CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
15 February 2008
Events News
Delcam to Show Full CAM Range in Spain
Delcam will demonstrate its expanded range of CAM software in Spain for the first time at the BIEMH exhibition in Bilbao from 3rd to 8th March. Since the 2006 exhibition, Delcam has increased its variety of CAM systems with the launch of the Spanish version of FeatureCAM and the addition of the PartMaker family alongside the established PowerMILL and ArtCAM products. This expansion has given Delcam the widest range of CAM software of any developer and contributed to the company’s position as the world’s leading specialist supplier of CAM systems and services.
On its introduction in 1995, FeatureCAM was the world’s first feature-based milling system. The product range has grown subsequently to include turning, wire-EDM and mill-turn packages, plus feature recognition for imported CAD files. The FeatureCAM range is now renowned as the world’s fastest and easiest-to-use, knowledge-based programming system.
Since the acquisition by Delcam in 2005, FeatureCAM development has accelerated to further expand its capabilities. The current release, FeatureCAM 2008, includes support for continuous five-axis machining, more efficient turning through better and easier control of stock remaining, and an improved tool database with more options to link pre-defined feeds and speeds to individual tools. This version also features numerous smaller enhancements and speed-ups, plus new and updated post-processors, in particular for turn-mill equipment, including the Mazak Integrex, Daewoo Puma and Nakamura-Tome machines.
The new five-axis machining options in FeatureCAM 2008 offer a variety of methods for controlling the tool axis. The user is able to set a specific lead and/or lean angle – the lead angle is measured in the cutting direction; the lean angle at right angles to the cutting direction. Alternatively, the tool angle can be set in an orientation either to or from a point, or to or from a line.
Many three-axis toolpaths generated in FeatureCAM are able to be converted to a five-axis equivalent by using automatic collision avoidance to change the tool axis when collisions might occur. Other options include five-axis trimming, five-axis drilling and swarf machining.
PartMaker SwissCAM is the market leading system for programming Swiss-type lathes supporting all Swiss machine models from builders such as Citizen, Star, Tornos, Maier and many others. While PartMaker has been the standard for CAM software for programming multi-axis multi-spindle machines for years in the United States, its popularity in Europe has grown sharply since its acquisition by Delcam in 2006.
The newest version of SwissCAM features a wide range of improvements, including enhancements to the system’s unique synchronisation functionality, improvements in 3D simulation, CAD drafting, the handling of solid models and more optimized 3D milling operations. A number of new options have been added including the Full Machine Simulation module, which allows users to view a photo-realistic 3D model of the machine for which they are programming, and the PartMaker Documentation Wizard, which allows the user to create, preview and print documents incorporating multiple views.
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