Summer 00.qxd

GibbsNews
®
A Publication for Manufacturing Professionals
What’s Inside
Tech Tip
2
New Training CDs
3
Join Our Mailing List
3
CAD Corner
6
New Training Schedule
7
GibbsCAM 2000 Shipping this Summer!
The much anticipated GibbsCAM® 2000
release will be shipping this summer with
all new enhancements and features.
General Improvements
A number of new enhancements have been
integrated into the GibbsCAM system’s base
functionality providing added value to your
machining capabilities, whether simple 2 or
21⁄2D production work or complex 3D multisurface machining.
NEW Stock Wizard
Stock definition has been improved with
the new Stock Wizard, which guides the user
through defining circular and rectangular
stock objects with circular or rectangular
pockets or thru holes. Conventional stock
definition from geometry has been extended
to support nested shapes allowing complex
cross sections to be entered.
customized or used to create new report templates. Images, such as work-in-progress, can
also be included in the report.
You will also be able to post process select operations without sorting each process in
a G-code editor. Simply choose the process
tiles you want
to post and only
the ones chosen
will be generated by the system. Complex
jobs can be
managed in a
single .vnc file.
A new utility that scans
through your
model to identify and remove duplicate geometry will also
be included in the new release. This eliminates the task of having to flip through labels
or play hide-and-seek with duplicate geometry, saving you both time and effort.
Stored processes can be structured by
placing them into separate folders in your
stored process directory. When the system
displays your stored processes, they will be
nested in the pull-down menu according to
how they are arranged in the folders. You
will be able to quickly and easily identify
any particular process.
Production
Annotation
The annotation capability has been enhanced
to provide XYZ annotation. This allows the
location of points to be graphically displayed
to facilitate positioning on the shop floor—
helpful when setting up fixtures.
NEW Reporter
The new Reporter will provide report forms
generated using Microsoft Excel with complete compatibility with Microsoft Windows
2000. A set of report templates for part, operations, and tooling is included that can be
A significant number of improvements and
new capabilities for the Production user will
be included in the GibbsCAM 2000 release.
You will find that many of these make the
GibbsCAM system even easier to use and
more powerful than before.
NEW Hole Wizard™
With the Hole Wizard interface, compound
holes are defined in a simple four-step process. The first step is to define the type of
hole you want to create. The second is to
define what the various values are for the
hole, or select a standard hole from a table
of predefined holes. In the third step, the
Continued, pg 4
Summer 2000 • Volume XI • Issue II
Published by Gibbs and Associates
2
ech Tip
Utilizing the Material Only Cutting Function
This issue’s Tech Tip focuses on the Material only cutting
function with an emphasis on machining solids. Material only
cutting is a function that is used to remove material left by a previous operation. It calculates toolpath for all remaining material left on walls by prior pocketing operations only. Remaining
material is then stored for 2D contouring and pocketing operations. The material only cutting function can be used either as a
single operation or as part of a multiple process group.
Setting the proper machining preferences
The Allow Mill Material Only setting must be selected in the
Machining Prefs dialog box in order for the system to track and
Before material only function applied
store remaining material conditions. If the material only option
is not going to be used in operations, it is strongly recommended
that this option be deselected. When this preference is on, the
system will perform the calculations needed for a material only
operation, even if the calculations will not be applied. This information will also be saved with the part file. You can conserve
significant amounts of processing power and disk space by
turning this option off when not being used.
When optimal material removal is required, it is best to use
the largest cutter possible. This might leave material in corners
or around islands or bosses that are too close to an internal wall
for the larger cutter to pass through. A subsequent pocketing
operation can be created with a cutter smaller
After material only function applied
than that used to generate the first rough operation. With the material only function
checked in the rough process dialoge box, the pocketing operation will remove only the material left by the previous tool. This
greatly enhances the efficiency of the cutting operation.
The effectiveness of the material only cutting function will be
affected by the value entered in the Past Stock setting. Past Stock is
the distance a tool’s edge is allowed to travel into an open area to
remove material. The recommended value for Past Stock is the tool
diameter minus 2.5 times the maximum surface tolerance of any
previous operation. A Past Stock value set too large will result in
Machining Preferences Dialog Box
toolpath in areas where there is no material left to cut from a previous operation, thus creating unwanted air cuts. Conversely, a Past Stock value set too small may result
in toolpath that does not clean up all the material remaining. The following example helps illustrate how
to calculate the Past Stock value for a material only machining operation using a 0.5" diameter endmill and
a prior operation with a surface tolerance of 0.005". Example: 0.5"-(2.5*0.005) = 0.4875" Past Stock
The Overhang value is another setting that must be considered to produce an effective material only
cutting operation. Overhang is the distance a tool’s edge will move past an open boundary. The recommended value for this setting is the tool radius.
As stated before, the material only function can be used as a single process after a pocketing operation, or it can be used as part of a multi-process machining operation. When using the material only function, it is recommended that the check box for ignore tool profile be selected. When ignore tool profile is
checked, the system performs a simple 2D calculation of material left on walls. Tool corner radii and tapers
are ignored and material left on floor by corner radius is not considered. A conflict could arise if a sharp
Continued, pg 3
3
Tech Tip, Cont. from pg. 2
corner endmill is used to perform the material only
cut. To prevent this conflict, you can direct the system to consider all remaining material by deselecting the ignore tool profile checkbox.
When not to use material only
Certain situations are not ideal for using the material only function. Currently depth first is not supported, meaning that if multiple Z steps are defined
and the material only function is applied, the function will not finish one feature before moving on to
the next. If no toolpath is generated, the final cut
depth could be below the stock bottom. To avoid
this, redefine the stock for this operation only, and
move the stock bottom value to the desired final
cut’s Z depth. Avoid full-body selections and select
only the faces to be cut.
Whenever possible, use 2.5D optimization. This
choice will produce toolpath with circular interpolation (G2s and G3s) and will also allow for a tighter
surface tolerance setting. Since the material only
function does not support custom stock bodies
with undercuts, these should be avoided. Likewise,
tools with undercut cutting edges are not supported either and should also be avoided.
If material only fails on the solid, extract the
edge geometry that defines the pocket and machine
as geometry. When extracting the edge geometry,
specify a small tolerance so the edges will be extracted as lines, arcs and circles (analytic geometry
instead of B splines). Zero tolerance will extract B
splines and any tolerance greater than zero will
extract analytics.
If you have a speciific question and need further
assistance, the Gibbs Technical Support Department
is available to you via telephone (805-523-0004) or
e-mail ([email protected]).
✦
Training CD Now Available
New training CDs are now available for purchase. There are four individual CDs including
one for milling, one for turning,
one for SolidSurfacer™ and
one for advanced mill, rotary
mill and solids import. Created by a GibbsCAM Reseller, Virtual CD Trainer utilizes
a graphical interface that simulates the functionality familiar to GibbsCAM customers. The
tutorial is designed to take the user
through the completion of a part either step-bystep or by specific functions, depending on the
preference of the user. The user is lead through
the same process used to set up and program a real
part. The “How Do I?” feature contains a library
of frequently asked questions categorized by major topics. WithVirtual CD Trainer, a suplemental
training aid is readily and conveniently available
to you any time you need it.
Virtual CD Trainer is priced at $300 for each
of the milling, turning, and SolidSurfacer CDs.
The advanced mill, rotary mill and solids import
CD is priced at $75. If you would like a copy of
one or more of these training CDs, contact your
local GibbsCAM Reseller or visit the Virtual CD
Trainer website at www.virtualcdtrainer.com or
e-mail at [email protected].
Join Our GibbsCAM®
Mailing List
In an effort to continue improving our customer communications, Gibbs and Associates has
set up a mailbot specifically for its customers. Mailbots are mailing list managers, which can be used to manage mass distribution of information. Initially,
we will be using the mailbot to distribute VGNEWS, an electronic newsletter
containing information regarding maintenance releases, tech tips, new business
ventures or other information of value to our customers.
In order to subscribe to the VGNEWS mailing list, go to the Gibbs website
(www.gibbsCAM.com) and log into the Gibbs secured support pages (Click on
Gibbs Online, enter User ID and Password). Under the release software section,
you will find a link to subscribe to VGNEWS. In the fields provided, type in your
name and e-mail address and click on the SUBSCRIBE button. At any time, you can
unsubscribe from VGNEWS at this link as well by clicking on the REMOVE button after typing
in your name and e-mail address. When you subscribe, the mailbot will send a confirmation message
back to the e-mail address you entered. To confirm your subscription, simply reply to the confirmation
message. You will not be added to the list until a confirmation reply has been received from you.
4
GibbsCAM 2000, Cont. from pg. 1
system determines what processes and tooling is
required based on user-provided information. Finally, the hole pattern pallet is used to locate the holes
and then create the processes and operations. Operations are completely
associative. If a change
is needed, simply enter
the Hole Wizard interface and make the modifications and all operations and processes will
automatically update.
With the Hole Wizard,
creating compound holes can
now be a simple task.
Drilling improvements include
bore, fine bore and back bore drill
cycles. In addition, all drill cycles can now specify a dwell amount allowing even finer control of
drill motion. Note: Your posts might require an update
in order to take advantage of these additional drill cycles,
consult your reseller for more information.
Pocketing
With the new zig zag pocketing, pockets can be
cleaned out with a highly efficient zig zag toolpath.
Various methods for handling islands and pocket
walls can be specified allowing the best overall result,
while maintaining a high-level of efficiency. Greater
control of toolpath generation is provided with additional enhancements that support ramp angle for
pocket entries, variable Z step and constraint loops.
Roughing
For lathe users, a
new lathe rough retract move pulls the
tools back at a 45o
angle during retract
allowing for additional clearance.
NEW G-code Editing
The new G-code editor will allow users to edit GCode from within the GibbsCAM system. To demonstrate this capability, a simple code browser is supplied that can be used to display and edit posted
output in a scrollable text window. You can launch
Gibbs Editor 1 or another editor of your choice.
Creating radial patterns is now possible with
new functionality that will enable you to translate,
rotate and duplicate toolpath and maximize your
productivity.
High-Speed Machining
Three new improvements for high-speed machining
and machining hardened materials will be introduced in the GibbsCAM 2000 release. You will be
able to create 2D or 3D spirals, which are
extremely useful for cutting hardened
materials. The resulting toolpath uses G2 and G3 codes to
output interpolated helical
spirals. The third, trochoidal
pocketing, creates tool motions
that are continually circular,
which brings the tool into
contact with the material on
the front sweep of the motion.
This allows the tool to cool and chips to be removed
during the non-cutting portion of the motion, extending tool life. Since sharp corners are eliminated,
feed rates are maximized.
Interoperability
A seat of CATIA is no longer required to directly
read CATIA .DLV and .model files. Support for VDAFS trimmed surface files has also been added. Depending on your GibbsCAM system configuration,
either wireframe or surface information can be
accessed. Both of these capabilities are available as
options that can be purchased individually.
In addition, the ability to select sessions within
a SolidWorks® or Solid Edge® file will be supported.
Previously, users
were only able
to select the first
session within a
multi-session
file. Now, users
will be able to select any session within the file, ensuring that no critical design
data will be missed. Support
for direct read of SolidWorks
2000 and Solid Edge v.8
has also been added.
Solids Import
New enhancements have
been added to 2 and 2.5D
machining functions that
make it possible to handle solid
fixtures. Users no longer have to
derive 2 or 2.5D geometry from
solids, such as fixtures or clamps,
before performing a 2 or 2.5D
machining operation.
Continued, pg. 5
5
GibbsCAM 2000, Cont. from pg. 3
SolidSurfacer™
The GibbsCAM 2000 release will bring new capabilities and enhancements to SolidSurfacer as well.
If your business focuses on multi-surface machining and you rely on SolidSurfacer to cut your parts,
you will benefit from the many improvements made
to SolidSurfacer.
Intersection Machining
The GibbsCAM 2000
release will introduce
a robust intersection
machining capability
that supports generating toolpath either
along or across the intersection edge, allowing the user to control the toolpath
based on the actual machining conditions. This will enable users to go back and remachine the intersection area between a pair of surfaces, if needed.
Gen II Toolpath Engine
The GibbsCAM ‘99 release incorporated the first
half of the Gen II toolpath engine. The GibbsCAM
2000 release will include the completion of the transition from the Gen I engine to the new Gen II toolpath engine, which produces multi-surface toolpath
faster, smoother and more accurately than before.
Not only that, but the new engine provides the user
levels of control that weren’t possible before. For
example, you can now set different tolerances for
various face classes, allowing fixtures to be handled
differently from unselected faces or stock. Containment can be controlled so that the toolpath stays
inside stock or clears stock. Step-over motions are
gouge-free.
High-Speed Machining
Roughing - The plunge roughing capability in the
GibbsCAM 2000 release uses an end cutting mill or
drill, keeping the machining forces along the axis of
the tool rather than against the axis. Users whose
machining demands require a lot of roughing to
clean out significant amounts of material, particularly in deep cavities or stock amounts, will benefit
from the extensive amount of time saved.
NURBS - The GibbsCAM system uses a different
approach for NURBS toolpath creation than other
PC CAM systems. Rather than fitting a NURBS curve
to posted output, where the system has no access to
the original surfaces nor any means to control tolerance drift, the GibbsCAM system’s approach actu-
ally creates NURBS inside the Gen II toolpath engine
itself. The resulting NURBS toolpath is more accurate than NURBS output created using conventional
post processing. Currently the Gen II toolpath engine
supports NURBS output for lace cutting with ball
end mills. With the NURBS technology that’s included in the GibbsCAM 2000 release, you will be
covered no matter what your situation.
The NURBS technology being introduced with
the GibbsCAM 2000 release is the foundation for a
whole series of functionality. If your controller supports arcs on primary planes, then the NURBS output can be directly converted into polyarc format
with absolutely no data degradation. This
allows the accurate curve fitting capability of NURBS to be used by controllers
without NURBS support capabilities. The
polyarc data is a very compact format,
making it quicker to download the program into your machine.
The new release will output polyline
data that is derived from the NURBS representation. This creates a much more accurate toolpath, minimizing surface artifacts and reducing the
amount of hand finishing required.
To really take advantage of more advanced
machine tool controllers, you need to feed them the
highest level of information that they’re capable of
handling. With many controllers today, that means
NURBS elements. Controllers capable of supporting
NURBS can perform feed rate adjustment as part of
processing the NURBS data, resulting in optimal performance. Post processors are available for Fanuc
and Siemens controllers, which utilize NURBS Gcode internally.
Smoothed
Polyarc
NURBS
These significant improvements, along with many
system enhancements, make the GibbsCAM system
a more powerful tool to improve your efficiency
and productivity.
✦
6
The CAD Corner
Corner Spotlight: CADKEY (CADKEY Corporation)
The CADKEY Product Line — Hybrid Modeling at its Best
CADKEY® products have been used by manufacturers and moldmakers worldwide since its introduction in 1985 as the first
3D CAD system for the
personal computer. Along
with CADKEY PARAMETRICS, CADKEY 99
(as well as the upcoming
CADKEY v.20) offers a
unique “hybrid” approach
to mechanical design.
CADKEY PARAMETRICS
is an optional modeling
technique, not a mandatory way of thinking or working. From 2D layouts
to 3D models— parametric and hybrid solids, wireframe, and surfaces, the user has maximum control
to address any phase of product definition. It is the
classic CADKEY trademark.
Industry renown for superior interoperability,
CADKEY’s essential “collection” of features achieve
the highest level of data handling and compatibility:
1) an open hybrid modeling environment, 2) world
class data translators, 3) core technology based on
pure geometry and 4) the most extensive set of
design, edit, and validation tools in the PC-CAD
industry. Job shops rely on this combination of tools
to import CAD data and manipulate this data as if
it were created natively. CADKEY’s hybrid modeling environment allows users to model, edit, refine
and validate both product designs and molds. Powerful interoperability tools like solid body healing
and tolerant edge help repair less precise “imported” model geometry.
Industrial-strength data translators are an integral part
of CADKEY and are included in the product price:
STEP
One-pass IGES translator to import wireframe,
surfaces and solids geometry
ACIS SAT
Parasolid X_T
DXF
DWG (including AutoCAD® R14 format support)
STL for rapid prototyping
CADL (CADKEY Advanced Design Language)
Real World CAD Features for Job Shops
Most mid-range parametric modeling software
forces users to completely rebuild non-native data in
their own proprietary feature-based format before
any editing can take place. With CADKEY’s hybrid
environment, there is no need to rebuild existing or
imported solids, surfaces or wireframe. Parametric
features can be added to and created from non-parametric solids. Even more impressive is that nonparametric portions of a model can be edited with
CADKEY’s extensive face modification functions.
CADKEY 99 running the optional CADKEY PARAMETRICS product. This
screen shows multiple parametric solid models within a single part file.
Great Combination with GibbsCAM
Innovative approaches to CAD and CAM make
CADKEY and GibbsCAM® an ideal combination
for moving products to production. CADKEY’s fully
resourced CAD system gives job shops a cost effective design medium to work in tandem with
GibbsCAM 2000. The GibbsCAM system’s newest
toolpath technology for faster, smoother, and more
Continued, pg 7
7
CAD Corner, Cont. from pg. 6
accurate output meets the demands of long-time 3D
power users. GibbsCAM’s ability to utilize NURB
geometry, surfaces or solids for efficient mold roughing, pocketing and other key operations is another
added bonus for CADKEY customers performing
conceptual product design with multiple hybrid
tools.
CADKEY Corporation — Focused on Mechanical CAD
CADKEY Corporation is a Boston-area software
developer of CADKEY and CADKEY-integrated
2D/3D PC-CAD product lines– CADKEY DESIGN
SUITE, CADKEY 99, CADKEY PARAMETRICS,
CADKEY WIREFRAME, FastSURF®, DRAFT-PAK®,
CADKEY POWER-PAK and CADKEY TRUE TEXT.
Dedicated entirely to the mechanical CAD marketplace, CADKEY Corporation has over 100 resellers,
distributors and sub-distributors serving a global
user base in more than 40 countries. The product
has been translated into many international language versions including German, French, Italian,
Spanish, Portuguese, Czechoslovakian, Hungarian,
Hebrew, Chinese, Korean and more.
For late-breaking information, visit the CADKEY website at http://www.cadkey.com and the
CADKEY WebStore at www.cadkey.com/webstore.
✦
Training Schedule
Our training schedule is based on a dual track system. The two tracks differ slightly in the topics covered and the order in which each topic is covered. Choose the track schedule that best suits your individual training needs. A more detailed listing of the topics covered each day can be found on our website at
www.gibbsCAM.com, or contact the Gibbs Sales Department at (805) 523-0004 for more information.
Dates
Track
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
13 - 22
1
12 - 20
2
8 - 17
1
7 - 15
2
Classes are held at the Gibbs office in Moorpark, CA. Dates
exclude weekend days. Limited class space is available.
Contact the Gibbs Sales Department at (805) 523-0004 to
reserve your seat or for more information.
Cost is $250.00 per day (U.S. dollars).
Track 1
Day 1 - 3 . . . . .Introductory Mill and Lathe
Day 4 - 7 . . . . .3D SolidSurfacer
Day 8 . . . . . . . .Rotary Mill and Mill/Turn
Track 2
Day 1 - 2 . . . . .Introductory Mill
Day 3 - 6 . . . . .3D SolidSurfacer
Day 7 . . . . . . . .Introductory Lathe
Day 8 - 9 . . . . .Advanced SolidSurfacer
Gibbs News
Published by: Gibbs and Associates
Editor: Josie Carrillo
Contributors: John Brix, John Callen and
Mario Guerrero
See Us at IMTS 2000
Sept. 6 - 13, 2000
McCormick Place / Chicago, IL
Booth #D-3001
Address: 323 Science Drive, Moorpark, CA 93021
Telephone: (805) 523-0004 • Fax: (805) 523-0006
Internet: www.gibbsCAM.com
E-mail Sales: [email protected]
E-mail Technical Support: [email protected]
© 2000 Gibbs and Associates. All Rights Reserved. GibbsCAM, Gibbs SFP, Hole
Wizard, SolidSurfacer and Virtual Gibbs are either trademark(s) or registered
trademark(s) of Gibbs and Associates in the United States and/or other countries.
All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.
®
™
Gibbs and Associates
323 Science Drive • Moorpark, CA 93021-2092
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PAID
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PERMIT #1
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If the person listed on the address is no longer with the company, please forward to the NC Programming Department.