CAM Package Provides Finishing, Roughing, Drilling Modules

Open Mind offers the Maxx Machining performance package for its HyperMill CAM system, which features modules for finishing, roughing and drilling.

The roughing module includes trochoidal milling cycles for fast and reliable HPC machining of prismatic and curved component faces. Dynamic feed rate adjustment according to cutting conditions ensures milling with the highest possible feed rates for optimal milling paths, maximum material removal and short production times. Algorithms ensure that each tooth removes a constant chip volume to deliver high utilization rates without exposing the tool to undue stress. This fast roughing method is available for all types of machining.

The finishing module includes pre-finishing and finishing of planes and freeform surfaces with barrel cutters. CAM strategies use the shape of the tool to the best advantage to save time and improve surface quality. The quality of a workpiece surface decreases as the line increment increases, and improves as the tool diameter gets larger.

According to the company, five-axis tangent plane machining is suited for straightforward and hard-to-reach planes and can result in time savings up to 90 percent when used with the conical barrel cutter. Path distances of 6 and 8 mm are possible with the large radii of the conical barrel cutters, which are said to improve surfaces and prolong tool life.

Five-axis helical drilling easily and efficiently machines holes by using helical milling with a forward lead angle. A tilt angle to the side is said to help avoid collisions. With this cycle, only one tool is needed for different drill diameters and pre-drilling is unnecessary. It works with hard-to-cut materials, features safe chip removal and reduces stress on the tool.