ModuleWorks and TEKS go ice racing

During the winter (12-13th February), members of the ModuleWorks team were fortunate enough to visit our research partner, TEKS, in Le Salle les Alpes  to take part in the annual Meeting of the European research project REFORM.

REFORM (Resource-Efficient Factory Of Recyclable Manufacturing composite components) is a 4 year project funded by the European 7th Framework Factory of the Future Program to develop the next generation of production technologies.

ModuleWorks partner, TEKS, was established on 2009 to develop sustainable and innovative manufacturing processes for the aerospace and the energy sector.

The main item on the agenda was to discuss advanced Waterjet machining techniques which are to be used for the production for demonstration components such as rear wings. 

TEKS will be fitting the finished components to race cars and tested on the renowned ice circuit of Serre Chevalier.

Of course, our colleagues used the opportunity and gained some racing experience…



Until the next time

The ModuleWorks blogger.

Advances in Technology for Dental Manufacturing

12-16th March 2013, sees the time we head to Cologne, Germany for IDS 2013, The world's leading trade fair for the dental sector. The ModuleWorks team will be attending and exhibiting in Hall 3.1, Booth H-068.

This blog article looks at how the ModuleWorks Dental component is being used in the Dental manufacturing sector to reduce lead time and costs while improving efficiency.  The ModuleWorks library is tailored specifically for the dental industry and provides high performance 3-5 Axis machining coupled with fully featured Machine Simulation.
 
Recent years have seen many advances in the use of CAD/CAM software in the dental industry. It is now routinely used for the manufacture of copings, crowns, inlays, veneers, bridges and dental implants. CAD/CAM has dramatically shortened lead times, from days or even weeks to a matter of hours. Next time you're in the chair, lie back and think that ModuleWorks might be helping with your dental work:)
 
The ModuleWorks dental R&D team is focused on helping its dental partners keep ahead of the competition by providing innovative toolpath technology to minimize milling time and maximize tool life while maintaining high quality surface finish.

Some recent developments have been targeting the machining of the undercut regions often found on dental part geometry. ModuleWorks already offers two popular methods for undercut machining and is now developing a third. These are:-

a) Continuous 5-axis milling
b) Automated index milling to align with insertion direction with continuous 5-axis only in     
    undercut regions
c) Indexed milling for undercut regions (new)
    
Limitations in angular velocity mean that not all machine tools can efficiently use simultaneous 5-Axis milling across the entire component.  For these types of machine, indexed undercut milling can produce substantial time savings. The ModuleWorks dental component will automatically detect undercut regions and calculate the optimal machining direction for each area.

 

In the dental industry there is an increased focus on Vitablocs and e.max materials. ModuleWorks is developing dedicated rotary and 5-axis toolpath strategies for the efficient milling of fully sintered glass-ceramic material. These toolpaths are optimized for maximum material removal without inducing surface flaws or degrading strength of the finished component. 

The ModuleWorks Dental component allows vendors to create powerful and flexible solutions for dental applications with powerful machining strategies and state-of-the-art simulation.  Key benefits are that time to market is much reduced and our technology is industry proven and in daily use for manufacturing all over the world. 
 
You can find more information on our solutions for dental by joining our webinar on 26th Feb or by going to www.ModuleWorks.com/Dental where there is a free factsheet and online demo available.

Hope to see you in Cologne. Until the next time.

The ModuleWorks Blogger.

ModuleWorks New HQ office takes shape

Last weekend was the big move for everyone at ModuleWorks in our Aachen HQ Office in Germany . We had to move over the weekend as all of our servers connecting our email and offices around the world had to be relocated, so it was an email free weekend for many.

We only moved 500 meters to here, and were all up and running by Monday morning, although we had some fun finding a few things in the stack of boxes left by the removal company.

We'd simply outgrown the old building, so the new building has room for everyone and everything we have now and plenty of room for the future - so much so that we have rented out one floor of the building for the time being while we find employees to fill it!

We don't have good pictures of the outside of the building yet, but we will post some when the sun eventually appears again here in Aachen and we have our new company sign in place outside. In the meantime there are a couple of pictures of Kevin and Fabian get settled into their new space.

Until the next time

The ModuleWorks blogger. 
 


 

ModuleWorks release latest 2012.12 CAD/CAM components

At the end of last month, we released the latest release of our CAD/CAM components, version 2012.12. The new release, the 3rd major update of 2012, offers many new features across the entire product range, further expanding capability for 3-5 Axis machining and simulation.
 
ModuleWorks is at the forefront of 5-Axis machining and Simulation technology, providing the machining and simulation technology that powers many of the popular CAM systems available today. 

Highlights of our latest release are shown below:-

5-Axis Machining

Best Fit SWARF machining

SWARF machining has been redesigned to simplify and speed up programming.  Automatic tool placement to give best fit contact between tool and surface is now the default setting and eliminates the need for manual settings. Geometry selection is easier with automatic side selection and multiple surfaces or entire bodies can now be specified as input.

ModuleWorks Port Machining

A new Port machining product provides a complete CAM solution for port type geometries. Highly automated for fast programming, the new product provides roughing and finishing along and around the port with automatic area, side and spine detection.
 

Automatic tilting

Additional tool control options have been added to aid collision avoidance and ease of use. Automatic tilting can be used to tilt the tool away from collision with the tool tilting away in either or both the lead-lag and side direction.
 
5-Axis laser and wire application have improved capability. Markers can be used for laser machining to indicate corner motion and these can be used to lower power setting to avoid burning of the part. Wire EDM application can now specify the initial drill hole and use this as the start position for the toolpath.

3-Axis Machining

Parallel Roughing

A new parallel roughing strategy is available for efficient machining of longer parts. The toolpath is a parallel cut pattern with user specified depth increment trimmed to stock to minimize air cutting.

Engraving

3-Axis machining now includes engraving capability for machining of lettering and other fine detail. Both roughing and finishing are provided.

All 3-Axis strategies now allow user specified feed rates for each of the different link moves between passes and regions of the toolpath.

Simulation

Stock removal using the 3-Axis and Turning Cutsim engines now provides the option to automatically remove free floating ‘chips’ generated during simulation.

There is now improved support for insert based cutters. These tools have a non-cutting region at the center of the tool; collision detection and material removal now handles this part of the tool such.
 
Additional rendering options are now provided.  A background watermark/logo (company logo) can be specified and wireframe geometry can also be displayed to give an improved visualization of 5-Axis motion.
 
The 2012.12 release is now available to all partners from the customer download area at www.ModuleWorks.com. Our next release will be available in April, so not long to wait.

Until the next time

The ModuleWorks Blogger.

ModuleWorks and exocad sign partnership agreement

Another week, another partner. We recently confirmed our partnerships with leading dental CAD/CAM vendor, exocad. In case you haven't see the story in the industry press, I've re-produced it in full below.

ModuleWorks, the leading supplier of CAD/CAM components for 3-5-Axis toolpath generation and simulation have confirmed their partnership with leading dental industry CAD/CAM vendor, exocad GmbH.

exocad GmbH provides the most advanced and complete CAD system for customized dental applications, targeted at the OEM market. With simplicity on the surface and power at its core, exocad® DentalCAD offers from work flow management to CAD construction including adequate preparation for production and is an integrated solution for the dental team (or laboratory).
 
The latest addition to exocad is exocam, a fully featured, easy to use CAM solution for dental manufacturing supported by state-of-the-art ModuleWorks 3-5 Axis machining technology for fast and accurate toolpath generation.
 
exocad join the growing list of more than 50 general and specialist CAD/CAM vendors who have selected ModuleWorks to provide machining and/or simulation technology for their CAD/CAM applications.
 
Maik Gerth, exocad CTO comments, “We looked at different alternatives for tool path generation, including the 'make or buy' comparison, and it was a clear choice to integrate ModuleWorks technology, to quickly expand our 5-axis CAM product range.”
 
Yavuz Murtezaoglu, Managing Director for ModuleWorks comments “We’re very pleased to have exocad as a partner for our dental applications framework. Our partnership highlights the benefits of ModuleWorks component technology, delivering industry proven technology in a short period of time.”

Until the next time

The ModuleWorks blogger. 

ModuleWorks at IMTS

This week was back to work after a busy week at IMTS at McCormick Place in Chicago. The biggest trade show in North America runs for 6 days and takes place every other year, alternating with EMO, the monster of the European shows.

This was the 29th IMTS and included 1,909 exhibitors, visitors from 119 countries and was spread across over 115, 000 square meters of floor space. Total registration topped out at over 100, 000 making it the biggest IMTS in more than a decade. Good signs for US manufacturing which has been on the upward curve in recent years.

Our booth was located in the CAD/CAM pavilion, alongside many of our partners, many of whom were showing ModuleWorks toolpaths and/or simulation, integrated in their latest products. One of the big pluses of these shows is being located close to many of our partners.

This was our 3rd time as an exhibitor at IMTS and each time has been busier and more successful than the last with great traffic through the booth all through the show. This time we had 6 staff on the booth at peak times talking with visitors and showing off the latest developments in our latest release, ModuleWorks 2012.8. Over the course of the show, we were able to meet with more than 15 of our existing partners and a number of interesting new prospects for the future.

We took some time out to visit the machine tools hall and see the latest developments. The machine tool are larger and more complex with each show. 5-Axis, Mill/Turn and factory automation seemed to be common themes - all about getting it done faster using the latest technologies. It also seems like the demo components get larger with every show - huge automotive, aerospace and oil field components on many of the machine tool stands.
 Chicago is a great city to visit, plenty to see and do, all within a short walk or taxi ride. Food choices, include famous Chicago style pizza and ribs, and entertainment for to suit all tastes. We enjoyed the down time in the evenings and are looking forward to another successful show in 2014.


Next on the event calendar are JIMTOF in Tokyo, Japan in early November, followed Euromold in Frankfurt, Germany at the end of November. Hope to see you there if you're attending either of these shows.

Until the next time

The ModuleWorks blogger.

ModuleWorks to show latest 2012.8 CAM components at IMTS

August will see the release of the latest version of the ModuleWorks components, 2012.8. We continue the theme of adding a broad range of enhancements across each of the products and have many new machining and simulation features.

We also run What’s New webinars with each release.  Look out for your invite for these with each release.  Click the links to to register for the 22nd August Webinars at 10am and 4pm (Central European Time). 

We will be heading to Chicaga, USA next month for IMTS, the International Manufacturing Technology Show 2012, (stand E-3133) from 10-15th September 2012 and will be showing the new features in latest release on the stand.

  

ModuleWorks is at the forefront of 5-Axis machining and Simulation technology, providing the machining and simulation technology that powers many of the popular CAM systems available today.

Multiblade using maximum step angle

The highlights of the latest release are shown below.

5-Axis Machining

A new roughing strategy can be used to rough out pocket type geometry and takes STL or IGES geometry as input. Given floor, wall and ceiling, the optimum 5-Axis toolpath is calculated. The toolpath is similar to that generated by adaptive 3-Axis roughing but with additional tilt to suit the target geometry. 

Toolpath generation now detects sharp corners or changes in direction and marks these for action by the client, so that feed rates and other machining conditions can be changed ahead of time.

5-Axis Projection now offers the ability to translate or rotate the pattern a given number of times prior to projection, making it faster to generate toolpaths with repetitive features such as blades.

The new multiblade machining toolpaths now have the option to specify a maximum angle step and generate a smoother tilting motion in the toolpath.

3-Axis Machining 

3-Axis machining now offers finer control over the depth of cut to prevent overloading of the tools.  Different depth values may be specified for the first, last and intermediate cuts to give maximum flexibility and optimum tool life.

Adaptive 3-Axis Roughing

When roughing using a stock model, a secondary offset may be specified to generate a containment area for the toolpath. An open pocket style toolpath is used to provide fast and efficient rest roughing.

The 2012.8 release also includes updates to our adaptive roughing cycle. This state-of-the-art 3-Axis roughing cycle gives dramatically faster stock removal by maintaining constant tool load with a smooth toolpath leading to reduced cycle times, improved tool life and optimum surface finish.   

Simulation
Machine simulation includes a length based mode which breaks the toolpaths into even length increments giving a smooth simulation regardless of feed rate or move length. Arc and helix moves can now be programmed in any plane without the need to linearization, further improving the smoothness of simulation. 

Blade Simulation using length based mode

Simulation now supports an even wider range of machines with the addition of posting algorithms for saw and chainsaw type machines Finally, the developer documentation for integrators has been completely revised, making it easier to get started with ModuleWorks simulation.

Hope to see you at IMTS or online for the webinars. Until the next time

The ModuleWorks Blogger