MachineWorks offers a dedicated module for press-brake simulation based on Visicut technology. Full collision detection of the sheet placement, bending and removal is supported as is simulation and visualisation of bend and springback. Advanced operations such as hemming, seaming and punching can also be modeled.
MachineWorks offers a full cloud back-end combined with a flexible client supporting all common web browsers and cloud-enabled desktop applications via both C and Javascript APIs.
Networked devices such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops and desktops can visualise and drive connected MachineWorks simulations running on a remote server. Multiple clients can access the same server simulation and a single server can support multiple simulations on multiple clients.
Geometry is native to the client allowing local graphical operations without server round tripping. As with the standard MachineWorks API, the client module allows applications to use MachineWorks graphics as provided or to combine MachineWorks geometry with their own graphics pipeline.
As the usage of CNC technologies to drive additive rather than subtractive processes increases, so does the importance of simulating material addition, both to prevent collisions as material is added and for CAE analysis of the in-process part as the material is added step by step.
MachineWorks software fully supports material addition and removal in the same in-process model delivering a clean, watertight, noise free polygonal boundary representation mesh perfect for additive manufacturing and suitable for use within finite-element, finite-difference and similar analyses.
MachineWorks offers feature detection algorithms to analyse the in-process stock and return both low-level surface definitions and higher level machining features. Surface detection fits a set of analytical surfaces such as spheres, cylinders and cones to the stock, suitable for reverse engineering the stock back into CAD engines such as Parasolid and ACIS.
Machining features recognised include holes, drilled holes, pockets, open pockets, slots and islands.
MachineWorks customers can use feature recognition to develop and improve their own feature-based machining algorithms and to better optimise rest-machining algorithms based on detailed parametric analysis of the in-process stock.
Watch MachineWorks using Feature Detection for Reverse Engineering
Toolpath optimisation requires detailed information about how the tool interacts with the stock. MachineWorks software provides a full range of measurements to be made relating to the depth of cut, width of cut and which parts of the tool are cutting that are extremely useful for toolpath optimisation.
Accurate volumes of material removed during each cut are calculated by MachineWorks Software. Tool engagement can be analysed even for complex tools with multiple cutting inserts thanks to MachineWorks cutting anaysis infomation. The in-process Visicut boundary representation ensures an accurate model of how each insert will engage at each stage of the cutting cycle.
GO2cam integrated MachineWorks libraries in 2009 for its new generation of CADCAM software. MachineWorks is used by GO2cam to simulate and avoid collisions in the full machine environment: tool holders, clamping systems and all machine components including part and stock. MachineWorks is extremely useful for complex machine tools especially for multi-tasking machines with more than one turret as well as for Swiss Turn applications.
MachineWorks is the most advanced modeling software available in the market for real-time CNC Full Machine Simulation, CMM and Robotic Workcell simulation.
Rather than checking for clashes at discrete positions which is both slower and risks missing important collisions, MachineWorks generates continuous swept volumes within specified tolerances. The swept volume creation supports synchronisation of multiple moving parts in a highly optimised way.
The native polygonal BREP format supported by Visicut delivers an accurate in-process stock model in a form that is ideal for accurate and rapid clash determination within tolerance.
MachineWorks supports advanced optimisations for synchronisation of moving parts and the Machine Builder tool offers an easy and fast way for engineers to build the kinematic chain for any type of CNC multi-axis machine, CMM or robot.
Powerful CAM system, Esprit, uses MachineWorks kinematics to provide full machine simulation and verification on complex mill-turn machining operations. Real-time simulation and comprehensive collision detection ensure that even the most complex of parts will be machined correctly the first time.
The MachineWorks software suite includes engines dedicated to processing huge toolpaths common in the die-mold industry. Rapidcut is the lightning fast software engine that detects gouges and undercuts for hundreds of thousands of cuts in seconds.
MachineWorks pixel-perfect graphics allow users to visualise, inspect and measure surface quality at unprecedented tolerances from Rapidcut results.
The Rapidcut software engine is widely used in CAM software to provide detailed information about regions of remaining or rest material to optimise successive toolpath calculations.
The patented analytical surface representation used in the Multicut engine has been integrated to the Visicut and Rapidcut engines, allowing stunning ray-casting graphics in all MachineWorks engines.
In each engine the intersection of a ray cast from each pixel with the analytical surface representation is calculated so that both graphical display and measurement is accurate to double precision tolerances. This is the most accurate representation of an in-process machined part possible.
The algorithm is heavily multi-threaded leading to fast visualisations even on commodity hardware.
Emil Somekh, CEO SolidCAM Ltd:
SolidCAM license component technologies from other companies. One of our most important and older partners is MachineWorks, from England. They provide SolidCAM with the best solid verification technology in the market and they also have a great customer support. I believe you have to merge your own technologies with the best and we are lucky to have found MachineWorks.
The material removal and collision detection within MachineWorks software is based on creating boundary representations of the sweep of the tool, holder and machine parts as they move through space.
In the polygonal representation, each sweep is guaranteed to be within a specified chordal tolerance of the true surface. The 5-axis machining case alone took eight years of continuous software development to achieve optimal performance and accuracy.
In the RapidCut and Multicut software engines for die-mold simulation, sweeps are represented analytically so that where data is sampled the representation is accurate to double precision tolerances.
Robb Weinstein, Senior VP sales and strategic planning at Gibbs & Associates:
"GibbsCAM uses MachineWorks for Machine Simulation as well as cut part rendering. They are very responsive, their technology is efficient and effective and they continue to improve things. Best of all they have an excellent sales and support service."
MachineWorks Visicut software is built on a fast 3D Boolean engine using a polygonal boundary surface representation. The surface is continuous and unbroken with polygon's normals aligning with surface normals.
The BREP has many advantages over equivalent sampled technologies including significantly reduced noise, adaptive detail levels and an underlying representation that is immediately suitable for use with GPU-based graphics and sweep-based collision detection algorithms.
MachineWorks Visicut supports software simulation of all common types of CNC material removal and addition, using one in-process model: 3-axis, 3+2 axis and simultaneous 5-axis milling; 2-4-axis turning; Swiss turning; complex mill-turn; wire EDM; robotics; grinding; metal forming; CMMs. Any shape of tool and holder can be modeled within MachineWorks.
Volker Nesenhoner, CEO of Open Mind Technologies:
"OPEN MIND has integrated MachineWorks Simulation libraries inside OPEN MIND CAM software, hyperMILL®. MachineWorks and OPEN MIND Technologies have enjoyed a very friendly and successful partnership since 2002. MachineWorks counts with highly skilled people that understand our demands and our requests."
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