CAM Software facilitates 5-axis programming.
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Press Release Summary:
With FeatureCAM 2008, user can set specific lead and/or lean angle to access areas unable to be reached with 3-axis machining. Tool angle can be set in orientation either to or from point or to or from line. Any 3-axis toolpath can be converted to five-axis toolpath by using automatic collision avoidance. Software automatically tilts cutter away from obstacle by specified tolerance and returns cutting angle to value set for overall toolpath once obstacle has been cleared.
Original Press Release:
Delcam Launches World's Easiest to Use Five-Axis CAM Software
Delcam offers a wide range of strategies to make efficient 5-axis programming a reality. The combination of power and flexibility has enabled PowerMILL to be used successfully in a wide variety of applications including; blades and blisks, aerosturctures, port machining and composite trimming. Now, Delcam launches five-axis in its FeatureCAM CAM program to be released in version 2008. This latest version of the leading feature-based machining software offers the high level of automation for which the software is famous together with a comprehensive range of powerful five-axis strategies.
"Many smaller companies can see the benefits of moving to five-axis machining but are intimidated by the complexity of the programming systems that support it," claimed Delcam North America President Glenn McMinn. "With the new release of FeatureCAM we have made five-axis programming easier than ever, making the technology accessible to a much wider range of companies, especially smaller toolmakers and job shops."
FeatureCAM 2008 offers a variety of methods for controlling the tool axis in five-axis. The user can set a specific lead and/or lean angle. This can be done either to access areas unable to be reached with three-axis machining or to give better cutting conditions. Alternatively, the tool angle can be set in an orientation either to or from a point or to or from a line. Any three-axis toolpath generated in FeatureCAM can be converted to a five-axis toolpath by using automatic collision avoidance to change the tool axis when collisions might occur. The software automatically tilts the cutter away from the obstacle by the specified tolerance and then returns the cutting angle to the value set for the overall toolpath once the obstacle has been cleared. Five-axis drilling is also supported. This new functionality, coupled with the advanced feature-recognition in FeatureCAM, makes it possible to create drilling programs in seconds for multiple hole types and sizes that orient in a variety of directions.
The new five-axis functionality in FeatureCAM is, of course, fully-integrated with the existing extensive line of CAM options, including the mill-turn products. This will minimize the training time for existing FeatureCAM users that are looking to move into five-axis machining.
For more complex machining, there is no disputing that the added complexity of multi-axis machining can make it more difficult to get it right the first time, every time. PowerMILL solves this issue with fully integrated simulation and collision detection. It ensures that 5-axis machining can be programmed both safely and efficiently. PowerMILL's advanced simulation gives operator's extra confidence by predicting axis reversals and surface quality, ensuring parts are machined accurately and on time.
Mary Shaw,
Marketing Manager,
mes@delcam.com Delcam Inc.,
1 887 Delcam - 1
