If you run a CNC machining center like the Biesse Rover Multi Pro W G, you know it can handle several workpieces at once thanks to automatic loading and unloading. That advantage only pays off, though, if your CAD/CAM software knows exactly how the machine is built:

• how many tables it has;
• where the clamps are;
• which carriages it can position;
• which clamping system it uses.

That’s why you need a test on real parts before production starts. And that’s exactly what our application specialist Davide Pasetto did at Tiago José Pinto Unipessoal, where he tested PowerWIN on the customer’s machining center.

Read on to find out how the machine is configured and which windows were machined.

The Rover Multi Pro W G is Biesse’s machining center dedicated to window and door production. It performs every operation needed for standard and custom window frames, with any type of joint.

From a technical standpoint, this machining center features:

• two worktable systems for different applications: one for producing straight components, the other for arches and special parts, with a vacuum system;
• a 30 kW 4-axis electrospindle and a 16.5 kW 5-axis electrospindle, designed for tool changes in masked time, meaning while the machine keeps cutting;
• a double clamping line and a double operating group with multifunction units;
• an enclosed cabin that isolates the work area from dust and noise while giving the operator good visibility and easy access to the machine.

The configuration tested at Tiago José Pinto Unipessoal included two table systems. The first consists of 10 tables, each with a double row of finger clamps. This is the area dedicated to the stiles and rails of sashes and frames.

Finger clamps are designed for the automated production of standard window components and position themselves automatically. They handle thicknesses from 20 to 160 mm (about 0.8 to 6.3 in) with high clamping force, so you can remove large amounts of material.

The double row doubles the clamping units on the machine and, with them, production capacity. For the CAM, this means knowing, for every part, which table it’s clamped on and where the clamps are, so the toolpath doesn’t interfere with the clamping.

The second system consists of 5 HTS tables, which are pantograph-style tables. Each table has 3 carriages that take either clamps or suction cups.

On the Biesse Rover Multi Pro W G, the carriages are positioned according to the shape of the part, and the part can be held with clamps or with suction cups. This solution is designed for special windows with arches, shaped profiles or oversized components.

Are you evaluating a machining center for window production and want to know which configuration best fits your shop?

The installation wasn’t based on demo parts. Davide ran the tests on products the customer actually sells, in both soft and hard wood. The two wood families react differently to milling, so testing both gives a more complete and realistic picture of the production process.

In this case, the installation covered the company’s entire product range.

The first block of tests covered three variants:

• the classic traditional wood casement window;
• the flush window, where sash and frame sit on the same plane;
• the Ghost or minimal window, with visible sightlines reduced to a minimum.

Each variant has to be machined differently on the same clamp tables, because each one has its own profiles, rebates and joints. In PowerWIN, you build the window from a model with custom parameters: the installation verified on the machine the programs generated for each type.

In a wood-aluminum window, the wood acts as the load-bearing structure and the external aluminum cladding is fastened to the profile. Besides the wood machining, the program must include the seats for fastening the cladding.

For this window type, PowerWIN provides a library for managing aluminum parts and window accessories, with their codes and cutting list.

The lift-and-slide door is the type with the largest sections and with dedicated hardware for lifting and sliding the sash. That’s why it puts both part clamping on the tables and hardware machining to the test.

Want to explore all the features of our CAD/CAM software for window and door design and production?

The Biesse Rover Multi Pro W G can machine up to 12 parts at the same time. With multiple parts on the machine, a programming error can repeat across the whole cycle. That’s why the program has to be right before it reaches the machining center.

Here are the PowerWIN features that come into play in a setup like this one:

• Parametric design: you create the project from a new model with custom parameters, or import a drawing in a compatible format, for both catalog windows and custom windows.
• Hardware management: PowerWIN integrates with leading hardware suppliers. Through the dedicated library, you can define hardware behavior with standard macros or custom machining operations.
• Machine program generation: the software automatically generates ISO code to machine one or more parts on 3-, 4- and 5-axis machines. It integrates with EasyWOOD to optimize toolpaths.
• PowerSIM: it simulates machining on the CNC machine model. With Collision Check, you can prevent impacts between tools and machine parts.
• Produce Job/Batch: you can create a production job or import it from other software in WDL, LOG and XML formats, optimizing machining according to specific criteria.

The installation at Tiago José Pinto Unipessoal confirms a simple principle: on a machining center like the Biesse Rover Multi Pro W G, productivity doesn’t depend on the machine alone. It also depends on how well the software knows the machine’s tables, clamps and carriages. Testing the windows you actually produce, from standard wood to lift-and-slide, is the most direct way to verify this before going into production.

Do you have a machining center for windows and doors and want to know if it’s compatible with PowerWIN?