CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
28 February 2007
Product News
SmartCAM V14.0 Boasts ACIS Kernel, Machining From Surfaces/Solid, Open GL Graphics, and More
SmartCAMcnc has announced the field test release of all SmartCAM V14.0 applications. The SmartCAM product family consists of Production Milling, Advanced Milling, FreeForm Machining, Production Turning, Advanced Turning, Advanced Wire EDM, and Advanced Fabrication. The company plans to release the product to all maintenance and new customers in April of this year.
SmartCAM V14 represents SmartCAMcnc's most significant release to date, and demonstrates a strong commitment to the modernization of the product family, offering substantial improvements in Solid CAD compatibility, productivity, usability, and visualization.
"SmartCAM Version 14 is another great leap forward for the entire SmartCAM product line. By providing complete 3D solid model support in all SmartCAM applications, users can make full use of their solid CAD data in SmartCAM," said Doug Oliver, SmartCAMcnc's Director of Product Planning.
"We also continue to build on our core strength: total toolpath control. Other CAM systems might dabble in editable toolpath, but most systems don't allow it. Only SmartCAM provides full toolpath editing, right down to individual toolpath elements. Our users depend on SmartCAM to give them complete control of the entire manufacturing process."
Highlights of SmartCAM V14 include:
ACIS Solid Modeling Kernel in all SmartCAM applications - All SmartCAM V14 products now include the ACIS® Solid Modeling Kernel (previously found in FreeForm Machining and Advanced Milling). Full 3D application support has also been added to all applications. This new capability allows all SmartCAM applications to import 3D solids, surface, and wireframe data via SAT, IGES, DXF, and DWG files.
OpenGL Solid Model Graphics in Main Window - SmartCAM has been updated to use OpenGL graphics in the main user window. OpenGL is the most widely adopted 3D graphics API in the industry. This change provides several significant benefits, specifically the rendering of a solid with transparency, integrated dynamic viewing of the model, shaded-surface picking, and overall improved graphics performance. (Due to the higher system requirements for OpenGL Modeling, users should review the new system requirements for SmartCAM at SmartCAMcnc's website, http://www.smartcamcnc.com/ .)
Machining from Solids - the new Create from Solids geometry capabilities allow creation of boundary and slice profiles from a group of surfaces.
• The Boundary function creates a composite boundary from multiple adjacent surfaces which share common edges.
• The Slice function creates a slice from an entire solid, or from a subset of user-specified surfaces.
• A new Hole Flip option automatically changes the entry side of through holes from one side to the other.
New High-Speed Milling Features - Three new high-speed machining capabilities have been added to Production Milling, Advanced Milling, FreeForm Machining, and Advanced Turning that are especially beneficial to both production shops and mold and die shops. These include:
True Spiral Pocketing - This new pocket milling pattern generates a continuous spiral path between the pocket boundary and a central location within the region. This technique reduces spikes in tool load by eliminating the stepover moves that would otherwise exist in a conventional offset pocketing path, thereby extending tool life.
Trochoidal Slotting - A new trochoidal rough milling process clears a path of material using a smooth series of continuous small arc loops and lines which advance the tool along the profile in small increments. This technique allows high federates for slotting cuts, providing faster material removal while limiting the maximum tool load, and thus providing longer tool life.
Plunge Roughing - A new plunge rough milling process clears a boundary of material using a pattern of drilling style plunge cuts placed at a specified increment along a series of rows. The plunge rough toolpath output uses either drilling canned cycles or conventional long-hand commands. This technique directs the cutting forces along the tool axis rather than radially, and allows purpose built tools to remove large amounts of material very quickly.
Several other new enhancements greatly improve everyday usability, including:
Invert Visibility - This new display control allows quick manipulation of visible and hidden elements by switching between visibility modes. This capability allows elements that are hidden to be selectively redisplayed.
File Preview - A new file open dialog box provides an image preview prior to loading process models, custom tool graphics and font files. The thumbnail image can be expanded to a larger image for improved clarity.
Tool Tip Help - Tool tips "pop-up" display whenever the cursor hovers over an icon or menu pick.
Become a member of the CIMdata PLM Community to receive your daily PLM news and much more.
Tell us what you think of the CIMdata Newsletter. Send your feedback.
CIMdata is committed to your privacy. Your personal information will never be sold or shared outside of CIMdata without your express permission.