Vericut Icam Post Features and Options

Reduce Manufacturing Cycle Time By Eliminating 
Air-Cuts.

SmartCUT™ helps reduce manufacturing time by identifying and eliminating time-wasting air cuts. This module is a prerequisite for SmartPATH®.

Using material-removal simulation, SmartCUT™ detects when the tool is not engaged with the material during cutting feed. Where feasible, these air-cut motions can be changed to rapid or high-feed motion, helping reduce unnecessary cycle time.

This makes SmartCUT™ especially useful for manufacturers looking to improve machining efficiency without manually searching through programs for non-cutting movements.

SmartCUT™ can help manufacturers:

• Reduce air cutting.

• Shorten CNC machining cycle time.

• Improve machine utilization.

• Increase productive cutting time.

• Reduce wasted motion.

• Improve post-processed NC output.

• Support more efficient G-code generation.

In-process stock simulation for collision and gouge detection.

The Material Removal functionality supports simulating the in-process stock model during post-processing and verification.

This allows NC programmers to compare the processed stock model with the original CAD/CAM design and identify possible issues before production.

Material Removal can help display and identify:

• Gouges.

• Excess material.

• Inaccessible areas.

• Rapid-motion collisions.

• In-process stock collisions.

• Differences between the simulated part and the intended design.

By adding material removal simulation to the programming workflow, manufacturers can gain greater confidence that the NC program will produce the intended result before it reaches the shop floor.

Simulation support for additive and hybrid CNC machines.

Hybrid Manufacturing functionality supports simulation of pure additive and hybrid additive manufacturing processes within Icam’s Virtual Machine environment.

This is designed for manufacturers using machines that combine additive and subtractive operations, or that need to simulate additive material deposition as part of a broader CNC workflow.

Material Removal can help display and identify:

• Simulate additive machine behavior.

• Support hybrid additive and subtractive workflows.

• Reduce or avoid excess material deposits.

• Improve understanding of material deposition.

• Validate hybrid process behavior before production.

This option is most relevant for organizations using advanced CNC machines with additive manufacturing capability.

Reduce NC file size and improve toolpath smoothness.

Arc Fitting replaces point-to-point toolpath motion with fitted arcs where appropriate.

Instead of outputting many short linear moves, Arc Fitting can represent curved surfaces more efficiently using arc moves that stay within the allowable tolerance from the original toolpath.
This can help reduce NC program size, improve toolpath smoothness and support more efficient machining.

Benefits of Arc Fitting can include:

• Shorter NC program files. Arc fitting can reduce NC tape files to as little as one-tenth the size of files generated using Linear Interpolation.

• Smoother toolpaths. Fitting arcs to the tool path will eliminate almost all the chordal deviation caused by the straight-line approximation of the original surface, resulting in smoother, more accurate tool paths.

• Reduced chordal deviation.

• Improved machining accuracy
  
• Higher feed rates where controller behavior allows. Larger interpolation blocks allow users to increase feed-rates while virtually eliminating data starvation and stutter step.
• Reduced risk of data starvation.
• Compatibility with major CAD/CAM/PLM systems. Icam Post Post Arc fitting is a CAM-independent solution that can be configured for multiple CAD / CAM / PLM systems. Arc Fitting is particularly useful when point-to-point linear interpolation creates very large NC files or less efficient machine motions.

Smoother connected arcs for improved machining performance.

Tangential Arc Fitting extends standard Arc Fitting by fitting arcs together more smoothly.
This helps the CNC machine follow a more continuous toolpath, supporting improved part finish, reduced machine strain and more accurate machining.

Tangential Arc Fitting can help:

• Improve machining accuracy. Tangential arc fitting provides a better “fit” between arcs for smoother tool paths.
• Create smoother toolpath transitions.
• Reduce toolpath stutter.
• Improve part finish.
• Extend CNC machine and cutting tool life.
• Smoother tool paths put less strain on machine tools resulting in extended tool life.
• Reduce NC program file size.

This option is designed for manufacturers that need smoother, more efficient toolpaths and better control over machined surface quality.

Machine simulation during post-processing and verification.

Virtual Machine enables NC programmers to graphically simulate and test programs against possible collisions and overtravel conditions while generating the NC code.

It allows manufacturers to visualize machine behavior before production, helping identify and correct possible programming issues that could otherwise cause machine collisions, defective parts, or prove-out delays.

Virtual Machine can help manufacturers:

• Simulate CNC machine behavior.
• Detect collisions.
• Identify overtravel conditions.
• Verify post-processed programs.
• Reduce prove-out risk.
• Improve confidence before production.
• Support machine simulation during post-processing.
  

Improve productivity from existing CNC machines and controllers.

The High-Speed Machining option is designed to help manufacturers improve machining productivity while preserving existing CNC controller investments.

It allows NC programmers to exploit high-speed feed-rate control concepts on machines that may not be equipped with advanced HSM controller functions, without requiring expensive CNC controller replacement or retrofitting.

High-Speed Machining functionality uses look-ahead algorithms similar to those found in CNC machine controllers that support HSM.

This can help manufacturers:

• Improve production productivity.
• Support high-speed machining applications.
• Reduce production cost.
• Shorten cycle time.
• Improve part quality.
• Preserve existing CNC controller investments.
• Support controller-specific HSM output.
  

This option is relevant for manufacturers looking to improve performance from current CNC equipment without replacing the machine controller.