Sprutcam allows the creation of NC program for oxygen cutting, plasma cutting, water jet cutting and laser cutting. Cutting strategies include controlling the sequence of parts that are cut off. In order to reduce thermal deformations can be create the sleepers on the piece.
1. Types of cutting sheet metal
Sprutcam allows the creation of NC program for 4 and 5 axis machines, 3, 2 for laser, plasma and water jet cutting. The sequence of how the parts are cut is controlled in such a way as to prevent cutting the outer boundary when inside are cut pieces. In this operation the inner contours are processed first, and the outer boundaries are processed last.
Oxygen cutting
The torch is based on the ability of the metal to burn through a stream of pure oxygen. This same stream eliminates combustion by-products. Natural gas, acetylene or propane are used as fuel.
Plasma cutting
The plasma cutting process relies on the use of a gas that is blown at high speed from a nozzle at the same time through this gas develops an electric arc between an electrode and the surface to be cut, which transforms the gas into plasma. The plasma transfers heat to the metal material to bring it to the melting and breaking the continuity of the metal.
Water jet cutting
Waterjet cutting tool is a specially designed fluid flow, coming out of a special nozzle with diameter ranging from 0.08 -0.5 mm at supersonic speeds exceeding 1000 meters/second and providing a working pressure on the top piece to 400 MPa. The distance of the nozzle section by a few millimeters and the pressure of the stream that exceeds the limit of strength of materials allows to perform the cut.
Sprutcam supports both types of water jet cutting:
- Water jet cutting;
- Water jet cutting with abrasive.
The abrasive material in the flow increases its cutting capacity, the liquid abrasive can cut very thick hard materials.
Laser cutting
Laser cutting is done without any mechanical contact with the treated material. Laser radiation focused allows cutting engravings of any material, regardless of its Thermo physical properties. The accuracy of the laser head is approximately 0.08 mm. and provides a high accuracy of relative positions between elements of the piece. Laser cutting can be applied to pieces easily deformed and not stiff. The laser beam has a diameter of about 0.2 mm, and enables the creation of holes with a diameter of 1 mm.
The power of laser radiation ensures a high performance cutting. Laser cutting for cutting any kind of material in sheets, even with a complex boundary.
Choice of technology
From the point of view of writing the NC program for cutting methods mentioned, choosing the exact cutting method is of crucial importance. For example, the command to turn off the plasma (M53), when working with the equipment, and the alternator ignition control (M73), when working with the laser is pretty much the same from the perspective of how it is achieved in the CAM system. So the writing laser to NC program, oxygen, plasma and waterjet cutting can be done in the same form of CAM system and you will be provided with suitable Postprocessor.
CAD system requirements
External CAD systems are used to define the profile of the crop and to form a crude sheet on their bed. Creating the schema for profile cutting such systems is set depending on the shape of the pieces to be cut, their number, the complexity of the profile. For example, on a plasma cutting machine, one of the main requirements is to have an optimal scheme of parts on the sheet, so as to optimize the sheet of material used.
On the other hand, when the sheet does not need to be filled completely with the parts to be cut out, the focus is placed on the geometry and the editor SprutCAM methods of imports from modeling systems (CorelDraw, Rhinoceros).
Write NC in SprutCAM
Cutting the contour sequence is automatically determined, taking into consideration the inner contours. This must be done in order to avoid premature cut a profile with chopped pieces inside. In addition, the system allows the optimization of machining sequence taking into account the distance between the parties.
Automatic detection of optimal approach points to the profile of the piece, with a simultaneous control of approximation and neighbouring parts cut retraction.
The system has an automatic creation of positions for the penetration of the tool, depending on the method chosen, avoiding the cutting parts.
Automatic systems for the angle of cut
To avoid a bad cut on the edges of the part, the system has several tool path creation methods. Step on the edges can be set automatically or manually depending on the type of edge.
Matrix Function
To ensure that they don't fall the pieces during cutting, you can leave more crosses on the contour. After cutting the contour the scraps are cut and the parts are extracted from the paper.
Sprutcam has the following waste detection mode:
- Chipless machining;
- A predefined number of scrap has been set, so we get an equivalent number of scraps for all curves;
- The number of scraps for every curve varies because it depends on its length;
- The number of scraps for every curve varies because it depends on its surface.
Avoid passed on areas already worked
Often, the workpiece will bend due to heat treatment and can break if the cutting head should be positioned above. In order to avoid such situations, the passes between a figure and the other can be done in areas where the plate remains raw. When the function is deactivated, the pass is calculated on the basis of the shortest distance between points. When this feature is enabled, the pass is made in such a way that the cutting head avoids passing on cut edges.
3D cutting simulation
The movements are controlled machining simulation mode. Cutting simulation ensures visual monitoring of the quality of the NC program.
Machines manufacturer
List of some cutting machine manufacturer: Flow International Corporation; Water Jet Sweden AB; Bystronic; Trumpf; Sato Schneidsysteme; Aliko; Trenntec; ESAB Welding & Cutting Productions; Digital Control etc.