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March 1-6, 2011 | TIMTOS 2011 | Taipei, Taiwan
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Coming Soon in SURFCAM V5.2
SURFCAM V5.2 will be the next release in the V5 series of SURFCAM. This upcoming release of SURFCAM will offer new features, functionality, enhancements
and fixes. Stay tuned by visiting www.surfware.com or contact your local SURFCAM Reseller
for more information. Read more below on the up and coming SURFCAM V5.2 release.
—The Surfware Team!
New - Millturn Mode Menu
The NC menu has now been simplified for MILLTURN mode.
- Rather than selecting Mill/Turn strategies from a specific Mill/Turn
menu, users can now "lock" SURFCAM in Mill/Turn mode and then select any NC operations
that they wish to apply from the standard NC menus
- This change allows for a more efficient interface when programming
Mill/Turn parts
New - HSM Z-Rough Toolpath
- Thisis a brand new HSM Z-rough routine which now incorporates the power
and flexibility of the HSM Z-Finish strategy in SURFCAM V5.1
- This new strategy includes Adaptive slicing and a very robust slicing algorithm
- This routine also supports both the roughing of STL parts and model surfaces
New - Multiple Masking Selections
- The new multiple masking will now allow up to 5 individual color and
entity masks to be defined at one time in a given session
- A right-click menu will allow users to toggle through the selections
and even "invert" them without leaving the workspace
New - Lead In and Lead Out "same as" check box
- A new check box has been added to the "lead in" motion dialog in 2-
& 3-Axis toolpaths to automatically use the same settings for "lead out" motion in all
applicable classic functions
New - Adaptive Slicing in TRUEMill
- The 3-Axis TRUEMill Option has been enhanced to allow users a choice in slicers
- This enhanced slicer incorporates the additional features of Adaptive Step Down Slicing
into the TRUEMill Strategy
Without Adaptive Step Down
With Adaptive Step Down
Enhancement - SPost User Interface
- The SPost user interface has been updated to allow for better clarity, ease of use, and
functionality
- Additional functionality has also been added for Heidenhein controls
- Updated SPost Documentation provided in installation
Enhancement - "MPost" Functions
- The MPost engine has been updated to detect any mismatch between the hard coded INDEX
value and the SET AXIS information contained in the SURFCAM operation
- Updated MPost Documentation provided in installation
Enhancement - CAD Translators
- The Autodesk Translators have been enhanced to provide increased speed and
performance in translating both DWG and DXF files
- Additional options are also avialable in the new Autodesk translator user interface to be able
to convert as 3D model or 2D drawing, the ability to create a drawing or model in 2D translation, show mesh as edges,
wire frame or surfaces, import "text" and/or "dimension" entities as well as import SAT Solid Models
- All CAD Translators have been updated to the latest release levels
Enhancement - 32-bit Verification
- SURFCAM 32-bit Verification launches from a new window in the SURFCAM interface similar to the
64-bit Verification introduced in SURFCAM V5.1
- This allows users to continue working in SURFCAM while running Verification in a separate window
Enhancement - 64-bit Verification
- SURFCAM 64-bit Verification has been enhanced to provide compare functionality
Enhancement - Machine Simulation
- Machine Simulation has been enhanced to launch in a separate window out of the
SURFCAM environment. This allows users to continue working in SURFCAM while Machine Simulation is running.
Enhancement - "NC" Available in Right-Click Menu
- The entire "NC" menu for creating a toolpath is now available from the right mouse
click menu for more efficient workflow
Enhancement - "Save As" available for Velocity 4 and V5
- SURFACAM V5.2 is capable of saving files in the Velocity 4 or V5 formats. This gives
users the ability to go back three versions of SURFCAM
- Files saved as either Velocity 4 or V5 may be opened in V5.1
Enhancement - Automatic Units Recognition
- The new SURFCAM V5.2 file format now includes Automatic Units Recognition. When a file is opened in a
different unit other than that which it was saved, the user will be notified that the file was saved in another unit and
prompts the user on whether to switch units before opening the file
- Note: this functionality is only available in files that are saved in SURFCAM V5.2
Enhancement - STL Stock Definitions
- SURFCAM V5.2 now supports STL geometry for stock definitions when calculating roughing toolpaths
Be sure to check out SURFCAM V5.2 when it is released or contact your SURFCAM reseller to find out how to become a beta tester.
Erich Kramer GmbH & Co. KG, a precision engineering company headquartered in Wetzlar near Frankfurt am Main, was founded in 1998 and has grown from eight
to 15 highly qualified and motivated employees within the last 12 years. In their 1000 sq. meter production area, they manufacture high precision turned and milled components that are used to create measuring instruments,
optical equipment, food manufacturing, laser technology and other engineering projects. By collaborating with their customers, they develop solutions for precision
turning parts, milling parts, prototypes, individual parts or entire assemblies and follow projects from raw materials through to completion.
The decision to adopt SURFCAM with the TRUEMill option as their CAM solution has helped to make Erich Kramer GmbH remain competitive and versatile.
"SURFCAM is easy to handle and gives an optimized and cost efficient production environment which in turn allows us to offer our customers the highest quality," says Wilfried
Stamm, CFO of the company.
"Our machine center operates with eight CNCs that are highly efficient thanks to SURFCAM and the specially adapted 3DC post-processors from SURFCAM Reseller
3D Concepts. The performance that SURFCAM and the add-on TRUEMill delivers allows us to produce high-precision
parts in various difficult materials, including stainless steel, steel, iron, aluminum and titanium, just to name a few.
"TRUEMill is the optimal solution when it comes to milling with accuracy and reducing costs. For example, when milling a stainless steel motor plate
for the optical industry, we were able to drastically reduce our production costs. We previously had to use a 32 mm insert cutter, which is significantly more expensive
both in cost and maintenance than the 12 mm end mill we can now use thanks to TRUEMill. Moreover, the use of an additional tool is no longer necessary before
finishing as the TRUEMill features "step reduction milling" and "rest machining" already leave us with an optimally smoothed and finished surface.
"The life of our endmills has increased by 150%. With TRUEMill we produce 50 instead of 20 pieces per cycle. All in all our tool costs were reduced by more than 44%. TRUEMill's special paths ensure consistent feed and a constant
tool engagement. This not only conserves tools and machines, but also ensures a drastic reduction in lead times. In this application, what previously took 3.5 hours now only takes 2 hours. All in all, we were able to achieve a reduction in our overall costs by 30%.
"We set standards in precision. With TRUEMill we meet our high quality standards while minimizing our production costs and in keeping within our budget. This allows us to pass on savings to our clients."
-Wilfried Stamm, Erich Kramer GmbH & Co. KG (http://www.erich-kramer.de/)