CAM System for Robot Programming

Delcam’s PowerMill Robot CAM system enables programming and simulating complex robot machining operations. The system provides access to a range of multi-axis machining strategies within PowerMill and can use all the software program’s project management options to manage, store and retrieve data quickly, the company says. The CAM system is suitable for use in the marine, aerospace, rail and wind energy sectors for manufacturing models, patterns and fixtures, and is said to enable accuracy similar to CNC milling machines in cutting softer materials such as composites.

The system is capable of simulating the complete machining operation and controlling the robot’s movements through variables such as axis limits, axis priorities and work plane constraints. Various aspects of the robot cell such as axis limits, tool constraints and home position can be defined for the simulation. The robot’s working envelope can be displayed to optimize the position of the workpiece or initial stock, maximizing access to the material. The maximum range of movements required of each axis can be viewed to analyze the robot’s behavior and movements throughout the operation.

The system highlights any issues that may prevent the tool paths from being completed successfully, and provides notifications if the robot is in danger of potentially reaching axis limits, singularities and collisions. Graphs display the axis limits and reversals, wrist singularity, and acceleration and deceleration of the axes.

Once the results of the simulation have been reviewed and modified if necessary, the program can be outputted in the appropriate robot native language, eliminating the need for third-party translation software, the company says. Acceleration, smoothing values and other robot-specific parameters can be defined as part of the output. Support for external axes such as rotary tables and linear tracks can be included, as well as dedicated tools for spindle calibration.