Will Dalrymple

Tech CADCAM demonstrates GibbsCAM 2015, with all-new Universal Kinematic Machine, at MACH (stand 4112)

News
1 min read

The latest version of 3D Systems’ GibbsCAM software for production machining, a comprehensive update, incorporates an all-new Universal Kinematic Machine (UKM) engine that further simplifies CNC programming. The release also includes multiple enhancements that extend capabilities and accommodate new machines of all configurations.

As an integral component of 3DS’ design-to-manufacturing digital thread, facilitating cross-technology manufacturing between additive and subtractive methods, GibbsCAM enables improved production efficiency and greater profitability. Developed for ease-of-use, GibbsCAM empowers numerical control programmers and machinists, with solid modelling, 2- through 5-axis milling, high speed machining, mill/turn, Swiss, multi-task machining and wire-EDM capabilities.

Ilan Erez, vice president, co-chief operating officer and CFO, software products, 3DS explains: “With the recent addition of GibbsCAM to the 3DS digital manufacturing thread portfolio, our customers can now enjoy the ability to use both subtractive and additive manufacturing to achieve the highest productivity possible. Manufacturers can use the two technologies in tandem, printing a metal part and then using a milling machine to achieve the required surface finish, for example. It’s a perfect fit.

“With the new release of GibbsCAM 2015 we enable our customers to program any machine with a single program and a single interface,” continued Erez. “The new features and enhancements in GibbsCAM 2015 are designed to save time in programming, provide more flexibility in selecting and using tools, and make toolpath verification and machine simulation more accurate and efficient.”

Some of the new features in GibbsCAM 2015 include:

  • New tooling functions and capabilities that extend the ability to define, use and simulate tools, with new icons and dynamic 3D viewing of tools and tool holders. Support for straight, tapered and stepped shanks was extended to all mill tools, while new mill and lathe tool types are also introduced, including 3D form tools and 75° Diamond (ISO E-style) lathe tools.
  • Numerous enhancements for hole-making that include additional support for hole features from CAD systems and full associativity for hole features from Autodesk Inventor, CATIA v5, Solid Edge and SolidWorks. New is the hole editor for editing hole features, including compound holes, which are supported with multiple straight, tapered and threaded segments.
  • Intermediate tooling support for multi-task machining (MTM), which makes tooling more manageable, simulation more accurate, and programming easier, with more accurate placement and orientation of tools.
  • Machine simulation which is greatly improved as a result of UKM, intermediate tooling support, and an improved rendering palette. Rendering is more accurate and efficient, displaying intermediate tooling for a more complete simulation of all moving components.
  • Integration with Sandvik Coromant’s Adveon tool library, which enables importing tools from Sandvik and ISO 13399 compliant systems to make a standard library available at any time, simplifying tool definition and tooling-data management.