V9 – multi-tool
station for turret lathes
appearance properties at any time. New
exibility to use major functions (like Section,
X-Caliper and AUTO-DIFF) in any view will help
programmers get things done faster.”
SPEED MATTERS
VERICUT can simulate faster in the new
viewing environment, thanks to using much
more GPU hardware than ever before, with
dramatic performance increases for additive
and grinder/dressing operations. Huge
performance boosts are seen with NC
Program Review and VERICUT’s free Reviewer
application provide signicantly faster review
times for all staff, from the shopoor to the
top oor.
Mill-turn tooling enhancements include
new multi-tool station for turret lathes with
easier set-up for an arrangement of cutting
tools accessed through a turret index
position. Activate a tool for cutting via its
offset and check remaining tools for potential
collisions with the part or machine.
New turret set-up feature speeds up the
lathe tooling set-up by selecting tools from a
list, or drag ‘n drop from VERICUT’s Tool
Manager to turret positions. Identical ‘sister’
tools are easier to set-up by simply
referencing a single tool in the library and
setting different offsets.
‘Restart’ and ‘Stop At’ capabilities quickly
verify changes made to an NC program and
have more control over the simulation. Initiate
Restart action on any line in the NC Program
window and the simulation quickly processes
up to the restart line, then the display
updates to show the result. A new Stop At
Line Number/Count option enables
programmers dealing with looping and
branching logic to stop at a specic
occurrence number of processing a line in the
NC program.
Accurate simulation
of complex machining
tasks is a must for
some 7,000 VERICUT
customers worldwide
“We have conducted numerous verication
speed trials in V9.0 with signicant gains
achieved,” explains Bridger. “For example, a
5-axis job with 35,000 lines of code running
on a Matsuura MAM 72 in Version 8.2 takes
10 minutes, with the faster processing
available in Version 9.0 the same job is
nished in 5 minutes 31 seconds.”
VERICUT simulates 6-axis articulated-arm
robot motion from leading robot machine
builders including FANUC, KUKA, ABB,
Kawasaki, Motorman and others. VERICUT
also supports robots that have additional
‘external’ axes such as when mounted on a
linear rail.
In addition to simulation, VERICUT can
also be used to adjust motion and postprocess
for robots. VERICUT computes joint
positions from the incoming tool point
commands and orientation, and then postprocesses
for the specic robot-language
program. Most robots are programmed by
‘teaching’.
Off-line programming is preferred when
there are many motions, precise positions
are needed, or the process must be
controlled or traceable. Support has been
increased for robots, including Quaternion
robot motions and PentaPod (5-pod)
machines, with improved work offset
handling, angle-head attachments and
probing.
Sale Engineer Scott Ravenscroft presents
the latest FORCE module developments.
FORCE is a physics- and mathematics-based
module designed to optimise machining
rates. The software uses actual data for
cutting tool forces and spindle power
readings to calculate maximum chip
thickness and feed rate.
He explains: “VERICUT covers the obvious
and visible production elements, such as
crashes, scrap, gouges and prove outs;
FORCE addresses the hidden opportunities.
These include inefcient programming and
suboptimal feedrates caused by the CAM
system’s inability to adjust cutting feedrates
for varying cutting conditions.”
ATTACK & DEFENCE
Breaking the key parameters of FORCE down
into ‘attack’ and ‘defence’ to highlight how
the software achieves its goals. “In attack,
we create optimal cutting conditions by
maximising chip thickness and keeping the
chip thickness constant. Defence comes
from setting limits to prevent failure, such
as maximum feedrate, cutting force and
deection. All of which is done without
altering the trajectory or path of the cutting
tool,” Ravenscroft states.
FORCE relies on proven technology to
maximise program efciency and
productivity, and typically achieves savings
of 8 to 15% on aluminium and 15+% on
difcult-to-cut materials. Return on
investment can often be as little as one
production component, with the opportunity
to analyse cutting conditions, improve tool
life, protect CNC machine tools and reduce
operational costs.
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