When you consider the times you’ve inhabited so far in your life, how much would you say computers have aided humans in manufacturing goods and services all over the world?
It’s an interesting question and quantifying an answer would take considerable time and research. But going into 2017 with the notion that computers and computing do not augment or change the way we experience the world is bound to have fragility sown into its structure.
Since most of the ways we experience the world is as consumers, focusing on physical goods made with the help of computers aids in making a basic distinction between different software. There is software meant to be experienced digitally, through a computer, phone, tablet, or headset and there is software meant to control external hardware like CNC machines and other robots.
Included in the latter category, software that helps humans manufacture goods, is CAM software, such as the new Version 8.0 of VERICUT Composite Applications software from Irving, Calif.-based CGTech.
Customers who use VERICUT generally rely on software runs well on their machines to help them build parts that meet their required design specifications.
There are three programs in the latest release:
1. VERICUT Composite Paths for Engineering (VCPe)
2. VERICUT Composite Simulation (VCS)
3. VERICUT Composite Programming (VCP)
VCPe gives users better insight into the effects of ATL and AFP path trajectory, material steering, surface curvature and other manufacturing process constraints. The software provides a producibility analysis of a fiber angle depending on the curvature of the part, as well as overlap and gaps for structural analysis. If you want to write tape course geometry to a given CAD format for further evaluation, you can do that too.
VCS reads NC (numeric control) programs as well as CAD models from VCP or another composite layup path-generation and simulates sequences on a virtual machine. Material is applied to the layup form in a CNC simulation environment and can be measured and inspected, which ensures that manufacturing standards and requirements are being followed.
VCP reads surface models like CATIA, STEP, V5 and ACIS. It also reads external PLY geometry and information from such software products as Fiberism and CATIA V5. The software fills the plies to your standards and requirements specs and then layup paths are linked to form specific layup sequence and are output as NC programs for the automated layup machine.
Simulating CNC machining to find errors, potential collisions and other inefficiencies help machinists and engineers design and perform their work better, faster and cheaper.
If you are interested in checking out the release notes, downloading the 8.0 flyer “Cheat sheet” to help navigate the menu changes, or want to request Version 8.0 click here.