FEATURE ON CNC & CAM

Rodin Uses Creo Integrated CAD and Simulation Solution

Rodin Motorsport is using PTC’s Creo integrated CAD and simulation solution to find valuable fractions of a second on the racetrack, drawing on a relationship with PTC spanning almost 20 years. 

The Surrey-based team, which employs 60 people at its Farnham headquarters, recently used Creo to optimise the aerodynamics of a previous-generation FIA Formula 3 car for the demanding Guia Circuit in Macau. The street circuit combines tight, technical corners requiring downforce with a 1.2 km straight where low drag is critical. 

With Formula 3 regulations preventing Rodin from producing new rear-wing components, engineers created a detailed 3D model in Creo and used ‘Flow Analysis’ and ‘Creo Simulate’ to assess pressure distribution, downforce and drag in both DRS configurations. 

The team evaluated 10 wing-flap angles in half-degree increments, with each scenario taking around 15 minutes to generate. The resulting aerodynamic data was fed into lap-time simulation to establish the optimum compromise between cornering performance and straight-line speed. 

The analysis showed that increasing the flap angle by just half a degree slightly reduced grip but lowered drag sufficiently to improve straight-line performance. Combined with the lap simulation, this indicated a potential improvement of up to 0.25 seconds. 

“Everything comes back to improving lap time,” states Benn Huntingford, sporting director at Rodin Motorsport. “Our lap simulation indicated a potential improvement of up to 0.25 seconds, which is significant when every fraction of a second counts.” 

Technical director David Brown adds that without Creo, each variation would have required physical parts, wind-tunnel time and additional testing, turning 10 iterations into a process lasting days or weeks. 

Rodin is now extending its use of Creo as it expands into Formula Regional and GT racing, giving more engineers access to integrated design and simulation while connecting digital designs with in-house additive manufacturing. 

More information www.ptc.com  

Open Mind’s HyperMILL CAM Transforms Operations at Vigour

Founded in 2015, Coventry-based Vigour Ltd has grown from a single five-axis machining centre into a specialist manufacturer of complex, tight-tolerance components. From the outset, the company has relied on Open Mind’s hyperMILL CAM software to support its demanding work. 

Founder and managing director Ashley Hatton identified an opportunity to differentiate Vigour by adopting five-axis machining and CADCAM from day one, at a time when much of the subcontract market remained focused on three-axis machining and programming at the machine control. The company now operates four full five-axis machines, including three automated DMG Mori eVo 50 models. 

Hatton had previously used hyperMILL during his career in Formula 1 and chose the software for its reliability, robustness and fast calculation times. “My business is built around hyperMILL; it’s been a pillar of success for the company,” he says. 

A key benefit is Vigour’s ability to program while machines are cutting. Hatton typically programs the initial roughing operations in around 15 minutes, allowing the machine to start cutting while he develops subsequent roughing and finishing strategies. This approach maximises spindle utilisation and minimises machine downtime. 

Confidence in hyperMILL’s simulation is central to the process. “There’s no single-blocking or prove-outs anymore,” says Hatton. “We run the simulation in the software. Once it’s gone through that with no collisions, it’s on the machine and running.” 

Vigour specialises in components that demand difficult machining, challenging materials and complex geometry. Its recent work includes MAR-M247 turbine wheels and complex 17-4PH H900 compressor wheels for micro gas turbine applications. These rotating assemblies require shaft-to-wheel runout of less than 5 µm across the complete assembly, demonstrating the precision achievable through Vigour’s five-axis and hyperMILL-based approach. 

More information www.openmind-tech.com

Partnership Delivers Toolpath Optimisation in NX CAM

Siemens and ModuleWorks are strengthening their long-standing partnership by integrating advanced physics-based toolpath technologies directly into the Siemens NX CAM environment. 

The collaboration combines NX CAM with ModuleWorks’ machining technologies to help manufacturers optimise processes, improve machining performance and strengthen the digital thread from design and programming through to production. The technologies are available as plug-ins for NX CAM, part of the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio, providing access to advanced machining capabilities within the familiar NX workflow. 

The plug-ins include VoluMill for science-based roughing, designed to deliver faster cycle times, longer tool life and higher material removal rates across a range of materials. VoluTurn automates turning operations to reduce manual programming, insert wear and tool over-engagement, while FeedControl uses physics-based simulation to optimise feed rates according to material properties and machine characteristics. 

MDES Exporter automatically generates standardised tooling, fixture and part data from Siemens NX, supporting integration with simulation, collision avoidance and wider digital manufacturing workflows through MDES. 

“By integrating advanced roughing, turning, feed-rate optimisation and digital manufacturing technologies directly into NX CAM, we’re enabling manufacturers to improve machining performance and programming workflows,” says Corsin Buerer, director of part manufacturing products at Siemens. 

Dr Yavuz Murtezaoglu, founder and CEO of ModuleWorks, adds: “With this new level of integration, users gain an end-to-end solution for process optimisation, from high-performance roughing and turning to sophisticated feed-rate control, all within the native NX CAM workflow.” 

The integration can help manufacturers reduce cycle times, extend tool life and simplify programming, while enabling faster adoption of connected manufacturing processes. Local installation also supports deployment within secure networks, helping manufacturers retain control of their manufacturing data. 

More information www.moduleworks.com 

Verify and Optimise NC Programs Faster with Latest NCSIMUL 

Hexagon’s Production Software Division has introduced the latest release of NCSIMUL, strengthening its integrated approach to NC program verification, simulation and optimisation with new ‘Selective Simulation’ capability. 

NCSIMUL combines G-code verification, CNC simulation and optimisation within a digital-twin environment, helping manufacturers check NC programs, improve machining efficiency and reduce the need to prove out complex work on valuable machine tools. 

Selective Simulation provides programmers with a faster way to navigate long, complex NC programs. The patent-pending capability uses GPU-accelerated ‘Rest Stock Previews’ to generate intermediate stock models during NC decoding, providing earlier visibility of how a part develops throughout the machining process. 

The potential time savings were demonstrated in a customer trial involving an American athletic footwear manufacturer and a long-cycle mould application. A program with a 47-hour machine run time previously required 48 minutes of sequential simulation before the programmer could inspect the required operation. Using Selective Simulation, Rest Stock Previews were generated in under two minutes. 

Programmers can use these previews to inspect the part at different stages, identify potential issues earlier and move directly to operations requiring closer attention. Full NC code simulation, including complete collision detection and accurate material removal, remains the standard for final verification before releasing a program to the machine. 

“Selective Simulation gives programmers a more flexible way to work through complex programs,” says Jasper Sanders, product manager for NCSIMUL at Hexagon’s Production Software Division. “They can gain useful visibility much earlier, focus their attention on the operations that matter most, and still rely on the full NCSIMUL simulation engine for final verification.” 

Ultimately, the latest release helps manufacturers make better use of engineering time and machine capacity while maintaining confidence in NC programs before production begins. 

More information www.hexagon.com/products/ncsimul 

Vericut 9.7 Offers CNC Shops Performance without Compromise

Vericut has released the latest version (9.7) of its CNC simulation, verification and optimisation software, delivering faster simulation, expanded AI assistance and smarter workflows while retaining machine-level accuracy. 

Designed for manufacturers handling increasingly complex NC programs, machine configurations and demanding production schedules, Vericut 9.7 introduces performance improvements across simulation, verification and review workflows. These include faster processing of complex NC programs, improved handling of advanced machine configurations and toolpaths, and optimised workflows that reduce set-up and review times. 

The software continues to provide realistic CNC simulation, enabling manufacturers to detect collisions, verify G-code, review machine motion and optimise machining processes before programs reach the shop floor. This capability is particularly valuable for complex five-axis machining, high-value materials and advanced machine configurations where confidence is critical. 

Version 9.7 also expands Vericut Assistant, its AI-powered guidance tool. Users can access context-aware answers and Vericut knowledge directly within the software, reducing the time spent searching manuals and helping programmers and engineers navigate advanced workflows more efficiently. 

Alongside the release, Icam Post V27 introduces new tools for developing, testing and maintaining post-processors. Its new Vericut Icam Post AI Assistant provides access to official Icam Post documentation within QUEST and GENER, helping users find answers, check macro syntax and access product guidance without leaving their workflow. 

A new ‘Regression Testing Utility’ allows developers to compare NC output before and after post-processor changes, identify machine-impacting differences and validate updates before deployment. Other enhancements include improved debugging through ‘Breakpoint Manager’ and ‘Macro Manager’, greater kinematics visibility, and advanced SmartPATH motion control. 

Vericut 9.7 also introduces ‘Tool Manager’ enhancements for more efficient tooling organisation and improved visibility of tooling data, helping manufacturers manage increasingly complex machining environments with greater confidence. 

More information www.vericut.com