CAD/CAM Software

News • September 8, 2017

CAM software takes the tension out of manufacturing lead times

Containing large-size cargo for transport is challenging yet necessary to keep bundles intact for individual orders and to keep them from flying off the beds of 18-wheelers at high speeds. Allstrap Inc., Upper Arlington, Ohio, specializes in the manufacture of the steel and poly straps that hold these sizeable loads together, as well as the pneumatic and battery-operated tensioning tools that keep the straps taut.

News • September 8, 2017

Industry giants partner with startup Maketime to bring tech, hardware and services to U.S. manufacturers

Kentucky-based startup MakeTime announced the launch, and participating industry partners, of the MakeTime Shop Advantage Program. The first-of-its-kind program is designed to make technology, sophisticated hardware and business services more accessible to the U.S. manufacturing base, which contributes over $2 trillion to the U.S. economy annually.

Articles • August 8, 2017 • Kip Hanson

CAD/CAM software for ultraprecision machining

The primary application for ultraprecision machining is optical-grade surfaces for injection molds, which are used to make contact lenses, LEDs for TVs and head-up displays in military aircraft and luxury cars.

Articles • July 17, 2017 • Edward Strinden

Get With The Program: Making the most of macros

Using macros, which are pieces of instruction that provide shortcuts, greatly improves programming productivity, according to the Get With The Program column in the July 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering magazine.

News • June 26, 2017

GROB, Open Mind to host seminar on 5-axis machining strategies

The GROB Group and Open Mind are joining forces to offer a complimentary two-day technology seminar on August 1-2, 2017. Grob, a manufacturer of universal machining centers is partnering with Open Mind, a developer of CAM/CAD systems, to present innovative production solutions for aerospace and other industries at GROB's U.S. headquarters and manufacturing facility in Bluffton, Ohio.

Articles • June 5, 2017 • Holly B. Martin

Cleaning corrupt CAD models

Job shops commonly receive corrupted or "dirty" CAD files from their customers. These files must be cleaned or repaired before toolpaths for machining the workpiece can be created. Software solutions like SpaceClaim, developed by ANSYS Inc., can fix dirty models, with the end goal of creating "watertight" solids ready for machining.

Articles • May 11, 2017 • Stas Mylek and Jesse Trinque

Cutting tool and CAM collaboration

New, ultraresilient workpiece materials with high strength-to-weight ratios have cutting tool vendors and CAM developers scrambling to design new tools and toolpaths to efficiently cut them. To succeed, the vendors and developers must collaborate with unprecedented frequency.

Products • April 19, 2017

Super Geometric Intelligence Software

Makino introduces SGI.5, its latest version of Super Geometric Intelligence software for high-feed rate, tight-tolerance machining of complex 3D contoured shapes. Depending upon the specific geometry of the application, SGI.5 can provide 20 to 60 percent faster cycle times while maintaining accuracy and surface finishes.

Articles • March 31, 2017 • Kip Hanson

Rapid prototyping on a CNC machine tool

Machine tool builders, tool suppliers and software developers now deliver technology that makes it possible for CNC operators to set up jobs in minutes rather than hours, and deliver parts in days instead of weeks.

Articles • January 13, 2017 • Bryan Jacobs

Optimization software saves time

Good optimization software must take into account all the known challenges to optimal machining, which include heat, vibration, deflection, chip buildup, material hardness and a machine tool's horsepower, torque, rigidity, spindle speed, maximum feed rate and accuracy. What's more, end users must also select the appropriate cutting tools and machining parameters.

Articles • December 1, 2016 • James Harvey

Become familiar with CNC programming code

Presented here is the second part of a two-part series of columns about the importance of becoming familiar with CNC programming code. The following describes the steps involved in manually writing a program.

Articles • December 1, 2016 • Stas Mylek

Achieving machining effectiveness

In the first part of this two-part series, I looked at what actually happens in the cutting zone and how that knowledge allows end users to select the best possible cutting tool and CAD/CAM strategy for a particular material to optimize material removal. This second part covers why it is important to adopt this approach not only for all CNC machining processes, but as a significant production cost-saving measure companywide and industrywide.n