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mmsonline.com June 2014 MMS 91 feature simulation with post processing. This would enable automatic development of programs that avoid collisions and over-travel, and can be shared between fve-axis CNC machines, all while sig- nifcantly reducing NC program preparation time. Ready foR Beta By 2012, SmartPath was deemed ready for a soft launch, so it was introduced at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS). "To be honest, we were also looking for a good candidate to begin working with the software so that we could get a sense of how it functioned in a real-world manufacturing environment," Mr. Francis says. "We knew Jerry Gustafson, since Valley was already using our post processors, but he really seemed to 'get' this software's potential. That's one of the primary reasons we approached him about work- ing with us on this project." Mr. Gustafson recalls considering how useful it would be to have software that could combine post processing with virtual machining, and then automatically apply the results. "That really appealed to me, having a solution that solved two problems at once, allowing me to invest my time in other things besides writing code and editing posts," he says. Already a year in development, the software's second year consisted of close contact between Valley and the designer, with the machine shop testing the software and reporting any challenges it encountered. Not only did ICAM beneft from the relationship, but Valley did as well, taking the exercise as an opportunity to review the effciency of its own machining processes. After a site visit earlier this year for testing and to ensure that all of Valley's concerns had been addressed, the com- pany placed a purchase order and became the frst offcial SmartPath user. Rapid Roi Almost immediately af ter implementation, Mr. Gustafson began noticing the benefts, including: • Reduction in NC program preparation time. According to Mr. Francis, CAM systems provide powerful cutting strategies, but are far less capable and safe when it comes to producing the rapid motions that link these cutting paths together because they do not accurately simulate CNC positioning motions. SmartPath uses machine simulation while post processing to recompute CAM-generated rapid positioning motions, replac- ing them with CNC-machine-specifc collision and over-travel-free paths. The software can auto- matically do this for any CNC machine type (head rotaries, table rotaries, mixed) without reprogram- ming and without NC programmer intervention. • Reduction or elimination of NC program s i m u l a t i o n t i m e . Tr a d i t i o n a l l y, s i m u l a t i o n software is used to detect collisions and over-travel Automated position- ing path generation, optimization and NC code simulation minimize downtime and maximize production. 0614_MMS_Valley.indd 91 5/14/2014 9:54:31 AM