CAM in the Cloud


Overview

Although commercial CAM software offers a wide spectrum of functionality, some companies have specific machines, processes and requirements that are not covered by standard solutions. To solve these challenges either expensive niche software has to be purchased or company specific CAM technology has to be developed. The Cloud allows services to be offered on the global market targeting niche CAM needs. CAM-based assemblies are always specific and are designed on demand. The assembly depends on a CAM type (cylindrical, globic, and planar), a set of parameters, and one or more movement laws. The result will be the ISO file for machining the part to be produced according to the customer machine (Post Processing).

Description of the infrastructure

  • Models and data provided by Stellba
  • HPC Cluster and Cloud infrastructure by Arctur
  • Test and usage scenario, assessment and validation by University of Nottingham

Detailed description of the demonstrator

Relevance and impact on the manufacturing industry (business perspective): Using an external specific CAM module based on the Cloud allow users to define complex parts according to their needs. Due to the high price of special in-house CAM software (for a few designs each year) it will be cheaper to use this application as a service in the Cloud, and thus receive all necessary topology data and ISO files for manufacturing the products. Using a smart application can save a lot of time in the design and manufacturing process (weeks against hours) and can increase the quality of the CAM model.

Innovation and novelty (business perspective): Using a specific and expensive in-house CAM software can be replaced by a Cloud service. This service can work for a full process from the definition of the needs down to the manufacturing, and can allow companies to develop their products for a lower price, and different versions of their design.

Expected results (technical perspective): The experiment will be successful when the workflow is complete, from the definition of a set of parameters and movement laws, to the retrieval of the resulting CAM model in a standard exchange format and all ISO codes for machining. For this experiment, a part from Stellba will be used to generate the model and then to compute the tool path with a CAM system on the Cloud.



Project:

Enterprises:

University of Nottingham, Arctur, Stellba

Sector
Machinery & equipment

Keywords