I/O modules as well as Local I/O, all program-
mable directly from the keyboard. This capability allows for re-
mote modules to be located in ideal locations within the shop
for best functionality. In addition, the 8055 CNC also includes
a built-in Logic Analyzer that allows for advanced, yet simple
PLC diagnostic assistance. The Logic Analyzer allows for up to
eight PLC signals/registers/timers to be monitored simultane-
ously on a single on-board plotter. The ability to program a
trigger and freeze of the signals helps make tough to diagnose
problems easy to solve.
Another aspect often overlooked is that Fagor Automation
products were designed to work together in harmony with one
another. Thus the Digital Drive System and Encoder Systems
complement each other to ensure the customer receives the
full benefit of today’s technology.
Fagor CNCs can quickly and easily be updated with new
features utilizing nothing more than the USB port on the
keyboard and requiring only a few minutes. The knowl-
edge that the 8055 is engineered around the concept of
simple programming utilizing both a conversational and
ISO G-code programming system in which no prior operator
experience is required to operate successfully has proven
to be the final key to all successful manufacturing opera-
tions. Every Fagor 8055 CNC contains a flexible parameter
set allowing for precise machine customization, but also an
on-board graphic editor that allows for true operator and
application customization. ME
For more information from Fagor Automation Corp., go to
www.fagor-automation.com, or phone 847-981-1500.
April 2014 | ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com 107
Fagor 8055 CNC is operator friendly in all respects,
including programming/operating and ease of new
feature updates and the ability to customize to suit
the operator or application.
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