in FeatureCAM New milling options

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1 ISSUE FeatureCAM now offers three levels of 3D machining New milling options in FeatureCAM New options for 3D milling are available in FeatureCAM 2013 together with enhancements in the five-axis machining, turning and mill-turn modules. For full details, please go to A new method for b-axis rotary milling has been added to the mill-turn options The main change to the FeatureCAM product family for 2013 has been the introduction of three levels of 3D machining functionality. FeatureMILL 3D Lite offers single-surface machining with a basic range of strategies and so provides an introductory product for companies moving into 3D machining for the first time. FeatureMILL 3D MX provides a greater number of strategies, including spiral finishing, flowline finishing and rotary machining, support for multiple-surface machining and automated feature recognition. It is aimed at companies with conventional machine tools and those that are machining softer materials. FeatureMILL HSM also contains all of the options for rest machining, such as pencil machining and corner clearance, and highspeed machining, including trochoidal machining and Delcam s patented Race Line Machining. It maximises the benefits of any investment in high-speed mills with strategies that optimise machine productivity while protecting the part, machine and cutter from excessive wear. A number of new strategies have been added to FeatureCAM HSM. Step cutting has been added within area clearance to remove large terraces that can be left on the part when using deeper roughing cuts. FeatureCAM will now produce extra toolpaths that step back up the terrace with the existing large tool, adding additional cuts at intermediate levels. This results in more material being removed, using the same tool within the same toolpath. Automatic splitting of finishing between steep and shallow areas of the part has been available P5 New electrode solution An integrated system for design, machining and inspection P7 CAD data repair Solid Doctor in PowerSHAPE upgraded P12 Five-axis in PowerMILL 2013 release includes improved tool-axis control For more news, go to and

2 2 ISSUE New milling options in FeatureCAM continued from front page in FeatureCAM for a number of releases. This option has been enhanced with the ability to use the scallop height to control the stepover. Using this value rather than setting a constant stepover distance gives better control of the surface finish. Both roughing and finishing strategies now incorporate an area filter to remove small enclosed pockets within the part from the toolpath. Any attempt to cut these areas risks damage to the tool, even though it is mathematically possible to remove the material. New five-axis strategies available in FeatureCAM 2013 include flowline machining between two curves, pencil machining and corner re-machining. These options for simultaneous five-axis machining allow a better surface finish to be achieved as well as ensuring access to more areas within the part in a single set-up. New options have also been added to give smoother five-axis machining. A new look-ahead capability will remove any sudden tool-axis changes during automatic collision avoidance and, instead, ensure that a smooth transition takes place. In addition, FeatureCAM now offers the ability to smooth the Azimuth and Elevation axes independently and so remove excessive five-axis movement. These options stabilise the rotary axis movement by maintaining a fixed tool axis as far as possible, thus replacing constant five-axis movement with a series of 3+2-axis segments having full five-axis transitions between them. A number of enhancements have been added to FeatureCAM s turning and mill-turn modules. Definition of the initial stock and part alignment has been improved, making it more similar to the set-up process for milling, support has been added for semi-finish canned cycles and curves of revolution can now be recognised from STL models. A new method has also been introduced allowing b-axis rotary milling to be carried out on features that would otherwise require the use of excessively long cutters. The options for multi-spindle, multi-turret machines have been improved by fully integrating part transfers into the FeatureCAM output. Simulation and post-processing of these operations is also supported. In addition, the handling of synchronisation points has been enhanced to simplify the optimisation of the machining sequence between the various elements of the machine. Vince Cable visits Delcam A successful MACH for Delcam was capped on 19th April with a visit from the Rt. Hon. Dr. Vince Cable, the UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. The visit to the Delcam stand was part of a tour of the exhibition during which Dr. Cable met with a number of advanced manufacturing companies to discuss how to build upon the sector s strengths. Another high-profile visitor was javelinthrower Steve Backley, the winner of multiple Olympic medals, who brought an Olympic torch onto the stand. The torch was manufactured by Delcam customer Premier Sheet Metal. Delcam received orders spread across its complete range of CAM programs for software valued at over 250,000 during the show. Companies placing orders included Future Advanced Manufacturing, AKD Engineering, Hampshire Insulations, DPS Designs, PPA Group, MJB Precision and Formaplex. Further business has already been won from visitors to the stand. We saw a lot of prospects that had received recommendations from our machine-tool and cutting-tool partners at the show, claimed Steve Creron, General Manager of Delcam UK. Our close relationships with these companies mean that customers can gain the maximum benefit from our software on a wide range of equipment. Rt. Hon. Dr. Vince Cable with Marketing Manager Peter Dickin on the Delcam stand Also during MACH, Delcam finalised an agreement with Solid Applications, the fastestgrowing SolidWorks reseller in the UK, to be the exclusive UK reseller for the Delcam for SolidWorks integrated CAM system. Step cutting maximises metal removal with large roughing tools Steve Backley with Steve Creron, and Adrian Sell and Simon Pollard from the MTA, the organisers of MACH

3 ISSUE Direct modelling and reverse engineering PowerSHAPE 2013 includes enhancements to its direct modelling and reverse engineering capabilities that will make the software both more flexible and even easier to use. In addition, the solid and surface modelling options have been made faster and even more robust. Full details are available on the PowerSHAPE 2013 learning zone at PowerSHAPE provides the most comprehensive range of modelling techniques available in a single CAD program. Having all the different technologies in the same package reduces the need to transfer data between multiple programs and so streamlines the whole product-development process. The broad range of functionality makes PowerSHAPE ideal for the re-engineering of existing products into improved designs or for creating specialised items. At the same time, the combination of quick and easy direct modelling options, together with powerful and flexible surface modelling, makes PowerSHAPE the perfect choice for design for manufacture, especially when converting product designs into tooling designs. The most important new option in PowerSHAPE s direct modelling functionality is Replace Face. This allows a selected face or group of faces to be replaced with another face or group of faces, either from the same solid, or from a separate solid or surface model. In its most basic form, Replace Face can be used for offsetting surfaces of the model to provide machining allowances or clearances for electrodes for EDM. It can also be used for more complex modifications to product designs. In all cases, any other faces within the design that are affected by the change are extended and retrimmed as necessary to maintain a closed solid. A second new option that will be of particular interest to tooling designers will be the Solid Core command. This selects automatically the smallest rectangular or cylindrical shape that will fully enclose a group of solid faces. It can be used to create blanks for the manufacture of electrodes or when modelling slides within moulds to accommodate undercuts. The shapes can be selected from spreadsheets, for example one showing different standard sizes for electrode blanks, that can be edited to each company s specifications. The main improvement to the existing direct modelling tools has been a simplification of the selection and editing of faces. Groups of faces can now be selected by surrounding them with a boundary, either by dragging the mouse or by clicking a series of points. Simpler methods have been added to then rotate the selected faces around a point or a cylinder, or to move them along a line. For reverse engineering, PowerSHAPE now allows point-cloud data to be captured directly. Point data can be displayed on-screen instantly as a laser attachment is passed over the object being scanned. This ensures that all the required information can be captured as any gaps in the data will be apparent immediately. Another new option in PowerSHAPE 2013 is the ability to perform 2D nesting of 2D profiles or 3D parts. Once the numbers of each component required and the minimum spacing needed between each item have been specified, PowerSHAPE calculates the most efficient layout using the minimum amount of material. The shape of any unused material can be saved so that it can be used for later projects. The nesting option will be important for any company using sheet materials, including those in the press tool, composites and footwear industries, or for laying out multiple 3D parts for effective machining. Point-cloud data can now be captured directly in PowerSHAPE PowerSHAPE s direct modelling makes design changes, like this change from a double clip to a single clip, quick and easy Nesting has been added to help with efficient use of materials The broad range of functionality makes PowerSHAPE ideal for the re-engineering of existing products into improved designs or for creating specialised items.

4 4 ISSUE More powerful milling PartMaker 2013 features a totally revamped surface-machining module for three-, four- and five-axis milling operations on a variety of equipment including CNC mills, turn-mill centres, bar-fed mills and Swiss-type lathes. PartMaker 2013 proves that power and ease of use don t have to be trade-offs users have to make with their CAM system, said PartMaker Division President, Hanan Fishman. With a host of new, advanced milling strategies, the new release offers its users perhaps the most comprehensive and powerful CAM system on the market today for the full spectrum of production machining applications, all while maintaining the software s hallmark, industryleading ease of use. PartMaker s new Advanced Surface Machining (ASM) functionality is based on the same proven technology and algorithms underpinning PowerMILL, the leading CAM system on the market for the manufacture of complex shapes, claimed Mr. Fishman. The new functionality offered in PartMaker s ASM answers the needs of our customers making increasingly complicated parts, particularly for those in the medical-device and aerospace industries. Also, machine tools are becoming more complex, with five-axis simultaneous milling now even becoming available on a number of Swiss-type lathes. ASM will replace PartMaker s Surface Machining Wizard (SMW) module for three-, four- and five-axis machining across the entire suite The new milling options in PartMaker 2013 use proven algorithms from PowerMILL of PartMaker CAM applications, including PartMaker Mill, PartMaker Turn-Mill and PartMaker SwissCAM. For existing users on maintenance, the upgrade to ASM will be provided free of cost and the transition will be very easy to make. The benefits of the ASM module include faster toolpath calculation, greater tool control and improved surface finish. Each strategy provides for full tool control, enabling it to be used in either traditional three-axis methods or up to five-axis simultaneous machining methods, depending on the capabilities of the user s machine tools. PartMaker ASM will also include the new Vortex high-speed area-clearance strategy, described in the previous News.Delcam. This has been developed by Delcam 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 2.5- and 3-axis roughing, 3+2-axis area clearance and rest machining. The introduction of ASM extends PartMaker s five-axis simultaneous milling functionality to CNC milling centres, allowing productionoriented manufacturers to solve all of their CNC programming challenges with one programming platform. Seven-in-one demonstration Programs were developed in PowerMILL to highlight the capabilities of the Matsuura MX-520 five-axis machining centre with a seven-sided part that effectively combines seven demonstrations into one. The part was machined live during a series of Open House events held by Matsuura at its UK headquarters in Coalville, Leicestershire, during April and May. The seven sides of the part are produced with a combination of drilling, 2D and 3D threeaxis machining, and positional and continuous five-axis operation. The complete demonstration, therefore, provides a clear illustration of the flexibility of both the Matsuura machine and Delcam s software. The MX-520 is targeted at companies making the switch from three-axis to five-axis operations, explained Ian Michie at Matsuura. This is a transition with which we are very experienced, having undertaken it with great success at a number of UK metal-cutting businesses. The demonstration prepared by Delcam for our Open House is ideal for this machine because it shows both the strengths in fiveaxis machining and the more fundamental drilling and milling capabilities. This seven-sided part was machined by Matsuura using programs from PowerMILL

5 ISSUE Integrated electrode solution A combination of developments in PowerSHAPE, PowerMILL and PowerINSPECT has allowed Delcam to offer a completely integrated solution for the design, machining and inspection of electrodes. The production of electrodes is a key stage in the manufacture of many types of tooling so the availability of a faster, more automated method for their development will increase efficiency and reduce lead times across a number of industries. At the heart of the new Delcam solution is a new file format the.trode file. This contains all the information for each electrode project, including not only the electrode design but also the machining and inspection information, plus the set-up sheets for its manufacture and use. Having all the required information in a single file simplifies data management as well as increasing overall efficiency. The initial design stage of the process has been made both easier and faster thanks to the increased range of direct modelling tools available within PowerSHAPE. Users can now quickly and easily define the region where the electrode will be needed, extract the shape needed to produce the required feature in the part, and then edit the design to provide clearance from the main surface of the tool and to blend it into the blank size needed to fix the electrode into its holder. Analysis tools are available to check that the draft angles and minimum radii used in the design will not cause downstream problems, while the ability to simulate the action of the electrode ensures that it will operate as expected. To speed the design process further, catalogues of blanks and holders are included from Erowa, Hirschman and System 3R. Users can add their own standard sizes to these databases. Once the design has been finalised, the necessary spark gaps can be specified to provide the machining offsets required in PowerMILL to cut the roughing and finishing electrodes. Inspection points can also be added so that the measurement of the electrode in PowerINSPECT can be automated to a large extent. Then, set-up sheets for the electrode s manufacture and use can be produced automatically, either to a standard or to a user-defined template. Companies that produce multiple electrodes of similar sizes from the same material can develop templates within PowerMILL to machine them in a standardised way. Burn, clearance and blank faces of the electrode are automatically colour-coded within PowerSHAPE so that they can be recognised within PowerMILL. The size of the material block and the spark gaps for the electrode family are also read from the.trode file and applied to the toolpaths automatically. Direct modelling in PowerSHAPE makes electrode design quicker and easier Once the templates have been created, generating the machining toolpaths becomes a fully-automated process. Specifying the inspection points within PowerSHAPE means that the probe path in PowerINSPECT and the production of the inspection report can also be automated, including undertaking a best-fit analysis of the machined electrode. However, all of PowerINSPECT s flexibility is available if extra data is needed from any areas of the part that are causing concern. The results of the inspection are added to the.trode file for quality control records. The automated generation of set-up sheets for both the machining and application of the electrodes ensures that all the data needed at each stage is readily available. A documentation pack, including the GA and detail sheets, can be issued as drawings, HTML files or Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. All these options make communication easy between the various people involved in the design, manufacture and use of the electrodes. Information from PowerSHAPE automates programming in PowerMILL Inspection points from PowerSHAPE allow the generation of the inspection report to be automated

6 6 ISSUE Speed is of the essence in the fast-paced, competitive world of aerospace manufacturing, particularly when it comes to any maintenance or repair work relating to an aircraft being stuck on the ground, waiting for an urgent replacement part to be manufactured. In this instance, time quite literally means money, as every airline operator needs its aircraft to be up in the air and earning it money. Speed is also of the essence when new aircraft are in the development phase. Quick off the mark Gardner programmes all its 3D machining with PowerMILL To help ensure that this fast turnaround of items goes like clockwork, Gardner Aerospace s Basildon facility is very focused on making sure it provides on-time delivery of finished machined components back to the aircraft for installation. This entails the machining, fabricating, assembly and repair of precision parts, kits and subassemblies in a myriad of aerospace metals for the aerostructures, wings and engines for many ongoing and new aircraft programmes. I started using Delcam s products from the day I began working at Gardner, began Gardner Aerospace Basildon s Engineering Manager, Andy Cook. I needed to very quickly hit the ground running with the types of difficult-tomachine components Gardner was increasingly being asked to supply and within a week I was on a training course at Delcam s Birmingham headquarters. At that time, Gardner was looking for a CAM software product solution that could enable it to machine from 3D models as opposed to traditional 2D drawings. Although we do use machine tool software packages for simple 2D machining, whenever we have a 3D model, we prefer to use Delcam s software because it s the most suitable for our applications. Mr. Cook says the key reasons Gardner Aerospace selected PowerMILL and PowerSHAPE over similar competitor offerings were their 3D machining Gardner Aerospace produces this A380 fuel pump access cover in two set-ups with PowerMILL capabilities, ease of use and compatibility in terms of all the features the company needed. Delcam s software has saved us time with the various revision improvements and upgrades it has provided to us throughout our working relationship, Mr. Cook continued. I ve witnessed many product revisions and I ve Rapid delivery is essential when making replacement parts also visited Delcam to liaise with their engineers and help them tailor the five-axis machining techniques to better serve our requirements. I ve always enjoyed a good rapport with the software engineers and they are always willing to listen to our ideas. In the past, we ve needed support for certain machining techniques on difficult-to-machine items, which has meant reinforcing our relationship with Delcam to discuss various suggestions and find solutions to suit our needs. Delcam s products really have progressed year on year, and we ve benefited from many of the improvements it has introduced over the years. Mr. Cook added that one of PowerMILL s key strengths compared to its competitors is its speed of actually creating usable and efficient program toolpaths to improve the machine tool s productivity. When we run smaller batches, we can quickly generate a set of toolpaths via our tried and trusted in-house methods to get a one- or two-off onto the machining centre in an economical way rather than look at optimising many different parameters to get the perfect program, which we would normally do when we re running a bigger batch, he explained. Based on a case study first published in Aerospace Manufacturing.

7 ISSUE The 2013 release of PowerSHAPE includes a major upgrade to the Solid Doctor module for data repair. A demonstration of the new version, together with the other new features in the release, can be seen at The Solid Doctor offers a comprehensive set of tools for the repair of CAD models from all sources, including IGES, STEP and native CATIA files. It can be used to tackle all the common problems that can be found when translating low-precision and incomplete data, including gaps and overlaps between surfaces, or duplicated and missing surfaces, and generate a valid, high-precision solid model ready for machining. The Solid Doctor highlights all the errors in the model and groups them by type CAD data repair The Solid Doctor uses a combination of automatic data repair tools, together with the surface creation and editing options that are available from PowerSHAPE. This combination means that simple repairs can be carried out quickly and easily, while more complex problems can be overcome by deleting and replacing the existing surfaces within the model. The first stage in using the Solid Doctor is to analyse the model to determine the extent of any inconsistency issues in topology or geometry. These errors are labelled on the model and divided into separate categories. For each category or class of inconsistency, Solid Doctor recommends the most appropriate course of action, including a possible automatic fix. The user then applies the automated repair sequence. Each corrected issue has its label changed from red to green as it is repaired. The repairs can be inspected individually to ensure that the results are as required or the whole model can be checked again to highlight any further inconsistencies. The second repair stage involves using Delcam s unique trim region editing tools to correct larger issues that require manual repair, such as mismatches between the edges of the various surfaces within the model. These include direct editing options for the trim boundaries, which allow very quick and flexible adjustment of the surface edges to overcome errors in the model. For the more serious problems that remain, it will usually be necessary to generate replacement surfaces in the affected area. This can be done easily using PowerSHAPE s Smart Surfacing technology. The user simply deletes the existing surfaces and sketches around the area to be repaired. PowerSHAPE will then analyse the boundary and suggest the most appropriate Solid Doctor uses a combination of automatic data repair tools, together with the surface creation and editing options that are available from PowerSHAPE. type of surface to fill the space. Tangency can be maintained with the surrounding surfaces if required. If the user is not happy with the initial selection made by the software, he can run through alternative solutions until he is satisfied with the result. A final check confirms that all the problems have been repaired Once the user is happy with the quality of the repaired surfaces, they are incorporated back into the solid model automatically. This process continues until all the inconsistencies have been resolved. Giving the user total control over how the part is repaired allows even poor quality or badly-damaged data to be repaired quickly and efficiently. The automatic process labels errors that have been corrected in green

8 8 ISSUE Complex designs made easy The new release of ArtCAM Pro has made it much easier to create complex designs, especially those that include repeated elements that are similar but not identical within the design. This new way of working is called Free Relief Modelling. It allows previously created reliefs to be picked up and swiftly moved, rotated, rescaled and copied, either individually or as part of a group. Any part of the design can be isolated, edited and then recombined into a group for duplication or further editing within the group. At any stage in the process, either individual items or a group of items can be saved within the clipart library for use in future projects. The overall result is much more natural than simply duplicating a single shape across the design, while also being much quicker than modelling each item individually. Examples where the technique could be used include creating the feathers in the peacock design shown here or designing a forest of similar trees without them all appearing identical. A related development that will also make it easier to create more complex designs allows the interaction between different layers to be viewed in real time. This will make it much faster to choose the optimum combination of the different layers as the effects of changing the overlap can be seen instantly. Sketching in ArtCAM Pro has been made easier by giving the designer the freedom to alternate The new Texture Flow tool gives a more natural look to organic shapes between straight and curved vectors whilst drawing. Once created, vectors can now be added to or closed, and any nodes within them can be edited or deleted, at any time, either in the 2D or 3D view. The ability to add textures to designs has always been an important feature within ArtCAM Pro. This ability has been extended with a new patent-pending Texture Flow tool to create more natural organic textures, such as hair, fur and scales. More natural effects can also be obtained with an addition to the sculpting tools. Sculpting effects can now be scattered randomly across the design as well as placed systematically. More control is available over all the sculpting options as these can now be limited to a specific area or to a set height. Of course, the undo option is still available if the results aren t as expected. All of these new capabilities can be displayed with even more realistic renders of designs created in ArtCAM Pro. The software now comes with POV-Ray ray-tracing technology, allowing high-quality images to be generated for customer approval or marketing materials. Larger more co In a move to enable the company to machine larger and more complex parts to high levels of precision, dalau has added a new DMG machine, programmed with FeatureCAM, and a Hexagon inspection arm using PowerINSPECT. Founded as a family business in 1955, dalau, which is based in Clacton-on-Sea, has grown to become the largest processor of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) in the UK. It has subsidiaries in New Hampshire, USA, and Turkheim, Germany, and recently opened a factory in Suzhou, China, to supply 35 countries around the world. The company has always focused on challenging applications for its materials. In the early 1970s, it supplied over 100 slide pads for the Sydney Opera House to sit on, allowing the building to move during the tidal movements from summer to winter. Another critical application was a BP contract to supply PTFE sliding pads to a new ultra-deep-water offshore floating oil rig off the coast of Angola. More recently, dalau products have been specified for some of the world s most prestigious projects across a diverse range of industrial sectors. The company manufactures parts for Formula 1 racing cars and has been given AS 9100 approval to produce components for the new Airbus 380 and the Eurofighter. It also machines hi-tech miniature components for electronic applications, using the latest technology in micro-machining. We started out machining small parts, about 25mm at the largest, on a sliding-head auto-lathe, remembered Philip Alston, Production Manager for Machined Components at dalau. Most of those designs were relatively simple turned parts. Free Relief Modelling in ArtCAM Pro makes it easier to create complex designs Delcam software helps dalau to make larger and more complex items to high levels of quality

9 ISSUE nd mplex As our customers started to demand larger and more complex designs, we realised that we would need to move to five-axis milling to remain competitive. I first saw Delcam s software when I visited a company in Coventry to evaluate a five-axis machine we were thinking about buying. The user there was full of enthusiasm for both the Delcam programs and the company. Eventually, we decided on a Cincinnati machine, which also came with a recommendation to use Delcam software for programming. I visited Delcam in Birmingham for an in-depth demonstration soon after and was really impressed with how easy the operator made the software look. Of course, it wasn t as simple for us at first because all our expertise was in turning rather than milling but, with the help of Delcam s support team, we were soon taking full advantage of the software. PowerSHAPE has been a real bonus as our design capabilities were limited before we had 3D software. Even though we try to get 3D models from our customers as often as possible, we still use PowerSHAPE to develop some designs from drawings. PowerMILL has also made a big contribution in making the most of our five-axis machine. Most recently, dalau has increased its capabilities with a DMG CTX Gamma 2000 TC, the first machine of its type to be installed in the UK. This incorporates a combination milling and turning spindle, with an NC-controlled B-axis, to enable the production of even larger and more complex designs. The new DMG is housed in a fullyenclosed, temperature-controlled room, together with the inspection arm, allowing final inspection on the machine. Since we first used PowerSHAPE and PowerMILL, I ve never really thought about looking at any software other than Delcam, said Mr. Alston. When we added the new machine and the inspection arm, Delcam s FeatureCAM and PowerINSPECT software were easy choices to make. The new DMG machine at dalau is the first of its type in the UK The ability to incorporate probing sequences into CAM programs has been added to the 2013 version of FeatureCAM. This new module makes it easier to undertake unsupervised production operations by allowing automated checks to be carried out before, during and after machining. Probing added to FeatureCAM Probing paths can be generated for five feature types: pockets, obstructed pockets and webs; inside or outside corners; bosses, bores and obstructed bores; radial bosses, bores and obstructed bores; and single surfaces. All of the resulting probing paths can be simulated and collision-checked on the computer in the same way as cutting paths. The new probing options can be used in a variety of ways. Before machining, sequences can be created to check that the expected part and fixture have been loaded, and that they have been placed in the correct orientation. The position of the part can be confirmed and fixture offsets introduced if required to compensate for any errors. In a similar way, the amount of excess material can be detected on near-net shapes, such as forgings or castings. Offsets can then be introduced to give a more even distribution of the material that has to be removed, so improving machining efficiency. Additional probing routines can be introduced at any stage during manufacturing. For example, as a cutting tool wears, it could be leaving too much material on the job. This trend could be monitored by regular probing of the parts being produced and a tool change introduced automatically as the material being left came close to the target tolerance. Alternatively, the tool offset could be adjusted to compensate for the reduced size of the cutter. Similarly, critical features could be inspected immediately after they had been created to check whether too much material had been removed. If the parts were found to be outside tolerance, they could be scrapped immediately, rather than carrying on with machining and waiting for the results of an inspection at the end of the complete process. For example, if a crucial bore within the part had to be made to a particularly accurate tolerance, this could be machined and checked first, before continuing with the other, less critical, operations. Probing routines can also be added for checking at the end of the process. While independent inspection on a separate measuring device would still be needed, the initial check on the machine would highlight any parts well outside the required tolerance so eliminating wasted inspection time. In some cases, it might be possible for the independent inspection be undertaken on intermittent parts to confirm the results from the probing on the machine, rather than on every part, again saving inspection time. Probing sequences can now be included within CAM programs from FeatureCAM The probing paths can be viewed and simulated in the same way as cutting toolpaths

10 10 ISSUE UK Foreign Secretary at Farnborough UK Foreign Secretary, William Hague, visited the Delcam booth at the Farnborough Air Show as part of a guided tour of the busy show halls. Mr. Hague attended to demonstrate his support for the industry, in particular for companies like Delcam whose export success helps to make the UK s aerospace industry the second-largest in the world. The visit gave Delcam Chief Executive, Clive Martell, an opportunity to thank Mr. Hague for the support given by UK Trade and Investment to the company in recent years. We have achieved record sales in the last two years and reinforced our position as the world s leading specialist supplier of machining software and services, mainly as a result of increasing our international business, said Mr. Martell. The support we have received from UKTI staff, both in the UK and in many overseas markets, has contributed greatly to our success. It is unfortunate that more small- and mid-sized businesses do not realise the help that is available to companies looking to increase their exports. Foreign Secretary, William Hague, with Delcam Chief Executive, Clive Martell, at the Farnborough Air Show The visit was one highlight of a busy week at the Show for Delcam. With demand for new aircraft at record levels, the company held many meetings with aerospace manufacturers wanting to use its software and services to increase their productivity, reduce their lead times, and improve their quality and consistency. A tasteful demonstration Delcam continued its close relationship with Hermle at the Open House held recently at the company s headquarters in Gosheim, Germany. The history of unusual demonstrations continued this year with the production of a mould for replica maultasche. Maultasche are a traditional dish in the Baden-Wurttemberg region consisting of a pasta dough with a filling of minced meat, onions and herbs and spices. They are similar to Italian ravioli but are usually larger and are served in a clear vegetable soup rather than a sauce. The design for the mould was created in PowerSHAPE and the toolpaths generated in PowerMILL. The mould was cut on a Hermle C 30 U five-axis machine. The resulting moulding was designed to be used as a holder for business cards. The Maultasche project from traditional soup to finished part created by Delcam for the Hermle Open House

11 ISSUE This close-up shows the quality possible with PowerMILL Five-axis machining at Golden Era Moving to a five-axis DMS CNC router programmed with PowerMILL has made it possible for film and events company, Golden Era Productions, to produce sets and props as big as ten feet by five feet by four feet in a single set-up, even when the pieces include complex, highly-detailed 3D surfaces. With PowerMILL, we are able to make things that in the past we would have had to carve by hand or in a multitude of laborious steps, said Ron Sommerville, Sets Chief for Golden Era Productions. Projects that would have taken days now take only hours with PowerMILL. Golden Era Productions, based in Gilman Hot Springs, California, produces religious film, video and television programmes, and organises events. These productions require considerable numbers of sets and props, primarily made from foam and wood, which must be produced to high levels of detail and accuracy. For example, the organisation recently produced a film shot in the studio of an artist who is working on a partially finished sculpture. The sculpture could not be produced on the previous 2.5D router because of its size and complexity. Hand carving would have taken a considerable amount of time and would not have provided the desired level of detail and accuracy, while subcontracting the job to a local machining operation would have been expensive and involved significant delays. Mr. Sommerville had previously undertaken a search for computer software and a machine that would enable the organisation to produce a full range of contoured 3D parts for use as props and in sets. He selected a DMS 5-axis CNC router because of its ability to produce large wood and foam parts at a price that is much lower than a conventional machining centre with the same capabilities. DMS recommended PowerMILL because it is very easy to learn and use, yet provides the ability to take full advantage of the potential of five-axis machining, Mr. Sommerville remembered. Like most art departments, Golden Era Productions has a number of different software programs that they use in different stages of a design or for different types of jobs. Typically, 3D designs are created in 3D Studio Max. If final tweaks need to be produced for modelling, they can then import the design to other programs, including ArtCAM. ArtCAM has powerful features for creating text and 2D and 3D designs, and can also generate toolpaths, said Mr. Sommerville. We have used ArtCAM for over a decade and are very happy with the service and support that we get from Delcam s local office in California. When we started getting into more complex parts, we felt we needed something that would support five-axis machining. The switch to PowerMILL was easy as both systems are from the same company. Using PowerMILL and a five-axis machine allows complex design to be machined in hours rather than days With PowerMILL, we can make a physical representation of anything we can imagine, Mr. Sommerville concluded. This capability has helped our creative process take a huge leap forward. Now the challenge is to see how creative we can be, as the software can literally do anything we can imagine, and with speed and quality. 12 th year as CAM leader Increased sales in the aerospace industry have helped Delcam maintain its leading position The latest NC Software Market Analysis Report from leading US analysts, CIMdata, shows that, in 2011, Delcam again had the highest vendor revenues and received the highest end-user payments of all the CAM-centric companies. This means that the company has completed twelve years as the world s leading specialist supplier of CAM software and services, having first achieved its global leadership in Delcam also continued to increase its market share. The company s share of total end-user expenditure grew from under 6.7% in 2010 to just over 7% in A further increase in market share to around 7.5% is predicted by CIMdata for Delcam in The CIMdata report also confirmed that Delcam continues to employ by far the largest number of staff devoted to CAM software, with 629 staff. This total includes the largest development team in the industry, with 190 people working on the company s manufacturing software. No other company employs more than 300 people for its CAM activities.

12 12 ISSUE The 2012 R2 release of PowerINSPECT continues the development of the reverse engineering capabilities introduced earlier this year. The main enhancement has been an expansion of the Digitised Curves capabilities to create a powerful re-engineering and modelling tool. Section measurement is now available in the OMV and CNC versions of PowerINSPECT More reverse engineering Improvements to the inspection functionality include a new, simplified procedure enabling users to quickly calibrate the probe assembly by probing a single point anywhere within the measuring envelope; a new offset-alignment method that aligns the part with the axes of the CMM while setting the position with a single point measurement; and new point-cloud options that make it easier to modify and reuse digitised curves and points, with options for editing, deleting and resuming measurement of the points and curves. The automated section-measurement functionality, which was previously only available in the manual version of PowerINSPECT, is now available in both the OMV and CNC offlineprogramming versions. This strategy for creating probe paths along a section of the component provides quick and easy comparison of a crosssection against the CAD model. This type of section measurement is important for the measurement of blades and aerofoils, as well as for automotive inspection. New options within Digitised Curves allow edges, holes and gaps to be identified as the part is being probed. Curves can also be created from CAD models within PowerINSPECT or they can be imported directly from other software packages. All these curves can be modified by rotation, translation, mirroring or scaling, or by editing individual points within the curve. Once created, curves can be exported as polylines as well as to the previously-available NURBS format. This enhancement is part of a general increase in the ability to export surface and geometric items for use in modelling applications, with VDA export added to the existing IGES format. The new creation and editing options for curves can be used with a new-marking out feature for refining or completing clay models; a requirement for creating automotive and marine styling models. This utility enables curves created within PowerINSPECT to be used to guide a marking-out tool on a measuring device or layout machine. Better five-axis control As mentioned in the previous News.Delcam, the new Vortex strategy for high-speed roughing will be the major enhancement for PowerMILL Other developments in the new release will include better control of five-axis machining, smoother spiral machining and more efficient programs. The blade, blisk and impellor module includes a new roughing option The main change in five-axis machining has been to increase the number of options for tool-axis definition. For raster toolpaths, the lead and lean angles can now be defined relative to a contact normal. In addition, better control is now possible for the tool-axis definition when using the To or From a Point, Line or Curve strategies. These improvements will make it easier for users to control the contact angle between the cutter and the part, and so set the optimum cutting conditions for efficient machining and quality of surface finish. The new algorithm for spiral machining produces smoother toolpaths that give a better surface finish and more consistent machine-tool motion. This change will improve area clearance, steepand-shallow finishing, 3D-offset finishing and optimised constant-z finishing. NC programs can be made more efficient by automatically reordering the toolpaths, using the tool number or tool diameter, to reduce the number of tool changes, or using a specific workplane, to minimise set-up changes. A new surface selection tool can be used to select automatically all surfaces either below or exactly at a defined draft angle. It can be used to select all flat surfaces, all vertical surfaces or all undercut surfaces within a model. The most appropriate machining strategy can then be used on the selected surfaces. To improve traceability of toolpath history, edits are now recorded and stored with the toolpath. Additional notes can be added, if necessary, explaining why the change was needed. This will help communication when different users, for example on the day shift and night shift, are

13 ISSUE Turkish subsidiary Delcam has launched a new subsidiary in Turkey, Delcam Turkiye, to help further increase the growth rate for the company s CADCAM business in the country. The launch coincided with a visit to Istanbul by Delcam Chief Executive, Clive Martell, as part of a UK trade mission led by UK Trade and Investment Minister, Lord Green, and John Cridland, Director-General of the CBI. Delcam Turkiye will be based in Istanbul and will be staffed by local experts in CADCAM technology. They will support Delcam s existing resellers in Turkey and help to strengthen the company s profile in the country. We enjoyed our most successful year so far in Turkey during 2011, with sales increasing by over 20%, claimed Mr. Martell. All the indications show that manufacturing in Turkey will continue to grow strongly over the coming years so we felt it was the right time to add a direct subsidiary. This will help to maximise our ability to take advantage of the many opportunities for our software in the country. The trade mission, which took place on 26th and 27th April, was the first one of its kind, focusing solely on mid-sized businesses keen to increase their exports. The mission sought to build links between UK and Turkish firms, and boost trade and investment between the two countries. Around 30 mid-sized UK businesses took part in the visit, where they met key figures from the Turkish Government and business community. Lord Green (centre left) and Clive Martell (centre right) with Turgay Oğuş (left) and Tayfun Türkmen (right) of Delcam Turkiye We enjoyed our most successful year so far in Turkey during 2011, with sales increasing by over 20%. in PowerMILL working on the same part. It will also make it easier to return to a project if it needs to be repeated at a later date. Projects involving multiple users will also benefit from a change to the default behaviour of boundaries so that each one is now explicitly linked to a specific toolpath. The boundary automatically updates and recalculates if the toolpath s parameters are modified, ensuring that it always remains in sync with the toolpath. The collision detection within the simulation module has been enhanced so that the machine parts involved in the collision change colour to red. This will make it easier to identify the affected areas and so to solve the problem. Finally, the module for blades, blisks and impellors has been improved with a new trochoidal roughing option. This maintains a more consistent load on the tool, so giving a better surface finish and longer tool life. An extra pass is inserted automatically to avoid tool overload on entry moves. Machine parts involved in a collision have their colour changed to red

14 14 ISSUE Future Advanced Manufacture Ltd has standardised on Delcam software for its CAM and inspection needs within its production facility. The company will replace its existing range of software with PowerMILL, FeatureCAM and PowerINSPECT. Standardising The new interface allows NC-SIMUL simulations to be run from within PowerMILL Direct link to NC-SIMUL Delcam and Spring Technologies have developed a direct interface between PowerMILL and Spring Technologies NC-SIMUL software for machining simulation. With the new interface, PowerMILL users will be able to simulate all of their toolpaths in NC-SIMUL. This will make it easier for them to check and validate their milling toolpaths before sending them to a machine tool, a particularly important benefit for the many companies that are manufacturing high-value items. Through the direct link between the two products, NC-SIMUL has made all the advantages of its technology available to the Delcam users. Comprehensive tests can be made on the computer, using the software s knowledge of milling applications. For example, the simulations prevent any risk of machine or part breakage. They also allow more efficient use of cutting tools. The cutting conditions can be optimised so improving the productivity of the machines. Moreover, set-up sheets can be standardised in a click so that every member of the team involved in a project can communicate more easily. The ability of NC-SIMUL to give safe and optimised toolpaths attracted the Delcam team, which is always developing new applications to increase the abilities of the Delcam range of products. We have really focused our work on developing a friendly and easy-to-use interface to facilitate the transfer of all kinds of data: parts, clamps, stock, etc, explained Fikret Kalay, Director of Delcam France Professional Services. Thanks to this new interface, PowerMILL users will be able to choose the appropriate machine and post-processor, automatically generate tool data for NC-SIMUL, and launch the simulation project in a secure way from PowerMILL into NC-SIMUL. The combination of PowerMILL and NC-SIMUL will make it easier for users to gain greater productivity, while ensuring safe machining. on Delcam Future AM, which is based across four All machining at the factories in Staverton, near Gloucester, UK, Future AM production specialises in project management, design and facility will be manufacture for clients in some of the world s programmed with most demanding industries, including the Delcam software aerospace, medical and oilfield-exploration sectors. Currently employing fifty-five people, it has enjoyed steady growth over the past thirty years by offering exceptional service and quality. The firm has developed a particular expertise in the aerospace industry, in particular for the production of aircraft models for wind-tunnel testing, gaining AS9100 certification towards the end of 2009 for its capabilities in producing high-complexity components and assemblies for aerospace applications. We are one of Europe s leading designers and manufacturers of aerodynamic models used in wind-tunnel tests, claimed Craig Peterson, Managing Director of Future AM. We have worked with Airbus and The Aircraft Research Association in Bedford for a number of years, producing large models with overall accuracies down in the range of 25 to 50 microns. More recently, we have expanded into other areas of manufacturing, including electromechanical assemblies for military and civil telecommunications, and drug delivery systems for the medical sector. We have also grown our business in the production of small to medium batch high-integrity components, as well as moulds for injection moulding and composite components, and in the manufacture of jigs and fixtures, he added. Despite their different backgrounds, all our clients demand excellence, both in the accuracy of the design and build, and also in the efficiency of the operation. Our long-term success has come from our investment in highly-skilled engineers, coupled with continuous improvement in our systems Craig Peterson of Future AM (right) confirms the order with Alan Gardner from Delcam on the Delcam stand at MACH and technology, he explained. Our decision to change to Delcam software is just the latest example of that process of re-investment. Mr. Peterson believes that the move to Delcam software will help Future AM to keep ahead of its competitors, both in its aerodynamic testing work and in its more general engineering business. If you don t keep up with the latest technology, you always run the risk of being left behind, he commented. By changing to Delcam software, we should be able to be more productive and achieve higher quality and consistency, and so supply an even better service to our customers. Future AM specialises in aerodynamic models for wind-tunnel testing

15 ISSUE Dual-column PowerINSPECT A new module is now available that allows PowerINSPECT to create efficient inspection sequences for use on dual-column CNC coordinate-measuring machines. This development continues the drive to make PowerINSPECT the preferred inspection software for all types of metrology equipment. The combination of a dual-column CMM and PowerINSPECT enables inspection times to be reduced by allowing the simultaneous measurement of different features on larger parts. A common application is automotive body-in-white inspection, where the evaluation of a large, complex and relatively symmetrical assembly requires both intricate measurements on each side combined with an assessment of the structure as a whole. Using this new module gives the ability to measure parts on these devices in a single coordinate system without repositioning. In general, the dual-column mode works in a similar manner to the single-column CNC version of PowerINSPECT: models are loaded in the same way; inspection items are created using the same methods and so on. An additional programming operation is needed to distribute the various items to be inspected between the two columns. Additions to the offlineprogramming and programrunning capabilities provide easy tools for moving inspection items between the two columns to balance the inspection time needed for each one. The user can switch columns in much the same way that they switch probes or tools. To ensure safe operation of the CMM, the collision predictor within PowerINSPECT checks for possible collisions between columns by calculating their moves as the inspection proceeds and comparing their future positions in space and time. If any overlap is detected, the inspection is stopped and a warning displayed. This is the only reliable way to prevent collisions between columns because PowerINSPECT can now be used to program dual-column CNC CMMs of factors like speed differences between the way they are programmed and the way the machines actually move. Of course, the dual-column version of PowerINSPECT offers the same comprehensive range of inspection routines for taking simple measurements, for inspection of geometric features and for analysing complex 3D surfaces. Similarly, the resulting reports present detailed information in an easy-to-read format, that can be understood by all engineers, not just inspection specialists. Latest Delcam for SolidWorks The 2013 release of Delcam for SolidWorks includes a new entry-level 3D milling option, plus many of the enhancements made to the 2013 version of FeatureCAM (see page 1). As a Gold Partner CAM product, it is, of course, fully compatible with the latest release of SolidWorks. The new entry-level 3D option includes all the 2D and 2.5D strategies available in Delcam for SolidWorks, plus the 3D single-surface strategies for Z-level roughing, with either offset or raster, and finishing with raster, isoline or spiral. It is intended mainly as an introductorylevel program for companies new to 3D machining but will also be useful for users that only have an occasional need for 3D capabilities or that only machine softer materials. New strategies from FeatureCAM have been added to the high-speed machining module in Delcam for SolidWorks, including step cutting during area clearance, the ability to use the scallop height to control the stepover with steep/shallow machining, the area filter to remove small enclosed pockets within the part from the toolpath and the option of using bottom-up machining for Z-level finishing. Extra five-axis strategies include flowline machining between two curves, pencil machining and corner re-machining, plus the ability to smooth the Azimuth and Elevation axes independently. Enhancements have also been made to the turning and mill-turn modules within Delcam for SolidWorks. In particular, support is now available for simultaneous b-axis turning for more complex turning operations. This allows more positioning options to be used for a single tool, so minimising tool changes and the associated dwell marks or surface blends. New five-axis options include pencil machining Bottom-up machining avoids cutting with the tip of a ball-nose cutter

16 16 ISSUE For more news, go to More metrology and machining capabilities The GOM ATOS ScanBox inspection cell for metrology and reverse engineering Delcam has expanded the range of equipment within the Advanced Manufacturing Facility at the company s Birmingham headquarters with the addition of a GOM ATOS ScanBox inspection cell for 3D metrology and reverse engineering, and a Hermle C50 UMT five-axis machining centre. These latest additions form part of a more general expansion of the Delcam Professional Services subsidiary as demand grows for its process development and prototype manufacturing services. Delcam s unique in-house manufacturing facility was incorporated into DPS at the beginning of 2011, after the two groups had worked closely on a number of major projects. In each case, processes developed by the DPS team were proven within the AMF before being transferred onto equipment at the customer s site. The GOM ScanBox contains the ATOS Triple Scan 3D sensor mounted on a robot, so combining the accuracy of the ATOS blue-light technology with the flexibility of the robot. This combination offers the highest resolution data from small, detailed parts, while also providing extremely fast scanning of large objects up to two metres in length. The point-cloud data generated can be used for either reverse engineering or inspection with Delcam software. The Hermle C50 UMT machining centre offers five-axis machining through the incorporation of a trunion for the a axis and a rotary table to provide the c axis. This provides an alternative approach to the existing DMG, Mazak and Huron five-axis equipment and so increases the ranges of processes that can be undertaken and components that can be produced. Another benefit is that the table within the Hermle can be rotated at up to 500 revolutions per minute, so giving mill-turn capabilities. The main milling spindle is locked in place during turning so that larger loads can be accommodated, while still retaining high speeds and accuracy. The new equipment will increase the ability of DPS to help its clients to improve their manufacturing processes. These services are attracting increased demand, especially from the aerospace and power generation industries, as many companies now find that their engineering resource is needed to maintain their ongoing operations, leaving them limited capacity to introduce new products and develop new processes. The new equipment will also be used in testing new developments in Delcam s software. Being able to test developments on-site on industrialsized equipment obviously gives Delcam a major advantage in proving out its programs before they are delivered to customers. The manufacturing expertise gained from the AMF forms an important part of the comprehensive support given by Delcam to all its customers. As well as helping the development teams, the experience gained can be passed on to the support staff. They can use this knowledge to give software users more detailed advice on all areas of their work, including aspects like the best choice of machining strategy and cutter selection, as well as the operation of the software. News.Delcam is written and produced by Delcam plc, Small Heath Business Park, Birmingham B10 0HJ, UK. Tel: +44 (0) Fax: +44 (0) [email protected] 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.