SolidCAM Collaborates with OKK and Tungaloy at MECT 2013

SolidCAM’s (Newtown, PA) Japanese reseller Tactx collaborated with OKK and Tungaloy at the recent MECT 2013 exhibition in Nagoya, Japan. The biennial show, which has been running since 1987 is the country’s largest for machinery, CAD/CAM, tooling and associated equipment, and this year welcomed 93,741 visitors.

Sharing the OKK booth, Tactx used SolidCAM iMachining to program a demonstration part, for the exhibition, to show off the capabilities of the OKK HMC 400. This machine was set up for live cutting at the show to include a video screen, to make it easy to see the machining in progress.

At the Tungaloy booth, visitors could see the latest Tunghold and Tungcap tooling systems as well as the company’s range of inserts and carbide tools and, at the same time, pick up information on SolidCAM. Both companies appreciate the power of SolidCAM, which led to the collaboration at MECT 2013.

Whether using an older machine or a state-of-the-art modern machine, this demo shows how iMachining efficiently and safely picks the best tool path and generates the best cutting conditions for parts using roughing, rest material, and finishing technologies. No need for calculators, books, and the keyboard to enter optimized speeds and feeds into the CAM system. iMachining develops cutting conditions based on the situation using its advanced algorithm.

The software’s patented iMachining and Technology Wizard is unique within the industry and routinely produces cycle time reductions of 70 percent. In addition, because tool loadings are controlled and steady, tool life is increased and very small cutters can be used without the risk of breakage.

Ease of use is a major factor for Japanese engineers, allowing them to make the best use of their time. SolidCAM offers some major advantages in this respect, as it has been a SolidWorks Gold Partner for more than ten years.

The integration between the two products is seamless, enabling users to work within a familiar intuitive environment. They can then generate optimized CNC programs far more quickly and use the time saved to examine and improve other aspects of the production process.

For multi-axis applications, SolidCAM enables Japanese machinists to program the most complex mill-turn centers and 5-axis machining centers. Strategies and simulation cover every area of these processes including indexing and simultaneous 5-axis cutting.

iMachining 3D, which can be used in mill-turn and indexing, makes it possible to achieve very high metal removal rates. Customers frequently report cycle time reductions of up to 90 percent.

Overall, 488 people came to the OKK booth, making it a very successful show for both OKK and SolidCAM’s reseller Tactx, reinforcing the partnership and helping Japanese engineers to understand what can be achieved with advanced machinery, tooling and CAD/CAM software.

www.solidcam.com