Release notes for: NCG CAM V Date: 26/02/2010

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1 NCG CAM Solutions Ltd is pleased to release v Below are brief details of the enhancements we have made since v : Catia v5 r19 files that contain surfaces that were offset or translated now load correctly. 15 : A warning box is now shown when imported geometry contains surfaces where the trimming curves lie outside the surface range. There was a warning output before, but in the database log window, so could easily be missed. 22 : The tool database now loads milling cutters for bore milling. There is no longer any distinction between cutters used for milling or for bore milling. 36 : The NCGCAM installers now load all languages. The language packs have been removed. 72 : Fixed bug that could cause spiral passes not to complete in some instances. 76 : Fixed bug that caused a duplicate constant step-over pass in some conditions. 79 : Plan Inputs: Linking: Now allow switching between horizontal area passes and Axially offset horizontal area passes. Note: Some over-ridden plan parameters may be unsafe after switching and the user needs to check these. 88 : Machine along curve: Bounding box now allows for curve and surfaces. This allows for a curve to be machined that is outside the limits of triangulated surfaces. This means that if you are machining a curve from the outside of the part it is possible to plunge with the cutter clear of the surfaces. Before the cutter would have been in contact. 98 : Fixed a problem when processing a transformed drilling cycle through G-Post that would cause an exception to be thrown and the post processing to be aborted.

2 104 : Enabled K value to be output in a helix in the ISO post (macro). By default this option is set false so existing posts will be unaffected. Generally when machining a helix, K is used to inform the controller how far the helix would travel (Z) in 360 degrees. This is for the ISO format internal post processor, by default the Output K in helix move is set false so as not to affect any exiting post processors. 105 : Linking: Improved the fitting of horizontal lead arcs on looped passes. 111 : Add new tool databases 'General' and 'General with Nikken'. These tool databases have a selection of cutter, drill, taps, reamers most based on a Guhring catalogue, the 'General with Nikken' also includes some holders based on a Nikken catalogue. Holders tend to be differ from manufacturer to manufacturer so the holders may not be suitable for all, but

3 the cutters may, there are many of the standard sized from 1 to 25 diameter as solid carbide tooling. Slotdrills, ball-nose and end-mills. Drills from 0.5 to 40 diameter, reamers from 1 to 26 diameter and taps from M3 to M : Linking: Improve the fitting of helical lead arcs. 122 : Improved performance of ordering algorithm for horizontal area tool-path. 134 : Linking: Added horizontal arc dialogue boxes to the pencil passes. Using the horizontal leads of pencil passes will in most cases eliminate the entry and exit line that could be left on the part. 137 : Include the Licence Manager translations with the installation. 148 : Program crashes that could occur due to invalid five axis parameter settings have been prevented. 149 : The lead/lag options have been removed from tilt preferences and gouge avoidance strategies for 3-5 conversion. As a finishing operation and using a ball-nose cutter there was nothing to be gained with the lead / lag angle. 150 : In 3-5 conversion, the original 'Tilt' gouge avoidance option has been removed, and the 'Tilt(new)' option has been renamed 'Tilt'. The new Tilt giving better results overall.

4 151 : Tick boxes for gouge checking the holder, shank, and non-tip part of the flute have been added to the 3-5 axis conversion dialogue. The Flute-non-tip refers to the cutting diameter, above the corner radius, up to the start of the shank. 153 : The linearisation tolerance used for tool-paths input to 3-5 axis conversion now relates to the machining tolerance. 154 : Tilting gouge avoidance can now be applied for all tool axis preferences in 3-axis to 5-axis conversion; the 3-5 axis dialogue has been simplified by removing the now redundant 'Side tilt' option. 155 : It is now possible to change the flute length on the 3-axis to 5-axis Conversion dialogue. 168 : Update dongle driver to version : Provide correct 32-bit SolidWorks Document Manager DLL. 179 : Added latest Russian tutorials.

5 181 : Added a US English version. Please note that this will affect customers with the locale set incorrectly; for example British customers using the default English (United States) locale. Note: UK customers should ensure they have English United Kingdom set in the regional settings. To get to your Regional and Language Options, pick: Win XP: Start > Control Panel > Regional and Language Options Win Vista: Start > Control Panel > Regional and Language Options Win 7: Start > Control Panel > Clock, Language and Region > Regional and Language For Win Vista and Win 7 the dialogue is slightly different to the image above, but you are looking for the same options. 184 : The release number in the oversize negative thickness script has been corrected. 190 : Updated the G-Post macro to output MCHTOL at the start of each tool-path. This can then be used to help set other things in G-Post related to the machining tolerance.

6 193 : Message boxes are now output for each way in which SolidWorks document manager dll can fail to be accessible. In particular, the message box for a failure-to-register suggests that Run As Administrator be used to launch NCGCAM (one time only). The need to run as administrator should be for only Windows Vista and Windows 7. Mouse right in the NCGCAM desktop icon and pick Run as administrator if you do see the Run as administrator you will need your IT department to grant you administrator rights temporally. You only need to do this once and only if using the optional SolidWorks module. 196 : When starting NCG CAM on an unlicensed computer the user is prompted if they wish to start up the licence manager to license their dongle. If they do this, then the run of NCG CAM continues.

7 197 : The Help > About page now displays information about the licensing, giving the dongle number and location. This is useful if you are running a network licence, you can see the IP address of where the dongle is plugged in, how many license are in current use and how many licences are available on that dongle. You are also informed of the dongle number. 199 : Parasolid and SolidWorks files may now be loaded into the demo version. 201 : Catia v5 assemblies and Catia v4 files with multiple models are now loaded into separate curve and surface folders for each component or model. Where a component does not contain any curve (or surface), then the folder for that component is not created, so as to avoid clutter. The curve and surface folders are labelled with the name of the component, with an _<n> suffix where there are multiple components with the same name. The image above shows a Catia v5 assembly of 8 models or parts, each model is loaded as a separate set of triangulated surfaces. To combine all the separate sets of triangulated surfaces into a single folder, select them all in the contents tree and then pick: Edit > Combine Folders. 208 : Fixed helical lead arc that had the possibility of being too close to the surfaces. 209 : In the 3 to 5 axis conversion, secondary gouge avoidance is disabled in the dialogue, because no other tilt is required with the new tilt gouge avoidance algorithm. 211: Linking: Separated out helical ramp angle and lead in "horizontal" arc ramp angles. This gives the user more control and enables more efficient lead in moves when rest roughing. 212 : Linking: Improved fitting of horizontal lead arcs for edited area clearance passes.

8 215 : The the Side Tilt Tool axis control for 3-axis to 5-axis conversions has been improved to reduce inappropriate tilting (eg on lead-ins). 225 : Linking: Fixed a problem for lead in/out arcs for axially offset along curve passes, where the lead in/out are was incorrect. 226 : Parameters FiveAxisStartMargin and FiveAxisEndMargin have been added to the User Advanced Page. The margins can allow the cutter to be held off the edges, this could help reduce the possibility of a fragmented tool-path on the edge of a surface. The top 2 images show a 5 axis morph between curves tool-path, One has the default margin value (0) while the has a margin value that been set manually. The lower left shows both tool-paths together and highlights the area zoomed in on for the lower right image, where you can see the tool-paths are at different heights. The margin is not a thickness and will not affect the size of the part. But it can be used where the curve and edge of the surface are not exact, if the curve is outside of the surfaces it is possible to get a fragmented pass on the edge if the surface resulting in unwanted retract moves. 233 : Fixed problem when loading a dca file containing Catia geometry where you could run out of memory.

9 239 : Picking Help > About now shows whether the 32-bit or 64-bit version is being run. 240 : Updated Copyright date from 2009 to : A shank clearance and holder clearance fields have been added to the 3-5 conversion dialogue.

10 242 : When saving a macro there is now a switch for whether to save the plan label (the item name in the contents tree). Updated the online documentation. This option (if enabled) will save the name of edited folder names and maintain those named when the macro is re-run. (previously or with out this option enabled, the default folder name will be used). 244 : Assembly components from Pro/E and Catia files are now loaded into separate folders when loaded through File->Insert as well as for File->Open. In the same manner as if the Catia assembly is opened as the first file. 247 : Linking: Improved quality of on surface linking moves. 248 : Tightening of ThinCurveTolerance. This tolerance has been tightened to increase accuracy of passes. However this will result in more tool-path segments. 250 : The file associativity for SolidWorks is now more reliable and detects updates to changes in an existing feature adding or removing a feature to a model and changing the active configuration as well. 251 : Linking: Improved the quality of waterline smooth linking connections. 252 : The cutting thickness XY & Z is now printed by the G-Post macro and so can be output in the NC-tape file as a comment. 254 : Fixed potential retract height problem where the minimum retracted height should have been higher.

11 255 : The user can now update the part geometry manually by pick Geometry > Update Geometry after having selected the relevant triangulated surfaces or triangulated curves. It is no longer necessary to open up the trees to select the database loader plan itself. 257 : The File Associativity now relies on the time the geometry file was last updated, not any internal file stamp. This fixes the inconsistency when checking SolidWorks files. Also, the check for whether an update is necessary is now performed whenever an archive file is loaded. Please note that pre v archives will automatically assume that the geometry file is out of date and ask if you wish to update it (if the File Associativity is enabled). This is because the pre-v dca files do not contain the relevant reference time. 258 : We now recursively search for integrated rest roughing inputs, related to ticket : The File Associativity mechanism now works correctly if a database window is closed but not the NCGCAM application and then the file is re-loaded. 310 : Waterline linking: Fixed problem with ramp angle not obeyed.