OPEN MIND Stand Draws the Crowds at MACH 2014

27 April 2014

OPEN MIND Technologies certainly knew how to draw a crowd to its stand at MACH 2014. The benchmark manufacturer of CAM software that is the leading supplier of CAM software to the F1 industry, had a Caterham F1 car on its stand. However, the real crowd puller was the three test pieces on the stand that had been produced in cooperation with the Daishin Corporation to demonstrate the truly remarkable 5-axis machining capabilities of OPEN MIND's hyperMILL package.

Whilst an F1 car always draws a photo opportunity, the test pieces were a genuine attraction and talking point for manufacturers serious about 5-axis complex machining applications. When stand visitors witnessed the potential of hyperMILL, the technical staff then maximised their opportunity to introduce hyperMILL 2014, which received its exhibition debut. The innovative new package incorporates a host of new features that will simplify and speed up model creation whilst delivering producitvity gains on the shop floor.

In all CAM packages, the end user has to follow a series of steps prior to define parameters prior to generating any actual tool paths. However, hyperMILL 2014 eliminates the laborius process of following options such as selecting NCS, milling area, stock model, frame definition and feature mapping. With the unique new 'Start-up' tool in hyperMILL 2014, the end user can select the 'Start Actions' tab within the Start-up menu and all the initial steps are created automatically. This new feature enables the customer to start generating tool paths on a new model with just a few simple steps.

Another new innovation that has been introduced with hyperMILL 2014 is the new 'Deformation Tool' that incorporates two seperate command functions. Firstly, the tool offers 'Deform Entities' that unlike other CAM packages, it doesn't predefine the volume and curves of the model. Giving the user the ability to individually select start and end conditions as well as the points and curves of the model; users have significantly more flexibility and the ability to define all conditions. This remarkable flexibility offers unsurpassed time savings during model construction.

The second element of the Deformation Tool is the 'deform volumetric' command. This prevents specific volumes from being defined for projects whereby the operator is working on an initial 2D face with a target face being a curvature. The user can select the initial and target face and from this, the design is automatically mapped. The 'deform volumetric' is ideal for specialised applications such as tyres, text and labes to bring 2D elements to a full 3D curved target face.

Added to these two key features, hyperMILL 2014 now incorporates a new 'shop viewer' feature. The delivery of shop viewer is to enable users to view projects created with the new hyperCAD-S package. It enables the user to display toolpaths, tools, zero points, in-feeds and all associated technologies prior to machining. The shop viewer enables customers to measure distances, lengths and other dimensions. Without shop viewer, the customer would only see NC code. The key benefit of shop viewer is the enhanced reliability and security of enabling the customer to fully view programs before 'real' machining.

However, MACH 2014 wasn't only an opportunity for OPEN MIND to expand its market share, it was also an opportunity for the company to introduce its two new applications engineers to the marketplace. The two new faces at OPEN MIND have been employed to support the company's organic growth whilst delivering enhanced levels of support to existing customers.