Toolpath optimisation is most helpful in roughing, but optimised finishing toolpaths are also generated by some systems, including SolidCAM's iMachining.Ī key attribute of optimised toolpaths generated within CAM systems is that they are not simple offsets of the machined part, but instead follow what can be described as novel paths. The benefits of toolpath optimisation are claimed by its practitioners as reduced cycle times, improved tool life, improved surface finishes and reduced machine tool wear.Īs Machinery wrote in its previous article on the subject earlier this year ( see here), toolpath optimisation can be considered as coming in two forms: as part of the toolpath creation process within the CAM system at the point of generating toolpaths for the first time or as a post-CAM operation, where the output NC code is optimised. With the launch of SolidCAM 2011 has come a concerted push behind the company's iMachining toolpath optimisation technology, following four years of development. Sales in the UK are split 50/50 between direct and as part of a CAD-led sale. In addition to the full product, SolidCAM Xpress is offered for 2 1/2 D milling. And while it works closely with SolidWorks, having Gold Partner Status, and is sold by SolidWorks resellers as the CAM part of the solution sitting within SolidWorks as a fully integrated element, it is also available for use similarly within Autodesk Inventor, while the technology is also offered as a standalone system having its own CAD front end, or for use with other CAD platforms, where it has embedded CAD file import capability.īut it is the SolidWorks connection that is underlined as of key importance by SolidCAM UK's Gordon Drysdale, with him adding that the CAD package is "one of the world's most widely-adopted 3D CAD system" ease-of-use is the other overall SolidCAM strength, he adds.
The UK operation was formed in 2002 and is located in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.Īn easy confusion to make, due to its close association with CAD system SolidWorks, is that the two are the same company they are not, SolidCAM is an independent company. SolidCAM, which is distributed by a worldwide network of resellers, was established in 1984 and has sold more than 15,000 licences.
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