What’s New in SolidCAM 2017

Chiron
Z8T

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What’s New in SolidCAM 2017
Chiron
Z8T

4K Support

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 New Ribbon Look with 4K Support

• Ribbon Icons have the new SolidWorks colors

• Ribbon Icons can also be seen in the SolidWorks Classic colors
• All Icons support 4K resolution in all 3 sizes

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 New Cam-Tree Look with 4K Support

• Cam-Tree Icons have the new SolidWorks colors

• Cam-Tree Icons can also be seen in the SolidWorks Classic colors
• All Icons support 4K resolution

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What’s New in SolidCAM 2017
Chiron
Z8T

Geometry

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 Automatic Open Edge Recognition for Pockets with Smart Face option

• Pocket geometry selection has a new option "Smart Face" that enables users to pick a
face and the Open and Closed edges are automatically recognized
• This option recognizes islands and ignores holes

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 Automatic Wall detection for Profile with Smart Face option

• The “Smart Face” option recognizes all walls that are associated with the picked face
and automatically creates chains for those walls

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 Create Geometries External from Operation

• You can now create a

2.5D geometry external
from the operation

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What’s New in SolidCAM 2017
Chiron
Z8T

2.5D Milling

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 Upper Level definition by Stock, Target or User-defined

The Upper Milling Level can now be defined:

• By Stock
• By Target
• User defined

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 Use Drill Points for Ramping Points in 2D pocket operation

• When choosing Vertical or Helical ramping

into a pocket, the option of choosing pre
existing drill points is available

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 Thread Milling in the Combo Box for drill type operations

• Thread milling was added to the combo box that allows you to save and copy
a drilling operation and then change the operation to a thread mill operation

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 Automatic Default Cycle for Reamers

• Whan choosing a reamer tool in a drilling operation you will automatically get
the correct default cycle for reamers

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 V-Carving Engraving

• V-Carving creates a 3D toolpath from 2D Font

V-Carving Off

V-Carving On

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 Open Pocket – User defined Delta Angle

• Open Pocket extension can be user-defined, as “Tangent Angle” from wall

Auto extension User-defined extension

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Pre-drill for Slot Operations in Toolbox

• Slot Technologies in Toolbox can

plunge in Pre-Drill locations

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What’s New in SolidCAM 2017
Chiron
Z8T

iMachining

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Wall and Floor finish surface quality

Definition of surface finish by Ra value

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New progress bar for iMachining 3D

Progress bar separated into 3 sections:

• Z-level building (scallop levels)
• Toolpath calculation (Multi-Core)
• Toolpath linking (Multi-Core)

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Predrill support in iMachining 3D

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Display of Pre-Drill Z-Value

Full Diameter Depth display:

• Calculated value for body of drill
• Shown for each Operation in list

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Define Updated Stock from selected Operations (same as in HSR)

Updated Stock built by specific Operations

• Ignore non-important Operations
• Speed up calculation

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 iMachining Wizard: Use SolidWorks Material

Define material using SolidWorks Material Database

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Ignore Closed Pockets

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Quick access dashboard for iMachining 2D

Common settings on one page

• Quickly define Operation parameters
• Can be turned off in CAM-Settings

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What’s New in SolidCAM 2017
Chiron
Z8T

HSR/HSM

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 HSR/HSM - Tool Path Editing

• HSR/HSM Toolpaths can now be edited after calculation.

• Toolpath editing is needed in 3D Toolpaths to remove local areas, either to optimize the
tool motions or to remove areas where tool motions are not needed.
• 3 Options are available: Boundaries, Z-Levels & Combination of Boundaries & Z-Levels

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 HSR/HSM - Toolpath Editing

• Toolpath Editing with Boundaries

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HSR/HSM - Toolpath Editing

• Toolpath Editing with Z Levels

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 HSR/HSM - Toolpath Editing

• Toolpath Editing using Boundaries in Any Plane

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 HSR/HSM - Toolpath Editing

• Toolpath Editing using combination of Z levels & Boundaries

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 HSR/HSM - Gouge Check of Fixtures

• SolidCAM HSM now allows definition of Fixtures/Clamps, which will then be used
in gouge checking of the toolpath
• The difference from Toolpath editing is that SolidCAM will now use the 3D Model
of the Fixture/Clamps to do gouge check with the tool

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 HSR/HSM - Customizable Drop Down Toolbar

Before Customization After Customization

• Drop down toolbars are now available for HSR/HSM allowing you to
customize your drop down menu for quick and easy access to your most
commonly used technology

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What’s New in SolidCAM 2017
Chiron
Z8T

Sim 5X & HSS

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 Sim 5X & HSS - Exact Step Over

• A new option now calculates step over evenly over multiple

surfaces & provides a good pattern of toolpath

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 Sim 5X & HSS - Common Direction

Without Common Direction With Common Direction

• The new function finds a single tool axis orientation on the full toolpath or on a
single pass
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 Sim 5X & HSS – New Tools Support

Barrel Bull Nose Tool Barrel Ball Nose Tool

• Sim 5X & HSS now support 2 new type of tools , Barrel Bull Nose & Barrel Ball Nose
tool
• The tools are used in flank milling where even at large depth of cuts smaller scallop
values can be maintained. With regular standard tools it would have needed much
smaller depth of cut to maintain same scallop
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What’s New in SolidCAM 2017
Chiron
Z8T

Sim 5X

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 Sim 5X - Multiblade Machining New Tools

• Multiblade Machining now supports End Mill & Bull Nose tools for Roughing
• Multiblade Machining now also supports Lollipop tools for Finishing

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 Sim 5X - Port Machining 4 Axis Support

• SolidCAM Port Machining now allows the user to generate the toolpath in 4 Axis
• This feature is useful for machining Tube like shapes on 4 Axis Machines

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 Sim 5X - MultiAxis Roughing - Stock Definition

• Local definition of Stock is now possible by selecting surfaces

• This option should be used when machining a pre-cast or pre-machined stock

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 Sim 5X - MultiAxis Roughing - Stock Definition

• This option uses a 2d curve form to define the stock

• This option can be used to machine a limited area or an insert

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 Sim 5X – Convert HSM to Sim 5X

• The aim is to keep the cutting side of the tool constant, thereby avoiding a
situation where the cutting side can flip (caused by the angle of the main tilting
axis direction and the surface normal direction of the machining surfaces)

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What’s New in SolidCAM 2017
Chiron
Z8T

Machine Simulation

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Machine Simulation – Collision Check Group

• The objects in the viewing area

are color coded for each Collision
Checking group and grey for non-
selected objects
• The highlight colors for the
collision checking pairs are dark
red and blue
• This feature offers a better
overview of the selected objects
and the parts of the pairs defined
in the Collision Checking group

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Machine Simulation – Highlight Object

• An object in the MachSim viewing area can be

highlighted without opening the context Menu.
The object is also highlighted in the Machine
Window (Tree view)

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Machine Simulation – Display Arrows for Axis Direction

• In machine edit mode, arrows

in the main window show the
direction of movement of the
selected axis

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Machine Simulation – Display Rotation Point

• During mouse rotation in Machine

Simulation, a dot is displayed to show
end-users the selected rotation center
point

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Machine Simulation – Improvements in Measuring
• The distance measuring functionality has been
extended. The end-user can now evaluate the
distance between points from any machine
geometry
• For points, the WCS (Workpiece Coordinate
System) is also displayed
• For distances, MCS (Machine Coordinate
System) has been added

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 Machine Simulation – Remove Chunks based on Volume

• Chunks can now be removed automatically during the simulation, based on their
volume

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 Machine Simulation – Jump to toolpath distance

• In length-base simulation mode it is possible to jump to any position along the

simulation
• The tool will jump to a specific toolpath distance and collisions are not verified
over the skipped distance
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Machine Simulation – Improved Pop Up Notifications for Gouges

• All pop-up notifications have

been improved and now have
different options for disabling
their display during
simulation runs

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 Machine Simulation – Improved Pop Up Notifications –Stop Commands

• Machine Simulator displays a new pop-up message when a stop command is

encountered during the simulation. This allows the disabling of further stop command
pop-ups according to criteria.

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 Machine Simulation – Show Last Axes values

• If the user starts tool path at any operation, the user can see the last axes values of
the previous operations
• This option can be controlled from SolidCAM Settings
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 Machine Simulation – Show Start/End Position

• Enables the user to see the machine position at the start and end of the program
• The VMID controls the home reference & whether to move axes to home reference at
start only, end only or both

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 Machine Simulation – Show both Values

• Machine Simulation now has possibility to show both Part Based Coordinates &
Absolute machine axis values together

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What’s New in SolidCAM 2017
Chiron
Z8T

General

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Drag Updated Stock to specific Operation

Updated Stock icon shown next to Operation

• Icon can be “Dragged” to specific Operation

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Quick access menu to change color/transparency of Updated Stock

• Quickly change Color and Transparency used

for visualization the Updated Stock
• Previous versions required going into
Simulation, then opening Settings

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 Stop on next: Z plunge on stock

• Solid Verify simulation can be stopped automatically when tool touches

the stock on a Z plunge movement

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Machine Options – Flyout window

• Machine Options list can be shown in a resizable Flyout

window, for easier editing of Post Processer options

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