SmartCAM v16.5 Released for 'Field Test'

Keynsham, Bristol, Oct 26th, 2009 - SmartCAMcnc has announced the field test release of SmartCAM V16.5 for all modules.


Version 16.5 delivers new features, enhancements and capabilities to the SmartCAM suite of computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) system software, including automated turning toolpath created directly from a solid model, as well as solid model verification and usability improvements.

The SmartCAM product family consists of applications for Computer-Numerical Control (CNC) milling, turning, fabrication and wire EDM. Version 16.5 continues the solids-machining theme found in the many recent releases, and adds significant improvements for the everyday use of solid data in SmartCAM.

"Following directly on our recent addition of prismatic milling of solids in our advanced products, we now are introducing solid machining capabilities to SmartCAM Advanced Turning," said Doug Oliver, Senior Product Manager at SmartCAMcnc. "These new automated toolpath-creation capabilities provide SmartCAM Turning customers a dramatic improvement in productivity, and we are confident our customers will find them very useful."

These new processes allow the SmartCAM Advanced Turning user to easily create roughing, semi-finishing and finishing toolpath directly from the surfaces of a solid model in a single step. The roughing options are: linear roughing, contour roughing and groove roughing; the semi-finishing and finishing toolpath are created using the profile process.

SmartCAM V16.5 also provides a variety of core improvements that make it easier to work with solids data, and for making the everyday use of SmartCAM faster and more straightforward. These core improvements include:

  • New pop-up menus for Step and Layer lists

  • New radial slice of solids

  • Single click choosing of profile and tangent surfaces

  • Graphical display of conic centers for wireframe arcs, ellipses and helices, as well as for surface cones, spheres and torus

  • Surface conic center snapping, and optional projection of cursor coordinates to model surfaces

  • Improved Element Data Display and Measurement

"These core improvements provide benefits in two ways. One, they make working with solids and solid data easier, and two, they help streamline the user interface for common programming tasks," Douglas went on to say. "These changes will make all SmartCAM users more productive, regardless of the product or data type."

Another change that users will enjoy is found in the ShowCut verification module that allows complex verification stock and fixturing to be easily created from an ACIS solid or STL model. ShowCut verification is included with all SmartCAM milling and turning applications.

Other changes help ensure SmartCAM's compatibility with the current popular CAD systems:

  • Updates of  the optional SmartCAM Inventor Connection data translator for Autodesk Inventor 2010

  • Updates of the optional SmartCAM SolidWorks Connection data translator for SolidWorks 2009

  • Update of the ACIS solids kernel to R20SP1

  • STL files can now be directly imported to, and exported from SmartCAM


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