Delcam will demonstrate the latest version of its world-leading PowerMILL CAM system in Asia at the MetalAsia exhibition to be held, from May 3rd-7th. PowerMILL 7 incorporates new and improved five-axis functionality for both roughing and finishing. Other enhancements include intelligent plunge milling, three-axis swarf machining and parametric surface finishing, together with faster calculation times and easier data management.


For rough machining, the range of five-axis strategies has been increased to match the wide list of options previously available for finishing. It now includes machining to or from a point, orientation through a line or curve, and programming using a reference surface. Using five-axis roughing can significantly reduce the number of set-ups needed to machine many components. It can also be used to give a more efficient cutting angle that will allow more material to be removed with each pass.

In addition, PowerMILL 7 can now generate a five-axis equivalent of any three-axis toolpath. This might be necessary when a three-axis approach is being used for most of a job but where some five-axis moves might be needed to avoid an obstacle or to machine as closely as possible to a steep face.

Better control over the point distribution within five-axis toolpaths has been provided to take advantage of the improved ability of modern machine tool controls to handle large amounts of data. Increasing the number of points in the toolpath can give more even machining with less vibration and more consistent loading on the tool. Both these improvements give a better surface finish and less wear of the cutter.

For both five-axis and three-axis roughing strategies, a new method has been introduced for ordering toolpaths so that air moves are further reduced. This will also make the ordering of rest roughing toolpaths more efficient.

FANUC Robotics America, Inc. today introduced the new R-2000iB, a multi-purpose intelligent robot designed for a wide range of applications including welding, assembly, part transfer, material removal, and machine loading. The new R-2000iB is compatible with its predecessor, the industry-leading R-2000iA six-axis robot.

Supported by the new R-J3iC Controller, the R-2000iB features enhanced intelligent functions and motion performance. The R-2000iB offers multiple model variations, including a 165kg base model, a high payload version, and a rack-mount model. A slim arm and wrist assembly helps minimize interference with system equipment and allows the robot to operate in small workspaces.

New R-J3iC Controller

Based on the latest FANUC Series 30i CNC Controller, the new R-J3iC Robot Controller uses high-performance hardware and the latest control technology, providing a level of intelligence never offered before.

A new vibration control function virtually eliminates robot vibration during motion. With this function, the R-2000iB can accelerate and decelerate very quickly, reducing cycle time by approximately five percent compared to current robot models. For spot welding applications, the R-J3iC automatically optimizes servo-gun and robot motion, reducing the R-2000iB's cycle time by about 15 percent, which provides significant improvements in throughput and productivity.

Enhanced Intelligent Functions
The R-2000iB offers a variety of intelligent function enhancements including Robot Link, which controls and coordinates up to ten robots through a network exchange of robot positional data. In addition, with the new Radar Monitoring function for multiple robots (available later this year), the R-2000iB exchanges current positional data and robot motion information to prevent interference in multi-robot applications.

"Typically, in multi-robot applications, a customer is required to set up a very complex interlock system between the robots," said Claude Dinsmoor, general manager, controller software product development, FANUC Robotics America, Inc. "The multi-arm and multi-robot enhancements of the R-J3iC can eliminate many complex interlocking systems, simplifying the operation of multiple robots."

Integrated Vision Function
The R-J3iC's integrated vision function adds intelligence to a robot system without the need for additional processing hardware, providing a simple and compact solution with the same high reliability as that of the robot controller.

Integrated vision also makes it easy to use FANUC's Vision Shift, which adjusts an offline program to an actual robot program by using vision, and TCP setup to accurately set tool center points.

"These vision functions can significantly reduce the time required for robot system integration," said Ed Roney, FANUC Robotics' manager of vision product development.

Compatibility with R-2000iA
The R-2000iB robot is compatible with its predecessor, the R-2000iA. The new robot has the same workspace, installation, mounting interface, operation, and robot programming as the R-2000iA. This extensive compatibility makes it extremely easy to replace the R-2000iA with the R-2000iB.

"The R-2000iB is an evolved, multi-purpose, intelligent robot that meets the ever-changing automation needs of manufacturers," said Dinsmoor. "In material handling applications and others, the R-2000iB and its complete array of intelligent functions will help increase the use of robots on the factory floor."

If you remove the cutting head and high-pressure pump from a waterjet cutter, then you’d be left with essentially a machine frame and computer numerical control motion. A CNC vertical machining center also possesses both of these things.

With that in mind, WardJet (Kent, Ohio) recently developed its compact, enclosed M-Series waterjet module that, when installed on a shop’s existing knee mill or VMC, temporarily turns that equipment into a waterjet cutter. According to the company, the conversion takes 20 minutes and requires only sources of water and compressed air at the machine for operation.

The module can be removed as simply as it installs, turning the mill back into a mill.
It’s easy to imagine the inevitable damage that would occur if a waterjet’s abrasive liquid cutting media happened to splash upon vital mill components such as ballscrews. That’s why the M-Series provides a self-contained waterjet cutting environment, isolating the entire cutting operation in a sealed “tent” module to keep harmful media from contacting mill components.
The module bolts to a mill’s T-slot table as would a fixture or vise. The mill must be capable of supporting the entire waterjet assembly’s weight of approximately 600 pounds and provide at least 23 inches of Z-axis clearance to accommodate its height. The base of the module is a shallow tank filled with ball bearings. These dissipate the waterjet stream’s cutting energy, which, on a typical cutter, is accomplished by a deep tank of water.

A toolchanger plate in the top of the tent installs in the mill’s spindle. The system’s waterjet cutting head then attaches to the underside of the plate inside the tent. Once water, air and abrasive lines are connected, then the mill becomes a waterjet cutter.

Two tent versions are available with X-Y work envelopes of 16 by 30 inches and 24 by 48 inches. The larger model allows a standard 4-foot by 8-foot sheet of material to be cut in fourths and loaded into the tent. The workpiece material is supported by grates inside the tent and held in place with a clamping system that accepts workpieces from 0.5 to 4 inches tall.

A 20,000-psi pneumatically powered intensifier pump permits waterjet cutting using existing shop compressed air. This pump, along with an abrasive hopper and electrical box, is mounted on a cart located next to the machine. Larger pumps are also available in 40,000 psi and 60,000 psi versions.

The M-Series is perhaps best suited for shops that currently don’t have a waterjet cutter, possibly because of a lack of available floorspace. The package not only works for mills, but it can also be applied to lasers, wood routers, robotic arms, oxy-fuel cutters, plasma cutters—virtually any type of CNC equipment.

NVIDIA Corporation, the worldwide leader in programmable graphics processor technologies, announced a new line of NVIDIA Quadro FX graphics solutions.

This new line-up includes:
•The NVIDIA Quadro FX 350M – the Company’s first professional GPU designed specifically for thin and light mobile workstations.
•The NVIDIA Quadro FX 1500M – offering outstanding application performance and the industry’s highest image precision and quality.
•The NVIDIA Quadro FX 2500M – bringing an industry best 512MB of graphics memory for customers looking for the highest performance.

This new line of NVIDIA Quadro FX graphics solutions has been selected for the latest generation Dell Precision M90 and M65 mobile workstations. These represent the most powerful mobile workstation solutions ever offered by Dell, delivering a broad range of performance and features in a mobile platform for on-the-go Engineers, Artists and other Professionals.

“The Dell Precision M65 and Dell Precision M90 offer the flexibility, performance and reliability that are demanded by customers in industries like Computer-Aided Design and Engineering, Scientific Research or Digital Content Creation,” said Darrel Ward, director, Dell Precision Workstations. “Uncompromised performance was our goal for the new Dell Precision M90, now the industry’s most powerful mobile workstation. The new Dell Precision M65 delivers the latest technology, features and performance in a package that is measurably lighter than its predecessor. Together, these two new mobile workstation products offer a full range of solutions that will address the diverse requirements of mobile professionals.”

NVIDIA Quadro FX mobile solutions offer the same features found in NVIDIA workstation graphics industry leading solutions for desktop-based professional workstations, which have long been the choice of professional application users. These include exclusive features like 12-bit sub-pixel precision and full 32-bit floating point precision, as well as a host of unequaled capabilities that NVIDIA Quadro desktop-based users have simply become accustomed to.

“Mobile products are our fastest growing segment as our customers realize the productivity benefits of taking their work wherever they need to be,” said Jeff Brown, general manager for NVIDIA professional products. “NVIDIA introduced the industry’s first mobile workstation graphics solution back in 2001 – this year we will be delivering a range of products that will enable our partners like Dell to make this the biggest year ever for the rapidly expanding mobile workstation segment.”

NVision has announced the introduction of a High Definition version of its MobileScan 3D laser scanning system which moves the capability of 3D laser scanning into fields that it was not accurate enough for in the past. The new HD scanner provides very high resolution with a point spacing of 0.001" and an accuracy of +/- 0.0005" while collecting measurements at a rate of 30,000 points per second.

"The High Definition version of the MobileScan 3D provides a higher accuracy inspection and reverse engineering system than has been available in the past," said Steve Kersen, President of NVision. "Customers no longer need to choose between the speed of a scanner and the accuracy of a CMM."

The MobileScan HD sensor has a 2-axis servo controlled swivel head that is integrated with a turntable. Movement of these three axes is programmable allowing automation of measurement strategies. The key to the system's accuracy is that it uses only one servo and rotary encoder at any one time and these components are manufactured to the highest specification available. "By minimizing the opportunities for error to be introduced; the highest level of accuracy can be achieved," said Giles Gaskell Director of Business Development for NVision.

The sensor can be moved manually or automatically controlled to follow a pre-defined measurement strategy. This means that the scanner can be left alone to scan production items without the constant attention that is required by a handheld device. The sensor projects laser light onto the surface of the object being measured while a camera continuously triangulates the changing distance and profile of the laser capturing points at a rate of 30,000 per second. The density of the resulting "point cloud" is what enables the object to be accurately replicated. Before scanning and during the measurement process, the new laser scanner continually senses the object's surface and ambient light conditions and automatically adjusts the sensor to obtain the best possible measurements. All measurements are automatically transformed into a common coordinate system meaning that there are no patches of data to be sewn together after scanning has taken place.

MobileScan HD connects easily to a standard notebook computer via USB or Firewire. The new scanner comes integrated with Geomagic computer-aided inspection software that automatically processes scan data from a physical part to generate highly accurate polygon and parametric surface models. The Geomagic software also provides easy-to-understand graphical comparisons between CAD models and as-built parts.

"The MobileScan HD is a logical extension to NVision's range of Laser Scanning products, offering our customers the high speed data collection of a laser scanner with the accuracy of a CMM for the first time," said Gaskell.