CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
16 August 2012
Events News
Delcam GmbH to Show Latest in Machining and Inspection at AMB
Delcam GmbH will demonstrate new versions of Delcam’s machining and inspection software on stand B 47 in Hall 4 at the AMB exhibition in Stuttgart, Germany, from 18th to 22nd September. Programs on show will include the FeatureCAM feature-based programming system; the PowerMILL CAM software for high-speed and five-axis machining, and for the programming of robots; the Delcam for SolidWorks integrated CAM system; and the PowerINSPECT inspection software.
FeatureCAM was the world’s first feature-based programming software when it was launched in 1995. Constant development since then has ensured that the system has retained its leadership in programming speed and ease of use, while an increased range of strategies has been added to provide more efficient toolpaths giving greater productivity on a wider range of machines. The main change to the 2013 FeatureCAM product family has been the introduction of three levels of 3D machining functionality. FeatureMILL 3D Lite is a new option offering 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.
The most important new option in the 2013 release of PowerMILL will be the new Vortex strategy for high-speed area clearance. 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, three-plus-two-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.
Delcam for SolidWorks is a fully integrated CAM system for SolidWorks that combines the benefits associated with PowerMILL and FeatureCAM. It provides PowerMILL’s exceptional speed of toolpath calculation, plus the advanced strategies for high-speed and five-axis machining, to ensure increased productivity, maximum tool life and immaculate surface finish, while also offering the same strong focus on ease of use as FeatureCAM. The 2013 release includes a new entry-level 3D milling option, plus many of the enhancements made to the 2013 version of FeatureCAM on which it is based. As a Gold Partner CAM product, it is, of course, fully compatible with the latest release of SolidWorks.
Finally, Delcam’s PowerINSPECT system is the world’s hardware-independent inspection software, able to compare parts, prototypes and tooling against CAD models using a wide range of portable, optical and CNC coordinate measurement machines. Improvements to the inspection functionality in the latest release 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. In addition, 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 offline-programming versions.
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