According to Bill Gibbs, president of CNC machining software developer Gibbs and Associates, the latest improvements and enhancements to GibbsCAM 2011 are centred around 5-axis machining and multitask machining (MTM).
“The latest revision further demonstrates the capability of our CAM software in challenging piece part production environments using complex machine tools,” he enthused. “CNC programmers and manufacturing engineers will see how GibbsCAM MTM and 5-axis programming, plus toolpath verification and multi-axis machine simulation, can help them eliminate scrap, increase shopfloor safety, reduce cycle times and maximise profits.”
GibbsCAM presents users with an intuitive interface making GibbsCAM easy to learn and easy to use but a raft of new features designed to maximise productivity have been introduced in GibbsCAM 2011.
5-axis hole-making: a new routine for 5-axis hole-making operations aided by enhancements to GibbsCAM's automatic feature recognition, hole manager and hole wizard, is said to make programming 5-axis drill cycles simpler and more efficient. Programming drill cycles at off-axis orientations is also a simple task and reported to be much quicker than via alternative methods.
5-axis toolpath conversion: a new operation modifier facilitates the conversion of 2.5- and 3-axis toolpaths for machining in 5-axis, which enables use of shorter tools to achieve smoother toolpaths at certain surface intersections and other geometric conditions.
5-axis machining styles: additional swarf cutting capabilities have been added, as well as a new 5-axis trimming (wireframe) strategy.
5-axis milling on turning machines: support for B-axis (tilting live tooling) enables programming of 5-axis milling with Y-axis offsets on lathes and multi-task machines equipped with a live tooling B-axis.
MTM thread whirling: GibbsCAM's support of thread whirling attachments is a key addition for multi-tasking machines with multiple axes (typically running with 5-axis simultaneous motion). Thread whirling attachments provide the rigidity and rotary tools to make screws of high length-to-diameter ratio, such as ballscrews, worm shafts, feed screws and acme screws.
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