ONGAA CAM – Nesting all parts of an assembly

At a recent private trade show it became abundantly clear that ‘Nesting’ , preferably automatic nesting, is a key requirement for the cabinet industry.

ONG Solutions set to work immediately and was able to provide the basic functionality, “One click per assembly”, “multiple sheet MPR output” and “reasonable response time”.  Parts are ordered to initially fit the largest parts first, rotating if required/allowed and placed on the first available space/sheet.

The general layout, using only the ‘boxed out’ perimeter geometry, is presented in a 4 sheet view.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upon final confirmation, sheet MPRs are produced and are visible in WoodWOP.

ONGAA CAM – Extending the parametric model beyond WoodWOP

Before I can explain how ONGAA CAM extends parametric models, a definition of what that is is due.

‘Parametric’ – with the use of parameters – is a way of defining something where parameters or variables are used to make something scale.

  • For example, a box, 24″ by 12″ by 6″ can be said to be half as wide as it is long and half as deep as it is wide, and the box is 24″ long (LENGTH).

In this simple example, only one number need be provided and all other number can be derived.  With this model any sized box can be made and it will always retain the desired proportions.

If only it were that simple …. Lets take that same example and add a little reality… make the box out of 1/2 ” plywood (this applies to all sizes).  The simple addition of a fixed width makes the dimension of the ‘components’ of the box a little more complex to calculate, but still relatively easy.

  • sides – LENGTH  by  (LENGTH /2 /2)
  • ends – ((LENGTH / 2 ) – 2 X 1/2 )  by  ( LENGTH /2 /2 )
  • bottom – ((LENGTH / 2 ) – 2 X 1/2 )  by  ((LENGTH ) – 2 X 1/2 )

Now lets style this box up a little more by making the panels shaker-style, but with fixed width stiles and rails.  The material for the stiles and rails is 2″.

I think you get the picture.

WoodWOP 5 and 6 do an admirable job of allowing you to define your machining with variables but it is tedious work entering it and debugging it.  (Yes, you are programming here, even if you did not know it).

Enter SOLIDWORKS and ONGAA CAM.  SOLIDWORKS is a tool to draw ( model ) with and ONGAA CAM connect allows you to connect the processing steps to the model.   So how does this help ?

Think of it like the difference between:

  •  ((LENGTH / 2 ) – 2 X 1/2 )  by  ((LENGTH ) – 2 X 1/2 )

and

  • Click that line and click that line ….

ONGAA CAM allows you to select the line of the model, no math required.  As the model is changed, the process dimensions change with it.  (and click a new MPR ready for woodwop – NC-Gen is created).

So far, WoodWOP could keep up so now lets extend this to beyond WoodWOP capabilities…

With ONGAA CAM, not only are standard variables available for use, but so are the all the attributes of the current process. I know this is a little confusing at first so here is a good example.  Lets say you want to define the ‘Pre-Score Depth’ of a sawing process.  You could just put in an arbitrary number say 11mm or you can select the ‘Cut-Depth’ and divide by 2.  ‘Cut-Depth’ is a process attribute.  It comes directly from the model so if the model changes, so does the depth and so does the prescore-depth.

 

The result in WoodWOP is the formula width depth filled in for the Pre-Score Depth

WindowCraft.com – New website launched

Windowcraft is a private Canadian company manufacturing and distributing quality custom windows and doors for architects, builders and renovators.

Windowcraft recognized the need to refresh their website and to ‘bring it closer to home’.  By this they meant that they would like to be able to add information themselves in the form of ‘Posts’ to serve their customers better.

ONG Solutions was engaged to update the site and provide them with the requested capabilities.

“If you are in the market for high quality windows and doors, please visit windowcraft.com.  I am a satisfied Windowcraft customer, Chris Reil, Solution Architect, ONG Solutions”.

TeamCrocker.ca – Website Launched

Members of Team Crocker have won a combined 17 Provincial and 8 National Curling Championships and are currently ranked 19th on the Canadian Team Ranking System. In 2012, they represented Canada at the Karuizawa International Curling Championship in Japan where they won Gold for their country.

In the coming season, the team will be based out of Edmonton, Alberta and will train at the Saville Community Sports Centre, home of the Canadian Curling Association’s National Training Centre. They will be participating in a number of high profile events on the World Curling Tour (www.worldcurlingtour.com). These competitions will provide a wide range of sponsor exposure opportunities through television, web casts, print and on-site attendance.

You can follow and support the team by visiting teamcrocker.ca.

GISH Launches Online Store

 

GISH, the creators of the scooshable skirt  have opened their online store.

The entire line of skirts, dresses and pants are now available at gishskirtsstore.com.

ONG Solutions was asked to provide a cost-effective e-commerce solution that can manage orders, inventory and shipping.  An end-to-end solution was selected and implemented that met the Gish criteria.

Real Parts from Solid Models with ONGAA CAM for SOLIDWORKS

It is not often that a customer is so pleased with a product that they take extra time to say thank you.

In this case the thank you came as ‘The First Part’  the customer produced with ONGAA CAM.

The part was drawn in SOLIDWORKS 2011 and used ONGAA CAM V1.140 for the HOMAG series CNC machines.

 

 

 

 

Once processing was applied, ONGAA CAM produced the MPR file  (compatible with WoodWOP 5 and 6) used to NC Gen the final instructions.

“The only issues we ran into was getting the part drawn accurately.  The beauty was as we corrected the drawing, all our processing moved with it.  ‘No recalculations required!’.

This view of WoodWOP provides a glimpse into how it could have been created manually with each calculation done by hand. (and drawing changes need to be recalculated)

 

The part required machining on all 6 sides.  With the ONGAA CAM ‘Flip’ feature, a single MPR can be generated which instructs the operator when to release and rotate a part.   Imagine drilling a through hole, deeper than your longest drill bit.  With ONGAA CAM processing can be added to drill from both sides ‘Accurately’ every time no matter how often a part is moved.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Distinct Directions Launches New Web Site

 

DistinctDirections.Com, a recruitment firm, specializes exclusively in dealing with software vendors who sell to Communications Services Providers.  This includes OSS/BSS vendors, optimization vendors, content vendors, vendors who sell to RBOCs, CLECs, MSOs, Wireless Operators, MVNOs and more.

When Distinct Directions needed to rework their website they contact ONG Solutions for advice and later asked that ONG Solutions take on the project.  They sited that the original framework was too hard to make changes in and they wanted to be more pro-active in the management of the site themselves. They also added , “You already know what I need and what I want.  I don’t want to try to explain it to someone who doesn’t”.

By taking existing software and combining it with feature components, also readily available, the new site was launched in a week.

ABYC – New Website Launches

The ABYC Communications team has been working for the past year to put a new face on our website. We’re happy to announce that the date for the changeover to the new design is expected to be April 15. The address of the site will remain the same, and ABYC members should be able to sign in to the Members Only section of the website with the same login name and password that they have been used to using. But the look and organization of the site will be new and, we hope, exciting for everyone.

We have explicitly designed the site not only to offer easy access to important information for members, but also to attract and appeal to potential new members. Therefore, we will have a top level of colourful graphics and text that will be directed primarily to those unfamiliar with ABYC. Below this there will be a menu bar that will allow ABYC members to go quickly to the page they want to find. Virtually all of the content of the current site will be imported into the new site without much alteration. At the same time, we have a fair amount of new content that will showcase the wonderful features of our club.

When the new site is launched on April 15, there will still be some things that need work. Some of the images you’ll see on the 15th. are placeholders until we’re able to get a photographer to take more appropriate shots – for example, we will need new images of the docks with the boats in the water and of our new, redesigned north entrance when that is completed. We hope soon to have an entirely new collection of images to complement the design. As well, much content remains to be added. We obviously hope to complete the process as soon as possible.

The Communications Committee deeply appreciates the hard work of the many people involved in the project, especially Chris Reil, who designed and implemented the new site on contract through his company, ONG Solutions. Lauren Stephens volunteered many hours of design expertise, which has added importantly to the visual appeal of the site. Krista Slack, Kate Driscoll, Carolyn Weckesser, and Keith Robson provided helpful design and content advice along the way, and Cheryl Wright and Cindy Sampson oversaw the long process with wisdom and good cheer as successive VCs Member Services. Thanks also to those members – particularly Jeff Levine and Scott Elliott – who have offered support as the project has progressed.

 

The above quote was a recent email news release regarding the launch of a new website design.  Included in the project was the porting of all existing content and the migration of custom applications without which the site would not function.

ONGAA CAM – Meeting the challenges of Computer Aided Manufacturing

Automating manufacturing comes with a long list of questions.  The question that follows ‘Which CNC machine to buy?’ is usually followed by ‘How do get from my drawing to the CNC making parts ?’.

Each CNC vendor has a basic solution for that.  Type in all the numbers by hand …. or at least try to type them in (correctly).

If the ‘program’ will never change and will make several million units, then this simple process is cost effective enough.  But what about the smaller manufacturer?  2-10 Units a year (of that size and shape).  Manually typing in each number for every size is just not practical.

If you use a 3D modeling program like SOLIDWORKS then adjusting the size of a ‘Model’ is relatively simple.  If there was only a way to attach the processing information to the SOLIDWORKS Model.  That way the processing stretches as my model does.  Even better … why not have the processing information attached to each ‘part’ change while the ‘Assembly’ is adjusted and all the processing of all parts are adjusted as a set.

Introducing ONGAA CAM, a SOLIDWORKS add-in specifically designed for Homag CNC machines.

In this example, a complete cabinet is ‘modeled’ in SOLIDWORKS.

Once the model is complete, including all components and drilled holes etc. It is time to add the processing.

 

 


Processing information is captured on a part by part basis. First the dimensions of the material then each of the processing steps.If a part appears more than once in the assembly, there is no need to define it twice.’Need to machine both sides of the material?’.   ONGAA CAM allows you to ‘flip the part’ as you defines the process.  No need to write two procedures to machine two sides. 

 

Each part will then produce a MPR or Macro file which is completely defined and WoodWOP is then used to confirm the process and generate the NC code.

ONGAA CAM produces MPRs because  WoodWOP and the NC Generator are  integral machine safety component.  Collision detection and other costly machine ‘move’ errors are avoided.  As the Homag software is upgraded, the ONGAA CAM process will take advantage of any new safety features available.

 

 

 

Since all the dimensions come directly from the model, any changes to the model are instantly available as new MPRs at the click of a button.

Each assembly will generate a complete set of MPRs, named and numbered for easy management of all date.

 

 

 

 

 

ONGAA CAM was developed in partnership with manufactures to meet the needs of manufactures.

Processes currently supported are:

  • Vertical Drilling
  • Horizontal Drill (in C also)
  • Universal Drilling
  • Vertical Routing
  • Horizontal Routing
  • Universal Routing
  • ‘Ply’ Routing
  • Vertical Pocketing
  • Horizontal Pocketing
  • Vector Pocketing
  • Free form (Polygon) Pocketing
  • Vertical Sawing
  • Universal Sawing
  • Graphical Comments

For more information on this product please contact info@ongsolutions.ca

Oh No, My Website has been hacked !!! Now what do I do ?

I’ve been hacked!  What do I do about it?  (Or what should I have done before it happened ?)

This was the very question we were asked recently after a national TV news station called a company to tell them their site was now selling cheap generic drugs instead of what it was designed to do.

There are some very simple steps to ease the pain, frustration and anger.

  1. Make backups or your website.  No I mean make your own backups !  Don’t rely on your internet provider, they work towards recovering from failed equipment not anything do with your content.  Also remember to keep the backups for longer than you might ever think you would need (I’ll get to that later)
  2. Check your site regularly.  Use a browser to look at your own content.
  3. Check your site on Google, Yahoo and Bing.
These steps may sound overly paranoid to sound and just overly obvious to others but here are the reasons for the steps and this post.
In late October, after a very embarrassing phone call the company now knew something was very wrong but was also very confused.  They themselves updated the web content on an almost daily basis and looked at the site even more often.  How could they have missed this?
This hack was different from the graffiti that is the most common.  This one only affected visitors that came from Google or Yahoo.  Direct visitors (type in URL directly) or bookmarked visitors saw what they were supposed to.  If you googled and followed the link you were now at a ‘Cheap Drugs’ website.  The side effect was also that google now listed cheap drugs under their name. Not good.
By now, steps 2 and 3 should now be obvious.  What some hackers want is your traffic and your good name with it in Google.  Since most companies eventually bookmark their own site, they can hide the fact that this is happening for a long time. At least long enough for search engines to index your ‘hacked content’.
Keeping many, many revisions of backups became painfully clear when it was discovered that the site had been hacked months ago but the ‘hack’ was dormant for at least a month.  When the first backups were restored, nothing changed!! Still hacked!!  (The hack was backed up too)
It eventually took several days of searching and restoring  parts of the site to remove it for good.
Most ISPs offer tools for customizing backups (database and files) for free.  Using these tools at regular intervals will make managing a website easier.