Celeritive Technologies Inc. is making available VoluMill™ for Siemens NX™ CAM/CAM Express, an “ultra high-performance toolpath engine” that integrates with Siemens PLM software and complements the finish milling capabilities of NX CAM. VoluMill is the developer’s patent-pending toolpath engine that integrates with the various CAM systems, and designed to increase machining productivity.
The NX suite from Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Inc. has integrated CAD, CAE, and CAM platforms, including machining applications that allow users to maximize the value of their capital investments. NX Machining products provide a full range of CAM functions for high-speed surface machining, multi-function mill-turning, and 5-axis machining. The CAM also has applications for Tooling & Fixture Design and Inspection Programming.
“The integration of VoluMill with NX has been a ‘game changer’ for our customers,” explained Dan Wibbenmeyer, managing partner/client sales for Swoosh Technologies, a supplier of CAD/CAM/CAE/PLM software, training, services, and staffing. He said the program has helped NX clients win more business and increase their profit margin for existing work.
“Aerospace machining was our initial focus with the integrated NX VoluMill solution,” Wibbenmeyer continued, “but now we have users in mold/die and energy services. We have been selling manufacturing software solutions for 14 years and have never had a solution such as the NX/VoluMill integration which immediately impacts the bottom lines of our customers.”
Celeritive stated that its powerful VoluMill 3.6 toolpath engine means that VoluMill for Siemens NX CAM/CAM Express can reduce rough milling cycle times by 70% or more, and extend tooling life by more that 200%.
The developer also emphasizes the program’s fast, economical and efficient roughing capability for any part geometry (e.g., cores, cavities, pockets, channels, or steps) with optional toolpath containment to limit the extent of cut.
NX VoluMill also has a Final Step Height option that provides a secondary, shallower depth of cut, processed from the bottom-up, to leave small, manageable steps for semi-finishing or finishing tools, and cut to near-net shape with the initial roughing tool.
The Freeway Linking™ function repositions a tool by lifting it slightly off the floor and moving it smoothly at high speed around obstacles, to minimize the number of retracts to the clearance plane.
“We are excited to bring the proven benefits of VoluMill to the NX community,” stated Celeritive president Terry Sorensen. “The support we received from Siemens during the integration process was terrific.”
