• Tag: manufacturing

    Interested in tweaking an HSM (Inventor CAM, Fusion CAM, HSMWorks) post-processor yourself?

    Posted on by SolidCAD

    The “SolidCAD Universal FANUC” post processor (free on our website) contains a large number of parameters that can be set on-the-fly through the “Post-Process” dialog, without needing to change anything inside the post-processor.

    If you require other changes, SolidCAD offers a post-processor modification service to adapt this post to your machine and to your best practices. If you wish to make changes yourself, you are free to do so. Indeed, the “SolidCAD Universal FANUC” post-processor and all the post-processors available on the HSM Post Library website are unlocked and open-source.

    The HSM Post Library is found here: https://cam.autodesk.com/hsmposts

    A post .cps post-processor file is merely a text file. It can be opened and edited in Notepad or any other text editor. There is unfortunately no user interface; changes must be made to the code in JavaScript language.

    However, the good news is that Autodesk publishes a free manual to guide you through the process, covering the basics of JavaScript and explaining the various sections of a post file. The manual can be downloaded here: https://cam.autodesk.com/posts/posts/guides/Post%20Processor%20Training%20Guide.pdf

    If you can’t find an answer in this 200-page guide, you can consult the vast archive of the HSM Post-Processor Forum, and even post your question on this very active forum. The forum is located here: https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/hsm-post-processor-forum/bd-p/218

    Do you know about Adaptive Clearing?

    Posted on by SolidCAD

    Hey CNC’ers!

    Do you know about Adaptive Clearing? It’s the intelligent roughing strategy at the heart of HSM CAM that has changed milling forever. Increase your profitability by getting to near-net-shape in a single, highly-efficient, tool-sparing operation.

    To learn more about the advantages (as well as pitfalls) of this game-changing technology, download the following article: https://www.solidcad.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/A-few-words-on-Intelligent-Roughing-by-Louis-Martineau-.pdf and visit here.

    You can also watch the video down below:

    PART 2 : Bill of Materials (BOM) Transfer from Vault to Fusion Lifecycle 

    Posted on by SolidCAD

    This is the second in a three-part series of Fusion Lifecycle videos. This video, will focus on the Bill-of-Material transfer from Autodesk Vault Professional to Autodesk Fusion Lifecycle.

    Vault Pro and Fusion Lifecycle can be integrated allowing data to move between the two systems. When Designers and Engineers have completed their work in CAD and Vault Pro, they will Release the assemblies.  The Bill-of-Materials is then extracted from Vault and transferred to Fusion Lifecycle as an Items BOM.  In Fusion Lifecycle, the BOM can be managed by adding or removing items.  When complete, the BOM is advanced to the Approval Stage using Fusion Lifecycle’s Bill of Materials Management capabilities.

    PART 1 : New Project Introduction Process In Fusion Lifecycle

    Posted on by SolidCAD

    This is the first in a three-part series of Fusion Lifecycle videos. In this video, we will review the New Product or New Project Introduction process in Fusion Lifecycle.

    Fusion Lifecycle and Autodesk Vault Professional can be integrated to streamline the Project creation process.  In our example, we will begin by creating a project in Fusion Lifecycle.  Upon approval, Fusion Lifecycle will then automatically create that project in Vault, complete with our defined folder structure.

    Achieving Super Results with Autodesk Fusion 360 and ExactFlat

    Posted on by SolidCAD

    Achieving Super Results with Autodesk Fusion 360 and ExactFlat

     

    Recently SolidCAD’s own Hung Nguyen created an outstanding Iron Man mask for his son who was heading to Comic-Con. With a combination of the Autodesk Product Design and Manufacturing Collection and integrated apps from ExactFlat and Pepakura, the International Winner of the Fusion 360 Model of the Month was able to get the job done with little money and time. Hung began the process with ReCap Pro and converted human scan data to a 3D mesh model. He then refined the 3D model with ReMake and used Fusion 360 to prepare the model for production. After that, Hung created perfect flat patterns with ExactFlat Online software in a few short minutes.

    Since 3D modeling typically consist of “faces”, a piece creation step was taken to prepare the design for flattening since the faces may not align with the “pieces” that need to be cut. Hung used the ExactFlat Publisher Plugin for Fusion 360 to combine faces into pieces. The other key part of the process is optimizing the pattern for strain and sag which was done with Pre-Flatten tools in ExactFlat to generate the rough pattern. This optimization step provides a view of the pattern shape as well as highlighting areas of strain or sag in the pattern.  Knowing this before anything is cut is critical in saving time and materials.

    Once Hung had the patterns right, he used nesting software to optimize the material cost. He then generated CNC code using Fusion 360 CAM 2D profile cutting. The final step was to assemble all the parts of the custom-fit Ironman suit together, which was the perfect shape and size for his son.

     

    To learn more about Hung Nguyen, click here

    To learn more about Autodesk Product, click here

     

    Check out how SolidCAD helped Cithara Guitars Inc. make beautiful music using Autodesk Fusion 360!

    Posted on by SolidCAD

    PROJECT PROFILE

    If you are inquiring about a product that does it all when it comes to product design, Fusion 360 is the solution for you!

    This 3D cloud-based platform allows users to test both fit and finish, create photorealistic renderings and simplify the production process overall. With this software you can now efficiently fabricate your designs using a CNC mill.

    Recently SolidCAD directed Cithara Guitars Inc, a custom guitar shop located in Hamilton, ON., to Fusion 360.  With Autodesk’s Fusion 360, Cithara Guitars was able to completely design and manufacture their guitars in one environment without any rework or errors

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