Delcam has added a range of enhancements to its Delcam Electrode integrated solution for the design, machining and inspection of electrodes, and has extended the range of EDM equipment supported by the software.
The system has also benefitted from a number of new options introduced into Delcam’s PowerShape design software which provides the CAD element of the overall solution, in particular, the new option to merge fragmented faces into a single, continuous surface and so produce cleaner, simple electrode geometry. This simplification makes subsequent operations, such as adding draft to complex regions of the model, much easier and also improves the operation of many of the direct modelling tools in the software.
For every brand Delcam Electrode can now provide scripts for Exeron and JDMA EPX equipment as well as the previously supported AgieCharmilles (Agievision and CT Millennium controls), Makino EDM, Mitsubishi Electric, ONA EDM, OPS-Ingersoll, Sodick and Zimmer & Kreim. Scripts are the EDM equivalent of CAM programs for machine tools. They provide an automated process for the programming of the machine, instead of users having to program manually from a set-up sheet. The automated process is much easier and quicker, especially when a number of electrodes are being used on the same component. Furthermore, the direct link removes the human error that could always be possible with manual programming.
Better integration In the 2014 version, the .Trode file is compatible with Windows Explorer. This new option allows electrode geometry, set-up sheets and script files to be viewed directly from the .Trode file using Windows Explorer with a single click on the desired item. Data management has also been simplified with the option to output an electrode schedule from the software. The data can be output in HTML, Excel or CSV format as a table describing each electrode required and its key data, such as blank size, undersize value, material etc. This option will, of course, be of most value when large numbers of electrodes are required in a project, for example, for a complex mould tool.
For full details, please visit www.delcam-electrode.com.
Delcam plc Small Heath Business Park, Birmingham, B10 0HJ, UK www.delcam.com
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