Posted to News on 3rd Jan 2007, 19:26
Pathtrace releases EdgeCAM 11.0
Pathtrace is releasing the latest version of its advanced offline CNC programming software, EdgeCAM. Version 11 introduces a wide range of new features across the product range, ensuring that customers receive productivity benefits from this major release.
With new functionality to support four- and five-axis simultaneous milling on latest-generation machine tools, as well as improved drilling routines for automatically finding and machining holes through cylindrical and conical faces, EdgeCAM 11 provides users with significant new machining capabilities.
Dave Boucher, CAM Product Director at Planit Holdings, comments: "Advanced milling and mill/turn machines offer enormous productivity improvements and EdgeCAM 11 enables businesses to maximise their investment by making the full range of four- and five-axis cycles available. The four- and five-axis strategies in EdgeCAM have been designed with multi-task machines in mind and offer unparalleled ease of use for this advanced technology".
In addition, enhanced productivity features are said to deliver faster and simpler operation, along with reduced component floor-to-floor times. Improved boundary control and new 'rest roughing' functionality minimise operator input and geometry creation on both roughing and finishing cuts, while a new tool optimisation routine ensures the most effective utilisation of cutting tools, particularly on multiple part set-ups.
The associative link to all major CAD systems is fundamental to EdgeCAM Solid Machinist, which reads native data, avoiding translation problems or potential issues with third-party tools. EdgeCAM 11 offers improved handling of 3D models from a wide range of proprietary CAD systems to provide faster operation and shorter programming times.
With a complete range of two- to five-axis milling strategies, turning and mill/turn capability, state-of-the-art machine tool simulation combined with seamless CAD/CAM integration and sophisticated automation tools, EdgeCAM is a highly advanced CAM system.
