T-Flex CAD - 3D Modeling - Parametric Modeling - Features

[ T-FLEX CAD ] [ T-FLEX CAM ] [ T-FLEX Analysis ] [ T-FLEX PDM ]

CAD CAM CAE, GIS, CRM Software Solutions

T-FLEX CAM - Features and Specifications

T-FLEX CAM supports computer-aided manufacturing processes and is fully integrated with T-FLEX Parametric CAD. T-FLEX CAM system is shipped in two editions: T-FLEX 2D CAM and T-FLEX 3D CAM. Each of the T-FLEX CAM editions contains the base module and add-on utilities for specific machining processes.

The base module of T-FLEX 3D CAM system contains:

The mathematical core integrated with the mathematical core of Parasolid platform;
The tool editor for designing the tools employed for machining a specific part, and for building tool databases;
The postprocessor generation module that allows creating custom postprocessors, using tabulated settings, macros or actual programming;
The library of postprocessors including about 250 predefined postprocessors, such as: AGIE 100/200, CHARLIE, 2M43, 2M43-55 - electroerosion processing; KOMETA - laser processing; 1A734, NC31, 2P22, FANUC 0/00/0M/16 - turning; 2C150, 4C42-61(65), A80, BRADLEY, FANUC - drilling; 2C150, 4C42-61(65), CNC 600, FIDIA-CNC20, FIDIA-CNC30, OLIVETTI, POWER AUTOMATION, SINUMERIK 820D, SINUMERIK 840D, SINUMERIK 840A, BRADLEY - milling and numerous other postprocessors;
The machining simulator showing the machining process according to the generated control sequence without the material removal.

Brief account of the functionalities featured by the system:

The system is seamlessly integrated with T-FLEX CAD, providing direct interaction between CAD/CAM modules and through parameterization. This means no intermediate steps in relaying data from the designer to the CAM technician, significantly simplifying editing or correcting data;
The system allows creating control sequences using sketches, drawings, surfaces, solid bodies and any combinations thereof. The user simply selects the model elements to be machined;
The provided tool editor allows the user to design the set of the tools necessary for the machining and then put it into the tool databases for a particular workstation, a manufacturing group or a workshop;
The system supports creation of tool libraries for a stand-alone machining station or for a manufacturing plant as a whole;
Use of machining cycles is supported. The system realizes about 70 machining cycles for drilling, turning and milling types of processing. Use of cycles simplifies creation of control sequences significantly;
The system supports programmatic control over the spindle and cutting fluids;
The system allows creation of trajectory arrays;
The system combines surface and solid types of machining (the latter often referred to as zone processing);
The system provides support for radial offsetting and radial contour adjustments;
The zone processing specifically includes finishing of solid bodies according to the guide and limit curves; finishing with automatic calculation of the tool approach and withdrawal points; roughing and finishing with fixed, floating and smooth-transition normal vector; finishing of the boundary zone defined by a profile; zone processing by tools of arbitrary geometry;
The system is capable of generating postprocessors for numerical control blocks, using the tabulated settings, handling macros, and plugging external postprocessors. Depending on the type of the NC block, various functions of the postprocessor generator can be utilized;
A library of postprocessors is shipped with the system, currently including about 200 postprocessors for various types of NC blocks, with more than 120 external postprocessors;
The system includes the project-management module, supporting the unified model of combined trajectories for various types of processing with simultaneous generation of control sequences for different types of equipment. When using project management, the system preserves geometrical relations and allows simultaneous adjustment of all contributing trajectories. This module is actively used by the customers for modeling multistage processing, for example: machining station - electro-erosion - machining station and so on;
The system supports parametric modifications of control sequences. As the original data coming in from the design stage is parametrically modified, the system automatically modifies the computed machining trajectories and the control sequence corresponding to those trajectories. This provides concurrency of the design and technological setup of the production line based on the through parameterization;
The system provides two modes of dynamic machining simulation: with and without material removal.
The system maintains automatic tracking of cutting in the simulated fixture, thus preventing the tool damaging the machined part as early as in the trajectory definition stage.

An important differentiator of T-FLEX CAM system is extensive support for postprocessor generation. The user is not restricted to using the postprocessors included in the software installation within the postprocessor library. One can also create custom postprocessors for the required manufacturing processes by using the postprocessor generation module provided within T-FLEX CAM. Moreover, the user can opt between choosing the tabulated postprocessor generator and writing an external postprocessor, including in the latter the machine instructions specific to the particular manufacturing process.

Electroerosion machining is used for making through holes, either cylindrical or with an arbitrary contour, narrow straight and curvilinear slots in the blanks for making matrices, stamps, custom-shape cutting tools, moulds, counter-moulds and otherof the processed material pointed at by the beam. This kind of processing is used for processing simple and custom-shape holes in diamonds, rubies, ceramics, hard alloys and other intractable materials. Recently, laser processing has been widely used for jigsaw-kind cutting, as, for instance, for making parquet, ornamental grilles from sheet metal, etc. T-FLEX CAM supports designing the following types of laser processing: single-contour cutting (2D machining); slanted cutting (2-1/2D machining); two-contour cutting (4D machining).

Additionally one could mention that the above-described types of processing can be adapted by T-FLEX 2D CAM for plasma and water-jet cutting. Additionally, the provision for creating arrays of trajectories considerably simplifies definition of control sequences for cutting based on material pattern maps (T-FLEX Map and Regular Cutting). items. Those are produced by electroerosive cutting with non-profiled cutting wire. T-FLEX CAM allows designing the following types of electroerosive processing: single-contour cutting (2D machining); slanted cutting (2-1/2D machining); two-contour cutting (4D machining) and spiral material removal (2D machining).

Laser processing is based on material removal due to exposure to concentrated light beams. The material evaporates because of high temperatures in the area of the processed material pointed at by the beam. This kind of processing is used for processing simple and custom-shape holes in diamonds, rubies, ceramics, hard alloys and other intractable materials. Recently, laser processing has been widely used for jigsaw-kind cutting, as, for instance, for making parquet, ornamental grilles from sheet metal, etc. T-FLEX CAM supports designing the following types of laser processing: single-contour cutting (2D machining); slanted cutting (2-1/2D machining); two-contour cutting (4D machining).

Additionally one could mention that the above-described types of processing can be adapted by T-FLEX 2D CAM for plasma and water-jet cutting. Additionally, the provision for creating arrays of trajectories considerably simplifies definition of control sequences for cutting based on material pattern maps (T-FLEX Map and Regular Cutting).

Turning (2D machining) includes machining of external, internal, cylindrical, conic, custom-shape and French surfaces of the parts. Due to specifics of the configuration of the objects being processed, whenever the object is a body of revolution, its processing becomes a task defined in a plane and in the axial section. T-FLEX CAM system provides the user with a set of standard sequences for turning processes, for example, sequences for allowance removing with cut-off or roughing bits; cutting threads with a chaser or cutter; cutting deep grooves, grooves with chamfers or rounds; processing rounded corners. Calculation of the cutting tool trajectories is done with accounting for its position and geometry. In the case of complex contours composed of different elements, a provision is made for defining technological parameters for each element individually. Besides that, T-FLEX CAM system provides the user with specialized machining sequences for a turning workstation. The sequence parameters are tuned for such CAM installations as FANUC, SINUMERIC, 2P22. Among the sequences the user will find multi-pass allowance removal, taper turning, axial drilling, deep axial drilling, thread cutting, engraving, etc.

Drilling (2-1/2D and 5D machining) includes drilling, boring, hole enlargement, reaming of holes and cutting threads inside holes. When using NC equipment, this type of machining does not use markup or conductors. This kind of equipment allows complex drilling/boring processing of parts of different configuration, with various degree of precision. A technician-programmer will find in T-FLEX CAM wide variety of specialized processing sequences, such as various types of deep drilling, bouncing drilling, repetitive drilling, etc. the default parameters of such sequences are teamed for the following classes of installations: OLIVETTI, BRADLEY, POWER AUTOMATION, 2C42-61(65). However, the user can customize those settings.

Milling is a most widespread type of machining that uses numerically controlled machines. T-FLEX CAM provides an opportunity of designing the machining process and generating control sequences for NC equipment for the following types of milling:

2-1/2D milling is used for processing cylindrical and ruled surfaces (contours) of the parts with arbitrary guides and generatrices that are either parallel to the axis of the tool or maintain a constant angle with this axis in the normal section. Besides, this type of milling enables the user to do "pencil" milling, as well as making "pockets", "wells", "islands" and other specific technological features. Important is that the technician-programmer is not limited in selecting the processing tool. T-FLEX CAM System enables the user to design a tool necessary for a specific process, and then use this tool when building the control sequence.

3D milling is intended for spatial machining of arbitrary surfaces and for processing sum of bodies. Besides that, T-FLEX CAM offers 3D milling with zone processing that includes: processing solid bodies, processing sections, processing "wells", cleaning up edges and high-speed roughing.

5D milling is intended for processing surfaces by using the flange or side face of the tool in the cases when the common voting processing is impossible or ineffective, as well as for processing ruled surfaces by the side face of the tool. As in the 3D milling, the 5D milling is fit for zone processing: processing solid bodies, processing sections, processing "wells", cleaning up edges.

T-FLEX CAM

Machining Animation with simulated material removal

Together with the T-FLEX CAM system, Top Systems Ltd. has developed a software product for viewing animations of numerically controlled processes with a provision for editing the control sequence. NC-TRACER is a specialized tool provided for a technician-programmer. T-FLEX NC-TRACER provides:

Simulation of various types of 2D, 2-1/2D, 3D and 5D machining;
Dynamic spinning, banging and zoning of the image of the machined part model;
Support for third party control sequences created per the standard ISO6983/DIN66025(24);
Capability of defining solid models of the part, fixture and tackling in the shape of a block, a cylinder or a VRML model of an arbitrary shape;
Positioning, translation and rotation of the solid models for precise simulation of machining processes;
Identifying possible collisions between the tool and the part, fixture and tackling; catching instances of too fast tool approach to the part; tracking other errors in the control sequence;
Perfect visualization: transparency and shading, dynamical lighting changes, precise scaling of fragments, recording and playing back the machining process, creation of photorealistic images, 16 million colors;
Provision for creating databases of tools used by one or several machines;
Interactive editing of control sequences;
"Debugging" of a control sequence with the capability of stepwise search through the source code (commands, lines, etc.);
Reorienting the machined model while in the process of machining;
Access to the solid model at any step of machining;
Various manipulations over the model either while being machined or afterwards, such as sectioning by orthogonal planes, section creation through the tool plane, creation of local views, viewing the contact area "Blank part - Tool - Part", etc.

T-FLEX NC-TRACER is available in the following configurations, 2D, 3D and 5D machining:

T-FLEX NC-TRACER 2D allows viewing existing control sequences for two-degree-of-freedom machining, such as turning, boring, axial drilling and other operations doable on turning machines;
T-FLEX NC-TRACER 3D allows viewing and editing existing control sequences for two-and-half and three degree-of-freedom machining;
T-FLEX NC-TRACER 5D allows viewing and editing existing control sequences for two-and-half, three and five degree-of-freedom machining.

An important advantage of T-FLEX NC TRACER is accommodating specific machine codes (sequences), used by the client.

Main functional capabilities of the systems for a technician-programmer

Seamless interaction with T-FLEX CAD system.
All types of electroerosive, laser, drilling, turning and milling processes.
Preparation of control sequences using sketches, drawings, surfaces, solid bodies and combinations thereof.
Availability of a tool editor.
Provision for tool library creation.
Use of machining sequences.
Programmatic control over the spindle and cutting fluids.
Creation of trajectory arrays.
Machining with a constant comb height.
Support for radial offsetting and radial contour adjustments.
Several types of zone processing.
Generating postprocessors for numerical control blocks, using the tabulated settings and macros.
A library of postprocessors.
A project-management module supporting the unified generation of control sequences for different types of processing.
Parametric modifications of control sequences.
Two modes of dynamic machining simulation: with and without material removal.
Automatic tracking of cutting in the simulated fixture.
Matching the result of machining against the mathematical model.