Delcam GmbH to show aerospace CADCAM at Airtec in Frankfurt this November

Delcam will demonstrate its latest developments for the machining and inspection of aerospace components at the Airtec exhibition and conference to be held in Frankfurt from 3rd to 5th November. These will include the new releases of its PowerMILL machining software for high-speed and five-axis machining, and of the PowerINSPECT inspection software, plus a range of adaptive machining solutions to allow more accurate manufacture and repair of complex components.

The aerospace industry demands the highest levels of quality and consistency, plus cost-effective production and the shortest-possible delivery times. Delcam’s wide range of software and services helps companies both large and small to meet these requirements.

Delcam systems have been used, at some stage, on virtually every major aircraft programme in recent years. Our customers have undertaken projects in all the various areas that go towards producing a successful aircraft, from developing more fuel-efficient engines, to manufacturing airframe components more effectively, and even in designing more comfortable and more attractive interiors. They have worked on all scales of project, from the manufacture of components for UAVs and helicopters up to the production of engines and airframes for the largest passenger and transport aircraft.

Delcam also supports a large number of MRO operations. These companies use our systems to enable the fast, efficient repair or replacement of damaged components. By minimising design and manufacturing times, while guaranteeing the highest levels of quality, Delcam systems allow repairs to be completed as quickly as possible, so minimising the lost operating time of the aircraft.

The latest release of the award-winning PowerMILL CAM system, version 10, offers the fastest-ever toolpath generation on multi-processor computers. It incorporates the latest background-processing and multi-threading technologies, and so uses the full power of recent hardware developments to reduce calculation times and increase output dramatically. Other enhancements to further increase productivity include reduced memory usage when programming the largest and most complex parts, and improved ordering to give faster cycle times on the machine tool.

Version 6 of PowerINSPECT includes a range of enhancements to make it easier and more flexible to use. The most obvious change is a completely new interface for undertaking "simple” measurements. This will make it much easier to undertake basic tasks, such as measuring the distance between two points or two planes, or the centres of two circles, or checking the thickness of a section.

Delcam will also demonstrate new ways in which machining and inspection can be integrated to give adaptive machining. One example of this integration is electronic fixturing with the NC-PartLocator program. With this technique, toolpaths are adjusted to match the actual position of the surface of the workpiece, rather than trying to align the part into exactly the nominal position specified in the CAM system. This approach can overcome the problems encountered when machining large, heavy components or flexible composite panels.