May 22, 2013 - Edgecam Solid Machinist has reinforced its leading CAM-partner credentials by gaining 2014 certification from Autodesk Inventor and Autodesk Vault – forming a relationship that gives the “best in class” CAD and CAM solution.
Using the Edgecam add-in for Autodesk Inventor, the CAD model is sent to Edgecam Solid Machinist for feature finding and CAM application processes. As Edgecam loads the Inventor model directly, without using a translator, there is no data loss. Any changes to the design model in Inventor are automatically flagged when loading an Edgecam part file, giving the option to accept or reject them. Accepting changes to the design model automatically regenerates features such as holes and pockets that were on the original model.
Edgecam finds machineable items, such as boss and hole features in the Autodesk Inventor part, with a single click, extracting information relating to them. In addition, the CAD to toolpath associativity eliminates down time in the event of a late design change.
General Manager Raf Lobato says the key advantage of the Inventor/Edgecam solution is that CAM processes are applied to the original Inventor model as produced by the designer. “Edgecam adds to a manufacturer’s profitability due to the high degree of CAD integration and flexibility in toolpath creation, providing increased productivity and rapid return on investment. Therefore, its combination with Autodesk Inventor provides a solution that offers ‘best in class’ CAD and CAM products.”
And with Solid Machinist also being a certified Autodesk Vault 2014 application, users can store and manage CAM files in Vault, alongside the CAD files. The Vault menu inside Edgecam offers a full range of Vault functions, including the ability to check files in and out, and utilise the version history.
Storing the design and Edgecam manufacturing in Vault enables design teams to track work-in-progress and maintain version control over their jobs even where more than one person is working on the part. “It automatically captures the revision history of Edgecam part files, ensuring the team only access the correctly revised part.”
Vault’s seamless integration into Edgecam’s menu structure follows the same style as Autodesk Inventor, meaning its commands are readily available during a work session. When Edgecam files containing an Inventor model are checked out of the Vault and loaded into Edgecam, any recent changes are recognised, flagging up the opportunity to update them in the Edgecam part.
