5-axis CAD/CAMspeeds machine tool set-ups

A 5-axis CAD/CAM system provides UK manufacturers and ithe Motorsport industry with faster machine tool set-ups and increased productivity.

At AutoSport 2007 OPEN MIND Technologies UK will be demonstrating its technology leading 5-axis CAD/CAM system hyperMILL.

The hyperMILL system provides UK manufacturers and in particular the Motorsport industry with a major competitive edge through faster setups and increased machine tool productivity unrivalled in the industry.

To be held at the Birmingham NEC, UK, January 11-14, 2007, the exhibition will be the ideal platform to demonstrate the hyperMILL.

This revolutionary product is ideal for almost every machining operation, including hole and pocket milling, feature based solid machining, freeform surface machining, deep cavity, dome and tube machining as well as demanding motorsport components.

The motorsport sector is currently demonstrating considerable growth for OPEN MIND and the company is confident that AutoSport 2007 will be a success.

The high performance geometry oriented CAM software offers 2.5D, 3D and revolutionary 5-axis machining strategies under one uniform interface.

It is these attributes combined with the 40 dedicated 5-axis cycles (11 of which are 5-axis drilling cycles) that enables manufacturers to select the operation best suited to the job in hand.

This ensures the user does not have to rely on the 5 or 6 generic 5-axis operations typically offered by other CAM vendors.

Open Mind technical director Adrian Smith commented: "The problem that many customers have with packages from alternative vendors is collision detection.

Our system interrogates the surface and guides the tool around the geometries in 5-axis taking into account any obstacles.

With alternate packages this is not guaranteed, and if an obstacle is found the package will re-calculate the toolpath and re-run.

This series of events will perpetually repeat itself until a suitable path around the obstacle is found.

With the Open Mind hyperMILL, the toolpath will avoid collision automatically and without the need for additional simulation products to assist tool collision avoidance." Richard Nolan, sales and marketing director at OPEN MIND Technologies UK, said: "Many people are surprised that with hyperMILL you also have industry leading 2, 3 and 4-axis cycles.

hyperMILL's advanced collision avoidance technology gives customers a new level of confidence not just in 5-axis, but also 2, 3 and 4-axis." Encompassed within the forty 5-axis cycles is what OPEN MIND calls 'Logic Cycles'.

These logic cycles are dedicated to single and/or multi-blade machining and tube machining, taking ease-of-use to a completely new level.

If you are a competent CNC control programmer or have good CAD or CAM skills (2D or 3D), with less than two days training with hyperMILL's logic cycles, you can be cutting highly complex 5-axis, simultaneous parts.

* About OPEN MIND - OPEN MIND Technologies UKis a subsidiary of OPEN MIND Technologies AG, which is part of the Man and Machine Group, one of the world's largest Autodesk distributors with a turnover of EUR 140 million.

Formed in 1994, OPEN MIND is the developer of hyperMILL CAM software.

It has over 7,400 installations worldwide, served through a global distribution network.

The company offers a comprehensive range of 2D, 3D and 5-axis modules providing a fully integrated manufacturing concept which covers the entire manufacturing process.

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