Motorists can buy New Models with various styles, options and amenities depending on preference and needs. We’re finding that CAD/CAM software users are looking for much the same in terms of flexibility and “driver” control, preferring a wide variety of functions from which to choose and customize based on the application.
How many times have programmers stared at a CAD program and envisioned the ways in which they’d program the part, then realize what they envisioned wasn’t easily executed in their software system? This is where customizing the programming process and having the ability to adjust strategies have become a top priority.
The new Mastercam 2024 software addresses the need for flexibility and allows users to develop their own strategies for repetition of complex tasks. We call this micro-automation in that we’re not going after that full end-to-end automation in the CAM software. Once a strategy is proven, we apply them in fewer clicks.
As an example, the Process Hole feature, introduced in Mastercam 2024, allows operators to apply previously defined processes to a part’s solid hole features, eventually building an operations library. Machinists can program one part hole exactly the way they want, creating a template of sorts so that when the hole appears in future projects, the toolpathing process can be brought in quickly and easily, resulting in a hole that is programmed to exact specifications.
The demand for simplicity is, in part, driven by the complexity of the machines the software is used to drive. Each time machine tool builders add a feature or some sort of functionality, the machine becomes harder to program and to simulate, especially when you consider multi-tasking machines or turning centers with milling heads. To address this, we introduced full simulation capabilities for myriad machine tools and support of the angled milling heads on a turning center or mill-turn. This could be done in the past, but it wasn’t fully supported nor was it fully simulated. Because this capability is now integrated into the software, it’s easy to simulate a machining strategy and determine whether it will work the way in which it was intended.
There’s a constant leap-frogging game between CNC capability and CAM software as new features and functions are added. It really pushes everyone to advance. An example of this is the B-axis Contour Turning operations. On a multitasking mill-turn machine, the B-axis head can simultaneously tilt as it comes across a part, providing flexibility with the tooling for undercuts and part navigation with a shorter tool reach; the same advantages you’d get with five-axis milling. Many turning centers have always had this capability but no turnkey way to easily program it. Industry reacted to that and developed a programming strategy that supported turning operations. It’s become a bit more commercial these days because both manufacturers and software developers continue to rise to the occasion. The last few Mastercam releases include programming enhancements for turning centers, such as solid chaining and 3D-tool models.
Innovations in graphical interfacing programming have been groundbreaking. Live updates and the ability to make selections on the screen—the latter might have been done using radio buttons or entering in a hard value—are now shown as a graphical plane screen display. Rather than windows full of numbers and switches, the software relays information on screen, making it easier than ever to interact with the software and shortening the learning curve.
Programmers can now save valuable time while simultaneously creating more accurate and efficient programs the first time.
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