BIRMINGHAM, UK, Aug 20, 2014 – Delcam will demonstrate the 2015 version of its Delcam for SOLIDWORKS integrated CAM system at IMTS 2014 in Chicago from September 8 to 13 on booth E3222, the largest CAM software booth at the show. The new release will include a range of enhancements in three-axis milling, drilling, turning and wire EDM to make the software even more valuable to SOLIDWORKS users that need to manufacture their designs.
Programming of three-axis toolpaths for complex parts will be easier and more reliable in Delcam for SOLIDWORKS 2015 with the addition of automatic collision checking of the tool shank and holder, as well as the cutter, for both roughing and finishing operations. If a gouge is detected the toolpath will be able to be recalculated with any segments that will cause a gouge clipped away.
Removing these segments of the toolpath will leave an area of unmachined stock that will need to be removed with a longer tool. This extra toolpath will be able to be calculated using a stock model of material remaining after the shorter tool has been used to ensure there is no re-machining of stock that has already been removed.
As part of this development, an additional function, called ‘maximum machine stock’, will be added that removes direct moves where clipping has occurred. These direct moves can leave witness marks on the part so their removal should improve surface finish.
Another improvement in three-axis machining with Delcam for SOLIDWORKS 2015 will allow stock models to be used in conjunction with other geometry, such as the part surface dimensions, solid models, the stock dimensions and boundary curves. This addition will give better control over the area to be machined by each toolpath and so give more efficient machining by allowing the user to confine toolpaths to specific regions and to eliminate air-cutting by referencing the stock model.
Three-axis flowline and isoline machining will be more flexible as users will be able to choose to move the tool in an in-to-out direction or an out-to-in direction.
Drilling with Delcam for SOLIDWORKS will be made easier in the new release with the introduction of a new hole type, ‘Thread Mill Hole’, which eliminates the need to create holes, pockets or sides, and thread features as separate items. It will be able to be used either with holes created with the ‘Hole’ feature or those that have been identified with ‘Feature Recognition’.
Another improvement to drilling will be the new ‘Find Feature’ command that will give the ability to combine similar holes into groups on indexed parts. With previous releases, users had to have a separate feature for each hole but, in future, holes that are similar will be recognized and then grouped together. This will make them much easier to manage and edit.
A series of improvements have been introduced to make turning with Delcam for SOLIDWORKS more efficient. The software will be able to produce toolpaths that rapid up and over previously machined diameters, rather than feeding along them. This will reduce the overall cycle time and avoid dragging of the tool.
For users of wire EDM, Delcam for SOLIDWORKS 2015 will provide an expanded wire-cut database to support multiple machines having varying formats and methods of operation, with the ability to specify nozzle type and fluid type as well as material type and thickness, wire type and diameter, and EDM machine. This will give more flexibility by providing the option to store and apply a greater variety of different parameters.
Wire EDM assemblies with multiple setups will be able to be output in a single program separated by Program Stops, with NC code required for a safe Program Stop formatted in a special section of the post processor. This will increase greatly programming flexibility for Wire EDM users, allowing them to manage their parts on the machine safely.
A key benefit of Delcam for SOLIDWORKS has always been the availability of a wide range of post-processors, together with the ability for users to customize their posts. In the 2015 version, post variables will be able to be assigned user-defined names. This will allows users to see quickly exactly which post variables are configured for use with a particular post-processor and to understand their intended use. This change will be particularly valuable when programmers need to understand customizations in posts that have been made by other users.
Delcam for SOLIDWORKS combines the benefits associated with Delcam’s PowerMILL and FeatureCAM CAM systems. It is based on Delcam’s proven machining algorithms that are already used by more than 45,000 customers around the world. The software offers 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, even when cutting the hardest, most challenging materials. At the same time, Delcam for SOLIDWORKS has the same strong focus on ease of use as FeatureCAM, including all of the knowledge-based automation that makes that system so consistent and reliable.
Delcam for SOLIDWORKS is fully integrated into the SOLIDWORKS environment so that the program looks and behaves like SOLIDWORKS. It offers full associativity so that any changes in the CAD model are reflected automatically in the toolpaths. However, this associativity is more intelligent than that offered in many other integrated CAM systems. Delcam for SOLIDWORKS doesn’t simply modify the existing toolpaths but also reviews the choice of cutting tools and machining strategies, and changes them if necessary.
About Delcam
Delcam is one of the world’s leading suppliers of CAM software and associated services, and also supplies systems for product design, tooling design, reverse engineering and inspection. The company has grown steadily since being founded formally in 1977, after initial development work at Cambridge University led by the late Donald Welbourn. It is now among the largest developers of product design and manufacturing software in the UK, with subsidiaries in America, Europe and Asia. Over 330 people are employed at Delcam’s Birmingham headquarters, with almost 400 staff working in the company’s overseas subsidiaries and around 200 more in its international joint ventures.
Delcam’s software and services help manufacturing companies to increase productivity, improve quality and reduce lead times. The company’s software is used in over 90 countries by more than 45,000 organizations. These customers range from multi-national corporations to independent designers, toolmakers and sub-contractors, and come from a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, automotive, electrical appliances, footwear, healthcare, motor sport, packaging, toys, sports equipment, jewellery and signmaking. On February 6, 2014, Delcam was acquired by Autodesk and now operates as a wholly-owned, independently-operated subsidiary.
For further information, please visit www.delcam.com.