SolidCAM 2016 IMachining Whats New

iMachining

TechnologyWizard

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What’s NEW iMachining 2D | iMachining 3D

SolidCAM + SOLIDWORKS The Complete Integrated Manufacturing Solution

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Feed Rate Spindle Speed Step Over Depth

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Full automatic calculation of:

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Contents New Features and Improvements New and improved Technology types...

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Optimized rest roughing and finishing tool path

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Automatic Corners only in iRest

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Enhanced data management

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Floor finishing styles

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Cutting direction styles

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Option to Semi-finish walls

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Option to Finish entire geometry for walls

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Improved Pre-Drilling performance

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Finish feeds and speeds included in Tool Data

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Appearance of the Modify geometry fillet options

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Fixture collision protection in iMachining 3D

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iMachining 3D Parent operation support...

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CAM-Part conversions

Document number: SCiMNEWENG1-2016

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New Features and Improvements 1. New and improved Technology types in iMachining 2D Prior to SolidCAM 2016, iRough, iRest and iFinish were the available Technology types in iMachining 2D. The functionality of an operation was determined by the specified type, enabling you to define the rough, rest or finish machining separately.

Pre 2016

Post 2016

Now, there are four available types. The original iRough and iRest Technology

W types remain, providing the same functionality as before. New and improved are iRough + iFinish and iFinish, both of which provide a combined functionality that

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simplifies the task of programming and automates the machining process.

The new iRough + iFinish Technology type is suitable for prototyping and the machining of soft materials, where a single tool can be used for the roughing and finishing of an entire area. The improved iFinish Technology type is suitable for high quantity runs and the machining of hard materials, where a separate tool (same size as the roughing tool) is preferred to finish the floor and walls. In addition, you can now finish with multiple consecutively smaller tools using a sequence of iFinish operations. Capable of determining rest material, the finish after finish functionality finishes only the necessary areas unreachable by the previous tool. Tool path examples can be seen in the iMachining 2D Technology types topic of the SolidCAM Milling Help.

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2. Optimized rest roughing and finishing tool path With the improved iFinish technology, the iMachining tool path is automatically W optimized and can now perform the rest roughing and finishing of 2.5D features. E N The new tool path is executed in several consecutive steps using intelligent tool movements, all of which would be programming intensive and difficult to achieve using traditional machining methods. The three following tool path features are managed automatically: 1. Tangent tool path extensions so tool never plunges on stock

2. Finishing of corners before floor and walls eliminates over engagement

3. Distancing of tool away from walls when finishing the floor

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3. Automatic Corners only in iRest Prior to SolidCAM 2016, the iRest technology performed rest machining in the corners and along the walls of an entire pocket by default. If desired, the available Corners only option enabled you to limit the machining of rest material to only the corners (and not the walls) of the pocket. Now, the Corners only functionality is performed automatically without having to W select the option (and therefore it is no longer visible in the interface).

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As it was prior to SolidCAM 2016, only the corners are cleared as well as the remaining stock in the tight areas unreachable by the previous roughing tool. If you want the iRest tool path to perform rest machining of the walls, you can override the Wall/island offset and enter a preferred value. The value entered must be greater than 0 but less than the Previous wall offset.

Inherited value (default)

Example of a preferred value

The automatic Corners only functionality not only reduces cycle time, but it also further improves efficiency when a tight Wall/island offset is specified in the previous roughing operation.

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4. Enhanced data management In SolidCAM 2016, to improve programming performance and efficiency, there are

W several enhancements in the way data is managed within an operation as well as NE

between operations.

Technology auto-select To minimize your operation selections, iMachining automatically specifies the next most appropriate Technology type when using Save & Copy plus choosing a smaller tool for use in the copied operation. Upon clicking to close the Choosing tool for operation dialog box, the auto-select sequence is as follows:

Dynamic offset defaults Based on the diameter of the tool, iMachining provides initial default values for the Wall/island offset and Floor offset parameters to minimize your operation entries. In addition, those values are now dynamically updated when the tool diameter is changed or a new tool (with a different diameter) is selected for the operation. For milling tools with a diameter > 6 mm (0.25 in), both offsets have a default input value of 0.3 mm (0.01 in) as shown. For milling tools with a diameter ≤ 6 mm (0.25 in), both offsets have a default input value of 0.15 mm (0.005 in) as shown. If you override the defaults, changing the tool or its diameter will have no effect on your user-defined values.

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Associativity of data All iMachining operations that share a single geometry are linked when using Save & Copy, which provides three major advantages: 1. If any settings are modified in the first operation, all related operations are updated automatically. Related operations will need to be recalculated.

The button in the Operation dialog box of the first operation enables you to Save & Calculate with all related operations at once.

2. Offsets are inherited and the iRest Data between related operations are managed automatically as shown in the example below.

1st operation

2nd operation

3rd operation

For iRough + iFinish and iFinish operations, the Wall/island offset parameter defines the allowance for roughing and rest roughing respectively. The finishing is executed in the same operation to remove the allowance.

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3. All air cutting is eliminated by the detection of cutting technology in related operations. Finish after finish operations, for example, will finish the floor in its entirety or only the necessary areas based on the Floor status of the previous operation and the tool sizes for both. In the example below, the Floor option is enabled in the iRough + iFinish operation and then carried over to the following two iFinish operations. iRough + iFinish using a Ø12 mm (0.5 in) end mill

Finish after finish using a Ø6 mm (0.25 in) end mill

Finish after finish using a Ø3 mm (0.125 in) end mill

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In the example below, the Floor option is enabled in the second operation and then carried over to the last operation. iRough + iFinish using a Ø12 mm (0.5 in) end mill

Finish after finish using a Ø6 mm (0.25 in) end mill

Finish after finish using a Ø3 mm (0.125 in) end mill

In the finish after finish operations of both examples, Step down is reduced to 1 for clarity.

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5. Floor finishing styles In SolidCAM 2016, you can choose what tool path style to use when finishing the

W floor. On the Technology page, the newly added Contour pattern or the original NE iMachining pattern is available for selection.

The tool path is performed according to the selected Style.

Contour This style finishes the floor with a number of equidistant contours parallel to the pocket walls. The Overlap % parameter defines the tool overlapping between two successive passes, specified as a percentage of the tool diameter. When the Floor option is enabled, this style is the default selection with a 50% overlap.

iMachining This style finishes the floor with iMachining tool paths, consisting of morphing spirals and constant load one-way tool paths.

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6. Cutting direction styles In SolidCAM 2016, both iMachining 2D and iMachining 3D enable you to choose

W the cutting direction of the tool path. On the Technology page, there are several

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styles available for selection.

The tool path cutting direction is performed according to the selected Style.

Climb By default, the iMachining technology performs Climb cutting with one-way (trochoidal-like) tool paths to machine narrow passages, separating channels and tight corners.

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Conventional The Conventional option enables you to perform a similar style tool path as the aforementioned but in the opposite direction.

As it was prior to SolidCAM 2016, the cutting direction calculations are unaffected by the direction of the operation geometry chains.

Climb/Conventional – Zigzag Instead of one-way (trochoidal-like) tool paths, you can choose to perform Climb or Conventional cutting with a Zigzag tool path to connect the cuts. When machining narrow passages, separating channels and tight corners, the cutting direction changes from cut to cut containing both climb and conventional movements.

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7. Option to Semi-finish walls In SolidCAM 2016, the new iRough + iFinish and improved iFinish technologies W support semi-finishing of the walls. E N

You can now add a semi-finishing cut to the operation with the Semi-finish option. The Offset parameter defines the machining allowance that will remain on the pocket walls/islands before executing the finish pass. When the Semi-finish option is enabled, the default Offset value is automatically calculated and dynamically updated according to half the Wall/island offset. When the Offset override check box is selected, the associativity of its value with the Wall/island offset will be broken. Combining a Spring pass with the Semi-finish option enables you to achieve highly accurate cuts, which can be used for the circle milling of bored holes or for pockets and slots that require a tight tolerance.

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8. Option to Finish entire geometry for walls As mentioned, the improved iFinish technology performs an automatically W optimized tool path. To eliminate all air cutting, improve efficiency and reduce E N cycle time during finish after finish, only the necessary areas unreachable by the previous tool are machined. In all cases, the rest roughing and finishing is performed in the corners and tight areas only.

In some cases however, you may want your last iFinish operation to perform a final finish pass along the pocket walls and islands.

Finish entire geometry not enabled (default)

Finish entire geometry enabled

On the Technology page, enabling the Finish entire geometry option will perform a final finish pass in such cases.

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9. Improved Pre-Drilling performance Prior to SolidCAM 2016, the iMachining technology used the drill diameter and positions data from previously applied Drilling operations to calculate entry points automatically. In the case of large pre-drilled blind holes, where material remains on the pocket floor, it was required to first define a Profile operation to make the floor flat before using the hole for safe tool entry.

Now, based on the combined data of the Pre-Drilling operation and the current

W operation, the iMachining technology automatically recognizes the following two

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types of large pre-drilled holes (entry holes) and determines the appropriate entry tool path:

1. Blind holes – the tool performs helical ramping, where the bottom must first be made flat to the drill point on the pocket floor.

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2. Through holes – the tool performs a vertical entry since the full diameter of the drilling tool has at least reached the pocket floor.

10. Finish feeds and speeds included in Tool Data When using the iMachining Technology Wizard, the Feed and Spin data for the tool are automatically calculated according to the selected set of Cutting conditions. When GCode is generated, the corresponding data is written to the GCode file. Providing you with additional flexibility and advanced control, the finish feeds and

W speeds, which are calculated separately for the wall and floor, can now be seen on NE

the Data tab of the Tool page.

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Wall finish feeds and speeds Finish feed XY sets the finish feed rate when using iRough + iFinish or iFinish,

where the finish pass uses a separate feed rate.

Spin finish sets the finish spindle speed when using iRough + iFinish or iFinish,

where the finish pass uses a separate spin rate.

Floor finish feeds and speeds Feed floor sets the finish feed rate when finishing the floor, applicable when using the Contour style only. Spin floor sets the finish spindle speed when finishing the floor, applicable when using the Contour style only.

If you have preferred values for finishing, they can be manually entered in the appropriate fields after selecting the override check boxes.

When an override check box is selected, use of the Machining level slider will have no effect on the corresponding value.

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11. Appearance of the Modify geometry fillet options The geometry fillet parameters determine the areas of the part geometry in which to limit the tool and the resulting tool path. By default, the Fillet radius is calculated automatically based on the tool diameter and in accordance with the specified Technology type. For roughing/rest roughing and for finishing, a recommended percentage of the tool radius is used to calculate the value. With the implementation of the new iRough + iFinish and the improved iFinish W Technology types, you can modify the geometry fillet parameters separately for

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roughing/rest roughing and for finishing.

The Modify geometry fillet options appear on the Geometry page only when the mode is enabled.

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12. Fixture collision protection in iMachining 3D In SolidCAM 2016, the iMachining 3D Fixture collision protection option W automatically adjusts the tool path to avoid contact between your defined setup E N and the selected tool. This option appears on the Geometry page of the Operation dialog box.

The Fixture clearance parameter enables you to define the distance by which the tool can approach the setup during the machining.

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13. iMachining 3D Parent operation support in iMachining 2D In SolidCAM 2016, iMachining 2D supports the selection of iMachining 3D Parent W operations. When selected, the iRest parameters required for calculating rest E N material are extracted automatically.

Now, you can easily use iMachining 3D to rough your 3D prismatic parts entirely and then use iMachining 2D to finish the walls and floors.

Roughing with iMachining 3D

Finishing with iMachining 2D

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CAM-Part conversions When opening 2015 and earlier CAM-Parts in SolidCAM 2016, the Wall/island offset and Floor offset values will be kept in existing iMachining 2D operations.

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What’s NEW iMachining 2D | iMachining 3D

The complete range of manufacturing applications inside SolidWorks SolidCAM is the leading and fastest growing developer of integrated CAM software solutions for the manufacturing industry. SolidCAM supports the complete range of major manufacturing applications in Milling, Turning, Mill-Turn and WireEDM, totally integrated inside SolidWorks.

The Revolutionary iMachining module The SolidCAM iMachining™ module is a giant leap forward in CNC machining technology, reducing cutting times by up to 70% and increasing tool life dramatically. iMachining achieves these advantages by using a patented “Controlled Stepover” technology and managing feed rates throughout the entire tool path, ensuring constant tool load and allowing much deeper and more efficient cutting. iMachining™ is driven by a knowledge-based Technology Wizard, which considers the machine being used, the material being cut and the cutting tool data to provide optimal values of the Cutting conditions. With its Morphing spiral tool paths, controlled tool load at each point along the tool path, moating of islands to enable continuous spiral cuts, even with multiple islands, and automatic thin wall avoidance, iMachining™ brings efficiency to a new level for CAM users.

Highest level of SolidWorks integration SolidCAM provides the highest level of CAD integration, with seamless, singlewindow integration and full associativity to SolidWorks. The integration ensures the automatic update of tool paths for CAD revisions. SolidCAM powers up the user’s SolidWorks system into the best CAD/CAM solution.

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