Vortex high-speed roughing

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1 Vortex high-speed roughing Toolpaths from Vortex follow the shape of the part to give more efficient machining The new Vortex strategy for highspeed area clearance will be the major enhancement for the 2013 release of PowerMILL for high-speed and fiveaxis machining due to be available to customers in July. The new strategy will also be added to FeatureCAM and PartMaker later this year. Vortex, for which Delcam has a patent pending, has been developed by the company specifically to gain the maximum benefit from solid carbide tooling, in particular those designs that can give deeper cuts by using the full flute length as the cutting surface. It can be used for two- and three-axis roughing, positional five-axis area clearance and for rest machining based on stock models or reference toolpaths. Like other Delcam roughing strategies, Vortex toolpaths are calculated to give more efficient machining by following the shape of the part and by keeping air moves to a minimum. This is particularly important for rest machining operations. One fundamental problem with conventional area clearance strategies is that the optimum cutting conditions only occur during a straightline cut. Any internal corners within the model significantly increase the engagement angle of the cutter. To protect the cutter, this increase needs to be balanced by setting a lower feed rate. The user then has the choice of using this lower rate over the whole toolpath, which increases the machining time, or varying the feeds and speeds as the cutter moves around the model and so increasing wear on the cutter. Unlike other high-speed roughing techniques that aim to maintain a constant theoretical Delcam s new Vortex strategy offers higher material removal and longer tool life metal-removal rate, the Vortex strategy produces toolpaths with a controlled engagement angle for the complete operation. This maintains the optimum cutting conditions for the toolpath that would normally be possible only for the straightline moves. As a result, the cutting time will be shorter, while cutting will be undertaken at a more consistent volume-removal rate and feed rate, so protecting the machine. Because Vortex toolpaths have a controlled engagement angle, tools will never be overloaded and so will achieve the maximum tool life. Shock loading caused by changes in the contact angle is eliminated, preventing chipping of the flutes. In addition, the stability of the cutting conditions gives constant edge temperatures so prolonging the life of the tool coating and protecting against heat damage to the surface of the part. Finally, the ability to use stepdowns of up to two, or even three, times the tool diameter spreads the tool wear evenly over the cutting surface of the tool, again contributing to longer tool life. Anyone using the Vortex strategy will be able to hear the difference immediately, claimed Mark Forth, Product Manager for Delcam s Advanced Manufacturing Solutions. Conventional roughing produces a sound of varying pitch, which indicates tool overload and chatter, while Vortex roughing gives a constant pitch, showing that the tool is operating under consistent conditions. Users will also be able to see the difference in the regular size and thickness of the chips produced, providing further evidence of the consistency of the cut. The new Vortex toolpaths benefit from the general advantages of PowerMILL, including support for 64-bit computing and multiprocessor operation to minimise calculation times, plus the comprehensive options for leads and links. Furthermore, they can be used in association with the step-cutting strategy introduced in PowerMILL 2012 R2. This approach minimises the terracing that can result from using a large stepdown by moving back up the part and automatically generating extra toolpaths to remove additional material at intermediate slices. It optimises the amount of material that can be removed with a single tool as well as helping to maintain a more consistent removal rate by increasing the feed rate for the intermediate slices. P2 MTA Best Supplier Partnership Support recognised at Manufacturing Industry Awards P6 Machine-specific CAM software Calculating toolpath routes for particular machines P11 FeatureCAM 2012 R2 New strategies for roughing and turn-mill For more news, go to and

2 2 mach.delcam MTA Best Supplier Partnership Delcam was presented with the Best Supplier Partnership award for its relationship with Coventry Engineering Group at the MTA Manufacturing Industry Awards held at the ICC, Birmingham. This category celebrates successful relationships between a customer and supplier, covering any business partnership that has delivered excellence in innovation, sustainability, value or delivery. It was very pleasing to receive an award recognising our high levels of customer service, especially as the ceremony was in our home city, commented Delcam Marketing Manager, Peter Dickin. We have received many awards, including three Queen s Awards, for our technical innovations, so it is very satisfying to see the recognition for our customer support staff and gain an independent acknowledgement of their efforts to ensure that our users get the maximum benefit from our software. Coventry Engineering uses FeatureCAM to program three Mazak Integrex mill-turn machines. The combination of the mill-turn machines and the Delcam programming system has increased productivity and shortened lead times, while maintaining consistently high quality. Coventry Engineering Group comprises three companies, with a total of over sixty years manufacturing experience, which were brought together in a management buyout in The core businesses are Coventry Toolholders, which designs and manufactures spindle-nose tooling, and Centreline, which produces driven toolholders. The Group s Engineering Services Division provides precision subcontract manufacturing. While it was initially established to fill any gaps in capacity in the other two businesses, the ESD has now grown into a successful operation in its own right. We have gained a big increase in productivity through the ability of the Integrex machines to machine many of our parts in one hit, claimed Manufacturing Manager, Gary Skraga. In addition, we have been able to take on much more complex parts. The increased complexity prompted Coventry Engineering to invest in a CAM system for the first time, having relied on manual programming for its earlier, less sophisticated equipment. Our first Integrex, which we added about seven years ago, allowed us to take on work that we couldn t have attempted before, explained Mr. Skraga. However, as we moved into these more complex parts, programming with the manual FeatureCAM has made programming much easier for complex components control was becoming too long-winded so we needed to move over to using a CAM system. FeatureCAM has made programming so much easier, especially the feature-recognition capabilities, he said. The software also gives you the flexibility to modify the toolpaths. If you don t like anything in the program, you can override it to get exactly the results you need. In addition, the support from Delcam has been brilliant. Any issues we have are sorted out within a day. The MTA Award being presented to Steve Creron, General Manager of Delcam UK (left), and Rob Gordon, Managing Director of Coventry Engineering Group (second right), by BBC presenter Susanna Reid and Mark Ridgway, Vice President of the MTA and Managing Director of Group Rhodes (right)

3 mach.delcam 3 The flexibility of its Delcam software has been a key factor in the rapid growth of A&M EDM. Unlike many subcontractors that choose to specialise in supplying a particular industry, A&M EDM has always sought a diverse range of customers. Flexibility sparks rapid growth A&M was founded by Managing Director Mark Wingfield in 2002 with two EDM machines in a rented space within the current building in Smethwick, near Birmingham. The company now owns the whole site, is one of the largest spark erosion service providers in the UK and has a rapidly growing machining business. We don t want to be limited to any industrial sector; we are a subcontractor for anyone who needs our precision engineering services, explained Quality Manager, Kevin Powell. We take on projects from automotive, autosport, aerospace, electronics, medical or energy, plus all types of mouldmaking and press tool manufacture. As well as being important to our growth, this flexibility helps in any downturn because a shortfall in one sector can be balanced by extra business from the others. Investment in the latest technology has been another key component in the success of the business. The site now contains over 30 CNC machines; the majority are less than five years old and feature the latest in EDM, wire EDM and conventional machining technologies. Even during the recent recession, A&M carried on recruiting extra people and investing in more equipment to continue to strengthen the company. From the start, A&M built its reputation on fast turnaround and high quality. This approach has allowed the company to expand through generic growth in a number of larger core customers and from recommendations from satisfied clients. One of its earliest successes came through providing an overnight repair service for press tools by manufacturing replacement inserts for delivery the next morning. This success convinced Mr. Wingfield that he needed to add machining capabilities to his EDM business and lead to the initial purchase of two Hurco machines in We wanted to be able to complete everything in-house, rather than risking any quality or delivery issues by using sub-contractors, he remembered. Subsequently the machining side of the business has grown more quickly so that it will probably be around half of the company s turnover this year. A&M already has one mill-turn machine, plus two CNC lathes, along with nine mills, The sales staff at Delcam are very good and really know what they are talking about, while the support team is excellent. Any problems we have are sorted out very quickly. This is essential for any business like ours that has built its reputation on fast delivery. including two with five-axis capabilities. Mr. Wingfield is planning to add two more Hurco machines to meet this growing demand. We have used Delcam software for about five years, soon after we bought the first Hurcos, said Mr. Wingfield. We started with PowerSHAPE for our data translation and design work, and then added PowerMILL for programming. I knew Delcam from a previous company and had always thought it was good software. I ve never regretted that decision; it has always done everything that we needed across all the different types of work we have to tackle. The Delcam software is easy to use for systems that are so powerful, he added. We have taken people that were expert machinists but had no computer experience, and soon had Programming its Hurco machines with PowerMILL allows A&M to deliver high quality A&M built its reputation on fast delivery of complex parts them programming our five-axis machines. Programming our Hurco machines with PowerMILL allows us to deliver the high quality and rapid turnaround that our customers demand, while the flexibility of PowerSHAPE allows us to do all of the different facets of our work. The sales staff at Delcam are very good and really know what they are talking about, while the support team is excellent. Any problems we have are sorted out very quickly. This is essential for any business like ours that has built its reputation on fast delivery. A&M is currently targeting further growth from the aerospace industry. It has been accredited to ISO , AS9100 and NADCAP, and was one of the first subcontractors to receive SC21 accreditation. We have applied for planning permission to extend our building because we know there is a lot of work out there, commented Mr. Wingfield. We are close to winning some long-term contracts to underpin the rapid-turnaround projects where we currently find most of our business. With the support we receive from Delcam and Hurco, I m sure we will be able to continue our expansion.

4 4 mach.delcam B-axis turn-mill and four-axis wire in DFS B-axis turn-mill allows milling features to be created easily based on the b angle of the feature itself. Both the b-axis angle and the rotational orientation of turning tools can also be controlled. The technique can be used on multitasking machine tools, like the Mazak Integrex and the Mori Seiki NT range. Delcam for SolidWorks 2012 R2 supports b-axis turn-mill operations The wire EDM module introduced in the initial 2012 release has been extended to cover fouraxis operation. Users can choose from die, punch, profile and rapid operations, along with a variety of other options, to generate code for all types of wire EDM equipment. As with all other Delcam for SolidWorks modules, the wire features are associative to the model so the The 2012 R2 version of Delcam for SolidWorks, the integrated CAM system for SolidWorks, was launched at SolidWorks World in San Diego. The new release includes new modules for b-axis turn-mill and four-axis wire EDM, plus numerous improvements to the existing functions for rough milling and finishing. As a Gold Partner CAM product, it is, of course, fully compatible with the latest release of SolidWorks. code will update automatically following any change to the design. Delcam for SolidWorks 2012 R2 also incorporates enhancements from the 2012 R2 release of FeatureCAM on which it is based, including a series of new strategies for 2.5D roughing, improved Z-level finishing, Z-axis indexing, and faster simulation. Another sales record Delcam achieved record sales of 41.9 million and record profits of 3.73 million in Sales increased by 14% over the previous record set in 2010, with growth seen in most of the company s international markets. The latest results continue the growth in sales seen since 2009, with the further recovery in global manufacturing prompting increases in demand for both new software licences and maintenance contracts. Sales for the second half of the year reached a new high, meaning that Delcam has set new sales records in each of the last four half-year periods. The company s improved performance was evident in its traditional markets, in particular in the automotive and aerospace industries, as well as in its newer healthcare business. The strongest overall sales continued to come from the USA and Germany, while the fastest increase in sales of new software licences came from Asia, especially India, Indonesia and Korea, and from direct sales in China. However, there were many global examples of significant growth, with 28 of Delcam s resellers achieving increases in their sales of more than 20%. Delcam Professional Services, which was formed from the combination of the Professional Services Group and the Tooling Services Division at the start of the year, is showing an excellent performance. Demand for its process development and prototype manufacturing services continues to grow and investments are being made to increase capacity in this area. Continuing its strategy to promote long-term growth, the company invested strongly in product development. Delcam invested 10.7 million over the year, an increase from the 9.6 Delcam received its sixth Queen s Award during 2011 million invested in In line with the company s long-standing policy, at least one new version of all of Delcam s main software products was released during the year. Other highlights of the year included the presentation of Delcam s sixth Queen s Award for Enterprise in June and the announcement by CIMdata in July that Delcam had retained its position as the world s leading specialist supplier of CAM software and services.

5 mach.delcam 5 PowerMILL for prosthetics PowerMILL is used by Chas. A. Blatchford & Sons Ltd to manufacture the company s award-winning range of lower-limb prosthetics. The software is an important part of Blatchford s drive to develop the highest quality products, while at the same time increasing volumes to meet the growing need for prosthetics. The Blatchford name has been associated with providing excellent rehabilitation products and services for more than 120 years, during which time the company has become recognised as a global supplier of lower-limb prosthetics and orthotics. In the UK, the company has been given more than 30% of all NHS contracts to supply artificial limbs to British amputees, while its technical expertise has been recognised with four Queen s Awards for Innovation. In addition, Blatchford provides the prosthetics service to injured soldiers for the Ministry of Defence at the Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre. For the last five years, the company has been pursuing a strategy of re-inventing itself in order to meet the new challenges of the changing demands of markets and Blatchford is recognised as a global leader in lower-limb prosthetics and orthotics One significant difference is the amount of different tooling needed for many of the parts, with Blatchford s unique designs requiring up to 100 tools, including extensive use of non-standard items. PowerMILL s tooling database is essential in managing this complexity. With its five-axis Matsuura machines, Blatchford can produce all of the critical features of most parts in one operation patients. This programme has included the introduction of a growing number of five-axis Matsuura machine tools, all of which are programmed with two seats of PowerMILL. The combination of machines and software is used both for the direct machining of metal components and for the production of tooling for carbon fibre and silicone parts. The new strategy also involved the recruitment of more staff with an engineering background, rather than experience in medical device manufacture, including Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Ian Keeley. Mr. Keeley began his career with a five-year apprenticeship in toolmaking, before moving into aerospace manufacturing with companies including Mettis and Columbia Precision. He started using PowerMILL in 1999 and quickly saw the benefits of the Delcam software. With one project, we were able to reduce the machining time from five hours to less than two hours, he remembered. His machining expertise led to his recruitment by Blatchford around four years ago, at a time when the company was targeting a significant increase in its volumes of parts. PowerMILL gives Blatchford a better surface finish on its metal parts Many of the materials used at Blatchford are the aerospace grades of aluminium and titanium that Mr. Keeley was familiar with from his earlier career. Similarly, the key benefit of moving to the five-axis equipment remained the ability to machine all of the critical features of a part in one operation, with only a second clean-up operation needed to complete the majority of components. One significant difference is the amount of different tooling needed for many of the parts, with Blatchford s unique designs requiring up to 100 tools, including extensive use of nonstandard items. PowerMILL s tooling database is essential in managing this complexity. We have established databases for each machine, each containing around 240 tools with the associated feed and speeds, Mr. Keeley explained. We can drag and drop tools between the machines and quickly add details for any new tools that might be needed. Using these databases saves a lot of programming time when we are producing initial samples, plus it is easy to edit the toolpaths to optimise feeds and speeds if we move to a longer run. Some projects can run for up to ten years so this optimisation makes a significant contribution to our productivity. The overall versatility of the software was the other key benefit highlighted by Mr. Keeley. You can get PowerMILL to do pretty much anything, he commented. I ve used other CAM systems but they don t give you the flexibility of PowerMILL. It gives more efficient machining with a better surface finish. It is also extremely reliable what you see on the computer is what happens on the machine.

6 6 mach.delcam Machine-specific With all CAM systems, the programmer generates toolpaths in the software, which are output as machine-readable code to be run on the machine tool. For each project, the user has to choose the most efficient way to machine the part. This will be done by selecting various strategies, starting by removing the bulk of the material and ending up with finishing the detailed model. Within each strategy, various parameters must be set that will determine exactly how the material is to be removed. Typical parameters include feed-rate, spindle speed, stepover and stepdown, minimum corner radius and point spacing along the toolpath. For cutting a given material with a given cutter, the tooling manufacturer will publish a recommended feed-rate, spindle speed, stepover and stepdown. However, these figures usually relate to the machining of fairly simple geometry using predominantly straightline moves. Other parameters (e.g. corner radius, distance between points) are set according to the user s experience. These user-determined parameters have become more important for modern CAM systems, including PowerMILL, because the toolpaths generated, especially for roughing, have become much more complex, with far greater use of arc moves rather than straight lines. These new types of toolpath increase the efficiency of roughing operations by focusing on maintaining a more consistent metal-removal rate, so reducing variations in the load on the cutter, allowing faster feedrates and increasing tool life. The information from the Machine DNA Profiler is used to optimise the toolpaths produced. The Delcam Machine DNA Profiler represents the first attempt to bring a truly scientific approach to optimising machining efficiency with a CAM system. It replaces the trial-and-error approach to programming by allowing right-first-time toolpaths to be generated on a consistent basis. While they do give greater efficiency, these systems take no account of the ways in which different machine tools will react to a given geometrical toolpath. For instance, machine tools all have their own dynamic limits and they have a variety of minimum response times. Of course, the programmer gains experience from using a particular machine tool but this knowledge rarely has any scientific basis. For example, arcs with a small radius can only be run slowly, so, if the programmer wants to run the cutter at a high speed, he must give arcs a larger radius, but how large? Similarly, he needs to know the minimum distance that points should be placed apart without violating the response time of the control. The new release of PowerMILL will incorporate Delcam s Machine DNA Profiler, which performs automated tests on the machine tool to profile its performance, for example, the movements the The 2013 version of PowerMILL, scheduled to be available in July, will be the first CAM program that calculates the route of a toolpath with reference to the characteristics of the machine on which it will be run. Existing CAM systems base the toolpath on the shape and material being cut, but take no account of the specific machine to be used. The unique Delcam technology, for which a patent has been submitted, will be incorporated into FeatureCAM later this year. machine tool and control can accommodate at any given feed-rate. The results are fed back into the software and used to calculate the optimum toolpath for that machine. As before, the user will set cutting parameters within the CAM system, according to the material and tool being used. Other parameters, such as corner radius and point spacing, are automatically set by PowerMILL, based on the results from the Profiler. This approach will ensure that the part is made optimally on the particular machine tool using scientificallycalculated values, rather than relying solely on the experience of the operator with that specific machine. The Delcam Machine DNA Profiler represents the first attempt to bring a truly scientific approach to optimising machining efficiency with a CAM system. It replaces the trial-anderror approach to programming by allowing right-first-time toolpaths to be generated on a consistent basis. A cycle of testing and optimising is acceptable for higher volumes of parts, where the time and cost of the trials can be amortised over many thousands of components. However, this approach is too expensive and timeconsuming for companies having a rapid turnover of designs. For these companies, there is a tendency to use unduly conservative parameters, sacrificing efficiency in order to maintain process stability. Using a series of standard tests with the Delcam Machine DNA Profiler on each machine allows the programmer to produce toolpaths that take

7 mach.delcam 7 CAM software proper account of the characteristics of that machine, rather than using the same toolpaths for every piece of equipment and altering only the feed rate to determine the manufacturing time and efficiency. For most programmers, there is considerable pressure to generate toolpaths as quickly as possible, with little opportunity to investigate how machining efficiency might be affected by changing the parameters they use. In addition, the results can only be validated by cutting sample parts. By using the Profiler, the programmer can be confident that he is using the optimum values in developing his programs. The result will be more efficient toolpaths in shorter programming times, with reduced need for testing on the machine. In many production operations, the initial parts are produced with conservative feeds and speeds, with the rates being increased, either across the whole operation or for specific strategies, as confidence in the process increases. There is rarely any attempt to adjust the toolpaths themselves to improve productivity. Using the Profiler allows toolpaths to be optimised for the highest efficiency from the machine, while giving sufficient confidence for Delcam s Machine DNA technology allows information from the machine tool control to be used within the CAM software faster feed rates to be used from the start of production. This will obviously increase productivity. Using the Profiler will be especially valuable for companies that are investing in new machine tools to expand production of an existing part. With the traditional approach to programming, the new machine will normally be run with the same toolpaths that are in use on the existing equipment. Toolpaths are rarely recalculated to take advantage of the new machine, not least because the programmer will not have an exact understanding of its capabilities. Again, feed rates might be increased as confidence in the Using a series of standard tests with the Delcam Machine DNA Profiler on each machine allows the programmer to produce toolpaths that take proper account of the characteristics of that machine, rather than using the same toolpaths for every piece of equipment and altering only the feed rate to determine the manufacturing time and efficiency. new equipment grows but this approach will only give part of the increase in efficiency that should be possible. By analysing the new machine with the Profiler, the programmer can quickly gain the information needed to generate modified toolpaths that will take full advantage of the new equipment. This will ensure that the benefits of the investment are realised in the shortest possible time.

8 8 mach.delcam Successful expansion A 1 million investment in machine tools is significant by any company s standards, but often new, state-of-the-art, machine tool technology can expose deficiencies in other areas of the manufacturing process. This is exactly what happened when Lion Engineering invested in Mazak machine tools, capable of high-speed cutting and offering significant improvements to productivity. Unfortunately, the new machine tools exposed significant limitations in the company s CAM software, in particular in the post-processor capabilities. Lion Engineering, which is based in Great Yarmouth, primarily manufactures components for the onshore/offshore drilling industry; it produces many different types of products for down-hole drilling and production equipment. Lion also specialises in applying hard-facing treatments and welding services to help reduce wear in abrasive conditions. Director Martin Brown, who joined the company in 1972 and took part in a management buy-out from the previous owners in 1985, explained that working for the petrochemical industry could be very demanding with the standards and expectations being extremely high. We are as busy now as I have ever known it since joining the company, he claimed. During the last downturn, stocks of parts were run down and these now need to be replaced; whilst activities in the industry remain at the higher level so shall the demands on our services. There has been a dramatic change in the industry over the last ten years, he added. As new technology and the price of oil have increased, it has become economic to drill deeper wells in more harsh environments. This has both increased the demands on the equipment we supply and made the costs of any failure even higher. Lion Engineering first moved into CAM four years ago when it increased its milling capacity and acquired a CME four-axis milling centre. The company tried various CAM systems but was never completely satisfied with the software or the support staff. They never seemed to have the knowledge and experience we needed, said Mr. Brown. Problems with the software were affecting our ability to deliver parts as quickly as our customers demanded, he remembered. Quite rightly, they weren t interested in the shortcomings of our programming system. They wanted to be using the equipment, not listening to excuses over our delivery times. The investment in Mazak machinery, including an Integrex e-500 mill-turn, a VTC-800 five-axis mill, a VTC-300 four-axis mill and a Nexus threeaxis lathe with live tooling, brought the situation to a head. The existing CAM system was not equipped with post-processors for the new equipment, which meant that the company was unable to realise the operational efficiencies that the Mazak machinery would normally offer. In addition, it was unable to program the helical milling operations needed to produce critical features within the components. Once the decision to change had been made we immediately began to look at other CAM providers, including seeking references from some of our sub-contractors who had experience with Delcam, said Mr Brown. We bought FeatureCAM two years ago, and have found both the software and the support to be really good. Machinist and programmer Neil Boags had struggled with the previous CAM system for his first year at Lion Engineering and couldn t believe how much easier and more reliable FeatureCAM was. It just worked! he said. Lion Engineering saw the full benefits of its over 1 million investment in new Mazak machines when it switched to FeatureCAM Lion Engineering primarily manufactures parts for the onshore/offshore oil industry Delcam was able to provide post-processors for all the Mazak machines I was new to CAM when I came to Lion as I had only used programming on the control at my previous company. The support I received from the Delcam staff was excellent. They helped me work around any problems I had and were able to undertake some minor changes to the post-processors to get the machines running exactly as we wanted. FeatureCAM gives us the high-quality surface finish we need for our specialist surface treatments, added Mr Brown. Our integrated machining and surface finishing service is one of the most important reasons why our customers prefer to use us. We need to deliver the highest quality at every stage to satisfy some very demanding clients. The original reason for the major investment was to enable a diversification away from the oil industry. However, high demand from old and new customers in the sector has meant that most of the new capacity was quickly taken up. Mr. Brown still feels that a broader client base will be needed in the long term. He is already looking into a further expansion in capacity and has applied for planning permission to add another new building for the company s next stage of development.

9 mach.delcam 9 Direct modelling in PowerSHAPE makes it easier to modify complex geometry, for example by deleting features and adding draft Delcam has added a range of direct modelling options to the 2012 release of PowerSHAPE. Unlike other programs that have incorporated direct modelling as part of a product design system, the PowerSHAPE options are focused on design for manufacture, in particular on preparing product designs for the development of tooling. Direct modelling for manufacture The direct modelling functionality that we have added will enable tooling designers to tackle all the common problems that they find in product designs, such as insufficient draft or inappropriate fillet sizes, claimed PowerSHAPE Development Manager, Ian Watkins. It is faster to use direct modelling than surface modelling and so can shorten the overall time needed to produce the tools. In addition, we have made the new options as accessible as possible by incorporating them into the existing command structure rather than grouping them in a separate area of the software. Together with the extensive data translation and data repair options already available in PowerSHAPE, the addition of direct modelling gives a unique range of capabilities to tooling designers, whether they are working with moulds, press tools or die-casting equipment. Many product designers still produce designs with insufficient draft, making it impossible to remove the as-designed part from its tooling. The common nature of this problem is expected to make the ability to add draft to solid models one of the most popular of the new options. Draft can be added either by using a specific value or by modifying the model interactively. The change can be applied to a single surface or to a group of surfaces, such as the sides of a pocket. In the latter case, the software is intelligent enough to maintain the radii of any fillets linking the sides. Another common problem for the toolmaker is the use of impractical fillet sizes by designers. Small fillets require extra machining time so they extend delivery times and increase costs. In addition, they can restrict the flow of material in moulds or dies, so increasing processing times and pressures. PowerSHAPE can use direct modelling to identify fillets within imported geometry, even when the modelling history has been lost. They can then be replaced with new fillets having more suitable radii. Material flow problems can also occur when the thickness of items like reinforcing ribs is not sufficiently high. Again, PowerSHAPE can be used to modify the design, either by a specific value or interactively. The same thickness modification option can be used to add machining allowances before manufacturing, for example when adding material to the split surfaces of a mould or when offsetting surfaces to create electrode designs from tooling designs. Other features that can be identified within dumb geometry include holes, pockets, cuts and bosses. Intelligent manufacturing information can be added to the features and passed to the PowerMILL CAM system. For example, information on the sizes and types of holes can be used for automated generation of drilling programs. These features can be suppressed within the model so that, for example, holes in a surface can be ignored by the machining program until they need to be drilled. Together with the extensive data translation and data repair options already available in PowerSHAPE, the addition of direct modelling gives a unique range of capabilities to tooling designers, whether they are working with moulds, press tools or die-casting equipment.

10 10 mach.delcam A range of 3D modelling tools have been added to the ArtCAM Insignia software for volume production of artistic items by signmakers, furniture manufacturers and engravers. Like all the members of the ArtCAM family of software, it allows artistic users to produce high-quality decorative items, with all the productivity and consistency benefits of computer-based manufacturing. ArtCAM Insignia goes 3D 130 extra items of clip art have been added to ArtCAM Express Extra clip art in Express 130 extra reliefs have been added to the range of standard clip art supplied with ArtCAM Express, the entry-level software for engraving and woodworking, including architectural, floral, frame and texture examples. The extensive clip-art library is a key part in making ArtCAM Express the easiest-to-learn engraving and routing program currently available. New customers can use the library to create their first models simply by pasting items into their designs. All the clip-art items can be scaled, copied or combined to give complete designs. Text can be added to the clip-art elements to personalise any design. A wide range of standard fonts are supported with the software, with complete control over spacing, kerning, and line and paragraph formatting. The clip-art library can be extended by importing designs from other sources, including other members of the ArtCAM family and clip-art websites. Once the user has gained the confidence to create original designs, ArtCAM Express includes a range of 2D drawing tools for creating both geometric and free-form shapes, and also for editing and repairing imported 2D files. Within the new 3D modelling tools, the most powerful option is the Shape Editor. By simply double clicking on a specific colour of a bitmap image or a selected vector, the user can quickly transform it into a 3D design. The Shape Editor can not only determine the shape s profile, angle and height but also how the shape is combined with any 3D relief that has already been created. A second method for creating 3D designs from vector art is the Two-Rail Sweep. By selecting multiple vectors for the edges of the shape and any number of cross-sections for chosen positions, users can quickly create a 3D sweep shape or a swept surface. Once the initial design has been created, it can be edited in a number of ways. The surface of the model can be given a smooth, unblemished appearance with the Smooth Relief tool. Options are available to smooth over the entire 3D design, an area within a specific vector or a selected colour, in a number of passes. This is a particularly useful way of smoothing evenly across a scanned 3D model for example. Areas of the design can also be smoothed with the Smooth Sculpting tool. This can be used to remove blemishes from a scanned 3D model, to smooth adjoining areas of multiple pieces of relief clip art or to soften sharp edges or corners. The final option can be particularly useful for designers of dies for foil stamping or embossing as softer corners can prevent the die from ripping the material. Any mistakes made during smoothing can be overcome with the Erase tool, which allows the user to sculpt back to a previous point in time. The same tool can also be used to sculpt areas down to a flat surface. Textures can be added to all or part of the relief to give a more attractive design, or to provide backgrounds on embossing plates or signs. The Two-Rail Sweep can create complex 3D designs ArtCAM Insignia now includes 3D modelling tools Networks of shapes, such as spheres, cones, pyramids and weaves, can be added or subtracted to any colour and vector, or to the entire 3D model. Alternatively, files can be imported to create the required texture. The complete relief can be offset, either to hollow out the part or to create the wall thickness. The same option can be used in toolmaking, either to produce the core and cavity of a mould, to create a male punch or to generate the shape required for a master for vacuum-formed packaging. The 3D relief can also be wrapped along the x or y axis to create a cylindrically shaped design, for example, a chair leg, 3D sculpture or rotary embossing die. This data can then be used to create the toolpath to rotary machine the design. Most designs created in ArtCAM Insignia are expected to be machined with the range of 3D strategies in the software. However, the software also offers the ability to create triangle meshes, which can then be exported in a number of common 3D model file formats. This data can be sent to rapid prototyping equipment or to CAD systems, like PowerSHAPE, where the relief can be used to decorate a CAD model.

11 mach.delcam 11 The 2012 R2 release of FeatureCAM includes important new strategies for roughing and turn-mill operations, alongside a range of more general enhancements to allow faster toolpath generation. Cylindrical interpolation allows toolpaths to be created with NC code for a plane and then wrapped around a cylinder New strategies for roughing and turn-mill The main addition is a series of new strategies for 2.5D roughing. These include a continuous spiral option to minimise wear on the cutter and machine tool, high-speed roughing options, including trochoidal machining and Delcam s patented Race Line Machining, and tear-drop moves to clear corners more smoothly. In addition, more styles of leads and links can now be used to give greater overall efficiency for the toolpaths. Stepovers for 2.5D mill roughing can now be set as large as the tool diameter itself. Previously, stepovers were limited to 50% of the tool diameter and, if this limit was exceeded, the toolpath would leave upstands. The new algorithm supports larger stepovers by providing extra moves automatically to clean up those up-stands. Other milling improvements include an option to add an extra profile pass exactly at the base of flat pockets, the ability to use face-milling tools with chamfered edges to machine chamfers as well as faces and so minimise the number of tools needed, a choice of right- or left-handed thread-milling tools resulting in either climb or conventional machining of the thread, Face-milling tools with chamfered edges can be used to machine chamfers as well as faces and the ability to reduce calculation times by saving boundaries as curves if they will be needed for subsequent calculations. Roughing has also been improved for users of turning equipment that can operate with live tooling. A new option allows cutting with a live milling tool while the workpiece is rotating in the turning spindle. This approach avoids the issues associated with interrupted cutting and ensures regular chip breakage, so removing any chance of wrap-around by the swarf. Turn-mill programming has been improved with the addition of more flexible five-axis positioning. For example, any amount of negative b-axis movement available can be used, so avoiding extending the y limit too far back into the machine. Switching the positioning angles in this way makes editing easier to keep the machine within its travel limits. Another turn-mill improvement is support for cylindrical interpolation, which allows toolpaths to be created with NC code for a plane and then wrapped around a cylinder. This approach, which can also be used for four-axis milling, allows cutter compensation to be applied when calculating the toolpath and gives smaller NC code files. All FeatureCAM users will benefit from improvements to the simulation module. In particular, they will see much faster results through the use of multiple cores for these calculations. In addition, the ability has been included to save a position during the simulation, for example, while toolpaths are being edited, and then to run the simulation from that position rather than from the start. Other general enhancements include direct cutting and pasting of models between FeatureCAM and PowerSHAPE, plus the ability to create machining configurations on a network as well as on an individual computer, so saving time and encouraging consistent results from different users. Cutting with live tooling is now supported on turning equipment

12 12 mach.delcam For more news, go to Easier inspection, plus Reverse Engineering The 2012 release of PowerINSPECT includes new options to make inspection easier. In addition, basic reverse engineering functionality has been added to the point-cloud module. A new mirror command has been added to save programming time for symmetrical components. This allows the inspection sequence to be mirrored from one half of a component to the other half, or from the lefthand version of the design to the right-hand copy. The new feature can also reduce the possibility of programming errors and improve the consistency of the results between the two halves or parts. The range of dimensions that can be displayed on the model has been increased to include more types of distance, angles and diameters and radii. The options to display the various dimensions from the increased range have been made more versatile, to ensure the reports remain easy to read with only the required dimensions shown. There are two important additions to the PowerINSPECT 2012 point-cloud module for laser scanners and other point-cloud devices. STL export provides basic reverse engineering functionality for scanned data. The STL files can be used within PowerSHAPE Pro for more advanced reverse engineering operations. Pointcloud display has been enhanced with an option to show any back-facing points in a second colour. This highlights any discontinuities in the data, including gaps or other problem areas, and so makes it easier to identify areas that may need re-scanning to capture the complete model. It is now possible to measure edge points directly; it is no longer necessary to measure the surface first. This makes the process both easier and faster. However, it is recommended that both the edge and the surface should be checked if there is any likelihood of the part being distorted, for example, when checking sheet-metal components. The inspection of castings and forgings, and similar near-net shapes, has been improved with the addition of a new best-fit option. This centres the component within the measurement data so that the largest possible minimum stock is located on the part. It ensures that positive material exists in all areas of any semi-finished part before it is sent for further machining. The option can be used with the PartAligner software to minimise set-up times. A number of enhancements have been included to give faster and easier programming, with less A new mirror command saves programming time for symmetrical components chance of errors. A new lock workplane option automatically creates a datum scheme within PowerINSPECT s GD&T True Position, matching the part s coordinate system, while standard tolerances for Limit and Fit to ISO 286 and ISO 2768 have been included so that they can be selected from a pre-defined list. Edge points can be measured directly without measuring the surface first News.Delcam is written and produced by Delcam plc, Small Heath Business Park, Birmingham B10 0HJ, UK. Tel: +44 (0) Fax: +44 (0) marketing@delcam.com Delcam, the Spider logo, PowerSHAPE, PowerMILL, PowerINSPECT, CopyCAD, ArtCAM,FeatureCAM, PartMaker, PS-Team, ShoeMaker, CRISPIN, SwissCAM, DentCAD, DentMILL, OrthoModel, OrthoMill and Delcam Exchange are all registered Trade Marks of Delcam plc.