CAD/CAM Software Review | Control System Review | CNC Software Review

CAD/CAM, control systems, and software

Owen, Jean V

Buying new machines and tooling doesn't solve productivity profitability problems if they are underutilized. Today's sophisticated controls can constantly and automatically manage anything from a one-machine cell to multiple-machine/multiple-cell complexes and optimize resources. Cincinnati Milacron's (Cincinnati) Cincron controller, for example, offers a host of easy-to-use features: X-Windows; an Oracle relational database manager; material handling status reports; production expediting; workload, data, and physical resource management; process control; part serialization; machine status reports; work priority indicators; and an on-line route indicator. "Managing hardware and software resources automatically is crucial," says Tim Chapman, manager, Milacron's Cells and Systems Group. "High machine utilization depends on work queued for immediate processing. Resource management is what improves productivity."

The Myth of Speed. Controls users can get caught up in vendor talk of 1-ms or even sub-ms block processing times (the time it takes a CNC to process a line of programming code). John Turner, product manager, GE Fanuc Automation North America (Charlottesville, VA), points out that most high-speed, high-precision r machining involves downloading long part programs from a CAD system, usually via a dripfeed from a PC. "If you have 1-ms BPT and update servos every 20 ms, you're not going to get the performance you expect, so you must consider more than BPT: servo performance and the time it takes to get a part program into the control are part of the equation."

Dave Platts, vice president of R&D, Hurco Companies Inc. (Indianapolis), hammers home the point: "Despite all the hype about high-speed machining, that's only one piece of the puzzle. Whether you cut a part in five minutes or five hours, it may take days to create the part geometry, and days to create the toolpath. We don't want operators programming parts when the geometry is already established in the CAD system. It's up to CNC suppliers to get users from part geometry and toolpath to finished part with as little manual intervention as possible." Enhancing CNC products on the factory floor are RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) boards that allow CNCs to calculate motion profiles faster and more accurately.

Friendly Front End. Users want a good consumer-level multitasking operating system, says Turner. Adding Microsoft's Chicago, Windows, or Windows NT to a control can provide this user-friendliness. Windows helps by providing software packages for developing Windows look-alikes--drop-down selection boxes and menu bars. Moving files around is also easy.

If the goal is to provide an industrialized motion control surrounded by low-cost standard products like PCs and Ethernet networks, Turner says, "you link a PC to a CNC, with the PC doing the number-crunching, communications, and data handling, using off-the-shelf packages for solid modeling and path planning. After the PC generates programs and sends them to the CNC, the CNC runs profiles as defined by the computer. The operator sees one control system."

Multitasking. Windows doesn't solve the multitasking problem, though. The control builder still has to develop an operating system that keeps operations separate. Because PC environments require more memory than true multitasking operating systems like Unix, some control builders have adopted DOS in the last few years as a way to leverage existing technology and lower development costs and time to market. GE Fanuc's "man-machine controller" at the show is based on an "embedded workstation" in the backplane of the CNC that uses DOS and a standard ISA bus to integrate standard PC boards into the CNC. Some control builders work off a PC base with a dedicated motion board added. Watch for these open CNC-PC systems at the show.

PCs on the Shop Floor. Whatever the operating system, every control builder is on the CNC-PC bandwagon. "Acceptance of PC chip sets on the factory floor and affordable PC-based software have revolutionized the embedded industrial control market," says Platts. As new chip designs appear and volumes drive costs down, control builders can afford to incorporate them to add CNC power.

Small shops put special emphasis on user-friendly shop-floor programming, whether it's done off line via an integrated system tied into the CNC control or standing at the machine tool. The ultimate in user-friendliness, of course, is the PC-based control. Hurco's control with conversational programming, says Platts, allows an operator in a mold shop who doesn't know G and M codes to do simple 2-D operations like basic facing and drilling on the control, while someone else does complex surfaces off line on a 3-D CAM system.

Anilam Electronics Corp.'s CNC Div. (Miami, FL) began the switch to PC-based controls about five years ago; now all its products are PC-based. David McCarthy, the company's CNC control manager, says users fear buying a product that will be outdated in a year. With PC-based controls, software updates can be provided on a floppy disk, and hardware can be updated with motherboard upgrades. Those who bought Anilam's original 386sx 16 could easily upgrade to the current standard, 486dx33.

Hurco will soon offer a PC motherboard as the main processing engine in the controls it provides to job shops, plugging in coprocessing subsystems, motion control, and I/O and display management. Its Ultramax control will quintuple processing capacity when it moves from 386sx to 486dx33, says Platts. "The 486 technology has the CPU power to crunch the data, and by feeding the control much smaller bits of data, a shop can machine much finer. Customers want block processing times and accuracies twice what we deliver today, and this upgrade will give it to them."

Another user-friendly feature of the PC-based control is flexibility. McCarthy says a user can create a file in the control using flexible programming language, dump data into it, put it on a floppy, then go to an SPC unit or CMM and use the data. Operators can use calculators built into the CNC to find a tangency or solve geometric problems, then plug the solution into the appropriate program menu.

PC and Unix workstation manufacturers have increased performance while lowering costs and moving out of their traditional niches--high-end PCs are found in engineering/scientific applications, and lower priced workstations have moved into office automation. Software prices reflect the competitive pressure, says Richard M. Passek, vice president of technical services, Camax Systems Inc. (Minneapolis). Licensing a package for operation on a mainframe, which once cost many times that of a Unix workstation license, is now about double, and the differential between workstations and high-end PCs has dropped similarly.

How Open Is Open? Standard communication systems that everyone can hook up to may be open, but all devices on the system may not be able to talk to each other. Be warned: an Ethernet connect on a system doesn't mean it can be tied together, and not all connections are identical. For example, says GE Fanuc's Turner, a control system running on Ethernet downloading a part program may accept data at 1000 characters/sec; with the same control, part program, and network, another user may accept data at 15,000 characters/sec. How so? One of these users may have software that allows a control to upload and download programs, access I/O status for data monitoring, or provide information on variables for production tracking or statistical process control; one may have a different effective communication rate.

Hurco calls its new Ultimax control an open-system CNC because, says Platts, it's based on off-the-shelf boards, an I/O system that uses a standard ISA bus, and software developed with third-party vendors.

How do control builders preserve their technology in this open environment? They keep the main motion controller-the core of the CNC--proprietary, says Turner, and around that core they wrap standards like human interface, I/O, and drives.

Digital for Diagnostics. Users want systems that are easy to operate, fix, and customize, and control builders are providing help screens to access built-in documentation diagnostics and maintenance functions. With digital servos, both position and velocity loops are closed in a CPU on the axes board, which controls four axes of motion and connects to the main CPU via a 32-bit system bus.

"When the interface between controls and drives is digital, along with the interface to the spindle and all I/O products," says Turner, "the control can act as a digital oscilloscope. With the output and feedback signals it generates on screen, users can tune servos, examine servo or spindle performance, and compare ladder-sequence activities by histogram." These I/O signal sequences can be stored and compared over time--logs of the last 3000 alarms can be time-tagged and failures tracked back to pre-failure control states--all thanks to the lower cost of memory.

CAD/CAM AND SOFTWARE

While most industry shows get caught up in the "glitz and glamor" of CAD systems, IMTS is different, says John Callen, director, application/technology development, Point Control Co. (Eugene, OR). Because it focuses on manufacturing solutions, "CAM systems will be front and center at the show, as an equal partner in the CAD/CAM process; CAD is there to provide the finished part specs from which CAM systems operate." CAD and CAM vendors will showcase new partnerships to make CAD/CM easier to use.

The Big Buzzwords in CAM. "The biggest headache for both the users of CAM systems and the vendors who develop them is the link to the machine tool," says Paul Ricard, R&D manager, DP Technology Corp. (Camarillo, CA). Vendors are attacking the problem from two fronts: knowledge-based and feature-based CAM. DP Technology's Espirit knowledge-based machining software for wire EDM applications will be shown at IMTS, but feature-based systems will not.

Why all the interest? Ricard explains that "today, shop-floor programming is either done with a CAM system too complicated for shopfloor people to use or is done at the machine, where CAM isn't available. We need an easier way to customize and program on the shop floor, and knowledge-based CAM can make this passive product into an active partner in solving manufacturing problems."

Camax's Passek describes the obstacles that have held back these promising technologies: collecting and adding enough "knowledge" requires a staff of C++ programmers available only in giant companies; elaborate programming of the software must be done to accommodate features not previously "learned"; and management is reluctant to be first to make a large investment in unproved technology. "Lengthy beta tests in large production environments have built up knowledge bases and increased geometry recognition to the point where these systems are almost ready," says Passek.

Point Control's approach, says Callen, is to provide a system whose knowledge base is populated not only through use but also through existing process models developed from previous versions of the SmartCAM system. "By capturing the manufacturing knowledge encoded in existing process models," he says, "companies can preserve their investment in manufacturing data and end up with a knowledge base specific to their processes."

Passek sees the software as one of the hot IMTS technologies: "For machining simpler parts and family-of-parts programming, we now have software with some automation and sufficient knowledge base to recognize primary and sequential procedures to be performed on individual part features. We're beginning to apply knowledge-based systems to process planning."

How would this work? Ricard: "Once you have a size, depth, and material for a tapped hole, for instance, with most CAM systems you choose tools and perform all machining operations manually. With knowledge-based software, you specify size, depth, and material, and the software picks the tools and suggests depth of cut, drillpath, and other process values, which you can override if you choose." A wire EDM user plugs in the workpiece material (say, 2.5" [64 mm] aluminum), the wire specs (0.008" [0.20 mm] brass), the finish required, and the part accuracy. The software then calculates power settings, feed rates, wire offsets, electrical passes, and so on.

In a milling application that DP Technology will demonstrate at the show, the user who wants to mill or drill holes and pockets first customizes a general approach to doing pockets, drilling, and certain milling operations and builds a machine tool library. CAD software provides a solid model showing the material and specific hole and pocket locations, the user pushes a button, and knowledge-based software does the rest of the machining calculations.

Show visitors will find user-friendly software with solid modeling to handle more complex multisurfaced parts. CAM's unique functions and algorithms to handle these problems ran only on high-performance workstations until recently, says Point Control's Callen. Recent advances in PC technology and solid modeling are moving CAM into a new range of applications.

Better links between the two systems, integrated NC planning and process modeling, solids-based machining, and knowledge-based manufacturing engineering will be showcased. Software that runs under Windows and Windows NT will be conspicuous here too. Users will welcome vendors' move into MS Windows and MS Windows NT applications. Brian Summers of CNC Software Inc. (Tolland, CT) says the Windows connection is one of the technical advances driving industry today. "It has hit software developers hardest because of the demand to run under Windows." He sees only expansion ahead. "New machine shops open every day, and some of those owners are looking for their first CAD/CAM system. They find that smaller, lower cost systems like MasterCAM are acting like high-end systems, with capabilities like multisurface machining. The gap is closing." He expects the trend to continue for the next few years.

Watch for machine tool simulation and NC program-verification software for milling, turning, millturn, laser, and wire EDM applications--all in a one-vendor package.

Multiaxis Machining. Manufacturers who used the fourth or fifth axis on a five-axis machine only for positioning or tombstone machining are now using all five axes in simultaneous motion. According to Passek, true five-axis NC programming software that can handle multiple machining styles and does gouge checking and collision detection is rare.

Watch for software packages with multiaxis graphic simulation and representation of machine tool motion and NC toolpaths, along with programming software for four-axis machining in simultaneous motion with interfaces for millturn equipment to make the programming and synchronization easier.

RETROFIT DRO

Microprocessor-based digital readouts work with linear encoders to monitor up to four axes. The units have flexible programming functions and retrofit on most machines. Also on display will be ERN 400 rotary encoders, LS 473 linear encoders, TNC numerical controls, and Metro and Certo digital length gages, with measuring accuracies of +/-0.5 and +/-0.1 mum. Heidenhain Corp. Circle 444

CNC ALLOWS MANUAL & AUTOMATIC MACHINING

CNCplus mounts on a lathe and allows manual and automatic machining on one lathe. The software uses work plans, including coordinated sequencing of machine operations, tools, and technological data. The computer screen displays the production sequence so the operator can correct production-related faults. The machine has three modes of operation: conventional machining, where the operator uses handwheels to operate the lathe and the control remembers the movements; conventional plus, where software supports complex operations like radii; and CNCplus mode, for automatic contour generation with built-in CAD and a pictogram-oriented keyboard. Also on display will be the PCNC, a CNC and PC combination; Digital Integrated Servo Control; and Profil 2-D contour programmer. Num Corp. Circle 449

SOFTWARE CREATES NC CODE

Ultrapath requires five definitions in programming a part and creates formatted NC code simultaneously as a contour is described. It supports four and five-axis lathes, four-axis wire-EDM, and machining on cylindrical surfaces, and includes routines for island pocketing, roughing and finishing, grooving and threading, and CAD/CAM data conversion. Also on display will be Ultracom communication and file management software. Leonard NC Systems Inc. Circle 447

SOFTWARE GENERATES TOOLSHEETS

CNCPro 4.0 uses Windows-type menu structures to generate tool sheets on its own, filling in pertinent fields and drawing information from other databases. It imports AutoCAD and CorelDraw drawings directly. Other features include bitmap manipulation to improve the quality of scanned bitmap images; Foxpro-compliant internal database; automatic page numbering; linking several drawings to one operation; optional plot viewer to view AutoCAD, Cadkey, DXF, and IGES files directly; basic DNC support of Mazak conversational language; tracking of all DNC transactions; automatic notification of changes via electronic mail; and a built-in tool presetter. A restructured tool crib pulls tool information from any X-base database and stores pictures, blueprints, and graphics. The operation manager may display either the Partview icon or the first photo in the MWI system. ShopTec Inc. Circle 516

PROGRAM, THEN VERIFY

Duct CAD/CAM software includes a roughing module and an NC verification package. DuctRough compares NC programs interactively to produce optimum machining times and leave minimum material for finishing. One command will generate a part program. Features include climb milling; automatic predrilling of blocks for plunge moves; use of user-defined drill points; and pocket milling. Ductviewmill NC verifier has a graphical user interface, extra simulation controls, and more color to simulate rough, semifinish, and finish machining. A block can have an arbitrary shape to allow premachining or to represent a forging or casting preform. Other enhancements to Duct include a constant Z-height function, spiral milling along a part, rest milling, flexible five-axis machining, and automatic gouge removal on five-axis finishing. Delcam International PLC Circle 505

VISUAL READOUTS

VROs have a 7" video screen that displays machine travel and position in up to four axes, gives approaching-zero warning, offers error compensation, and accommodates multistep programs and tool offsets. Millvision for mills has a preprogrammed subroutine to help calculate bolt-hole patterns and locate midpoints, has a 250-step memory, and stores up to 99 tool offsets. Turnvision for lathes has built-in turning software to calculate vectors and tapers and can store eight part programs and 24 tool offsets. Both units have on-screen help and sealed-membrane keyboards. Also on display will be the Master series and the two-axis Mate series of DROs. Acu-Rite Inc. Circle 502

INSERT FAILURE ANALYSIS I

Software is the second module for the Valnet series of cutting-tool electronic aids. It allows users to compare failed inserts with digitized photos of typical failed inserts, list recommendations to solve metal-cutting problems, maximize metal-cutting through proper chipbreaker selection, compare insert grades, list feed and speed recommendations for 950 workpiece materials, and create a customized manufacturing database to track progress of a plant's machines. The software requires a 386DX or higher PC-compatible computer with 8-MB RAM, VGA monitor, mouse, Windows version 3.1 or higher, and 20-MB of free hard-disk space. Valenite Inc. Circle 453

DRO DISPLAY CABINET

Sapphire display cabinet comes in machine travel sizes of 12 x 30", 12 x 36", 16 x 30", and 16 x 36" (300 x 760 mm, 300 x 910 mm, 410 x 760 mm, and 410 x 910 mm). Features include switchable resolution between 0.2 and 0.5", customary-to-metric conversion, absolute or incremental operation, linear error compensation, preset capability, self-diagnostics, error alarm, center find, zero reset, security lockout, and datum point memory to monitor table movement after a power loss. Also on display will be the Spherosyn linear scale, which requires no regular maintenance or cleaning, and the DP7 series of display cabinets for milling, turning, and EDM. Newall Electronics Inc. Circle 448

FABRICATION SOFTWARE

Mastercam version 5 for Microsoft Windows and Windows NT is CAD/CAM software for two to five-axis mills, lathes, two and four-axis wire EDMs, sheetmetal punching and fabrication, plasma cutting, lasers, and 3-D design and drafting. Updates to version 5 include replacement of parameter screens with dialogue boxes, surface-shading utilities, advanced IGES and VDA entity translation, and enhancements to functions for pocketing, multisurface planar and surface roughing and finishing, creating and manipulating trimmed surfaces, and flowline machining. It also processes in the background, eliminating the need to switch from graphics to text mode. Also on display will be Mastercam Moldbase, a Mastercam Mill add-on. CNC Software Inc. Circle 503

INTEGRATED MACHINE CONTROL

Trans-04 reduces complex connections by integrating the functions of a CNC, programming terminal, programmable controller, and network interface into one panel-mounted control box. Each process, such as hydraulic, gaging, single-axis, or CNC, has the same look so the operator, electrician, and process engineer can communicate easily. Features include process diagram programming, ladder diagramming, and a flat-panel touch screen. Units may be networked together to control entire transfer lines. It supports a wide variety of I/O configurations from many vendors. For digital servo and vector drives, the unit provides real-time communication with the fiber-optic SERCOS standard. Indramat Div., Rexroth Corp. Circle 509

CAM FOR AUTOCAD

NC Works 5.0 is 2-1/2-5-axis NC programming software that runs with AutoCAD. It supports CNC punch presses, 2-4-axis turning, 2-4-axis wire EDM, and 21/z-5-axis milling. Other features include a fast graphical user interface, postprocessing, and the ability to use NURBS surfaces created from AutoSurf. Progressive Software Solutions Circle 513

ESTIMATING SOFTWARE

Machine Shop Estimating for Windows is an engineering-based estimating package for creating tailored estimates according to a user's estimating procedures and shop capabilities. It calculates process layouts and cycle times for each machine individually. Micro Estimating Systems Inc. Circle 512

SIMULATE MACHINING

Virtual Gibbs runs on DOS and Windows-based IBM PCs and compatibles, Macintosh, and Power Macintosh Power PC. The Lathe module shows a 3-D real-time color rendering of the cut part as it is programmed and displays the part at any angle, including solid sections of the part's ID and OD. The roughing cycles handle hills and valleys automatically. Multiple Process Programming allows the user to rough, semirough, semifinish, and finish a section of the part in one action. Advanced Milling simplifies part programming using a four or five-axis rotary table on a vertical mill. It is for cutting several sides of a part and lets the user specify graphically how a rotary table is set up. The user can specify free-form workplanes anywhere on the part and define 2-D geometry relative to the plane. The software automatically calculates A and B-axis rotation to bring the plane flat to the tool. Gibbs and Associates Circle 507

CNC ATTACHMENT

Attachment for Hardinge-style lathes uses G-code and standard Hardinge chucker tooling. Features include 0.00005" (0.0013-mm) resolution and repeatability, 10.5 x 5.5"(267 x 140-mm) travel, servo closed-loop axis drives, 300-ipm (7.6-m/min) rapid traverse, single-point threading 5 to 120 tpi, storage for 9000 programs, SPC capability, and unlimited tool offsets. OmniTurn Circle 450

DIGITAL MACHINE CONTROL

A small four-axis NC is for compact machine tools. The digital numerical control for complex machining has modular components, positions axes with axis-specific feed, and does inclined-surface machining. It combines with a digital drive converter to form a complete digital system with high control quality, system resolution, and short sampling times. Siemens Industrial Automation Inc. Circle 517

CREATE TOOLPATHS BY MENU

Quick'n'Easy CAM software has a menu-driven format, prints on most printers and plotters, and generates two and three-axis toolpaths for the user's machine control. The software has postprocessors and imports DXF or ASCII files. Contour mode drives the tool around the part outline and supports pick, chain, sketch, spiral, zig-zag, and surface of revolution contouring. Pocket mode clears out the interior of a closed shape, has unlimited island avoidance, and automatically roughs and finishes islands. Engrave runs the tool down the drawing's centerline by "color" or "window" methods, and Drill supports peck drilling, tapering peck drilling, subroutine calls, and chip break cycles. Servo Products Co. Circle 514

CAD/CAM FOR WINDOWS

Software uses the Windows interface and supports multisurface milling, lathe, laser, punch, plasma, and wire EDM machines. It has 2 and 3-D CAD capabilities and offers 3-D viewing, engineering, 3-D sculptured surfaces, and integrated DNC. TekSoft CAD/CAM Systems Circle 452

ELIMINATE PAPERWORK

Cimnet Folders collects part programs, part drawings, setup sheets, digital photographs, routing sheets, and tooling lists for a particular part into one electronic file, which is available over a user's network. The software runs on Windows, Sun Unix, and HP Unix systems and can display DXF, DWG, HPGL, TIFF, and other graphic formats. Other features include DNC and SPC capabilities. JNL Industries Circle 445

GENERATE TOOLPATHS

WorkNC version 3.7 3-D programming software includes enhancements such as better roughing programs, spiral collapsing motion on each Z-level, less calculation time, automatic corner picking, ramped approaches added to several tool types, pencil tracing of fillet corners and valleys, and flowline machining to machine complex surface shapes while following user-defined flow lines. The software runs on DOS-based PCs and workstations from Silicon Graphics, Hewlett Packard, IBM RS6000, and SUN. It receives data via IGES or direct translators for Catia, Intergraph, and Unigraphics. Sescoi USA Inc. Circle 515

PAPERLESS SHOP CONTROL

Vista shop-control software for small to medium job shops of 5-30 employees runs on Windows and is written in Microsoft FoxPro. Another package called Vantage is for medium to large job shops, custom manufacturers, and mixed-mode manufacturers. Written in Progress 4GL/RDBMS, it provides an open system, client-server architecture and runs on PC networks, Unix-based systems, and IBM AS/400 computers. Both packages consist of integrated software modules, including those for estimating and quoting, order entry, job costing and tracking, shop-floor data collection, inventory and purchasing, bill of materials, job scheduling, ShopVision, and accounting. Other features include VistaTouch and VantagePoint touch-screen technology, Drag'n'Drop electronic scheduling board, multimedia tools, and VistaMail audio message system. DCD Corp. Circle 504

VERIFY SOLID MODES

N-See detects tool crashes, part gouges, and CNC program errors, checking 1000 blocks of CNC code per second on a 486-based PC. The software accepts G-code for almost any CNC and presents a realistic model of the part being machined, allowing real-time rotations to any view, cross-sections in any plane, and unlimited zooms. It reports accurate dimensional data and catches programming errors before machining. Microcompatibles Inc. Circle 511

LINEAR AMPLIFIER

Model SD.51-36 measures 2.4 x 3.65 x 0.75" (61 x 93 x 19 mm) and provides 1/2-amp continuous and 1-amp peak current, and +/-36-Vdc output voltage. The unit has a back EMF option, which eliminates the need for an analog tachometer. Also on display will be the small SDFCC 1020-12 pulse-width-modulated amplifier with 10-amp continuous, 20-amp peak current at 120 V. Servo Dynamics Circle 451

MODULAR PLANT PLANNING

Visibility software for order-driven enterprises contains 20 modules, including sales, engineering, project management, customer service, materials management, and finance. It helps users configure products, quote process and delivery dates, manage production and cash flow, and access all information quickly. The software is an open client-server system, which runs on Hewlett-Packard MPE/iX and HP-UX, Digital Equipment VAX/VMS and Alpha Open VMS, and IBM RS/6000 AIX with a relational database model. Visibility Inc. Circle 454

TAKE GUESSWORK OUT OF SHOP MANAGEMENT

EstiTrack Estimating for Windows has modules for estimating different aspects of shop management. Modules include those for bills of materials, speeds and feeds, automatic priority scheduling, bar coding, ET remote timecard and jobcard data collection, cost estimating, orders and releases, scheduling, production management, inventory, and shipping and receiving. Henning Industrial Software Inc. Circle 508

SCHEDULING SOFTWARE

OnTime version 3.5 is a resource-based scheduler, which defines, prioritizes, and schedules the entire shop, including employees, machines, tooling, and molds. Each resource has a priority and a unique calendar to identify available shifts and downtimes so the software can reschedule if a problem or bottleneck occurs. The software helps identify idle or underused equipment, using colored icons to indicate the status of each job in the shop. The user can assign up to nine resources to each operation. Setup and runtime are treated as separate operations. The software works with the publisher's shop management tools, which include order entry, scheduling, tracking, invoicing, purchasing, inventory, payables, and complete financials. Smart Shop Software Inc. Circle 518

SIMULATE TOOLPATHS

Vericut version 2.0 NC-verification software interactively simulates, verifies, and displays the material removal process of an NC toolpath. The user detects and corrects inefficient motion or programming errors in two to five-axis milling, drilling, and turning operations without using the machine tool. The software runs on most workstations and PCs; complies with S3, VESA, Tseng 4000 XGA, and 8514/A graphic standards; and reads toolpaths from most CAD/CAM software. Features include X-Caliper, which obtains accurate measurements of simulated parts; OptiPath, to optimize toolpath feed rates automatically; Translucent mode, to observe operations concealed by the stock; and the photorealistic Zoom mode, to find toolpath errors. CGTech Circle 443

MOTION CONTROLLERS

Power Mate controllers, including two multipath models, are for transfer lines, gantries, packaging and material handling equipment, and other applications requiring high-performance independent motion. A servo, based on variable reluctance technology, accepts motion-control commands from a host controller and performs all motion loop control functions. Also on display will be a high-performance I/O processor and additional axis-positioning module products that work with the Series 90-30 PLC. GE Fanuc Automation Circle 506

VARIATIONAL DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING

VDM module is for Synergy CAD/CAM software. It uses a database of associated design and manufacturing data, user variables, and process control intelligence. When a design or manufacturing specification changes, the software automatically generates new part programs for component parts and updates material requirement lists and manufacturing schedules. The user can mix and match dependent and free-form geometries on the fly. If the user enters impossible data, the software plots what it can and waits for new input. Weber Systems Inc. Circle 519

JOB CONTROL

JobBoss version 1.0 for Windows handles estimating, costing, tracking, scheduling, and integrated accounting. It imports data from other software, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and Lotus 123. Job Boss Software Inc. Circle 446

NONCONTACT LASER DIGITIZER

Optica connects mechanically to any CNC or CMM. It digitizes in 3-D at 14,000 points/sec with an accuracy of +/-0.0008" (0.020 mm). RI Scan software defines absolute and relative machine positioning, calibrates and sets system parameters, smooths digitized data, and outputs to any industrial CNC or to an IGES, ASCII, or DXF file. 3D Technology Inc. Circle 674

INTEGRATE SHEETMETAL SHOP AND OFFICE

Computer Integrated Manufacturing and Management System (CIMMS) is a group of software modules for connecting sheetmetal NC machine tools with other shop and office processes. For example, bar code terminals download NC programs and upload job locations. Other modules include estimating and quoting, automatic unfolding, CAD/CAM, nesting, SPC, vision inspection, purchasing, inventory control, scheduling, job costing, labor tracking, payroll, shipping and receiving, and accounting. Metalsoft Inc. Circle 510

SINGLE AND MULTIPIN MARKERS

TMP3000 single-pin marking unit marks up to five characters/sec. TMP6000 comes with rotary drives to mark circumferences or Z-axis control to handle irregular surfaces. TMM5000 multipin matrix marker, compact TM1000 for online marking, and PS-OCR for automated product marking will also be shown. Telesis Marking Systems Circle 697