Wheel hole drilling programmed in Delcam’s PowerMILL Pro 2012 R2 CAD/CAM package. Some key trends affecting CAD/CAM are coming from
HAND WHEELS. HANDLES. SPRING PLUNGERS... AND MORE.
developments in related technology, such as cutting tools that can operate at higher speeds in harder materials and increasingly complex machinery configurations, especially in mill-turn equipment, according to Glenn McMinn, president, Delcam North America (Salt Lake City, UT). “These develop- ments offer potential benefits in increased productivity and shorter delivery times. However, these benefits can only be achieved with CAM software that can take full advantage of the new technology.
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“Most CAM systems now support recent computer hard- ware developments such as 64-bit operation, multi-threading and background processing, and most customers have upgraded their hardware to take advantage of these develop- ments,” McMinn said. While the current focus is on exploiting developments in machine tools and cutting tools, another op- portunity to boost productivity comes from the closer integra- tion of machining and inspection. “This technology can vary from simple routines to assist automated machining, to prob- ing cycles to check the position and orientation of the part before machining starts, or sophisticated adaptive machining options for efficient finish-machining of near-net shape parts from casting or forging.” Among Delcam’s latest enhancements to its five-axis
PowerMILL software is the lead and lean angles can now be defined relative to a contact normal, McMinn noted.