How the Release of VERICUT 9.5 Enhances the Manufacturing Industry
The recent release of both VERICUT 9.5 and the full suite of CNC Machine Connect is now upon the manufacturing world, and it is here to evolve your shop floor. For those of you who are not in the know, CNC Machine Connect is a marriage between the real-time machine data pulled off shop floor equipment by machine monitoring standard Scytec DataXchange and VERICUT the verification simulation software standard that provides tremendous value to manufacturers. Through this innovative partnership, manufacturers are now able to connect with, and use data directly from the machines on their shop floor to get the best digital twin and simulation verification imaginable.
In the following thought piece from Scytec, we will discuss what CNC Machine Connect’s individual modules are and how their inherent value signals further improvement to all aspects of modern manufacturing.
SEE CNC MACHINE CONNECT IN ACTION
What Is CNC Machine Connect All About?
To discuss what CNC Machine Connect is, we should briefly gloss over what VERICUT is first. CGTech VERICUT is a Numerical Control verification and simulation program that shows a digital twin of a CNC machine mimicking exactly how the production will transpire before producing a part.
CNC Machine Connect made its official introduction in 2022 via VERICUT 9.3 and has added value to the integration every year since, offering additional modules with subsequent VERICUT releases. The full release of CNC Machine Connect inside VERICUT 9.5 includes the individual modules Pre-Check, CNC Machine Monitoring and now Postcheck. Each module provides its own value that guarantees to improve your digital twins and take your shop floor to the next level.
This connectivity helps manufacturers find out how the machine has been set up and to eliminate any unforeseen problems that will occur. For example, the cutting tools that have been selected in the machine and what all their set lengths are with the purpose in mind of checking to see if they line up with what was simulated. Any differences found will equate to a real-world problem.
Create Confidence from the Get-Go with Precheck
Precheck is a module inside VERICUT that ensures you produce the intended result by quickly identifying and resolving differences between your machine’s values, and the simulation’s values. Manufacturers can use CNC Machine Connect to run a Precheck before running the first part on your CNC machine. With Precheck, you can examine the machine’s setup to make sure your machining environment matches what VERICUT is simulating. This includes essential parameters and setup details, like the main NC program, subprograms, current axis positions, tooling, and work offsets. Before you hit the cycle start on a machine, any major differences will be brought to your attention for you to investigate. You can also use the update feature in CNC Machine Connect to populate the software with fresh machine values. By rerunning the simulation here, you can double-check there aren’t problems or unexpected errors arising from your machine setup.
View Your Progress with CNC Machine Monitoring
Another exciting ability within the CNC Machine Connect suite is the ability to connect with Scytec DataXchange to view all monitored CNC machines accessible to VERICUT. This includes manufacturing equipment with widely used FANUC, OKUMA and Heidenhain controls. Shop floor operators can live-stream machine movement and data into VERICUT straight from a running machine, using this time to contrast live cycle times to VERICUT’s predictions. With this module inside VERICUT, manufacturers can open their eyes to the possibility of what cutting tool was active or what work offset was currently loaded, giving insight that other manufacturers would be operating without. This can also be beneficial when needed machining expertise is off site at another location, or just to view what is happening inside the machine at certain spots of the CNC program without coolant or other machine components obstructing view.
Continually Review and Improve Your Processes with Postcheck
Even with the best efforts and processes such as Precheck in place, at times something still may not go as expected during a part run. The Precheck functionality is a wonderful tool to get assurance up front, but retroactive assurance can be had as well with the Postcheck feature that was released in VERICUT 9.5. End users can view post-machining insights to compare how the part ran on the simulation compared to the real thing. Manufacturers can investigate potential issues that may have resulted in parts that are out of specification, or any errors that led to overrides and emergency stops. With Postcheck manufacturers can review changes to the NC program subroutines, feed rates and spindle speeds, overrides and to see if there was an edit to the CNC program.
Ensuring Your Shop Floor is Prepared for the Future
Systems and computers that meet the needs of your CAD/CAM systems and verification and optimization are a must in any modern manufacturing outlet. But getting the ball rolling on evolving your shop floor with CNC Machine Connect is a lot easier than you might have imagined. CNC Machine Connectivity requires your production equipment to be configured to a network that more than likely will be a breeze if your machinery has modern capabilities built in with Ethernet. Fill out the form below to see CNC Machine Connect in action and find out from Scytec specialists what is needed to take your shop floor to the next level.