& Design Innovation Institute (DMDII; Chicago) by the US government. Part of the Obama Administra- tion’s efforts to help rebuild manufacturing, the DMDII aims to build new digital systems and meld the efforts of top manufacturing companies and soft- ware developers to fi nd new and innovative digital manufacturing methodologies.
On the Cutting Edge Being able to accurately simulate the metalcutting process before ever cutting metal is critical to manu- facturing success. With the latest high-end NC simula- tion solutions, manufacturers ensure that the program- ming for their very complex multitasking machines and fi ve-axis machining processes are completely accurate, with no risks of harming expensive equipment or workpieces with collisions during the NC metalcutting process. Using true G-code simulation in the NC cutting process provides manufacturers with the most realistic visualizations possible, simulating the action of the machine tool, tooling and workpiece with 100% accuracy. “Simulating NC programs in a virtual machining environment prior to running them in the physi- cal workshop is endemic and spans manufacturing automation from process concept to shop fl oor,” said Bill Hasenjaeger, product market- ing manager, CGTech (Irvine, CA), developer of the Vericut NC simulation, verifi cation and optimization software. “Our customers use Vericut’s platform-inde- pendent simulation for process design tasks such as CNC equipment concept design and evaluation prior to purchase, CAM programming system evaluation, design-for-manufacturing review sessions, machining strategy analysis and decision-making, and as an aid in workholding design, all prior to production NC programming activities.
used to document the machining process and as an aid for part inspection for shop fl oor personnel.” Suppliers of factory equipment are now acknowl- edging and rushing to fi ll the needs for pre-process simulation as well, Hasenjaeger said, making 3D models of their products generally available to end users. “This includes machine tool manufacturers, makers of workholding devices such as vises, clamps and tooling components, cutting tool and toolholder suppliers, and those making other auxiliary equip- ment such as spindle probes, part transfer grippers, and other optional machine attachments,” he said. “While this trend is infl uenced by the increased use of simulation technology throughout the manufactur-
The Spring Technologies’ NCSIMUL Machine 9.2 simulation software runs embedded on a Panasonic Toughpad IP65 tablet mobile system.
Photo courtesy Spring Technologies
ing process chain, the biggest business motivation has been from end users who demand these models as a condition of purchase from the suppliers.” With the latest Version 7.3 Vericut, users can
“Once the design, tooling and fi xturing are set then the usual simulation production benefi ts of machine/ tool/fi xture/workpiece collision-checking, workpiece dimensional validation, and machining optimization are realized,” Hasenjaeger said. “Then downstream in the workshop, the results of Vericut’s simulation are
simulate any metalcutting CNC process and Vericut for Composites is used widely by aerospace custom- ers in simulating, verifying and optimizing program- ming of composite cutting processes. Machine tool movements can be simulated while stepping or play- ing backwards in Vericut’s Reviewer, which is also playable on an iPad.
“Simulation system end users are becoming more sophisticated and beginning to recognize that process analysis features within the simulation are extremely important, maybe the most important feature of any simulation system,” Hasenjaeger said. “It’s easy to
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