Uma metodologia de integração CAD/CAM através da aplicação de ciclos de usinagem na programação CNC

Abstract

The use of computer resources for machinery programming with Computer Numeric Control (CNC) has become increasingly more necessary in manufacturing companies. The objective is to reduce unproductive time, to optimize programming process, to decrease possibility of error caused by manual programming and to decrease the time that the machine is not being used. Softwares employed for the programming of CNC machines, known as CAM, are programs that, among other functions, enable the automatic generation of CNC programs, through the calculus of the tool path, from the geometric representation of the available part in computer systems presented virtually. When their integration occurs, we obtain CAD/CAM systems that currently, due to the great advance of technologies, help the creation of shapes and the handling of dimensions, thus enabling the programming of several kinds of numerically-driven equipment. Due to a great array of resources offered by these programs, its cost is high. Therefore, the purchase of these programs by companies is impracticable. In addition, these companies do not need all the great array of resources to deal with low complexity geometry. By considering these aspects, the objective of this study is to develop a low-cost CAD/CAM integrated methodology to apply in fixed cycles for milling and drilling, existing in the numeric comand of machine tools. In order to analyze the technique, a system using a CAD software was designed. Through its optimization resources, routines for programming fixed cycles of a machine tool (milling) with three-axle programmable CNC were created. The results demonstrated viability of this proposal as it was possible to obtain a CAD/CAM system for specific application.