704-0113-101

Ultimax
AVC and ASF Options Manual
August, 2002 Revision A

Advanced Velocity
Control (AVC) and
Adaptive Surface
Finishing (ASF)
Options Manual
Ultimax 4 Dual Screen and Max
Consoles
for
Hurco Machining Centers

Hurco Manufacturing Company reserves the right to incorporate any

modifications or improvements in machines and machine specifications
which it considers necessary, and does not assume any obligation to make
any said changes in machines or equipment previously sold.

Hurco products and services are subject to Hurco’s then current prices,
terms, and conditions, which are subject to change without notice.
The information in this document is subject to change without notice and does not
represent a commitment on the part of Hurco Companies, Inc. (Hurco). No part of this
document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or for any purpose without the
express written permission of Hurco. However, Hurco does authorize the creation of two
electronic and two paper photocopies by the original Hurco machine tool purchaser, or
his authorized designee.
 2001-2002 Hurco Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Patents: U.S. Patents B14,477,754; 5,453,933; Canadian Patent 1,102,434;

Japanese Patents 1,649,006 and 1,375,124; other Patents pending.

Hurco and Ultimax are Registered Trademarks of Hurco Companies, Inc.

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Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products
are claimed as trademarks. Hurco has listed here all trademarks of which it is aware.
For more information about Hurco products and services, contact:

Hurco Companies, Inc.

One Technology Way
P.O. Box 68180
Indianapolis, IN 46268-0180
Tel (317) 293-5309 (products)
(317) 298-2635 (service)
Fax (317) 328-2812 (service)

For Hurco subsidiary contact information, go to Hurco’s website:

www.hurco.com

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AVC and AFS Options Manual

ii Revision A Hurco Machining Centers

 Using This Manual

Standard Text Icons

This manual may contain the following icons:

Caution

The machine may be damaged, or a part ruined, if the described

procedure is not followed.

Hints and Tricks

Useful suggestions that show creative uses of the Ultimax features.

Important
Ensures proper operation of the machine and control.

HURCO

Troubleshooting
Steps that can be taken to solve potential problems.

Warning
The operator may be injured and the machining center
severely damaged if the described procedure is not
followed.

Where can we go from here?

Lists several possible options the operator can take.

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AVC and AFS Options Manual

Sample Screens
Some sample screens in this manual were captured on a stand-alone
Ultimax system. The screens on your system may vary slightly. The Input
screen below illustrates softkeys and includes the software version (circled
below).

Figure 1. Input Screen

Ultimax screens have three areas of primary interest:

• Softkeys on the right side of the touch screen. Available
softkeys may change even when the text and data entry area
does not.

• Fields to the left of the softkeys. A field is an area that

display or receives information entered by the operator.

• Prompt and error message area at the bottom of the screen.

In the sample screen above, the message area reads, “Select
softkey or press <Enter> to change part program name.”

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 Table of Contents
Advanced Velocity Control nd Adaptive Surface Finishing
Options
Performance Specifications .....................................................................................2
Performance Parameters ..........................................................................................3
Performance Parameters and G Codes.........................................................5

Index

Ultimax System August, 2002 v

 Table List
Table 1. Options Performance Specifications .......................................................2
Table 2. Performance Parameter G Codes ............................................................5

Ultimax System August, 2002 vi

 Advanced Velocity Control (AVC)
and Adaptive Surface Finishing
(ASF) Options
The Advanced Velocity Control (AVC) option improves surface quality in
parts with complex geometries. The Adaptive Surface Finishing (ASF)
option improves surface quality, and provides faster programming and
cycle time.

The efficiency of existing part programs can benefit from the AVC and
ASF options. For example, either option converts an arc composed of
several line segments (within a data block) into a single arc - smoothing
transitions between program blocks. Specifications for the both options
appear on the following table.

Axis feedrates of 600 inches per minute (ipm) are now possible with both
the AVC and ASF options, double the feedrate for the standard Mill
package. Specifications for the AVC and ASF option appear on the
following table.

Note

These options do not alter the part program. Instead, they control the
tool path and feedrate while the part program is running.

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AVC and AFS Option Manual

Performance Specifications
Feature/Characteristic Value/Response
Mill System- Advanced Adaptive
Standard Velocity Surface
Control Finishing
(AVC) (ASF)

Motion Control Matrix 4 Matrix 4 Octavia DSP*

Hardware/Software CNC++ CNC++ DSP
DSP*
On-Screen Display Mill System Mill-AVC Mill-ASF
CPU Speed (MHz) Max. 233 Max. 233 Max. 566
Memory (MB) Min. 8 Min. 64 Min. 128
Program Feedrate (max. ipm) 300 600 600
Acceleration Rate (g) 0.1 0.1 0.3
Block Lookahead 400/225 400/225 600/600
(Initial blocks/Continuous
blocks)
Lookahead Minimum at Speed 15 0.2 0.2
Time (msec)
Block Transfer Rate 1,100 1,100 2,000
(blocks per second)
G61 Precision Cornering On Stops at > 44o Stops at > 44o Stops at > 44o
G64 Precision Cornering Off Does not stop Does not stop Does not stop
NC Tool Path Tolerance No Yes. Rounds position data to the
Parameter specified tolerance. Defaults to
zero.
NC Tool Path Tolerance Not Via Performance Parameters and
Parameter Accessibility accessible code G05.2 Qm
Data Smoothing No Yes (Arc Fit and Line Chaining)
Data Smoothing Parameters Not Smoothing Enable and tolerance
accessible specified by NC tool path
tolerance parameter.
Data Smoothing Parameters Not Via Performance Parameters and
Accessibility accessible code G05.2 Pn.
*Matrix 4 CNC++ Digital Signal Processor (DSP) and Octavia DSP are products of DSP Control Group, Inc.

Table 1. Options Performance Specifications

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 Part Programming

Performance Parameters
Use the Performance Parameters screen to select part surface finish,
cornering precision and NC tool path tolerance and block smoothing.
Performance parameters are used with in Conversational and NC mode.

To access the Performance Parameters, follow these steps:

1. Select the Input console key to access the Input screen.

• If the AVC option is installed, the System Name field will

be Mill-AVC.
• If the AFS option is installed, the System Name field will be
Mill-AFS.
Note

The Conversational and NC Input screens are similar, except that

the Copy and Change Blocks softkey is not available in NC mode.

2. Touch the Program Parameters softkey.

3. Touch the Performance Parameters softkey to access the
Performance Parameters screen. A description of the
Performance Parameters follows.
Note

To program with G codes, see the “Performance Parameters and G

Codes” section.

Softkey Description

Surface determines the surface finish for a specific tool. The finer
Finish the Surface Finish Quality, the slower the program
Quality execution. A good balance is to use Rough for the roughing
tool pass, and Finish for the finishing tool pass. The default
value is Finish.

Precision select On if the axes should stop between data blocks that
Cornering have a large angle (corner) between them. A large angle is
greater than 44 degrees. Stopping the axes creates a precise
corner, but slows down program execution. The default
value is Off.

(Continued next page)

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AVC and AFS Option Manual

(Continued from previous page)

Softkey Description

NC Tool Path defines the amount of deviation from the tool path that
Tolerance the system will tolerate. This parameter controls the tool
(NC path during machining, and corrects any unacceptable
Programming amounts of deviation. The actual part program, which
only) may contain “rounded” numbers that create the
deviation, is not changed.
The value entered must be between 0 to 0.0005 inches (0
to 0.012 mm), inclusive. If the value is 0 and NC Block
Smoothing (defined below) is enabled, NC Block
Smoothing will not function. The default value is 0.

NC Block combines program blocks to produce a smoother tool

Smoothing path. If turned On, line segments are combined into
(NC longer lines or into arcs. Each longer line or arc created
Programming on the part is more closely uniform, and as a result,
only) finish quality is improved. The tolerance used in the
smoothing is set by the NC Tool Path Tolerance
parameter. The default value is Off.

Hints and Tricks

When NC Tool Path Tolerance is greater than 0 and NC Block Smoothing

is Off, the tool path position values are rounded up or down within the
value entered in the NC Tool Path Tolerance field. This generates more
uniform data from pass to pass and results in a smoother surface.

When NC Tool Path Tolerance is greater than 0 and NC Block Smoothing

is On, the tool path position is modified within the tolerance value so that
lines are combined to create longer lines or lines are replaced with a fitted
arc. This generates smoother surfaces.

When NC Tool Path Tolerance equals 0, the actual part program tool path
does not change.

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 Part Programming

Performance Parameters and G Codes

Use G codes in a data block to select a value for a Performance Parameter.

Performance Value or G Code Comment

Parameter Condition
Surface Finish Finish G05.1 Pn n is the surface finish value:
Quality Semi-Finish • Finish = 1
Rough • Semi-Finish = 2
• Rough = 3
Precision On G61
Cornering Off G64
NC Tool Path 0 to 0.0005 in. G05.2 Qm m is the tolerance value
Tolerance (0 to 0.012 mm)
NC Block On G05.2 Pn n indicates On or Off:
Smoothing Off • On = 1
• Off = 0

Table 2. Performance Parameter G Codes

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AVC and AFS Option Manual

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 Index

AFS option, 1
AVC option, 1
Axis feedrates, 1

Feedrates, 1

G codes, 5

NC Block Smoothing softkey, 4

NC Tool Path Tolerance softkey, 4

Performance parameters, 3
Performance parameters and G codes, 5
Performance specifications, 2
Precision Cornering softkey, 3

Surface Finish Quality softkey, 3

Ultimax System August, 2002 I-1