October 22, 2012 - EuroMold 2012 is the venue for European mould and die manufacturers to see the latest significant developments in the market-leading Edgecam software which generates reliable, highly accurate toolpaths and full machine simulation using solid geometry from any major CAD system.
Camtech GmbH are demonstrating Edgecam 2013 R1 on Stand J11 in Hall 8, where the latest release features a brand new wire EDM function, providing an intuitive environment for the comprehensive programming of all wire EDM machine tools. It includes a comprehensive library of proven post-processors and knowledge-based cuttings schemes as standard. Users can select from one of the pre-defined machining strategies, such as “Unattended night runs” and “Attended day ruins.” Alternatively, they can easily define their own.
In addition to the new wire EDM function, a number of enhancements give added value for all Edgecam users:
The industry-leading Waveform Roughing cycle now has the ability to specify a pre-drilled hole as the approach type, ensuring a smoother transition into the material, reducing the cycle time even further.
Toolpaths are now generated much faster thanks to a new 5-axis 64-bit machining engine running as a separate process, utilising multiple core technology. Background processing of milling cycles in the Mill-Turn environment is now available, meaning the user can carry on working while Edgecam calculates complex toolpaths.
In Turning, the new Rough Profiling cycle removes material in a series of cuts parallel to the input profile, and is typically used for roughing free-form profiles from casting and forgings. It is also useful for cutting materials where it is beneficial to minimise re-entrant cutting as it keeps the tool in contact with the material for longer. The cycle includes intelligent stock entry and exit, as well as being stock-aware to eliminate air cuts and reduce cycle time, along with supporting controller tool offsets and including options to specify a range of different offsets.
Further enhancements have been made to the Edgecam Simulator, enabling the simulation process to rewind to a previous position in the machining sequence.
Another time-saving feature in the Profiling cycle is the new option to specify a chamfer or radius to break sharp corners, eliminating the need for deburring.
Edgecam is a certified partner for Autodesk Inventor, and 2013 R1 contains a direct interface with Autodesk Vault 2013, allowing users to manage their Edgecam files in it. Work in progress can be tracked, and users can maintain version control over their individual jobs. Edgecam’s Vault menu gives direct access, and users can check part files in and out, and view the change history. When Edgecam files containing an Inventor model are checked out of the Vault and loaded into Edgecam, any recent changes to the Inventor model are recognised, flagging up the opportunity to update it in the Edgecam part.
• Camtech GmbH won the Edgecam Outstanding Achievement Award at Vero Software’s Global Reseller Conference earlier this year. The award went to Camtech because of their 24% revenue growth; the fact that they are Europe's largest single Edgecam reseller, and gained an 18% growth in SMP sales.