CADCAM/CAE solutions provider Vero Software's Visi 19, its latest iteration of its flagship product, has new features in all areas, including core 3D CAM development and a continued focus on tool design and manufacture.
Visi Modelling, the base platform for all products and enhancements, includes an updated GUI with improved user interaction, blending capabilities and annotation, advanced profile offset, graphical texture mapping and support for the increasingly prominent JT Open file format.
Visi Mould enhancements include a new assembly tool manager to handle multi-level tool structures. This provides the ability to generate specific tree hierarchy structures for the creation of partial BOM lists.
Visi Flow developments include a new part quality tool with potential remedy suggestions for each problem area and improved filling analyses and flow balancing due to the fine tuning of melt compressibility at end of the filling phase.
For sheet metal stamping, Visi Progress enhancements include three dedicated routines to manage complex springback based on results from CMM machines, third party FEA systems and bend section geometry. Each routine includes skimming capabilities to reduce point clutter and allows the operator to define an additional percentage to over-compensate for the springback deformation.
CAM development in Visi 19 sees the introduction of a number of new machining algorithms benefiting both Vero customers and OEM partners. New routines include HM rib cutting for the machining of very thin walls, deep cavity machining for the automated splitting of roughing and finishing toolpaths into separate Z ranges based on collision checking between the piece and tool/holder, aimed at providing greater rigidity, reduced vibration and increase tool life.
A new core roughing strategy has been developed that generates a flowing toolpath shape when working from outside a component. This allows machining of core components near to maximum potential. A new HM constant Z toolpath has been introduced to complement the existing steep and shallow toolpath. This combined finishing routine replaces sophisticated 3D pocketing calculations with 2D projection calculations for shallow areas and can, says Vero, dramatically reduce calculation times. Finally a 64 bit engine will boost performance and allow users to benefit from maximum RAM usage.
Visi PEPS-Wire development includes technology additions and further migration of historic PEPS capabilities to the new Visi platform. These include slug retention, feature recognition for land and taper features, CT Expert integration, VDM file import and pocketing with finishing allowance, and a routine that allows the user to partially pocket an aperture by specifying the remaining stock left to cut. This improves wire usage by keeping fresh air cutting to a minimum.