OPEN MIND at IMTS

• OPEN MIND Technologies is presenting state-of-the-art CAD/CAM solutions at IMTS 2010 (13 - 18 September). The trade fair presentation focuses on the technical innovations of OPEN MIND’s latest CAM solution hyperMILL^®, which establishes continuous process chains for computer-aided production, whether working standalone (hyperCAD^®), or integrated in Autodesk^® Inventor^® or SolidWorks^®.
• In medical and dental engineering, hyperMILL^® and hyperDENT^® guarantee the highest precision and perfect surfaces, even with extremely hard materials. Furthermore OPEN MIND is announcing the hyperMILL^® 64-bit versions for 2010. All of these new features minimise programming and production costs and utilise the automation of process steps for more efficiency. IMTS visitors will find OPEN MIND in Booth E3855.

2010-06-14. Continuous, high-performance process chains in the CAD/CAM industry support companies with fast, efficient and error-free design and manufacturing, and for product design revisions. The focus at IMTS is on hyperMILL^®’s innovative, state-of-the-art programming environment, which addresses the specific needs of manufacturing including both advanced tool path solutions in 3D and 5-axis, and automation-oriented solutions that increase labor and machining efficiency.

hyperMILL^®: For reliable manufacturing of the future. OPEN MIND’s new release of hyperMILL^® helps companies shift their entire production to a multi-dimensional, process-oriented CAM platform. In order to holistically plan and organise machining processes, complex tasks with similar geometry, patterns, or many job steps can be transparently and accurately programmed in hyperMILL^®. Feature recognition and rule-based automation in hyperMILL^® help to further streamline and simplify CAM programming.

Associative programming works the way the programmer thinks. Associative programming techniques in hyperMILL^® greatly reduce the amount of data entry for similar processing.  In associative programming, all job parameters are linked with a reference job. Then, only individual parameters that need to be changed for the new job steps are unlinked and modified.  Such parameters may be a boundary region, a coordinate system “frame” or other simple parameter change.  The unlinked parameters are easily seen in a separate window to confirm the changes without digging deeply into each set of parameters.

Job linking reduces processing times in manufacturing. hyperMILL^® job linking combines multiple machining steps that use the same tool into a single operation. For 2D, 3D and 5axis machining, job linking always calculates optimal, collision-checked connecting paths between individual job steps – allowing even undercut areas to be approached safely, without extra movements to home or safety positions between each tool path.

More individualised production based on customized process features. Automated and standardised job processes reduce programming errors and minimise costs through reduced programming times and production times. hyperMILL^®‘s Customised Process Features (CPF) allow users to define enterprise-based standards to achieve a new level of automation.  Users with consistent design practice can define machining operations that react to geometry having a specific colour or that are defined on a specific CAD layer.  Programming is reduced to selecting proven process templates and running a filter to automatically identify and select the necessary geometry features.  CPF can be applied with any machining operation within hyperMILL^®.  Customised process features (CPF) also help to convert company-specific “best practice” machining standards into work processes and CAD/CAM automations that comply with internal specifications. This enables extremely time- and cost-efficient programming of part families or subsequent design changes.

Award-winning CAD integration. hyperMILL^®'s CAM programming environment integrates directly into many CAD systems, where it is accessed directly from the CAD system. Because the CAD and CAM solution use a common data model, tedious problems with data importation, data storage, and write/read errors are reliably avoided. At any time, users can quickly switch between the CAD and CAM system. When CAD data is changed, all defined CAM operations are automatically flagged to be updated.
The hyperMILL^® CAM software is available as an integration with Autodesk^® Inventor^® 2011. Autodesk^® has officially certified hyperMILL^®, thus confirming full integration and data associativity with Autodesk^® Inventor^®. The integrations with the CAD system hyperCAD^®, thinkdesign and SolidWorks^® can also be seen at IMTS 2010. Software developer SolidWorks^® has awarded hyperMILL^® with the “Gold” certification for excellence in integration, quality and interoperability.
All integrations are custom-tailored to the user interface of each type of CAD software, uniting the machining strategies and optimisation functions of hyperMILL^® in their entire spectrum. Within the hyperCAD^® and thinkDesign platforms also have direct interfaces for many popular CAD formats.  Specially extended standard interfaces, such as IGES, STEP and STL, provide additional data exchange options.

5axis efficiency: reliable processes, collision-free performance. OPEN MIND will also present additional highlights of its solutions for efficient and reliable 5axis milling at IMTS 2010. hyperMILL^® 5axis technology can reduce production times by up to 25 percent on compatible machines by performing multi-axis simultaneous machining with as little movement as possible in all axes. Because different models of 5axis machines often have significant kinematic differences, hyperMILL^® can define when and how both rotary axes are used for collision avoidance. Programmers specify which rotary axis is given priority. Such optimised axis movements ensure the tool movements are smooth, do not strain the machine and deliver better surface quality. And as minimised movements in the rotary axes shorten compensation paths in the linear axes, machining time is reduced as an additional benefit.
hyperMILL^® can also predict the required tool length extension to avoid holder interference, or tool length reduction to avoid unnecessarily long cutters.  These functions are available in both 3-axis and 5-axis cycles.
The fully automated collision avoidance of hyperMILL^® streamlines programming and reduces input times. With a click of the mouse and no additionally constructed reference geometry, hyperMILL^®‘s “Automatic” mode calculates the angle and position of tools for 5axis machining. Users only need to enter the preferred angle for the tool inclination. hyperMILL^® then automatically calculates a collision-checked, 5axis simultaneous machining job that also considers the rotary axis limits. These automations make programming in 5axis just as simple as for 3D machining.
hyperMILL^® also reduces tool wear and achieves higher contouring accuracy, so real money is saved when relying on OPEN MIND technology in 5axis manufacturing. Easy programming and powerful collision detection and avoidance between the workpiece and the tool or tool holder during the machining process make hyperMILL^® truly a cost-efficient option.

hyperMILL^®  64-Bit Versions for autumn. OPEN MIND Technologies will debut the hyperMILL^® 64-Bit version for Windows 7 at IMTS, which will be released to users in 2010.  This version will have improved memory management and calculation time that is important for large models and assemblies, and high precision components. hyperMILL^® users profit from these advantages as they save time within their daily work. The 64-Bit version of hyperMILL^® will be available for the Autodesk Inventor and for SolidWorks integrations, and also for hyperCAD^® and think3 when those systems have 64-bit CAD versions.

hyperMILL^® for precise manufacturing in medical engineering. When machining medical engineering products, the focus must be on the requirements for the highest surface quality, precision and manufacturing efficiency. hyperMILL^® offers a broad spectrum of machining strategies, for example for the production of artificial knee joints, spinal implants, bone anchors, bone plates and injection moulds for medical products. 5axis technology enables the use of shorter, more stable tools. This technology improves cutting conditions, milling results, precision and consistency while simultaneously reducing tool wear, chatter and the risk of breakage. hyperMILL^® therefore meets the requirements for high–precision machining of extremely hard materials such as titanium, perfectly finishing their surfaces for maximum durability.

hyperDent^®: CAM in dental engineering. Fully automated and open – hyperDENT^® is a CAM system for easy programming of crowns, caps, multi-unit bridges, abutments and implants. Open solutions offer the highest level of flexibility because you can select your own raw materials, scanner, CAD software and milling machine. With hyperDENT^®, dental laboratories or dental technicians can assemble a production chain that meets their own needs. Thanks to the automatic operator guidance, the clear user interface and several intelligent functions, even users who have no CAM experience will soon be able to quickly and reliably create milling programs. Just a few data inputs suffice to create complete NC programs. hyperDENT^® fulfils the extremely high demands for precision and surface quality, making the software a prerequisite for creating compatible dental implants for patients.

 

For more information, please contact OPEN MIND Technologies USA at info.americas(at)openmind-tech.com  or 888 516 1232