CAM SOFTWARE CERTIFIED FOR AUTODESK INVENTOR 2010

Delcam (Birmingham, UK) announced that its FeatureCAM range of feature-based CAM software products has been certified by the Autodesk Inventor® Certified Application Program for Autodesk Inventor® 2010. This program certifies that FeatureCAM software applications have tested by Autodesk engineers to ensure that they meet the high standards set for robustness, quality and interoperability with the latest version of the Inventor® 3D mechanical design system.

"Our relationship with Autodesk is very strong and a huge benefit to our customers, who can open Inventor® parts seamlessly in FeatureCAM, with no loss of data or concerns about translation errors," says Tom McCollough, Vice President of Development for FeatureCAM. "The certification program gives our customers the confidence of knowing that FeatureCAM has been rigorously tested by Autodesk and found to perform to the highest standards."

FeatureCAM incorporates a unique combination of feature-based and knowledge-based functionality that makes programming faster and easier than any other CAM system. The software family offers a comprehensive range of programs for milling, turning, wire EDM and mill-turn, all with the same easy-to-use interface style to minimise training times.

The close integration with Inventor® 2010 gives Autodesk customers access to all the latest enhancements in FeatureCAM. These can be found across the complete range of functionality, reflecting the increased investment in product development following Delcam's acquisition of the software in 2005.

An important area for the new release is increased support for mill-turn equipment. These machines are becoming more popular because of their ability to complete parts in a single set-up on one machine instead of having to use multiple set-ups on two or more different pieces of equipment. FeatureCAM development has focused on support for the more complex machines, those featuring multiple turrets and/or multiple spindles.

The range of five-axis options within FeatureCAM has also been extended. The software now supports both positional and continuous five-axis operation, five-axis trimming and five-axis drilling. All these options allow productivity to be improved by enabling parts to be produced in one or two set-ups that would otherwise require multiple set-ups and/or special fixturing.

Another key area for development has been four-axis simultaneous milling. This provides programming for milling machines with rotary tables. Like the mill-turn and five-axis enhancements, this new functionality will allow users to tackle more sophisticated parts than could be programmed before.

Developments have also continued with the more fundamental machining operations. The main enhancement to the FeatureTURN module has been the addition of support for form tools. Other improvements include more efficient threading, better control of undercutting, and extra options for pre-drilling before boring. Similarly, 2D machining has been enhanced with improvements to thread milling, easier control of feeds and speeds, support for a wider range of engraving tools. In addition, substantial improvements have been made to the FeatureWIRE module, the highlight being faster and easier recognition of 4-axis wire features.

Finally, three-axis milling has been made more efficient, for example when machining preforms like castings or parts that have already been rough machined. The new version minimises air cutting thanks to the ability to limit toolpaths to the stock model. Since no cutting moves are generated outside this boundary, an efficient toolpath strategy can be created more quickly and more easily.

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