Jones: The benefits of using Vortex are greater when ma- chining harder materials. These include many of the specialist materials used in aerospace manufacturing, such as titanium and Inconel. ME: What other CAM developments are helping aerospace builders? Jones: Simultaneous five-axis ca-
pabilities have been available in most CAM systems for some years, so these functions should already be used by aerospace companies to reduce the number of setups to increase produc- tivity and accuracy. Enhancements will continue to give faster calcula- tion times and improved simulation, but Delcam doesn’t anticipate more fundamental developments. There will probably be more changes in software for multitasking machines, to keep up with the increasingly sophis- ticated equipment being produced by the machine-tool builders. Adaptive machining is more specialized, since it requires capabilities in both machin- ing and inspection and it also needs more customization for a specific application. Delcam will continue to make this customization easier to implement, alongside further devel- opment of both its machining and inspection software. ME: How is the business climate looking for this year? Jones: Delcam had a fantastic
year, announcing record orders in December 2012, more than 10% over December 2011, and we’re planning for an even better year in 2013. The growth came not only from our well- established markets in automotive and aerospace, but also from new markets such as dental. Most manufactur- ing industries, especially automotive, aerospace, and oil and gas, look set for further growth, which will help to
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boost the whole CAM industry. Delcam’s growing reputation for excellent software, high rate of technical development, and outstanding support should allow us to gain further market share. ME
“GibbsCAM software provides you with the powerful capability an wide range of support you need to create real-world programs for your parts and YOUR
machines, while its industry-leading ease-of-use ensures that your employees become more productive quickly. Together, as members of the Cimatron Group, GibbsCAM and CimatronE are YOUR competitive edge—providing complete solutions for ALL OF YOUR CAM needs!”