Programming of 5-axis machines and industrial robots The programming of tube cutting is implemented in the Main functionalities (see the act/ cut 3d product form for a comprehensive description): • Creation of cutting contours with management of the head orientation for beveled cutting and taking into account of the inner/outer skin• Interactive or automatic creation of trajectories supported by a powerful algorithm optimizing paths with collision avoidance • Creation and validation of the cutting program thanks to the realistic simulation and automatic control functions with visual anomaly indicators• Generation of ISO programs thanks to a post-processor specific to the machine or robot used act/ cut 3d software environment that allows a complete modeling of the machine and its environment, together with a total taking into account of the machine kinematics (speed, acceleration, specific points), without any limitation in the number of machine or robot axis Taking into account of functionalities

Main technical features

Modeling • 3D modeling of tubes and any kind of section bar • Library of predefined sections (circular, rectangular, etc.)• Library of extruded bars (international nomenclature)• Possibility of defining sections with parameterized macros• Libraries of predefined shapes for the holes • Possibility of defining parameterized macros for the holes • Possibility of defining holes of any kind of shape • Easy and user-friendly nesting of intersections• Management of different intersection types: intersection as it is, inner/outer skins, minimum/maximum material• Import of 3D parts in STEP or IGES format • Automatic recognition of sections during CAD import and possibility of modifying them (addition of holes, machining...) Management of job orders and stock of material • Preparation and management of launches in a "desktop" based on the Windows® concepts • Taking into account of the nomenclatures in the launches• Automatic control of sections, thickness and material relative to the inserted parts • Coupling constraints for multi-axis machines• Automatic programming of loading/unloading units• Manipulation of tubes by systems other than axes • Management of sensors (centering of holes, etc.) • Optimization of the nesting of several parts in several mother bars• Optimization of the number of mother bars used to cut a given number of parts• Taking into account of different lengths of mother bars• Taking into account of non-straight cuts of sections to save material• Possibility of rotating parts around their axis according to the section• Taking into account of the position of the weld line• Automatic check of gaps between parts • Automatic management of common cuts • Operation in batch mode specific to tube-cutting machines Nesting of tubes Programming of 3-axis machines equipped with a rotative axis The programming of tube cutting on these machines is a 2D programming process, implemented after having flattened the tube and its openings: • Allocation of technological attributes (lead-ins, micro-junctions, etc.) and cutting parameters to the contours to be cut• Automatic or interactive sequencing of cuttings• Generation of ISO codes via a post-processor specific to the machine used
© Alma 2006 - Non contractual document

CAD/CAM solution for tubes cutting