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Issue link: https://mms.epubxp.com/i/313389
152 MMS June 2014 mmsonline.com systems and software The 2014 R2 release of Delcam's PowerMill CAM software for high-speed and five-axis machining i n c l u d e s n ew s i m u l ati o n a n d c u sto m iz ati o n tools, greater editing flexibilit y, and features designed to minimize programming and manu- facturing times. The company's Vortex high-efficiency area- clearance strategy has been updated, improving the ordering of tool paths to minimize lifts and air moves and increase efficiency. A dialogue with redesigned user interface enhances the presen- tation of positioning data and the limits set for each axis. A slider can be used to jog the machine components into position during simulation and displays a warning if any axis limit is exceeded. An added toolbar simulates and adjusts the con- figuration and tool axis of 3 + 2 machines or any equipment with incremental rotar y a xes. The toolbar can be used to edit the tool a xis and orientation of the machine tool for fast updates to existing tool paths. An added plug-in provides a graph of the linear and rotary axes during the simulation, enabling users to locate potential problems such as sudden changes in direction or axis reversals. A new method enables merging adjacent arcs, lines, curves and surface edges into one com- posite curve, simplifying 2D programming and flowline machining. It is possible to insert and edit fillets within a composite curve, and the tangents of a point on a Bezier curve can also be modified. The number of points on a curve can be edited and redistributed along the curve. Raster strate- gies have been updated for less fragmented tool paths, avoiding overlaps. The sof tware auto- matically eliminates any small, isolated segments CAM SoftwAre InCreASeS toolpAth effICIenCy E d ito r S tE PH A N i E M o N SA Nt Y, s m o n s a n t y @ m m s o n l i n e.c o m 0614_MMS_systems.indd 152 5/14/2014 8:52:21 AM