Delcam's Latest CAM Developments At Metalloobrabotka In Moscow

Delcam will present its latest developments in machining with both machine tools and robots at the Metalloobrabotka exhibition to be held in Moscow from 25th to 29th May. 

Programs on show will include PowerMILL for high-speed and five-axis machining, and FeatureCAM for quick and easy feature-based CAM programming.  Delcam’sPowerSHAPE Pro software for reverse engineering and PowerINSPECT inspection software will also be demonstrated in Moscow.

The latest release of PowerMILL includes improvements to the Vortex high-efficiency area-clearance strategy, developments in toolpath simulation and verification, improved collision checking to also cover near misses, and more efficient raster finishing, area clearance and drilling, plus more options for customisation by users.  

Complete verification, covering cutting moves, leads and links, and tool changes, can now be undertaken of a PowerMILL project for machine-tool issues such as collisions, saving considerable time compared to undertaking verification of each individual toolpath in turn.  Comprehensive verification is performed, including ensuring that the machine tool is capable of running the proposed strategy, as well as checking for both machine-tool collisions and tooling collisions.

As well as benefitting from the many enhancements in PowerMILL itself, the latest release of PowerMILL Robot enables manual and CNC programming of robots to be combined in a single program so providing the maximum flexibility.  Other enhancements include improved collision checking, automatic avoidance of wrist singularities and the ability to generate robot programs from tape files produced in other CAM 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, including lathes, mills and mill-turn machines. 

The new 2015 R3 release of FeatureCAM includes a range of enhancements to give high-quality results on all types of machine tool, including complex mill-turn equipment and five-axis machining centres, while retaining the rapid programming times for which FeatureCAM is renowned.

The most significant new option is the ability to duplicate the physical constraints of the machine tool in simulations in FeatureCAM.  Machine-tool limits can be added to the models to be used in the simulation for three-, four- and five-axis milling machines, for turning equipment, and for mill-turn machines, including those with multiple turrets and/or multiple spindles.  It is then possible to check that the chosen machine tool is capable of completing the proposed program for all types of equipment, from the simplest lathe to the most complex multi-tasking machine.