Vericut 6.0 has many new features designed to increase the ability of CNC manufacturing engineers to simulate, analyse and optimise the entire CNC machining process.
CGTech has released a new version of its Vericut CNC machine simulation and optimisation software. Vericut 6.0 has many new features designed to increase the ability of CNC manufacturing engineers to simulate, analyse and optimise the entire CNC machining process. 'Due to global competitive pressures on our customers CGTech is increasingly challenged to simulate more complex processes and more complex machines', said Product Marketing Manager Bill Hasenjaeger.

'Vericut 6.0 ties these complex processes together with the ability to simulate multiple setups in a single simulation session'.

Vericut 6.0 also includes enhanced collision checking that monitors spindle states for milling and turning simulation, enabling Vericut to trap common programming errors with spindle and cutting tool usage.

Additionally, significantly enhanced simulation of complex cutting tool shapes commonly used in production processes shows the user exactly what will happen when using a tool.

'The result of this work is a tightly unified environment for simulating complex mill/turn multifunction machining centres for production processes', said Hasenjaeger.

Vericut 6.0 leverages the results of simulating these complex processes with the ability to create inspection instructions, CNC inspection programs, and automated process documentation using the simulated workpiece.

Because of Vericut's accurate feature-rich in-process model, the inspection and process documents utilise and accurately reflect the state of the workpiece at any stage of the process.

To ensure Vericut's machine tool simulation is as accurate as possible, CGTech has partnered with many key machine tool builders and control manufactures.

CGTech's Technology Partner Programme establishes a co-operative working relationship with a goal of helping mutual manufacturing customers maximise their success and productivity.

Vericut can be integrated and used with all CAD/CAM/PLM systems including Catia, UGS and PTC.

With the new Project Tree, the user can organise all the NC process steps in one place and the workpeice(s) transition from setup to setup automatically during the simulation session.

Each setup has its own CNC machine, fixtures, tools, NC programs and simulation settings.

The cut stock moves from setup to setup, with automatic orientation.

Once the user selects the CNC machine configuration, the stock, fixture and design component information is attached to the machine, ready to simulate the entire set of machining operations.

Vericut 6.0 now offers the capability to synchronise up to 32 machine 'channels' or machines with multiple synchronised CNC controls.

Vericut's virtual machine is organised into multiple subsystems that can all synchronise together seamlessly.

Vericut's NC program optimisation module - OptiPath - is easier to implement thanks to a redesigned Tool Manager.

OptiPath tooling data is now stored inside the Tool Manager.

This simplifies the implementation by placing all relevant tool information in one place.

The new tool assembly wizard simplifies tool creation by using an interactive dialog panel.

Model Export creates CAD models from the Vericut 'in-process' cut model generated by simulating an NC program.

The model includes machined features exactly as it is cut on the CNC machine.

In Vericut 6.0, Model Export outputs features where possible and also 'synthetic features' when individual features are not possible or desirable (such as 'scallops' created by a ball endmill).

Vericut is an ideal place to create probing routines because of the 'in-process' model which is not available anywhere else in the CNC manufacturing process.

Rather than having to create additional 'manufacturing' CAD geometry that 'hopefully' represents the as-cut workpiece, using Vericut's simulated in-process feature geometry to create the CNC probe program makes on-machine in- process inspection a practical reality.

In addition Vericut 6.0 allows the creation of customisable inspection reports in HTML or PDF format for use by machine operators and quality control staff.

Vericut runs as a 64bit application on Windows XP64.

This increases virtual memory access from Windows XP 2Gbyte application limit to the hardware's maximum.