When a customer asks for a single-off aerospace bulkhead, every minute between order and chip-cutting counts. Our application engineer Jay set out to program the part in Siemens’ NX using CAM Assist—and filmed the entire run – from a 3D part model to finished part.
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‍The set-up

• Part: 3 + 2 aerospace bulkhead prototype
• Approach: “One-and-done” machining to avoid multiple fixtures
• Challenge: CAM Assist must drive directly from both the part model and a separate tag model (no simplified stock)

What happened

• CAM Assist produced a first-pass program in just under 20 minutes - a substantial time saving compared to manually completing the whole toolpath
• Minor manual tweaks:
  • Slight edits to roughing to shorten cycle time
  • Spring passes added on tight-tolerance bores
  • Additional toolpath for the snap-off operation

Why it matters

• Higher spindle utilisation – less programming prep means the machine starts cutting sooner.
• Consistent strategy – CAM Assist’s templates keep toolpath style uniform across programmers and parts.
• Upskilling workers – Jay hadn’t used NX CAD/CAM much previously, but was able to produce a toolpath for a relatively complex part within minutes

Watch the full video (3 min) to see each step—from automatic toolpath creation to the finished part on the machine.

And find out more about NX here!

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