GibbsCAM 2011 to Be Demonstrated in Matsuura Exhibit at EMO

New Version Includes Multiple Enhancements & New 5-Axis Programming Features.

Gibbs and Associates, developer of GibbsCAM® software for programming CNC machine tools and a Cimatron company, today announced that it will demonstrate GibbsCAM 2011 in Matsuura Machinery Corporation’s exhibit at EMO, the biennial international trade fair for metalworking technology. GibbsCAM 2011, released in July, includes many usability and productivity enhancements, with new automation features that simplify programming and new capabilities that provide more programming methods and toolpath strategies. EMO will be held at the Hannover Exposition Grounds, in Hannover, Germany, from September 19–24. The Matsuura exhibit where GibbsCAM will be featured is in Hall 27, Stand E69. (Gibbs will have its own exhibit with Cimatron, in Hall 25, Stand H30.)

“Our participation in Matsuura’s exhibit is yet another collaborative effort resulting from the great, years-long technological and marketing relationship we have maintained with Matsuura for the benefit of our joint customers,” said Simon Voelker, Gibbs Distribution Manager for Europe. “We look forward to demonstrating GibbsCAM 2011 to Matsuura customers, and showing them how easily our software programs their machine tools, from the 3- to 5-axis vertical and horizontal machining centers, through the more complex 5-axis CUBLEX series of multi-tasking machines.”

Included among the many new features of GibbsCAM 2011 are: automatic feature and color recognition in CAD models and preservation of features and colors for quick selection and machining; full support of SolidWorks hole features; additional hole making capabilities for selecting, organizing, recognizing and drilling holes; and addition of custom drill cycles. Perhaps of greatest interest to Matsuura users are the major enhancements for 5-Axis operations included in GibbsCAM 2011.

5-Axis enhancements include various new drill cycle options, toolpath conversion, toolpath smoothing and additional machining styles. The new hole making features make programming drill cycles at off-axis orientations very easy and extremely fast. Programmers can choose drill, variable peck, tap and custom drill cycles.

A new Operation Modifier enables the conversion of 2.5- and 3-axis toolpaths for 5-axis machining, which allows use of shorter tools to achieve smoother toolpaths through tool-axis rotation when the work piece or tooling interferes with the tool holder.

Toolpath smoothing methods have been implemented for all types of geometry, both STL (triangle mesh) and traditional surface geometry, to improve both tilt and rotary toolpath smoothness.

Enhancements to swarf cutting allow users to specify two ways to drive the tool: a) using upper and lower curves, with or without a drive surface, or b) a parallel-to-curve strategy with tool-axis rotation.

Support for B-axis (tilting live tooling) was added to enable programming 5-axis milling with Y-axis offsets on lathes and multi-task machines equipped with a live-tooling B-axis.

Also new is a 5-axis trimming strategy that uses wireframe geometry.