Manufacturing software solutions for automation

This often involves the notion of a re-imagined approach towards innovation and the adoption of the Internet of Things with connected systems. One thing that is sure to shape the future of manufacturing, is automation. Automation with respect to advanced robotic applications and intelligent manufacturing systems.

It is these intelligent manufacturing systems that can help today’s CNC machine shops who face numerous challenges in their ongoing day-to-day business. Getting parts to market on time is of paramount importance, but is a process that has many external influences that are not always predictable. Ongoing product variability, the availability of skilled labour, and maintaining part quality are why many job shops and manufacturers have moved towards incorporating automation in their part programming. Automated CAM software such as Autodesk FeatureCAM, was developed to alleviate many manufacturing challenges by automating the workflow from design to NC code.

Tools like automatic feature recognition (AFR) make part programming a far quicker process in comparison to traditional CAM software. AFR is able to scan, identify and create machinable features from a design automatically. The features created contain associative machining operations with all of the information required to begin machining, helping to reduce programming time. Quotes and cost estimations can be prepared in a short time and CNC programmers can begin machining their parts faster, enabling a greater output per hour of labour input. Creating features in this way removes repetitive tasks, eliminating the scope for human error. This increases programming consistency and enables a level of predictability to produce reliable NC code for maintaining part quality.

Looking for automation

FeatureCAM takes the manufacturing knowledge of the programmer to intelligently make decisions and produce results. This encourages manufacturers’ to standardise their best practices, from their existing quality standards and promote repeatability between all employees using the same set-up.

The automation in FeatureCAM acts as a productivity tool throughout the software. With work holding being a critical part of programming, FeatureCAM automatically updates toolpaths to avoid any clamps and fixtures being used to hold the part. Automatic tool selection takes into account the exposed length and shank of the tool in relation to the feature depth and axis unwinding automatically adjusts rotational axes to keep the machine within its travel limits.

The automated CAM software was developed to alleviate many manufacturing challenges by automating the workflow from design to NC code. These include more options for the Vortex high-efficiency roughing strategy, support for bar-fed mills, more efficient turning, increased five-axis functionality and user-interface improvements to make programming even easier and faster.

An improvement to automatic tool selection includes a check of the diameter of the tool shank. If the shank diameter is found to be larger than the diameter of the cutting portion of the tool, FeatureCAM will choose a tool of the appropriate length to avoid collisions of the shank with the part. When used in combination with PowerSHAPE, FeatureCAM now allows machining files to be selected and nested automatically in a single block to optimise stock material usage. Machine design files now appear on a document level, making it easier to check visually which file is loaded. This also makes it quicker to edit the set-up location of the component and to change the machine-design file for the post-processor that is currently loaded.

Delcam, an Autodesk company since 2014 continues to improve the software to help companies that need to increase productivity and reduce lead times.