NC Mold and Die Programmer

The DELMIA 3DEXPERIENCE NC Mold and Die Programmer (NMD) Role is used to program milling machines to produce 3D parts that require advanced 2.5-axis and 3-axis milling, axial, and probing operations, plus the ability to switch to 5-axis motion.

Built on the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform, NC Mold and Die Programmer immerses NC Programmers in a lifelike virtual workplace where they create, optimize, and validate milling programs. Programmers easily access current information for machining resources, NC programs, and part setup. NC Mold and Die Programmer also programs 2- and 4-axes wire EDM machines.

NC Mold and Die Programmer provides a full set of features for workpiece setup, cutter tool assembly, and toolpath simulation that includes material removal, machine-tool simulation and NC code generation. NC Programmers can capture and leverage enterprise intellectual property and collaborate with other stakeholders as they develop, validate, and optimize NC programs.

DELMIA NC Prismatic Machine Programmer

NC Mold and Die Programmer Benefits

Reduce NC programming time

NC Mold and Die Programmer makes NC Programmers more efficient with features like intuitive graphic dialog boxes, traffic light indicators for undefined machining parameters, and a help icon for each parameter. When NC programs are authored or edited, NMD takes into account the machine tools kinematic definition if embedded in the manufacturing cell. Tool changes and machine rotations are automatically generated and can be visualized in the machining operation definition panel.

Maximize machine tool utilization

NC Mold and Die Programmer’s wide range of operations and strategies helps programmers create toolpath programs that minimize non-value-added motion, Optimized NC programs, including high-speed machining features and reduce overall machining cycle time. NMD takes in-process parts into account to generate collision-free tool paths. The 3-to-5 converter option provides the best of both worlds: high-speed milling wherever the initial constant tool axis can be held, and high-quality machining without tool change with 5-axis motion locally.

Mitigate risk to production

NC Mold & Die Programmer’s 3D environment enables programmers to create optimized NC programs in the manufacturing context, with NC machine, cutter, tool assemblies, NC accessories and more. This provides a better understanding of the manufacturing cell and ensures that the tool path and machining strategy take the tool’s physical environment into account. It reduces the risk of unexpected issues at the machine and the resulting production delays. NMD enables efficient impact analysis, which helps in decision-making. For example, checking the list of all the processes that use a given cutter before adopting a new reference to it.

Leverage intellectual property

NMD improves automation and standardization of NC toolpath programs. Users can define and store machining processes for multi-pocket operations as dedicated templates and store them in catalogs for reuse. Enterprise IP is capitalized and recycled to make programming more efficient. The gains in productivity and machining-work standardization are significant.

A single design-to-machining solution to better understand engineering changes.

Based on the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform, NC Mold and Die Programmer provides an unrivaled level of associativity between product engineering, manufacturing processes, and resources. Companies can manage concurrent engineering and manufacturing flows more effectively and shorten the design-to-manufacturing cycle. NMD offers industry-best support of design changes and design variants and the rapid creation of programs for families of parts. Native implementation links connect machining programs to engineering and manufacturing data, for cutters, for example. These links can be used to see which machining programs are impacted by engineering or manufacturing changes, ensuring that machining data is up-to-date with engineering changes.

DELMIA NC Milling Path

NC Mold and Die Programmer Highlights

A Setup Wizard and an immersive, context-based user interface

NMD immerses users in a realistic 3D environment. A toolpath creation wizard and context-based menus are available to help do quick 3D setup and create the NC tool path. Traffic lights signal if parameters need to be defined. If a user clicks on a Help icon while editing a parameter, an image describing the parameter pops up in the panel. Users can quickly organize programs in the activities process tree using copy-and-paste functions. Tool changes and machine rotations are automatically generated and can be visualized in the activity process tree.

Manage and program machining resources

NMD lets users manage CNC machines, accessories, tools and tool assemblies. These resources can be retrieved through standard search capabilities, using relevant machining attributes, and instantiated in a manufacturing cell. Users can clearly see the impact of changes on the definition of objects such as parts or cutting tools across all NC processes and programs. NMD supports default or customized representations of the cutter and tool assemblies that are used for verification, simulation with material removal, and collision checking.

Automatic association of prismatic machining features with part design

NMD automatically recognizes the prismatic machining features of the product design, significantly reducing toolpath programming time. A manufacturing view of the design part is generated, with all the drilling and milling features that are to be machined. Through this embedded feature-recognition technology, NMD enables toolpath programming for geometrical-machined, feature-creation design parts—even those with no design feature specifications.

Best-in-class machining strategies for efficient programming of milling machines

NMD offers a broad range of machining operations for toolpath definition, including pocketing, facing and contouring. These operations can be defined as multi-level and multi-pass. The tool path can be optimized for high-speed or point-to-point machining and for a full set of axial operations from standard drilling to complex boring and chamfering. NMD offers unique functionalities for creating and verifying milling, drilling, and probing operations. Probing operations are very flexible and can be customized with associated user parameters. NMD extends the 2.5 axis capabilities by offering a best-in-class 4-axis pocketing operation that includes a variety of strategies, island management and user-defined lead angle on the tool axis for better cutting conditions. This operation also supports non-cylindrical and non-conical surfaces and revolution surfaces going beyond 180 degrees.

High-end strategies from roughing to finishing

NMD offers a full set of high-end strategies from roughing to finishing, such as sweeping, Z-Level, contour-driven machining, and curve machining. It automatically generates tool paths for the entire part. Users can also author operations needed to machine specific features. High-speed milling features and specific pattern operations for hard-material machining, such as concentric, trochoid, and helix 3D are included. The concentric strategy controls the radial engagement to maximize the efficiency on the machine while protecting the cutter. With this powerful combination, users can drive program generation to shape a proven-quality tool path and get the best possible machine usage.

Powerful roughing and seamless roughing rework

Users can select a roughing strategy—such as back-and-forth, helical, concentric or part-offset—based on the material being machined and the shape of the part. NMD takes tool assemblies into account during computation to generate a collision-free tool path. As roughing operations are defined, the in-process part is computed and used as the starting point for the next set of operations. Users can then create a new roughing operation with a smaller diameter tool. This tool path is automatically generated based on material that remains from any previous operation, including roughing.

Tool path optimization: early resolution of NC machine kinematics errors

NMD lets users identify potential machine-tool kinematic issues during toolpath computation and automatically correct the tool path when errors are found. Kinematic-related errors, such as axis out-of-limit and singularity issues that are normally discovered downstream during machine-tool simulation or physical test runs are now found and solved at the earliest possible point in the business process—during toolpath computation–resulting in huge productivity gains.

Instant Update Technology, and advanced design change management

Adjusting parameters in the machining operation, fine-tuning the approach/retract macro, and optimizing path sequencing are achieved almost instantaneously in NMD with this unique technology. Built on the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform, NMD offers complete associativity with design tools, product engineering, manufacturing processes, and resources. Users are automatically alerted to product design changes and can quickly assess their impact on the machining process. They can easily update the toolpath program.

Wire EDM Machining

NMD allows users to simulate, validate, and program wire Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) processes. Users have the ability to compute the wire EDM path and program the synchronization of each end of the wire to the part contours. Users can implement 2 and 4 axes programming capabilities with dedicated wire EDM strategies, and visualize and validate their program strategy, and then produce the machine code to be used in the real machine. As with all DELMIA Machining applications, users can save and re-use best practices by creating the wire EDM paths, storing them in a template, and then re-using the same strategy on other parts to be machined.

Advanced simulation capability

NMD has powerful simulation capabilities for toolpath validation. This simulation functionality brings one of the most advanced machine simulation modules to the market to identify potential issues earlier in the process. NMD has the capability to compute the volume of gouges in the workpiece, making it easier for users to prioritize and process gouges in machining programs. Near misses, which are the user defined safety distance, are also identified and multiple tool change locations are supported for a more accurate simulation of the machine motions. The simulation context, saved in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, allows the user to organize his review the most convenient way for him and it also ensures traceability of the validation task. It allows users to program, optimize and validate the machining in the most efficient way. It lets NC Programmers identify toolpath errors earlier in the process and shortens programming time.

Seamless NC data generation

NMD offers seamless generation of APT source and NC Code ISO format through the integrated post-processor execution engine, the library of standard post-processor syntax mapping tables and Post Processor samples. The output formats can easily be customized. The output is generated and managed in the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform. Additional files generated by the post-processor are also automatically saved, so all relevant outputs for any part are current and available at the same location. Key information can be exported as documentation for ready reference on the shop floor.