SOFTWARE REVIEW

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In the first of two parts, Al Dean explores what Vero Software has in store for VISI 19. This month looking at design tools, following with manufacturing next month

Vero VISI 19: Design

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ith roots in mould and die design, having been the first company to license the Parasolid geometric modelling kernel on a PC in the early 1990s, Vero occupies a unique place in the market. Its product VISI is aimed at those users involved in producing plastic injection moulds, sheet metal stamping dies and other complex products in the manufacturing sector. Alongside class A surfacing, pure geometry wrangling and manipulation, the system has always had a healthy dose of CAM within its portfolio. This now extends from simple 2D machining and wire EDM right through to complex multi-axis machining, with high-speed machining standard throughout. Then comes the more specialised tools, such as plastic flow analysis and progressive die design, where VISI is particularly strong. In short, its a very capable system for those engaged in design, particularly within the context of manufacturing. A few years ago the Vero development team began refreshing the user experience. This work continues with

VISI 19 but rather than user interface tweaks, the changes are much more fundamental. Previously, the system was Action/Object driven. Namely, the user selected the operation (say, a fillet), then selected the object to which to apply the edge or face set. This changes from now on working in both an Object/Action and Action/Object mode. Those new to the system will find it much easier to get up and run with whilst existing users probably wont notice a huge difference. The benefit is that menus are now context-sensitive and the selection of commands is tailored to the users selection. Importantly, the whole thing is fully customisable enabling the user to switch these tools on/off for specific selection sets and work modes. Another key change is how the user interacts with geometry selections, particularly when building geometry from existing references. The combination of new selection tools (to grab edges, vertices and planes) and a new move/copy triad, means geometry can be built where its easiest to grab references, then move it into position. One other addition is the custom data

Product: VISI 19 Supplier: Vero Software Price on application www.vero-software.com

double-click, which allows the operator to define which operation will be called when selecting any geometrical entity. For example, when a CAD user selects a face, they may want to move or add taper to that face. However, when a CAM user selects a face, they may want to create profile features for machining purposes. A great deal of consideration has been put into how the operator drives the system and the guys at Vero have done a good job of optimising the user experience.

BlenDIng
Yes. Blending. No 3D design tools release would be complete without a nod to creating fillets. But in the case of a system like VISI, which is laser targeted on manufacturing, its key. There are a number of new tools worth here. The Blend between Faces operation has a great deal of options to get those tricky forms built, with full control over radius and how tangency propagates. This allows the user to tighten or loosen off the geometry, helping to round off those pesky sharp corners. Theres also full control over hold lines DEVELOP3D.COM SEPTEMBER 2011 45

1 The blending capabilities of VISI are laser targeted on manufacturing

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with specific radii. While this is most commonly used in industrial design applications to achieve crisp blended edges, in the manufacturing realm its useful for ensuring constant radii rounds in deep and complex pockets. With a host of tools the user can now work with poor quality data, often the result of imported geometry, as well as the much less common perfect data you see in a demo. For example, this includes the ability to not trim the original connecting faces of a blend and return only the underlying fillet surface result. This allows the user to accept the operation, then use the manual tools to trim back surfaces and create the geometry manually, something that isnt possible in a run-of-the-mill parametric modelling system. Finally, with the new Full Face blend the user can grab three faces and add a fillet that spans them all, regardless of shape. This is excellent for quickly adding radii during rib design to aid material flow and minimise sticking within the mould.

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2 Tool manager is used to visualise the assembly in different guises and also create custom BOMs 3 VISI Flow highlights potential moulding issues

InteroperABIlIty & 3D AnnotAtIon

There are some interesting new capabilities in VISI 19 with regards to 3D annotation and geometric tolerancing. While the system doesnt yet have the fully fledged, ANSI Y14.41 compliant 3D annotation tools, it does provide a toolset that allows the user to very quickly add reference dimensions, assign them to a presentation plane and store them within a model. Moving onto 3D data exchange, the Vero team has joined the JT partner program and the software now has integrated JT data support at a fundamental level including support for toolpath representation. For those unaware, JT is a data format that can store both a lightweight tessellated version of a 3D model as well as a more accurate B-rep, which can give surfaces for reuse. Its typical that many of the systems that support JT can use the tessellated data for reference only, requiring that the B-rep. As Vero can work with both surface and mesh data, it allows the user to export and read both.

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SprIngBAck MoDellIng
Vero has been building tools to account for spring-back for some time but what has changed with this release is the extension of these tools with some serious automation to accurately define the correct shape to account for material deformation. Beginning with the standard nomimal shape, there are three options available to define the as manufactured shape. The first uses co-ordinate measuring machines (CMM) to adapt that nominal CAD data using a common set of data points to define how the part has shifted post manufacture. This data is captured using reverse post processors - SurferEVO or VirtualDims. VISI asks for a set of faces to compare. This allows the user to separate out the faces that are being worked on and then create the compensated result based on the point match and mismatch. It is also possible to adapt the distances to overcompensate. This then pulls the surface into the required position. The second method allows the user to read data from an Finite Element Analysis (FEA) based system, whether thats as an STL file or a Nastran deck. As the import options are pretty open, itll work with almost every general purpose FEA system as well as more task-specific tools such as PAM/Stamp, FastForm or AutoForm. When using this method the FEA data is often very heavy so to minimise calculation time, additional skimming tools are available to remove excess clutter. The final method, by Section, allows a part to be picked, the material properties defined and then a compensation edge added. The over-bend angle is then defined by which to pull back the surface. This adds a number of editable sections along that edge set that enables the data to be rebuilt as required. While it may not have the intelligence of the other methods, it is based on user experience and its the basis of how this type of repurposing of CAD geometry for manufacturing was conducted before the advent of simulation driven approaches.

tool MAnAger
The Tool Manager in VISI 19 is a major development. Firstly, it manages the hierarchy of the assembly structure and improves collaboration between native and foreign data management as the tree structure can be imported and exported to/from other CAD formats. However, this tool is also intelligently used to manage the tool visualisation. Within VISI it is possible to have a number of different tree structures that can be switched on/off. For example, it is possible to load a tree of just purchased items or a tree of just the mould bolster set. This makes it very easy to visualise the assembly in different guises and also create custom exports or custom BOMs. 46 SEPTEMBER 2011 DEVELOP3D.COM

VISI Flow
Another key area of VISIs design tools is VISI Flow for plastic flow front simulation and analysis. Acquired a few years ago, each subsequent release has seen improved integration into the VISI environment. With this release, Vero has introduced VISI Flow Lite as a lower cost of option. It may not have all the bells and whistles of the full version but with a

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WORKFLOW: SPRIngBaCK MOdeLLIng FOR The dIe deSIgn

1 A typical sheet metal part which requires over-bend to compensate for material springback

2 The deformation is driven from FEA input (STL or Nastran)

3 The springback can be applied to localised areas of the model

4 Point filtering is used to reduce the amount of unnecessary data

5 An interactive mesh preview is calculated to show the

deformed result

6 A new surface set is created maintaining tangency and

curvature conditions

predefined workflow allows a simulation to be stepped through much quicker. The enhancements made to capabilities can be split into pre- and post-processing. In terms of pre-processing, in previous releases, the mesh repair tools were discreet and sequential and often had the problem of one repair potentially causing other failures. To improve the workflow, the user now selects the part, creates the mesh and the mesh checking and repair tools are now all in one Check menu. If only a handful of errors are present, its possible to dive in and fix these manually. But the system also has automated tools to fill holes in the mesh and deal with overlapping, overhanging triangles and flipped normals. The end result of this is a clean, consistent mesh that can be used in the injection simulation process. In terms of post processing, the last release saw the introduction of a traffic light quality gauge (in terms of fill quality)

and this has been enhanced for 19. It gives feedback about mould temperature, injection speed and melt temperature - all of which can be experimented with to improve part manufacture. Another post process update is that a part can be rendered transparent to show internal material flow - which is particularly useful when working with highly complex features and bosses. Alongside this, the sectioning tools can also provide insight into whats happening within the structure of a part, rather than purely on the exterior. Another key addition is the ability to conduct a holding analysis to show how the part hardens in the mould post injection. One very useful feature is the ability to overlay the filling simulation on top of the analysis graph and dynamically move a slider along the graph to immediately see the correlation between the filling progression and the graph variables. For example, this could be vital to

understanding which part of the filling phase caused a pressure drop. Final updates for VISI Flow are related to materials (the database supplied has been greatly expanded and is now updated every month with vendor-specific data) and cooling design. Its now possible to define the order in which the coolant will flow, all from a single drag-and-drop dialog linking them together. Theres also greater support for different coolant types with the system now supporting water, ethyleme glycol and steam.

concluSIon
It should be clear from this review that Vero is working hard on bringing some rock solid updates and new features to its already impressive product range. While weve covered the design and modelling related updates, theres similar activity across many of the other areas of the system, which well get into next month.

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SOFTWARE REVIEW
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Vero VISI 19: Manufacturing

ast month we looked at the updates to the modelling and injection mould filling analysis tools those geared up for mould design. We found a mature system that is now placing a big emphasis on enhancing the user experience So shall we take a look at whats new in the manufacturing aspects of Veros VISI?

In Septembers DEVELOP3D Al Dean looked at the design-centric updates to Veros VISI 19. This month he turns his attentions to the manufacturing-related enhancements

VISI PEPS-WIrE
When Vero acquired Camtek, it began the process of building Camteks impressive Wire EDM (Electro-Discharge Manufacturing) tools into its VISI product suite. While the first version of VISI PEPSWire was all about cramming the tools into the same user interface, this second release starts to focus more on adding in the additional CAD-related tools to help generate actual geometry for wire EDM. Theres been a lot of work done on the CAD side to help generate wire profiles. As ever, this means a focus on offset profile creation. While the system has had these types of tools for years, there are now greater options for filling offset gaps in complex profiles (which may break the geometry and create multiple islands) with circular arc, tangent or curve-led extension. It will even trim and close the profile to ensure you have robust geometry from which to drive your CAM operations. In terms of more wire operationfocussed updates, the big news for this release is feature recognition support for variable land and taper (collar) operations. Elsewhere, there are new automated tools to create retention slugs at predefined points around an aperture. These slug retention grooves are particularly useful for press tool die apertures where slug pulling can sometimes be problematic. There are some new tools to assist with wire-based transformations (such as move,

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scale and copy) that allow you to grab a tool-path and move/rotate/copy it into a new position, but retain the link back to the original. While this might sound odd, if your part has multiple instances of the same feature, the ability to edit the master and roll-out these changes to the other features is highly productive. If you use Charmilles Technologies CT Expert, found on the Charmilles, Millennium and Fanuc controls, you can activate it from VISI directly and load specific technology from this application in the form of offsets, power settings, feed rates and such directly into the operation dialog. Finally, theres a new Autopoint tool. This will automatically add a pre-drilled point to specific aperture geometry (such as a pre defined offset from the longest length, or the aperture centre points) and use them as the default approach point when adding machining operations.
Product: VISI Series 19 Supplier: Vero Software Price on application www.vero-software.com

VISI MAchInIng
Moving onto more traditional CNC programming, the big new feature is that all CAM functions (3, 5 axis and the simulation tools) are capable of running on 64-bit Windows. This is excellent news for those working with huge datasets and highly complex operations that might have previously hit the memory limits of a 32-bit operating system. Looking at the software in more detail, there are now four new CAM strategies. The first is aimed at the machining of deep cavities, with both roughing and Z level finishing covered. Geometry is selected and the system runs a 3D curvature analysis to highlight the smallest radius. VISI then provides a read out that shows where the radius varies - to help with cutter selection. Once chosen, a safety clearance and tool length is added, the system then shows where the current tooling set-up can reach. By selecting different tooling combinations / extensions, the operator is able to automatically split the cavity into multiple Z depths based on collision detection. Each individual Z range can use different machining parameters providing greater rigidity, reduced vibration and increased tool life. This optimises a process that is typically based on guesswork when dealing with very deep and complex pockets. Another new strategy is the Hybrid Constant Z, which is very similar to the existing steep and shallow concept that combines a couple of operations into one, that will machine both steep and shallow areas in a single hit. The main difference here is that the Hybrid Constant Z strategy uses a 2D pocketing projection for the DEVELOP3D.COM OCTOBER 2011 49

1 Wire EDM - support for slug retention grooves which are particularly useful for press tool apertures 2 The machine tool simulation tools have been revamped in both appearance and information feedback

SOFTWARE REVIEW

If youre at the business end of manufacturing, where time and costs are tight, a system like VISI should be considered as part of your key toolkit
concluSIon
From our look at VISI 19 over the past two months it is clear that Vero is pushing VISI into the business end of design and manufacturing. Having been brought up and developed in the world of mould and die design the VISI team has a perspective that differs from that of the mainstream vendors. In terms of 3D geometry wrangling, many mainstream vendors talk about how they handle complex geometry, and while they can create such forms, they simply wont cut the mustard for those in the mould and die industry. Often when a client sends data, thats all you have to work with. Theres no going back and asking for a different format. Take it, fix it, prepare the core/cavity, the mould base and cut it. Job done. In such situations, the geometry tools within VISI are first class. That competitive environment means that the tools let you work with problematic geometry and get it into a state ready to machine - never mind the perfect geometry of demonstrations and marketing documents. Then when you look outside of design, theres a whole host of new technologies being introduced with each release. New operations and options for machining cycles are added. The integration of flow analysis into the user interface is again another huge benefit to those preparing manufacturing component stacks. And the work done to bring the wealth of knowledge from PEPS into the system broadens out an already extensive product portfolio that covers all the machining/CNC bases. All in all, if youre at the business end of manufacturing, where time and costs are tight, a system like VISI should be considered as part of your key toolkit.

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intermediate planar areas instead of a true 3D step over which dramatically reduces toolpath calculation time. A new Core Roughing strategy has been developed with an improved toolpath shape when working from outside a component. The new tool-path will dramatically reduce the number of rapid movements, allow more than 50% step over of the flat area of the cutter and improve calculation time. The result is a flowing toolpath that allows the machine to run near to its maximum potential when machining core components. The final strategy is focussed specifically on the cutting of ribs and other thin walled components. The operation works with both roughing and finishing routines. The standard approach of using multiple operations run the risk of damaging the component (often exotic materials such as titanium for aerospace), specifically towards the end of the process when the rib is subjected to high frequency vibrations and micro-flexes. To overcome these problems the Rib Machining combines both roughing and finishing strategies to completely machine each level individually working down the model. Other machining updates include the ability to re-distribute the toolpaths points set to reduce jerky movements and allow modern machine tools to reach higher programmed feed rates (Roeders machines for example). Another is that alongside its adoption of 64-bit computing, the machine tool simulation tools have been revamped. This is in both appearance and the amount of information youre given. The system now gives time-based simulations so you can accurately move to a specific time window in the operation and see exactly where the toolpath is at.

3 Toolpath point optimisation to allows modern machine tools to reach higher programmed feedrates

WorkfLoW: DEEP caVITy MachInIng

1 Deep cavities are typically troublesome to machine because of the need for longer tooling or tool extensions. VISI 19 covers both automated Roughing and Z level finishing.

2 Part analysis is performed with the help of a 3D curvature map which graphically indicates what size tooling is required to remove the greatest amount of material.

3 For each tooling/holder combination (based on collision detection), a separate toolpath zone is created in the specific Z range where machining can be applied.

4 Each individual Z range can be edited by the operator to permit the use of different machining parameters such as step over, step down, approach & retract and Z level linking.

5 The automatic splitting of deep cavities into independent

Z range toolpaths allows strategy optimisation, providing greater rigidity, reduced vibration & increased tool life.

6 The separated Z level toolpaths remain linked to the

master operation. This allows manual override where individual Z ranges can be merged or edited to remove unnecessary tool changes

50 OCTOBER 2011 DEVELOP3D.COM