New GibbsCAM 2011 5-Axis Machining and Machine Support to be Highlighted at EASTEC 2011

Gibbs and Associates, developer of GibbsCAM® software for programming CNC machine tools and a Cimatron company, today announced that many improvements within GibbsCAM 2011, including the latest additions and enhancements to 5-axis machining and multi-task machining (MTM), will be demonstrated at the EASTEC 2011 Exposition, in booth #5433, from May 17-19, at the Eastern States Exposition center in West Springfield, Massachusetts. Attendance and registration information is available at the EASTEC website.

“This exposition is yet another opportunity to demonstrate the superiority of our CAM software in challenging piece-part production environments using complex machine tools,” said Bill Gibbs, president and founder of Gibbs and Associates. “CNC programmers and manufacturing engineers will see how GibbsCAM MTM and 5-axis programming, plus toolpath verification and multi-axis machine simulation, can help them eliminate scrap, increase shop-floor safety, reduce cycle times and maximize profits.”

New GibbsCAM Features Highlighted at EASTEC
GibbsCAM presents users with an intuitive interface making GibbsCAM easy to learn and easy to use, maximizing user productivity. During EASTEC, Gibbs and Associates will highlight some of the numerous improvements in the GibbsCAM 2011 release, including the many new MTM and 5-axis CNC programming features which optimize programming of complex machining according to the requirements of various industries, including medical, aerospace and energy. Among these features are:

5-Axis Hole-Making – A new routine for 5-axis hole-making operations, aided by enhancements to GibbsCAM’s automatic feature recognition, hole manager and hole wizard, makes programming 5-axis drill cycles much easier and much more efficient. Programming drill cycles at off-axis orientations will be very easy and will take a fraction of the time taken by other methods.

5-Axis Toolpath Conversion – A new Operation Modifier allows converting 2.5- and 3-axis toolpaths for machining in 5-axis, which enables use of shorter tools to achieve smoother toolpaths at certain surface intersections and other geometric conditions.

5-Axis Machining Styles – Additional swarf cutting capabilities have been added, as well as a new 5-axis trimming (wireframe) strategy.

5-Axis Milling on Turning Machines – Support for B-axis (tilting live tooling) enables programming of 5-axis milling with Y-axis offsets on lathes and multi-task machines equipped with a live-tooling B-axis.

MTM Thread Whirling – GibbsCAM support of thread whirling attachments is a key addition for multi-task machines with multiple axes (typically running with 5-axis simultaneous motion). Thread whirling attachments provide the rigidity and rotary tools to make screws of high length-to-diameter ratio, such as ball screws, worm shafts, feedscrews and acme screws.