manual sim ancas

USER MANUAL

Version: 6.0 February 2008

DS946-0-00-9001

CIMulator3D User’s Manual

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© Copyright 2002 ANCA Pty. Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this manual may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of ANCA Pty. Ltd. A limited non-transferable, non-exclusive license is granted to purchasers of the ANCA CNC Tool Grinding machine to use this manual solely in connection with their use of that product. This Manual is based on information available at the time of publication. Reasonable precaution has been taken in the preparation of this manual, but the information contained herein does not purport to cover all details or variations in hardware and software configuration. Features may be described herein which are not present in all hardware and software systems. ANCA Pty. Ltd. and its affiliates and representatives make no representation or warranty, expressed, implied, or statutory with respect to, and assumes no responsibility for, the accuracy, completeness, sufficiency, or usefulness of the information contained herein. Programming examples, procedures, and suggestions contained herein, are intended for illustrative purposes only, and do not necessarily apply to any particular part. They may be incorrect, or they may be misinterpreted. In addition, the machines and the software may have been mis-installed or no longer functioning correctly. Any programming example, procedure or suggestion must be tested in the particular application fully before being used in production. IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, IF ANY, ARE DISCLAIMED. ANCA PTY. LTD. AND ITS AFFILIATES AND REPRESENTATIVES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE IN TORT, CONTRACT, OR OTHERWISE FOR ANY DIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. ALL DISCLAIMERS AND LIMITATIONS IN THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ANCA PTY. LTD. AND ITS AFFILIATES AND REPRESENTATIVES WHICH APPLY TO THE SALE OF THE ANCA SYSTEM 32 CNC ALSO APPLY, AT THE ELECTION OF ANCA PTY. LTD. TO THE FURNISHING OF THIS MANUAL. IMPORTANT: THE ENCLOSED PROGRAMS ARE SUB-LICENCED BY ANCA TO END-USERS. FOR THEIR USE ONLY, ON THE TERMS LISTED BELOW. ACCEPTING AND USING THESE PROGRAMS INDICATES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS. LICENSE, ANCA Pty. Ltd, ("ANCA") agrees to grant you a non-exclusive license to use the enclosed program(s) (including programs contained on floppy disk and hard disk) subject to the terms and conditions of this License Agreement. COPYRIGHT. The programs and documentation are copyrighted, and contain trade secrets, and proprietary property of ANCA. In addition to any other rights of ANCA, ANCA has the right to terminate this license if the terms of this license are violated. ANCA has the right to trace serial numbers at any time and in any reasonable manner. RESTRICTIONS ON USE AND TRANSFER: This program is licensed to be used on one machine only at any one time. You may not distribute the program(s) or documentation to a third party. Neither the Program(s), nor the documentation may be changed or translated without the express written permission of ANCA. YOUR USE OF THIS PROGRAM(S) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT YOU HAVE READ THIS END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT, AND AGREE TO ITS TERMS. CIMulator3D is covered by United States Patent 6,341,996 and Australian Patent No. 713,868. CIMulator3D has Patents Pending in Europe. ANCA Pty. Ltd. 25 Gatwick Road, North Bayswater, Victoria, Australia, 3153. Telephone: 61-3-9751-8200. Fax: 61-3-9751-7300


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CONTENTS

1 INSTALLATION .................................................................................................................................................. 6 1.1 REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................................................................................... 6 1.2 RECOMMENDATIONS............................................................................................................................................ 7 1.3 INSTALLATION PROCEDURE ................................................................................................................................ 8

1.3.1 Preparation ............................................................................................................................................. 8 1.3.2 CIMulator3D Installation from CDROM ........................................................................................ 9 1.3.3 License Configuration ....................................................................................................................... 12

2 INTRODUCTION TO CIMULATOR3D..................................................................................................... 15 2.1 MAIN MENU ....................................................................................................................................................... 15

2.1.1 File Menu ............................................................................................................................................... 15 2.1.2 Display Menu........................................................................................................................................ 15 2.1.3 Grind Menu ........................................................................................................................................... 16 2.1.4 Machine Menu...................................................................................................................................... 16 2.1.5 Window Menu ...................................................................................................................................... 17 2.1.6 Help Menu ............................................................................................................................................. 17

2.2 TOOLBARS .......................................................................................................................................................... 18 2.2.1 Animation Toolbar.............................................................................................................................. 18 2.2.2 Measurement Toolbar ....................................................................................................................... 19 2.2.3 Arrangement Toolbar........................................................................................................................ 20 2.2.4 Manipulation Toolbar......................................................................................................................... 20

2.3 INDICATORS....................................................................................................................................................... 21 2.3.1 Status Bar ............................................................................................................................................. 21 2.3.2 Grinding Indicator .............................................................................................................................. 21 2.3.3 Mouse Indicator .................................................................................................................................. 22

2.4 OPTIONS ............................................................................................................................................................ 23 2.4.1 General Options .................................................................................................................................. 23 2.4.2 Grind Options....................................................................................................................................... 24 2.4.3 Display Options ................................................................................................................................... 25 2.4.4 Image Capture Options.................................................................................................................... 26

3 GRINDING SIMULATION............................................................................................................................ 27 3.1 GRIND FROM TPD FILE .................................................................................................................................... 27 3.2 NETWORK-BASED GRINDING ............................................................................................................................ 27 3.3 GRINDING .......................................................................................................................................................... 31 3.4 FAST GRIND....................................................................................................................................................... 31 3.5 OPERATION REGRIND ....................................................................................................................................... 31 3.6 AUTO RUN.......................................................................................................................................................... 33 3.7 GRINDING DETAIL............................................................................................................................................. 33 3.8 MULTI-SECTION BLANKS.................................................................................................................................. 34 3.9 CYCLE TIMES ...................................................................................................................................................... 35 3.10 COLLISION DETECTION................................................................................................................................... 36

3.10.1 Setting up the simulator for accurate collision detection............................................... 37 3.10.2 Machine configuration.................................................................................................................. 37 3.10.3 Initiating collision detection ...................................................................................................... 38

4 ZOOM, PAN AND ROTATE........................................................................................................................... 40 4.1 MOUSE MANIPULATION..................................................................................................................................... 40 4.2 CONSTRAINED ROTATION................................................................................................................................. 40 4.3 MANIPULATION MODE....................................................................................................................................... 41 4.4 HOME POSITIONS.............................................................................................................................................. 41

5 DISPLAY OPTIONS ........................................................................................................................................ 42 5.1 3D DISPLAY....................................................................................................................................................... 42

5.1.1 Axes......................................................................................................................................................... 42 5.1.2 Background........................................................................................................................................... 43


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5.1.3 Blank ....................................................................................................................................................... 44 5.1.4 Camera................................................................................................................................................... 45 5.1.5 Colour Coding ...................................................................................................................................... 46 5.1.6 Machine Model ..................................................................................................................................... 48 5.1.7 Plane ....................................................................................................................................................... 49 5.1.8 Grid .......................................................................................................................................................... 50 5.1.9 Tool .......................................................................................................................................................... 52 5.1.10 Wheel ................................................................................................................................................. 54

5.2 OTHER TOOLS AND SETTINGS .......................................................................................................................... 56 5.2.1 Metric/Imperial.................................................................................................................................... 56 5.2.2 Animate Dialog .................................................................................................................................... 57 5.2.3 Machine Axes Dialog ......................................................................................................................... 58 5.2.4 Collisions Dialog.................................................................................................................................. 59 5.2.5 Cycle Time Dialog............................................................................................................................... 59

6 VIEWING ARRANGEMENTS....................................................................................................................... 60 6.1 3D ARRANGEMENT ............................................................................................................................................ 60 6.2 MEASUREMENT ARRANGEMENT ........................................................................................................................ 61

6.2.1 X and Y Scrollbars.............................................................................................................................. 62 6.2.2 Tool Centre and Tangent Lines ..................................................................................................... 62 6.2.3 Shadowgraph Dialog ......................................................................................................................... 63

6.3 2D ARRANGEMENT ............................................................................................................................................ 64 6.4 CROSS-SECTION ARRANGEMENT..................................................................................................................... 65 6.5 3D PROJECTIONS ARRANGEMENT.................................................................................................................... 67

7 MEASUREMENT ................................................................................................................................................ 68 7.1 SHADOWGRAPH MEASUREMENT ....................................................................................................................... 68 7.2 PROBE MEASUREMENT ...................................................................................................................................... 69

8 MACHINE CONFIGURATION..................................................................................................................... 71 8.1 COLLETS............................................................................................................................................................. 71 8.2 DOOR OPEN ....................................................................................................................................................... 71 8.3 DRESSER ............................................................................................................................................................ 72 8.4 STEADY .............................................................................................................................................................. 73 8.5 P-AXIS ............................................................................................................................................................... 76 8.6 TAILSTOCK ......................................................................................................................................................... 78

9 FILE INPUT AND OUTPUT.......................................................................................................................... 80 9.1 TPD INPUT AND OUTPUT.................................................................................................................................. 80 9.2 VRML INPUT AND OUTPUT............................................................................................................................... 82 T

9.3 DXF OUTPUT ..................................................................................................................................................... 85 9.4 STL OUTPUT...................................................................................................................................................... 85 9.5 STEP AND IGES OUTPUT................................................................................................................................ 86 9.6 TOOL EDGES OUTPUT ....................................................................................................................................... 87 9.7 CROSS SECTION OUTPUT ................................................................................................................................. 87 9.8 IMAGE OUTPUT .................................................................................................................................................. 88

10 REFERENCE INFORMATION ............................................................................................................... 89 10.1 SHORTCUT KEYS........................................................................................................................................... 89

11 TROUBLESHOOTING............................................................................................................................... 90 11.1 CIMULATOR3D TERMINATES ABNORMALLY ON START-UP ........................................................................ 90 11.2 CIMULATOR3D TERMINATES ABNORMALLY WHEN THE MEASUREMENT ARRANGEMENT IS ACCESSED... 90 11.3 CERTAIN DIALOGS IN CIMULATOR3D DO NOT OPEN WHEN BEING ACTIVATED ...................................... 90


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1.1

INSTALLATION This chapter describes the hardware and software requirements of ANCA CIMulator3D, the installation process, and makes recommendations about getting the most benefit from the software package. If CIMulator3D has already been installed on your system, you may wish to skip to the next chapter.

Requirements The minimum requirements of ANCA CIMulator3D are:

• Intel Core 2, Pentium D, Pentium 4, Pentium 3, Pentium 2, Pentium Pro, Pentium CPU or compatible

• 128MB of RAM • 150MB of hard disk space • Windows XP, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 SP3 or higher • One of the following supported OpenGL graphics cards:

o NVIDIA GeForce 7, GeForce 6, GeForce FX, GeForce 4, GeForce 3, GeForce 2, GeForce 256 series

o ATI Radeon 9800, Radeon 9600 • Latest graphics card driver • Ethernet LAN (local area network) adaptor

o TCP/IP networking o Netbios interface

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher • Administrator access is necessary for installation • Adobe Reader 5.0 or above, for viewing online documentation

Drivers for all supported 3D graphics hardware are included in each release of CIMulator3D. It is recommended that graphics drivers be updated whenever CIMulator3D is installed or upgraded.


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1.2 Recommendations Tool grinding simulation can be resource intensive. Consideration should be given to 3D graphics performance, CPU speed and memory size in order to maximize the usefulness and efficiency of CIMulator3D.

• Fastest available CPU Grinding simulation is numerically demanding. Increasing the speed of the CPU will increase the speed of simulation, and facilitate simulation at higher detail. Thus we recommend the Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66GHz CPU for optimum performance.

• 1024MB RAM

Grinding simulation is memory intensive. Performance suffers significantly when CIMulator3D exhausts available physical memory. Increasing the amount of memory available to CIMulator3D will increase the range of tools that can be simulated, and allows a finer level of simulation detail.

• Multiple CPUs

CIMulator3D is not designed to make use of multiple CPUs for grinding simulation. However, a second CPU will improve user interface and graphics frame-rate while grinding simulation is in progress. Therefore, multiple CPUs are of some benefit to performance and usability, but should not be prioritised ahead of a faster single-processor or extra memory.

• Graphics Hardware

Choice of OpenGL graphics hardware affects the smoothness of animation, manipulation and viewing. We recommend the Nvidia GeForce 7600GT. This card provides good performance and is widely available, and is compatible with all ANCA software including the Toolroom software.

• Laptop computers

ANCA CIMulator3D is not supported on laptops.


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1.3 Installation Procedure 1.3.1 Preparation Perform the following steps to prepare your Windows NT or Windows XP system for CIMulator3D. You may need your Windows NT or Windows XP installation CD. You may also need to consult your system administrator concerning service packs, drivers and network configuration.

1. Install Windows NT or Windows XP Service Packs, if necessary. If you are using Windows NT, at minimum Service Pack 3 is required. Using the latest service pack is always recommended. However note the exceptions below that apply for Windows NT. If your system is running INtime real-time kernel version 2.1 only Windows NT Service Pack 6a is supported. If your system is running INtime real-time kernel version 1.2 only Windows NT Service Pack 3 is supported.

2. Install graphics card, and update drivers, if necessary. Graphics card drivers are included on the CIMulator3D CD. Latest drivers are also available at the following web sites:

Nvidia based cards http:// www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx

3. Install Ethernet adaptor, and drivers, if necessary.

4. Install TCP/IP Networking and Netbios interface, if necessary.

5. Install Microsoft Internet Explorer, 4.0 or higher. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 is included on the CIMulator3D distribution CD. The latest version can be downloaded from: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/

6. Install Adobe Reader 5.0 or higher.

Adobe Reader 6.0 is included on the CIMulator3D distribution CD.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/


1.3.2 CIMulator3D Installation from CDROM Perform the following steps to install CIMulator3D on your Windows NT system. You will need a CIMulator3D Release CD.

1. Login as administrator. (Or as a user with local administrative rights.)

2. Close all open applications. 3. Place the CIMulator3D CD in a CDROM drive. 4. The Setup program should start automatically. If it does not, you will

need to follow the steps below to manually run SETUP.EXE from the CIMulator3D CD.

• From the Windows Start menu, select Run

• Click on the Browse button

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• Choose the CDROM drive, and open Setup.EXE

5. The CIMulator3D installation program should appear as follows:

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6. Choose a destination folder for CIMulator3D. The default folder is C:\Program Files\ANCA\CIMulator3D

7. The CIMulator3D program files will be installed. This may take a few moments. If prompted to restart the computer, do so.

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1.3.3 License Configuration The CIMulator3D software package includes a license management system that limits the use of the package and certain features to licensed computers. Enquiries for additional licenses should be directed to your ANCA sales representative or reseller. CIMulator3D should be first launched with administrator privileges. This is necessary for configuring certain parts of the registry. If you have just restarted your computer because the CIMulator3D installer asked you to, then this step should also be performed as administrator.

1. Login as administrator, if necessary.

2. Start CIMulator3D. From the Start menu, select Programs → ANCA CIMulator 3D → CIMulator3D

3. The CIMulator3D license dialog will appear, if the license is not already configured.

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4. The Customer ID, the CD Key, the Options Key, and the Product Key are unique for each computer. You will receive a license file called cim3d.lic which will contain all the licensing information that will allow CIMulator3D to run on your computer. The license file will normally be sent to you by e-mail, in which case you will need to save the license file to disk.

5. Click on Import License….

6. Navigate to where the license file is stored. Select the file and click Open.

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7. Your license information is now imported.

8. Press the Close button to continue. If the license is valid, the CIMulator3D application will be launched.

9. License information can be reviewed or updated at any time via the Window → License menu in CIMulator3D.


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2.1

INTRODUCTION TO CIMULATOR3D This chapter introduces the features and interface of CIMulator3D, in order to get you started with CIMulator3D as quickly as possible. Each feature is covered in more detail in other chapters.

Main Menu

Nearly all of the features of CIMulator3D are available via the main menu. Options are organized into submenus, including File, Display and Grind. Further information about each menu item is displayed on the status bar, on the bottom left of the CIMulator3D window. Use the mouse to navigate the menus and use the status bar for a more detailed explanation. Menus can be accessed more quickly by using the keyboard. For example, the File menu can be opened by holding ALT and pressing F. 2.1.1 File Menu

• Open or save TPD files. • Save three-dimensional tools in STEP, IGES, VRML, DXF or STL format. • Save tool edges and 2D cross sections in DXF or VRML format. • Save JPG or PNG images of the tool. • Configure a variety of options. • Open a number of most recently used TPD files. • Exit CIMulator3D.

2.1.2 Display Menu

• Display animate, machine axes, collision and cycle time dialogs • Configure the display of the blank, tool, wheel cluster and grinding

machine. • Configure the grid overlay display. • Choose between metric and imperial units. (mm or inch) • Choose between orthogonal or perspective camera.

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• Choose the stationary mode: camera relative to blank, wheel, headstock or world.

• Choose the colour-coding mode and display the colour coding legend. • Configure the background colour scheme.

See also

5 Display Options 2.1.3 Grind Menu

• Toggle grinding simulation. • Configure the simulation level of detail.

See also

3 Grinding Simulation 2.1.4 Machine Menu

• Configure the grinding machine collet • Configure the pop-up steady. • Configure the P-Axis. • Configure the tailstock. • Configure the dresser. • Open or close the door of the machine.

See also

8 Machine Configuration

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2.1.5 Window Menu

• Select the viewing arrangement: 3D, Cross-Section, Measurement or

2D. • Display the IP address of the CIMulator3D host. • Display or edit the license configuration.

See also 6 Viewing Arrangements 1.3.3 License Configuration

2.1.6 Help Menu

• Display the online manual and release notes. • Display version and license information about CIMulator3D.

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2.2 Toolbars 2.2.1 Animation Toolbar

Animation

Speed Current Move

Current Position

Simulation Mode

Real-Time Previous Reverse

Fast Grind

Maximum Next Forward Stop

Grind

The animation toolbar is for controlling playback and grinding simulation of the tool grinding cycle. The animation speed can be adjusted for rapid simulation, or alternatively, precise observation of wheel grinding paths. The currently selected move can be selected, or the position within the overall grinding cycle. Animation can be forwards, backwards or disabled. Grinding can also be enabled or disabled. The tool can also be ground in Fast Grind mode where all tool animation is suspended. When grinding completes, the final simulated tool model is displayed. This mode improves grinding speed by up to 75%. See also 5.2.2 Animate Dialog

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2.2.2 Measurement Toolbar

Protractor Grid Colour Coding Camera Stationary Mode

Angle

Set Zero Position

Toggle Protractor

Show cycle time dialog

Show collisions dialog

Toggle Colour Coding Legend

The measurement toolbar is for analysis of tool geometry. The protractor grid can be enabled or disabled, and the current protractor angle is displayed. Relative angular measurements can be obtained by setting the zero position of the protractor. Different tool colouring modes can be selected – based on cycle time, move, operation, wheel or wheel profile. The camera can be configured to be relative to the wheel, column, tool, machine or headstock. Collisions and cycle time dialogs can also be activated from the toolbar. See also

3.9 Cycle Times3.10 Collision Detection

5.1.8 Grid 5.1.5 Colour Coding 5.1.4 Camera

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2.2.3 Arrangement Toolbar

3D Measurement Cross-Sections 3D Projections 2D Information Help

The arrangement toolbar is for selecting between the different viewing arrangements in CIMulator3D. Each arrangement is designed for a particular task – viewing, measurement, or cross-sectional analysis. The information arrangement displays run-time status information about CIMulator3D, and can be useful for troubleshooting. The CIMulator3D documentation is available on-line via the help button on the arrangement toolbar. See also 6 Viewing Arrangements

2.2.4 Manipulation Toolbar

Home Position

Add Home Position

Orthogonal to xyz axes

Snap to origin

View

Sectioning Plane

Lighting

Protractor Overlay

The manipulation toolbar is for 3D manipulation of the viewing camera, sectioning plane, lighting and protractor overlay. For each possible manipulation mode, it is possible to configure home positions, snap the orientation to the xyz axis system, and translate back to the origin. Only one manipulation mode can be used at a time. This toolbar is often used in conjunction with mouse zooming, panning and rotation. See also 4 Zoom, Pan and Rotate

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2.3 Indicators 2.3.1 Status Bar

The status bar is along the bottom of the CIMulator3D application window. If is used for displaying information about menu items, toolbar buttons, and for reporting important events in CIMulator3D. To find out more information about a menu item, hold the mouse over the menu item and look at the explanation displayed in the status bar.

2.3.2 Grinding Indicator

In the bottom right-hand corner of the CIMulator3D application window, there are three indicators that indicate network activity and simulation computation and completion. The green Parsing indicator remains active while CIMulator3D is busy with processing a Network or input TPD file. During this time other connections are accepted but will not be processed until the current connection is complete. The green Grinding indicator will remain active until grinding of the current move is complete, or in animation mode, the entire tool has been simulated. The blue Grinding progress indicator is only active during the Fast Grind mode and indicates the percentage of grinding that is complete. The red Removing indicator remains active while CIMulator3D is removing operations as part of operation regrind. The red Collision Checking progress indicator is only

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active while CIMulator3D is checking for collisions and it indicates the percentage of the operation that is complete.

2.3.3 Mouse Indicator A mouse icon is displayed in the bottom right-hand corner of the active 3D view. As buttons are pressed, this icon will also indicate which buttons are in use.

No Mouse Button

Left Mouse Button

Rotation

Right Mouse Button

Panning

Middle Mouse Button

Zooming

See also 4.1 Mouse Manipulation

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2.4 Options

A number of application options can be set from the options menu.

2.4.1 General Options

Confirm new tool

Prompt user every time a new tool is loaded

Enable Auto Run

Begin tool grinding simulation as soon as the tool is loaded

Use FastGrind Use FastGrind simulation mode with Auto Run for faster grinding

Loop mode Loop the grinding simulation

Metric Use metric units

Imperial Use imperial units

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2.4.2 Grind Options

Ignore rapid moves Rapid moves are not simulated. If you would like to

see the grinding simulation without rapid moves turn this on. This can be useful if rapid moves collide with the workpiece. It is recommended that this option is turned off at all times.

Merge continuous moves

Moves that connect smoothly are merged into one logical move. Simulated grinding is faster and more efficient in this mode. It is recommended that this option is turned on at all times.

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2.4.3 Display Options

Always use machine display settings stored in TPD

If enabled, the machine display settings stored in the TPD file will override the current defaults.

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2.4.4 Image Capture Options

Default Uses the current screen resolution when saving an

image file.

Custom Uses a user specified resolution when saving an image file.

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3.1

GRINDING SIMULATION

Grind from TPD File CIMulator3D can grind from pre-saved files with the TPD (Tool Path Data) extension. Several sample tools are available in the tpd subdirectory of CIMulator3D. To open a file, select the open item from the CIMulator3D file menu. It is also possible to save the current session as a TPD file, for later simulation and analysis

3.2 Network-based grinding CIMulator3D also accepts network connections for receiving TPD data from other applications. Network connections can be established with the ToolRoom software on the same computer, or elsewhere on the network. Network connections can be established with Windows NT or Windows XP based installations of ToolRoom. The following steps can be used to establish a network connection to CIMulator3D: • Start the ToolRoom software, if necessary.

The following command line can be used to launch ToolRoom in simulation mode: P:\3DX\BIN\start3dx.exe -sim

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• Perform an error-reset, if necessary.

Select UTIL from the ANCA toolbar, and select

Secondary

Shortcut: press F11, then N.

Click on the Error Reset button and wait for the axis

lights to stop flashing.

• Configure 3D Graphics in APD, if necessary.

Select the Configure 3D item from the Graphics menu of APD.

Shortcut: press ALT-G, then C.

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Tool path data can be captured either directly to a file, or sent to a CIMulator3D host computer across the network. Sometimes tool path data that is compatible with earlier CIMulator3D versions is required. In this case the CIMulator3D version can be selected.

The IP address of the CIMulator3D host can be displayed by selecting the IP Address item from the Window menu of CIMulator3D. Shortcut: On the CIMulator3D host, press ALT-W, then I.

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• Set the graphics mode in APD.

Set 3D Graphics mode, from the Graphics

menu of APD.

Shortcut: press ALT-G, then U, and then 3.

• Launch simulation graphics in the APD.

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3.3 Grinding

Grinding simulation can be enabled from the animation toolbar or the Grind menu. In this mode, CIMulator3D grinds the current move. Particular moves of interest can be selected by using the animation toolbar or animate dialog. With grinding simulation disabled, the path of the wheel is shown but no material is ground from the workpiece. This can be substantially faster than grinding simulation, but is often less informative. Grinding simulation is disabled when CIMulator3D starts. The state of the grinding simulation is preserved when a new TPD file is loaded or received in the current CIMulator3D session. 3.4 Fast Grind

Fast Grind mode is the preferred way of grinding. It can be initiated by pressing the button in the animation toolbar or the Grind menu. During Fast Grind all tool animation is suspended and material removal in not displayed. When grinding completes, the final simulated tool model is displayed. Using Fast Grind can improve grinding speed by up to 75%. 3.5 Operation Regrind Operation regrind allows the grinding of only the selected operations without performing the whole grinding simulation again. This can substantially speed up simulation time, especially if only one or two operations need to be modified. Similarly more operations can be added to the tool without having to simulate the whole tool again. Operation regrind only works with iGrind starting from ToolRoom version 26.1.

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To start using Operation Regrind, follow these simple steps: • Create the tool in iGrind and grind it with CIMulator3D. • Once the tool grinding simulation has finished the Mode Regrind option will

become available in iGrind.

• From iGrind click the Mode Regrind button. • From iGrind make changes to the desired operations and make sure that

they remain ticked. • Un-tick any unchanged operations or any operations that you do not want

to re-simulate. In the example below only OD and Ball Finish will be simulated again, while the rest of the operations will remain unchanged.

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3.6

3.7

Auto Run In Auto-Run mode, CIMulator3D enables grinding and animation automatically when a TPD is loaded or received. Alternatively Auto-Run can be setup to automatically grind using Fast-Grind. Auto-Run mode is a persistent setting, and will apply to subsequent CIMulator3D sessions, unless disabled. Auto-Run can be setup from the General section of the File → Options… menu.

Grinding Detail

The level of detail used by grinding simulation can be adjusted, depending on the quality of the desired result, available CPU and memory resources, and the desired speed of simulation. This setting should be configured before any grinding is performed, since all grinding results are lost. The animator is reset to the beginning of the cycle when the detail is changed. By default, the level of detail used for simulation is medium. Setting the level of detail manually involves specifying the average edge length of triangles used for simulation. This setting must be specified in millimetres.

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3.8 Multi-Section Blanks CIMulator3D has support for grinding blanks made up of multiple cylindrical/conical sections. No user interaction is required to enable this feature as CIMulator3D automatically detects if a multi-section blank has been defined in iGrind or TGD.

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3.9 Cycle Times CIMulator3D is able to calculate and display cycle times. This feature can be accessed from Display → Cycle Time.* This enables the user to see how long a particular operation would take to grind on a CNC machine. The total time to grind the tool is also displayed. The calculated times are estimates only, so small variances in actual grind time are expected. * Cycle times are available only for tools simulated with ToolRoom version 28.1 and above.

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3.10 Collision Detection CIMulator3D allows the detection of collisions between the various machine components. These collisions can be analysed in CIMulator3D and then corrected in the tool design software, before they actually happen on a CNC machine. Here are some examples of collisions that can be detected:

• Probe colliding with tool or other part of the machine • Wheels colliding with collet, pop-up steady or other part of the machine • Non-grinding and/or non-abrasive wheels colliding with the tool

If you have already ground the tool you can turn on the transparent blank overlay (Display → Blank → Transparent) to assist you in examining the reported tool collisions.

Please note that when CIMulator3D is performing collision detection against the tool, it always does so against an unground tool (i.e. blank). This is the case even if you have already performed grinding on the tool. As such CIMulator3D sometimes may report tool collisions that would not normally occur if the tool was ground on a CNC machine.

IMPORTANT NOTE

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3.10.1 Setting up the simulator for accurate collision detection Collision detection is a valuable tool during the simulation process. However the results obtained can be misleading if the simulator is not setup correctly. There are certain rules that must be followed in order to ensure that collisions reported are accurate. 1. Always use wheel packs qualified on a CNC machine. Wheel packs qualified on a simulator will not be positioned on the spindle exactly as they would be on a CNC machine. As such always use wheels packs that have been qualified on the corresponding CNC machine (eg. If you are simulating a TX7, use wheel packs qualified on a TX7 machine). 2. Copy spindle offset parameters from p_oem.db from the machine to the simulator. This ensures that spindle and hence the probe is positioned correctly during simulation. The relevant parameters that need to be copied from p_oem.db are:

• *spindle_cntr_line_off • *wheel_spindle.<spindle_number>.offset.<axis>

where, <spindle_number> is either 1 or 2 <axis> is either x,y,z or c

There may be multiple wheel_spindle offset entries for each spindle and each of the axes.

p_oem.db is located in P:\TG7\MISC directory. Depending on the machine variant some of the parameters may not be available in p_oem.db. Below is an excerpt from a machine’s p_oem.db. It illustrates the parameters that need to be copied to the simulator.

*spindle_cntr_line_off: 0.033672767519916 *wheel_spindle.2.offset.x: -0.005430747766825 *wheel_spindle.2.offset.z: 0.060063819523140 *wheel_spindle.2.offset.y: 2.929817632528369

3.10.2 Machine configuration Machine configuration should be setup before starting collision detection. Components such as collets, pop-up steady, p-axis and dresser should be configured so that they resemble the grinding configuration of an actual CNC

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machine as closely as possible. Their configurations settings can be accessed from the Machine menu. Changing any part of the machine configuration after collision detection has been performed, will erase any collisions that have been detected for the current configuration. You will be prompted to confirm any such configuration changes if collision results already exist.

3.10.3 Initiating collision detection

Collision detection can be initiated from Display → Collisions. This brings up the collisions dialog. Click Check Collisions to start the checking process. CIMulator3D will take some time to process all the collisions. The red progress bar indicates the percentage of moves that have been processed for collisions. Once the process is complete a list of collisions are displayed. The departure and type of collisions are indicated for each of the collisions in the list. Detailed information can be obtained by selecting the collision and is displayed in the bottom pane. Double clicking a collision will move the machine to the point in time where the collision occurred. Components involved in the collision will be highlighted in red.

Also note that whenever there is a collision between components during animation, the particular components will be highlighted in red. You can disable collision highlighting by un-ticking the checkbox in the Collisions dialog.

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Depending on the machine display settings some components that are involved in a collision may not be visible. You can always show or hide the required components from Display → Machine.

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4

4.1

ZOOM, PAN AND ROTATE

Mouse Manipulation The position and orientation of the view, protractor, clipping plane and other objects can be manipulated by using the mouse. The left mouse button is used for rotation, the right mouse button is used for panning and the middle button (or both left and right together) is used for zooming in or out.

Default Mouse Pointer

Zooming Hold middle button down, or left and right together.

Panning Hold left button down.

Rotation Hold right button down.

4.2 Constrained Rotation Mouse rotation is normally spaceball style, but it can be useful to constrain the axis of rotation to either the tool axis or perpendicular to the viewing plane.

Rotation around the tool axis Hold Shift and left mouse button. Alternatively, if your mouse has a scroll wheel, rotate the wheel.

Rotation in the viewing plane Hold Ctrl and left mouse button.

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4.3

4.4

Manipulation Mode Zoom, pan and rotation works for viewing, protractor, clipping plane and the current light source. The current manipulation mode can be selected by using the manipulation toolbar, or via the keyboard. Shortcut: Hold SHIFT and press C to select between manipulation modes. See also 2.2.4 Manipulation Toolbar

Home Positions Pre-defined positions can be saved and retrieved using the buttons on the manipulation toolbar, or by using keyboard shortcuts. Most objects are already configured with useful positions, and it’s possible to add more home positions. Shortcuts

go to the next home position.

add a new home position.

See also 2.2.4 Manipulation Toolbar

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5 DISPLAY OPTIONS

CIMulator3D has the facility to draw many different objects in 3D views. For example, the tool, the blank, the grinding wheel clusters and elements of the grinding machine. Display of these can be turned on or off, as desired. Some objects are configurable, supporting properties such as transparency or level of detail. All objects displayed in CIMulator3D can be configured via the Display menu. This menu is available from the application menu bar, or by double-clicking on the background of a 3D view. Double-clicking on visible objects will present the display options for that particular object. Shortcut: press ALT-D

5.1 3D Display 5.1.1 Axes

Axes are used for displaying reference co-ordinate systems such as world space, tool space, and wheel space. World space is relative to the outside world, tool space is relative to the tool, and wheel space corresponds to the effector offset frame. Shortcut: press ALT-D, then X

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THE AXES ARE COLOUR CODED TO DENOTE X, Y AND Z

DIRECTIONS. X IS OPPOSITE TO RED, Y IS OPPOSITE TO

GREEN, AND Z IS OPPOSITE TO BLUE.

5.1.2 Background

The background colour scheme can be configured to be dark, white or textured with the ANCA logo. A white background scheme is useful for printing, and the textured background for product demonstration. Shortcut: press ALT-D, then K

CIMulator3D with textured background.

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5.1.3 Blank

By default, CIMulator3D displays the tool, including the result of subtracted machining operations. It can also be useful to display the shape of the original blank, either as a solid, or with transparency. Shortcut: press ALT-D, then B

Solid Blank

Transparent Blank

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5.1.4 Camera

Orthogonal Projection

Perspective Projection

The projection mode and camera stationary mode are configurable in CIMulator3D. Orthogonal projection has the advantage of preserving distances and angles, and is therefore useful for taking measurements and using the shadowgraph overlay. Perspective projection looks more realistic, displaying distant objects at a smaller size than close objects. The camera stationary mode specifies which part of the machine the camera follows during animation. For example, in tool stationary mode, the tool remains in a fixed position on the screen and as the machine moves, everything moves on the screen relative to the tool. The default stationary mode is headstock relative, which keeps the tool in view unless it is obscured by the wheel cluster. Shortcut: press ALT-D, then C

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5.1.5 Colour Coding

The tool and wheel cluster can be drawn in colour coded mode in order to illustrate information about the surface of the tool. By default, colour coding is disabled. Shortcut: press ALT-D, then O Colour Coding Disabled

A legend is provided to identify the feature associated with a particular colour. The legend can be toggled from the menu or the measurement toolbar. Shortcut: press ALT-D, then O, then L

Time Colour Coding Blends from red to blue according to the position in the grinding cycle.

Move Colour Coding Colours surfaces according to the move number in the grinding cycle.

Wheel Profile Coding Maps colours onto the surface according to the point on the wheel that ground the surface.

Wheel Section Coding Colours the surface according to the type of wheel section that ground the surface.

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Wheel Colour Coding Maps colours onto the surface according to the wheel that ground the surface.

Operation Colour Coding Colours the surface according to the operation in the grinding cycle.

Colour Mapping Legend Displays the legend for each of the colours mapped on the tool surface. The colours can be configured by right clicking on an item in the list. This brings up a menu where it is possible to change individual colours, shuffle all colours and reset the colour scheme back to default When move or operation colour mapping mode is chosen, it is possible to go to the start of the selected move or operation from this menu. Double clicking on the item in the list will also take you to the start of the move or operation.

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5.1.6 Machine Model

CIMulator3D supports display of the ANCA TX7, RGX, MGX and TGX machines. The type of machine displayed depends on the machine type of the TPD file. Individual components can be switched on or off via the Machine Model menu. Common components include the headstock, C-axis and pop-up steady. The Display submenu can be used to hide the machine model, display every available component, or select a minimal selection of components for display. The display state of the machine model components persists for subsequent CIMulator3D sessions. Shortcut: press ALT-D, then H See also 8 Machine Configuration

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5.1.7 Plane

The plane is used for cross-sectioning the tool. It can be displayed in 3D as a transparent square, or the plane can be used to cut directly from the tool. In tool cut-off mode, the orientation of the plane can be flipped. Shortcut: press ALT-D, then P

Transparent Clipping Plane

Tool Cut Off Mode

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Tool Cut Off Mode Flipped plane orientation.

5.1.8 Grid

CIMulator3D provides two types of grid overlays, the protractor and graph paper. The protractor overlay can be used to visually measure distances and angles. The level of detail can be configured, and the protractor can be turned on or off, as desired. The graph paper overlay provides a standard square grid which can be used to visually measure distances. The level of detail is not configurable for the graph paper overlay. Shortcut press ALT-D, then G See also 5.2.1 Metric/Imperial

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Very-Fine Detail Protractor Overlay

Fine Detail Protractor Overlay

Medium Detail Protractor Overlay

Coarse Detail Protractor Overlay

Graph Paper Overlay

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5.1.9 Tool

The tool is formed by subtracting grinding operations from the blank. It can be displayed in a variety of modes, depending on the desired appearance, and information of interest. The tool VRML preview can be viewed if it was previously saved. This allow The cutting profile and core profile are only valid from a side-on view of the tool. Cup highlighting is useful for determining whether a grinding or simulation artifact is due to a velocity or acceleration discontinuity. Shortcut press ALT-D, then T See also 3 Grinding Simulation 2.2.1 Animation Toolbar

Solid Tool

Transparent Tool

Wireframe Tool

Tool Edges Display edges of surface meshes.

Cutting Profile (outermost surface)

Core Profile Display shape of the core. (innermost surface)

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Highlight Cups Cups are instantaneous wheel imprints.

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5.1.10 Wheel

The wheel is used to perform the grinding operations on the blank. The level of detail can be configured, and it can be hidden if desired. The wheel display configuration persists for subsequent CIMulator3D sessions. By default only the wheel used in grinding is displayed. Wheel clusters can be displayed if required. On RGX and MGX machines this option will display both wheel clusters. On TGX and TX7 machines the wheel cluster that is used in grinding will be displayed. The display of wheel slices can also be configured when in the 2D viewing arrangement. Shortcut press ALT-D, then W See also 3 Grinding Simulation 6 Viewing Arrangements

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Current Grinding Wheel

Full Wheel Cluster

Transparent Display

Wireframe Display

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5.2 Other tools and settings 5.2.1 Metric/Imperial

CIMulator3D can be used in either metric or imperial mode. This mode determines the units used for display and interaction. This setting is persistent and does not need to be configured for each session. Shortcuts press ALT-D, then M for metric units. press ALT-D, then I for imperial units.

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5.2.2 Animate Dialog

The animation dialog is used for controlling the position, speed and direction of grinding playback, and toggling grinding. Sliders and edit boxes are available for setting the speed of playback, the departure distance along the cycle, and the position within the current move. Buttons are provided for stepping forward and backward in time, or move by move. The dialog displays the operation name of the current move. Shortcuts: press ALT-D, then A press ESC to close dialog See also 2.2.1 Animation Toolbar

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5.2.3 Machine Axes Dialog

The machine axes dialog is useful for examining the position and movement of the machine, over time. It displays the X, Y, Z and P displacement of the machine axes, as well as the A, B and C angles of rotation, in degrees. Shortcuts:

• press ALT-D, then N • press ESC to close dialog

X, Y, Z, P, A and C are hard axes. (physical) B, U and V are soft axes. (virtual)

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5.2.4 Collisions Dialog

The collisions dialog is used for checking the collisions between the tool, wheels and machine components. It allows the user to start the collision detection process and subsequently displays a list of collisions found. See also

3.10 Collision Detection

5.2.5 Cycle Time Dialog

The cycle time dialog displays a list of estimated cycle times for each of the operations See also

3.9 Cycle Times

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6

6.1

VIEWING ARRANGEMENTS CIMulator3D provides several different viewing arrangements, each tailored for specific tasks. Each arrangement is available from the Arrangement Toolbar, located on the top left of the CIMulator3D application window.

3D Arrangement

The most commonly used arrangement is the 3D Arrangement, which provides a single 3D view of the tool and surrounding workspace. The arrangement is geared towards maximum viewing area and flexible configuration. Common uses of the 3D Arrangement:

• Analysis of wheel path and machine movement • Analysis of tool shape and general appearance • Shadowgraph measurement

The resulting planar cross section in the 3D Arrangement is displayed in the 2D Arrangement.

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6.2 Measurement Arrangement

The Measurement arrangement is designed for interactive inspection and measurement of tool geometry. The shadowgraph overlay is integrated with numerical display of x and y offsets, as well as relative tool and shadowgraph angles. Common uses of the Measurement arrangement:

• Measuring the radius of the blank, tool or cutting edge • Measuring hook or relief angles • Taking cross sections perpendicular to the tool axis

See also 7.1 Shadowgraph Measurement

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6.2.1 X and Y Scrollbars

The x scrollbar is located below the 3D view. The y scrollbar is located to the left of the 3D view. Shortcut: Click and drag to adjust x and y offsets.

6.2.2 Tool Centre and Tangent Lines

In the Measurement arrangement, the centreline of the tool is marked with a cross. Orange lines are drawn to facilitate measurement of relief angles and hook angle. When the tool is positioned with the radius on the centre of the shadowgraph, the orange lines form radial and tangent vectors.

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6.2.3 Shadowgraph Dialog The Measurement arrangement provides measurements tools to the right of the 3D view. All offsets can be adjusted by using the dial, clicking the up-down buttons or clicking on the numeric display. A zero position can be set for each offset, useful for measuring relative displacements and angles.

By clicking on any of the offsets displayed numerically, it is possible to manually specify the desired offset. This allows higher precision than is possible using the mouse or dials.

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Each of the up-down buttons, except for the zoom, have a configurable increment value. By right clicking on the up-down buttons, it is possible to change the resolution by which the values are incremented. The default setting is Auto which tries to select the best value based on current zoom level. The user can override this at any time to suit the type of measurement being done.

6.3 2D Arrangement

The 2D arrangement represents the planar cross section of the tool and the wheel cluster. Common uses of the 2D Arrangement:

• Analysis of wheel path • Wheel slice accumulation • Analysis of tool cross section • Shadowgraph measurement

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6.4 Cross-Section Arrangement

The cross section arrangement combines the standard 3D arrangement with the 2D arrangement. This facilitates easier use of the sectioning plane. The results of manipulating the sectioning plane in the 3D view are directly reflected in the 2D view, negating the need to swap between viewing arrangements.

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Probe

This arrangement also contains the measurement pane which displays the results of using the measurement probe. The probe is a tiny blue sphere that can be activated by holding the ALT key. Tool information such as the radius, diameter and length at the point of probe contact, is updated as the probe is moved over the tool surface. Angles of tool features are determined dynamically, based on the probe’s position. Distances may be measured by clicking on the tool surface and dragging the probe. See also 7.2 Probe Measurement

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6.5 3D Projections Arrangement

The 3D projections arrangement provides four views, each of which can be configured independently. This arrangement provides all the functionality of the single 3D arrangement and enables the user to view the tool and the machine from different angles.

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7

7.1

MEASUREMENT There are numerous parameters that need to be measured in order to verify that the tool was ground to specification. CIMulator3D provides the shadowgraph and the probe as the two methods of measurement. The two complement each other and can be used to verify each other’s measurement results.

Shadowgraph Measurement Careful tool and protractor positioning allows a variety of tool parameters to be measured accurately while in shadowgraph mode. In all cases zooming in will allow finer control of the positioning and thus produce more accurate results.

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The helix angle can be measured by viewing the side of the tool and positioning the cutting edge in the centre of the protractor. The protractor is then rotated so that it lies along the cutting edge. The resulting angle can be read from the shadowgraph dialog. The hook angle can be measured by switching to the endface view and rotating the tool so that the tip of the cutting edge is aligned with the vertical of the protractor. Then the tool is offset in the Y direction until the tip is in the centre of the protractor. The protractor is then rotated to measure the hook angle. The resulting angle can be read from the shadowgraph dialog.

Helix

Hook


Widths and lengths are best measured by aligning the start point of the extent that needs to be measured with the edge of the protractor. Then the X coordinate is zeroed, and an X offset applied until the end point of measurement is reached. The resulting value can be read from the shadowgraph dialog.

Land

7.2 Probe Measurement In most cases the probe provides a quicker way of measuring tool parameters than the shadowgraph and can be just as accurate. Again, zooming into the tool will produce more accurate results.

Helix Hook

Measuring hook and helix angles using the probe is quite simple. The probe needs to be positioned at the tip of the cutting edge. Resulting values can be read from the appropriate tool feature icon. Note that these icons change and display different tool parameters as you move the probe around different parts of the tool.

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Measuring distances is just as simple. Click on the start point of the span that you want to measure and drag the probe to the end point. The result is displayed in the measurement dialog.

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8

8.1

MACHINE CONFIGURATION Each machine supports configuration options that control the kind of components that are available on the machine and allow further configuration of these components.

Collets

There are a number of collet types selectable in CIMulator3D. Depending on the machine type some of them may not be available.

8.2 Door Open

The Door Open option opens or closes the canopy door. This is only available on the TX7 and RX7 machines.

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8.3 Dresser

The Dresser option allows the selection of a particular dresser and a dresser roll combination if it is available for that particular machine type.

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8.4 Steady

Enabling the pop-up or the clamp steadies allows their configuration and it also disables the P-axis and tailstock. On RX7 machines a precision pop-up steady is available as well as a clamp steady. Together they form the Precision V-block System. Standard pop-steadies are available on all other machines. The pop-up steady can be activated up or down. Both the pop-up and the clamp steady can be positioned along the X-axis. The steady bed length can also be changed whenever any of the steadies are enabled.

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Bed Length

X-Offset

Pop-up steady active

Pop-up steady inactive

Standard TX7 pop-up steady.

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Precision V-block System on an RX7 machine.

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8.5 P-Axis

The P-axis is available only on the TGX and TX7 machines. On TX7 machines the Arobotech P-axis is available. Enabling any of the P-axis types disables the pop-up steady and tailstock. On TGX machines the P-axis bush can be configured. The bush can either be a full bush or a half bush. Width1, Width2 and Width3 define the widths of the three sections of the bush. The Z-offset specifies the height of the section defined by Width2, relative to the tool centerline.

Full Bush

Width1 Width2 Width3

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Z-Offset

Half Bush

Tool Centerline

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8.6 Tailstock

Tailstocks are available on TX7 and TapX machines. Enabling a tailstock disables the pop-up steady and the P-axis. Depending on the tailstock selected additional parameter can be configured, such as the holder type, centre type and the tailstock arm position.

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Standard TX7 tailstock.

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9

9.1

FILE INPUT AND OUTPUT CIMulator3D is able to read and write a number of file formats. This input and output capability provides a means to manipulate data outside of the CIMulator3D software.

TPD Input and Output

A Tool Path Data (TPD) file is CIMulator3D’s native file format. It contains information about the tool being ground, the wheel clusters, move data and machine configuration. A TPD file can invoked by one of several ways: using the CIMulator3D user interface, directly from Windows Explorer or receiving a file through a network connection established with the tool grinding software.

Opening a file using the CIMulator3D user interface.

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Double clicking on a TPD file in Windows Explorer opens that file in CIMulator3D. Right clicking on a TPD file in Windows Explorer brings up a menu from which you can choose to open the file in CIMulator3D or open it and automatically start grinding.

TPD files can be saved from the save menu in CIMulator3D. Saving the file also saves any changes to machine configuration and user display settings. The user is also given the option to save the VRML preview of the tool within the TPD file. This allows the grinding result to be saved for later viewing without having to go through the whole simulation process again. The preview can be accessed from Display → Tool → Preview if available. See also 5.1.9 Tool

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9.2 VRML Input and Output

VRML objects can be imported into CIMulator3D using the Open menu. The main purpose of this feature is the ability to preview previously ground tools. However, other VRML objects can also be viewed.

The imported VRML object is displayed in the currently selected CIMulator3D view. A yellow sphere (“handle”) and a caption appear next to the object. By right clicking and holding onto the handle with the mouse, the object can be moved within the view, independent of other objects. Normally the object is constrained in how much it can be moved in space. If required these constraints can be disabled.

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The caption and the handle can be configured by double clicking on the object or its handle. Here the constraints can also be enabled or disabled.

It is possible to manually specify the position of the VRML object in Cartesian or Spherical coordinates. This allows higher precision than is possible by just using the mouse.

The caption by default displays the filename of the VRML object, but it is editable.

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VRML file format is quite popular for viewing 3D objects on the internet. CIMulator3D is capable of saving its 3D tool model into a VRML file. This file can then be placed on web sites and can be viewed using one of many available VRML viewers, such as Cosmo Player.

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9.3 DXF Output

CIMulator3D is capable of saving the 3D tool model in the Autodesk DXF file format.

9.4 STL Output

CIMulator3D is capable of saving the 3D tool model in the StereoLithography (STL) file format.

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9.5 STEP and IGES Output

Cimulator3D is capable of saving the 3D tool model in STEP AP214, STEP AP203 and IGES file formats. This allows the tool model to be imported in CAD/CAM packages such as UGS NX and SolidWorks.

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9.6 Tool Edges Output

CIMulator3D can save the tool edges in DXF or VRML file format.

9.7 Cross Section Output

CIMulator3D can save the tool cross section, as defined in the currently selected view, in DXF or VRML file format.

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9.8 Image Output

CIMulator3D can save the 2D image of the currently selected view as a JPEG or a PNG file.

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10

10.1

REFERENCE INFORMATION

Shortcut Keys CIMulator3D contains many shortcut keys which provide quick access to common CIMulator3D operations. Knowing these keys can speed up the usage of CIMulator3D considerably. Note that the keys are case-sensitive. Move operations

a / A Increase animation speed z / Z Decrease animation speed s / S Start or stop animation r / R Toggle animation direction k / K Next knot n / N Next move p / P Previous move

Tool, wheel and blank

b Toggle blank M Toggle tool W Wheel transparency w Wheel cluster mode

Zooming, panning and rotating operations

� Manipulate left � Manipulate right � Manipulate up � Manipulate down m Toggle pan/rotate i / Page Up Zoom in o / Page Down Zoom out h / Home Home view End Store home position

3D view

$ Select colour mapping mode x Toggle axes c Toggle clipping plane C Select manipulation mode t Select stationary mode

Protractor overlay set

^ Toggle protractor + Protractor resolution


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11

11.1

11.2

11.3

TROUBLESHOOTING

CIMulator3D terminates abnormally on start-up CIMulator3D displays an ‘Abnormal program termination’ message when it first starts. The problem is that the TCP/IP protocol is not installed or is incorrectly installed. Please reinstall the TCP/IP protocol.

CIMulator3D terminates abnormally when the measurement arrangement is accessed

CIMulator3D displays an ‘Abnormal program termination’ message when you try to access the measurement arrangement. The problem is that the ActiveX controls and DLLs have not been registered correctly. Please close any active applications and reinstall CIMulator3D.

Certain dialogs in CIMulator3D do not open when being activated Certain dialogs, for example, the dialog for manually changing the yardstick, do not open when being activated. This is another instance where the ActiveX controls and DLLs are not being registered properly. Please close any active applications and reinstall CIMulator3D.

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