SmartCAM Production Milling

Transcription

1 SmartCAM Production Milling June 1996 Version 9.0 for Microsoft Windows NTS Release Notes These release notes provide information about new product features and known limitations that are specific to this version of SmartCAM Production Milling. They also provide information not included in other documents or in online Help. What s New All SmartCAM products released in second quarter, 1996 have a version number of 9.0. SmartCAM Production Milling version 9.0 introduces the following new features: Job Operation Planner The new Job Operation Planner provides a simpler, faster way to enter process step parameters. The Planner adds the following new capabilities: Improved file management Tool library Material library Speed and feed calculator Macros for job operations setup functions See Job Operation Planner on page 2. Reports Generator Reports enables you to print shop travel documents, setup sheets, and tool crib requests. For information about Reports, refer to online Help or the online reference manual. Online Manuals Reference, customization, and, code generation manuals are now online, as well as the manuals for Edit Plus, Communicate, and CAM Connections. See Online Manuals on page 4. Read-Out for Steps and Tools When you are setting Insert properties, the Read-out Line displays the tool and step description for each step as you move the cursor in the list view. Double-Click for Field Selection The method for selecting input fields has been changed to make SmartCAM more consistent with other Windows-based applications. To select an input field in a control panel or dialog box, click the field label or double click in the input field. When the content of a field is selected, any entry you make from the keyboard will replace the current field value. To edit the existing value of a field, click the desired edit location. New CAM Connection Refer to the SmartCAM CAM Connection version 9.0 release notes for information about this new data translator. Installation Notes To install SmartCAM Production Milling, follow the instructions in the Installation Guide for All SmartCAM Products. It is strongly recommended that you install SmartCAM in the default configuration. Do not install SmartCAM version 9.0 products in the same directory as existing SmartCAM products. Installing on Windows NT or Windows 95 The SmartCAM installation routine requires that a file config.sys be present in the root directory of the boot drive of your computer. Since Windows NT and Windows 95 do not create this file automatically, create a file named config.sys before attempting to install SmartCAM Production Milling. Setting Measurement Units SmartCAM now uses the Units setting in the Job Information dialog box to set the default measurement units to inch or metric. When you open an existing process model file or load a job file, the measurement defaults are set to match the setting in the file. When you use File New to start a new process model, the measurement defaults are set to inch, until you change the units setting in the Job Information dialog box. Changing the measurement units in an existing process model changes the defaults but does not convert existing steps or geometry in the file. Doing so may cause problems. Contents What s New / 1 Installation Notes / 1 Job Operation Planner / 2 Converting Existing Files / 4 Online Manuals / 4 Known Limitations / 5 Code Generation / 5 Address for Technical Support / Willow Creek Circle Eugene, Oregon (541) FAX (541) Toll Free

2 For more information about setting the measurement units, refer to online Help or the online reference manual. Changing the Default Units For New Files If you work primarily in metric units, you can change the default units for all new files. To change the default units: 1. Use a text editor to open the file mjpage.def in the subdirectory \sm9\mill\josdef\. 2. Change the value of the Units setting in the header section of the file. Set the value to 0 for inch defaults or 1 for metric defaults. Do not change any other settings in this file. 3. Save your changes and close the file. Using CTG Files SmartCAM uses custom tool graphics (CTG) files with an.sh3 extension to provide tool graphics for tool path simulations. CTG files for some of the more common tools are included with your SmartCAM software. Inch CTG files are located in the sm9\mill\mctg subdirectory and metric CTG files are located in the sm9\mill\mctg_m subdirectory. All CTG files for a job must be in the same subdirectory. If you work with both inch and metric files, always verify that the path to the CTG files is correct when you change jobs. 1. Select File Planner to open the Job Operation Planner. 2. Double click any step in the Process Step List to open the Edit Process Step dialog box. 3. Check the path in the CTG File input field on the Tool tab. If the path is not correct for the measurement units for the job, enter the correct path. 4. Select Accept to save your changes and close the dialog box. Job Operation Planner To access the Job Operation Planner, select File Planner from the SmartCAM Menu or select the Planner icon from the icon bar. You can also select the Add Step button from the Insert control panel to open the Add Process Step dialog box, or Edit Step button from the Insert control panel to open the Edit Process Step dialog box. The Planner subsystem has a complete Help system with overviews, input field descriptions, and how to topics for every dialog box and tab. Refer to online Help or the online reference manual for complete information about how to use the Planner. Use the Planner to build the job operations setup before you begin a new job, or build it as you build the process model. Improved File Management When you open SmartCAM, the system is initiated with an empty process model and job operations file in memory. You can begin adding geometry on a layer, use the Planner to build the job operations setup for a new job, load an existing job file and use it to build a new job, or open an existing process model. When you save a process model, SmartCAM saves the model file with a.pm4 extension and the job file with a.jof extension. The files are assigned the same filename and are saved in the same directory. Note If you add elements to a new file that does not have valid steps, the geometry is added on a layer. You must add valid steps and assign the geometry to the steps before you can create tool path. Tool Library You can use the Tool List in the Planner to build a tool library. Enter the parameters for all the tools that you use or a set of tools for a specific type of job. Use File Save Job File to save the job file as a tool library. If you intend to use the station numbers on the machine as tool numbers in the job operations setup for each job, make sure that the tool numbers in the tool library begin at a number higher than the highest station number on a machine. Creating a Sample Tool Library The sample job operations setup file, \sm9\mill\mdata\m3d.jof contains many commonly used milling tools. Use this file to create a sample tool library. 1. Use File Load Job File to open the file. 2. Set the Insert property to On Layer. 3. Open the Job Operation Planner and use the Remove All Steps function. Use the Filter function in the Choose Tool dialog to limit the list of tools. SmartCAM Production Milling 2 Version 9.0 for Windows

3 This leaves only the tools in the file. (For information about using the Planner functions, refer to online Help or the online reference manual.) 4. Save the file as toollib.jof. To use the tool library, open the file, and then use the Planner to add process steps. Use the Choose Tool dialog box to select tools from the library. Automatically Loading the Tool Library You can create a macro to automatically load the tool library file when you open SmartCAM. 1. Use File New to initiate a new process model. 2. Select Macro Record and name the macro ldtools.mcl. 3. Use File Load Job File to load toollib.jof. 4. Select Macro Stop to end the recording of the macro. 5. Close SmartCAM, and then use the Windows File Properties command to add a call to the macro at the end of the command line for SmartCAM Production Milling. For example: -mdrive:\path\ldtools.mcl In this example -m is a command to run a macro, drive:\path represents the drive letter and path where the macro is stored, and ldtools.mcl is the name of the macro. Reusing Data The Duplicate buttons for the Process Step List and Tool List, and the Choose Tool dialog box, enable you to use the parameters of an existing step or tool when you add a new step or tool to the job operation setup. Material Library You can use a material library file to provide process parameters for the Planner. Instructions for building a material library are contained in the SmartCAM Material Library release notes. Speed and Feed Calculator If you use a material library, the Planner will automatically calculate process parameters, such as feeds and speeds, based on the available material information. Use the Choose Material dialog box to specify the material for the job, and then use the Calculate button on the Operation tab in the Edit Process Step dialog box to calculate process parameters. Note The sample material library files provided are examples only. The speed and feed calculations that they produce are not valid. Using Job Operations Setup Variables The method in which job operations setup expressions are defined has been changed. The previous designations TL and OP have been replaced by JOS. For example: TL(TL_DIA) is now JOS(TL_DIA), and OP(STEPOVER) is now JOS(STEPOVER). Although SmartCAM Production Milling still recognizes the old evaluators, they will be phased out. Use the new job operations setup evaluator when you use expressions. Job operations setup variables are listed in the file \sm9\shared\josvars.txt. Defaults SmartCAM is shipped with many input fields set to use job operations setup expressions as defaults. For these expressions to evaluate, the active step must have an appropriate operation type for the input field. For example, if you are creating roughing passes with a step designated as a finishing operation, the expressions that calculate width of cut and depth of cut will not evaluate. In these cases the job operations setup expression is displayed in the input field. To override the expressions, simply type in the desired value. To replace a job operations setup expression with a numeric value as a default, enter the desired value, the use File Keep Defaults to store the value as a default. Macro Variables You can now create and use macros with most job operations setup functions. Version 9.0 for Windows 3 SmartCAM Production Milling

4 Converting Existing Files Existing process model and job operations setup files are converted automatically when you open them in SmartCAM Production Milling version 9.0. In most cases you can edit and use the files without further consideration. However, the following circumstances may require special attention. Separate.jof Path SmartCAM version 9.0 stores the process model (.pm4) and job operations setup (.jof) files in the same directory. If you previously saved the files in different directories, SmartCAM will not find the.jof file when you load an existing process model. Use File Load Job File to locate and open the.jof file. When you save the process model, the files are saved together. To avoid repeating this task for each process model, use Windows File Manager to move the.jof files into the same directory as the.pm4 files. Reusing.jof Files If you have used the same job operations setup file with multiple process model files, do not assign the filename of the existing.jof file to the converted file. saves the job operations setup file with each process model. If you save the model file with the same name as the existing job operations file, you will overwrite the original file. Using Bull Mills has a new Bull Mill tool type. If you previously used an End Mill tool type and assigned a corner radius, those tools are assigned a Bull Mill tool type during the file conversion. The End Mill tool type no longer provides a corner radius. If you previously used an Ball Mill tool type and assigned a corner radius that is less than the tool radius, the value is discarded during the file conversion. The Ball Mill tool type no longer provides a corner radius since Ball Mills are assumed to have a full radius. Online Manuals You can view most SmartCAM manuals online using Adobe Acrobat Reader. Install the Reader from the SmartCAM CD-ROM before you install SmartCAM. To view the instructions for using the Reader, select Help Contents Online Manuals. When the contents page for the online manuals opens, select the information button at the bottom of the page. Printing Manuals You can print any part or all of the online manuals from your printer, using the File Print command in the Reader. It is also possible to take the.pdf files to a local print shop for printing and collating. The service that prints the manuals must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available from Adobe s WEB site, There are several methods that you can use to transmit the document.pdf files to a print shop. Use a compression program, such as PKZIP V4.02x, to compress the files to multiple diskettes. Your printing service must have an equivalent application to decompress the files and must have the capability of reading PC format diskettes. Send the files as an attachment to the printing service. Use a backup device such as a tape drive to archive the files to media, and then give the tape to the printing service. The printing service must have an equivalent system for extracting the files from the backup. Take the CD-ROM to the printing service site to extract the files. The printing service site must have a CD-ROM drive and an MS-DOS computer. Run the Expand program in the Windows directory to extract the compressed file from the CD-ROM onto the local hard drive. Use the Windows Run command or select expand.exe in File Manager to run Expand. Enter the name of the compressed file and the name of the SmartCAM Production Milling 4 Version 9.0 for Windows

5 destination file in response to the prompts. The manual files for your SmartCAM application are: pmill\rpm03.pd_ SmartCAM Production Milling Reference Manual pmill\dw03.pd_ SmartCAM Code Generation Guide pmill\mw02.pd_ SmartCAM Communicate User Guide pmill\cw03.pd_ SmartCAM Customization Manual pmill\ew02.pd_ SmartCAM Edit Plus User Guide The manuals for the CAM Connections are: ccdxf\ccv7x.pd_ SmartCAM CAM Connections version 7.x manual ccamcon\camcon.pd_ SmartCAM CAM Connection Reference Manual V9.0 Known Limitations has limitations in the following areas: Using Go To The Go To Step and Go To Tool functions in the Job Operation Planner do not interact properly with the list view and graphic view. Do not select elements from the list view or graphic view for input to these dialog boxes. Type in the step number or tool number. If you open the Go To dialog box and select an element from the graphic view, the cursor disappears. Press the ESC key to bring it back. Show Path If you create a tool plane and an active work plane that point in opposite directions, Show Path will show rapid moves opposite to the code. This can result in a cutter crash during a rapid move. For consistent results, align the work plane and the tool plane. Show Cut Cutter Motion Show Cut does not display the cutter motion between rapid rotary moves. When the cutter retracts to the clearance plane, and the table or the cutter rotates in a 4-axis positioning move, Show Cut jumps the cutter to the new position. Therefore, if there is a collision with the part or a fixture in that move, you will not see it. Code Generation Assigning Offset to Curves Do not assign an offset to helixes and other three-dimensional curves. SmartCAM does not prevent you from assigning an offset property to these curves, but Show Path and Code will not use the offset property. Other system functions such as code filtering will also not work correctly on 3-D curves with an offset property. Location of Machine Files SmartCAM version 9.0 requires that.smf and.tmp files be located in the same directory. It is strongly recommended that you maintain the default location for these files. Error Message The following error message is not documented in the reference manual. 4106: The application requires a template file to generate code. To generate NC code, you must specify a.tmp file. From the Code dialog box, select the Machine button to open the Job Information dialog box. Select the Machine tab and enter the path and name for the.tmp file. The template file must be in the same directory as the machine (.smf) file. Address for Technical Support If you have a valid Technical Support contract, you can contact CAMAX Technical Support via at csupport@camax.com. CAUTION Show Cut does not display the cutter motion between rapid rotary moves. SmartCAM and CAM Connection are registered trademarks of Point Control Co., a subsidiary of CAMAX Manufacturing Technologies, Inc.; SmartCAM Advanced 3-D Machining, SmartCAM Advanced Fabrication, SmartCAM Advanced Turning, SmartCAM Advanced Wire EDM, SmartCAM FreeForm Machining, SmartCAM Production Milling, SmartCAM Production Turning, AutoCAD SmartCAM Connection, CNC Process Model and Edit Plus are trademarks of Point Control Co., a subsidiary of CAMAX Manufacturing Technologies, Inc. All other products are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies. Third-party software is the sole property and responsibility of the developer. CAMAX Manufacturing Technologies does not guarantee any third-party products by CAMAX Manufacturing Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved. Version 9.0 for Windows 5 SmartCAM Production Milling