SolidWorks Partner Profile: SolidCAM

SolidWorks Partner Profile: SolidCAM

1. Tell us about SolidCAM. What does the company do?

SolidCAM is a world leader in advanced tool path generation technology (CAM) running directly inside SolidWorks. SolidCAM features a full line of CNC machine programming software solutions ranging from 2 axis lathes and 3 axis mills to extremely complex multi-axis MillTurn machines and Wire Edm.  All products run directly inside SolidWorks and provide the user with a true "SolidWorks look and feel" for ease of use and maximum efficiency.  Along with the integrated interface and scalability for new machines, SolidCAM also has its patented "iMachining" that powers users to new levels of productivity and profits, through unmatched cycle time reduction and unrivaled tool life.

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2. Why should SolidWorks customers be interested in your product?

Any company looking for the ultimate competitive advantage can now experience the benefits of an affordable, extremely powerful CAM system that goes beyond the traditional benefits of an integrated CAM program, like automatic tool path updates and ease of use, to an entirely new level of productivity.  Stay several steps ahead and enjoy greater profits with our CAM programming products that let users operate at unheard of levels of material removal, while creating tool paths right inside SolidWorks or even enter into new industries where exotic materials and small tools are required.

Most people have been exposed to the benefits of working inside SolidWorks to program their CNC machines.  These range from eliminating the need to import files into a CAM system and having to do it again if the part changes, the issues with the part data coming through intact, the steep learning curve of adopting a CAM system with its own interface, and having one design model instead of multiple ones sent to other software packages. 

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Assuming Linearity: Linear Static vs. Nonlinear

Background
SolidWorks has several different tools available for analyzing structures. Static analysis (discussed in my previous blog article) is available with the purchase of SolidWorks Simulation (included in SolidWorks Premium). Nonlinear analysis is available with the purchase of SolidWorks Simulation Premium (see Figure 1).


Figure 1 – SolidWorks Simulation study types

When a force is applied to a structure (a pencil, a building, a fixture, etc.) the internal pressure in the structure builds up. We call this internal pressure, stress. As stresses rise, the structure gets longer or shorter. We call this elongation, strain. When we run a Static analysis, we are assuming that the relationship between stress and strain is a simple one; we assume the relationship is linear. By making this assumption, we can potentially make an otherwise difficult or sometimes impossible problem very easy to solve.

However, this assumption isn’t all true. In reality, the relationship between stress and strain is never “perfectly” linear. But this assumption is close enough for many scenarios, and the amount of error it introduces may be negligible.

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