Simulating Milling Machines with Interchangeable Heads

You can simulate Milling machines with interchangeable heads using ISO simulation thus enabling you to verify NC tool paths for travel limits, collisions and modify when necessary. The simulation of these machines is critical for Tool Path or NC Code Analysis. (ISO Simulation of Interchangeable heads is supported only for Milling Machines and not Mill-turn machines)

  1. Select Me > Preferences > App Preferences > Simulation > Machining NC Machining Apps Common Services > Output tab.
    Note: This is particularly related to Milling machines in which a master or universal milling head can be coupled selectively and automatically with a variety of individual milling heads for different machining purposes. The individual milling heads are a part of the machine itself.

    A head change position and head mount point has to be defined in Manufacturing Equipment Design App on the master or universal milling head. Also a head base point has to be defined on the individual milling heads. During simulation, the interchangeable head is equipped to the head mount point of the master or universal milling machine at this head change position (the orientation of the attached milling head depends on the head base point of the attached milling head and the head mount point of the master milling head). Also note that when an interchangeable head is equipped to the master milling head, the tool is mounted at the tool mount point of the attached milling head.

    The orientation of the head mount point (1) and the head base point (2). The orientation of the head mount point and the head base point are used to snap the milling head on the machine (3).



    This machine can only simulate machining operations for which the tool axis is along the Z-Direction. So to simulate machining operations which have different tool axis interchangeable milling heads can be used as shown above.

    Also the conception of the machine fitted with interchangeable milling heads allows you to select an optimal milling head for a particular machining operation.

  2. Set the PP Path and CE Path.
    Example D:\DASSAULT\Manufacturing
  3. Select Me > Preferences > App Preferences > Simulation > Machining NC Machining Apps Common Services > Resources tab.
    Example D:\DASSAULT
  4. Right-click on the NC Machine and select NC Resources, Edit NC Resource, Numerical control tab.
    Select the Controller Emulator, Post Processor and Post Processor words table.
  5. Select the Manufacturing Program and click Generate NC Code Interactively to generate the NC code for the selected program.
  6. Run the simulation by selecting the manufacturing program and clicking on the play button from the compass player
  7. On selecting a ISO line from ISO panel, the machine is positioned based on the machine Degrees of Freedom for that particular ISO line.