Delcam China launched new versions across the complete range of the company’s machining software at the China International Machine Tool Exhibition.  The exhibition comes at a time of rapid expansion for business in the country.  Sales are currently more than 25% above the levels during last year.  To cope with this growing demand, the thirtieth sales office for Delcam products was recently opened in Qingdao, one of the few industrial areas where Delcam was not previously represented.

 

The complete range of Delcam machining software comprises PowerMILL for high-speed and five-axis machining, FeatureCAM for feature-based programming, PartMaker for Swiss-type lathes and turn-mill equipment and ArtCAM for engraving and routing.  Together, these programs comprise the world’s most comprehensive range of CAM software from a single suppler.  This broad coverage is one of the reasons why Delcam is consistently ranked as the world’s leading specialist supplier of NC software and services by US analysts Cimdata.

 

The new release of Delcam’s award-winning PowerMILL CAM software will offer a more complete solution for complex machining operations, together with more control for experienced machinists that know exactly how they wish to machine a particular part.  The program also incorporates a number of improvements to reduce calculation times, together with some simplification of the user interface that makes it easier to select the required command and so makes programming faster.  In addition, toolpath ordering has been made more efficient, especially for roughing and rest machining, so ensuring that the cutter spends more time machining and minimal time making air moves.

 

FeatureCAM 2009 incorporates enhancements across its complete range of functionality, reflecting the increased investment in product development following Delcam’s acquisition of the software in 2005.  An important focus has been increased options for more complex machines, such as mill-turn equipment, and four- and five-axis mills.  This will allow users to tackle more sophisticated parts than could be programmed before.  Developments have also continued increase the efficiency of the more fundamental machining operations, including turning and three-axis milling.

 

Major highlights of the new release of PartMaker include a revamped and more productive user-interface, improved capabilities for programming directly on solid models and more realistic machine simulation for the increasingly-complex machine architectures of today’s multi-axis turn-mill centres and Swiss-type lathes.  The enhanced user interface will make PartMaker users even more productive in programming their CNC equipment, while offering new users and even easier to learn, more capable CNC programming platform.

 

Improvements across the ArtCAM family of software include new sculpting and embossing tools in the Pro and JewelSmith versions.  On the machining side, the main emphasis has been on improved strategies for harder materials to enable more efficient and faster engraving of metal tooling.  Other enhancements across the complete ArtCAM range include the ability to export designs in the 3D pdf format used by the Adobe Acrobat reader, autorecovery of data, for example if there is a power failure to the computer, and much more realistic simulation of machining in a variety of materials.