Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division announced it is exhibiting the newest releases of EDGECAM and WORKNC at WESTEC 2021, Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA, from November 16 -18, 2021. In Hexagon Booth #945, attendees will find CAD/CAM software technologies offering future-ready features for trending advancements in manufacturing. EDGECAM 2022’s newly-added support for 6-axis milling and turning machines enables programming of the cutter head into positions previously out of reach in just one set-up, which in the past required a series of sequences. The software also supports 3+2 machining and complex 5-axis simultaneous milling in all configurations. Also integrated with EDGECAM is a new component called NCSIMUL Essential providing full simulation of 3-axis milling parts. NCSIMUL is Hexagon’s high-end CNC simulation software for G-code verification. Users can dynamically interact with a toolpath and pinpoint exactly which line of code is being simulated. WESTEC visitors can see these late-breaking EDGECAM features and more demonstrated at regular intervals during the show.

Hexagon will also highlight the latest version of WORKNC computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software designed for mold and die makers. The software’s newest enhancement is the integration of a ‘manufacturing aware’ computer-aided design (CAD) application called DESIGNER. All WORKNC users now have on-demand access to CAD functionality to heal missing faces, extend surfaces, and cap holes and pockets in preparation for manufacturing. Users can also employ a hybrid design approach combining surface and solid entities using direct modeling techniques. A one-click transfer of completed designs directly into the CAM software makes the entire process even faster for efficient production. Also notable are the new advances in WORKNC’s programming capabilities that reduce the time spent calculating toolpaths and help to generate faster, more efficient code for reduced cycle times.

During WESTEC, Hexagon will also feature several other technologies including the new-to-market reverse engineering software REcreate which enables users to move from a point cloud to mesh to solid in order to create manufacturing-ready formats. For visitors interested in metrology solutions, the new generation Inspire inspection software will be shown interfacing with Absolute Arms, a Leica Absolute Tracker, and the latest in ultra high-speed laser scanners – the Absolute Scanner AS1. The TEMPO part loading system will be demonstrated with a TIGO coordinate measuring machine (CMM), which facilitates innovative autonomous measurement and lights out quality control. The latest m&h probing systems for machine tool measurement will also make their debut at WESTEC.

Hexagon
hexagonMI.com

Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division announced the release of ODYSSEE A-Eye, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that enhances Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) for a multitude of industry solutions without the need for complex CAE preparation and simulation expertise.

ODYSSEE A-Eye applies advanced pattern recognition to images, pictures, video and simple datasets so that they can be analyzed for machine learning (ML) applications in engineering simulation. The tool’s unique ability to match existing CAE simulation data to imagery and provide like-for-like predictions based on a posed problem makes it an invaluable tool for use in any engineering-related problem – design optimization, cost impact, or even how long a new product will take to produce without the laborious and highly-skilled process of preparing a model and defining simulation boundary conditions.

Applying ML processes to engineering problems typically requires expert knowledge and large amounts of training data to produce valid and reliable results, which leaves it out of reach for many smaller enterprises and non-specialists. By removing the need for complex data models and allowing the user to solve their problem by inputting widely-available CAD files, imagery or scalar data and relate it to training data from Hexagon’s simulation solutions, the ODYSSEE A-Eye platform makes powerful Digital Twin capabilities available to designers, production engineers, operators and other non-specialists. They can then make informed engineering decisions and explore problems interactively with near-real-time results.

Example applications include:

· Exploring how car wheel designs behave when impacting obstacles such as a kerb or debris. Engineers can build a database of different configurations using nonlinear finite element simulations such as the design or number of spokes to understand the effect of various designs. Vehicle design teams can then use this to quickly understand the behavior of a wheel without any engineering or CAE knowledge based on only a 2D image.

· Predicting lift and drag coefficients for new aircraft wing profiles based on a 3D image of a new wing design, by building a database of just 16 wing profile simulations from the widely-used National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) definitions. Typically, this process would take several days, and demand the time and attention of a CAE analyst and multiple simulation tools.

· A machinist or machine salesperson using an ODYSSEE A-Eye application to predict how long a part will take to produce with a given CNC machine tool and metal, using just the database and 3D Step file, capturing valuable process knowledge for others to better plan production and bid for projects. By applying manufacturing process simulation, the same process can be applied to predict dimensional tolerances or the strength of joinery.

Engineers without machine learning knowledge can use ODYSSEE A-Eye to develop their robust AI applications based on any particular problem that needs to be overcome, from optimizing tyre-tread design to fault-analysis of computer chips, and then make them available to others who need that knowledge. The new platform integrates with all of Hexagon’s CAE solutions, working seamlessly with customers’ existing processes and bringing AI to industries that may not have seen this as a feasible solution to their current design needs. Its accessibility means it can be used by companies who either do not carry CAE specialists, or want the expertise they do have to solve other problems or perform final design validation. With ODYSSEE A-Eye, a single engineering expert is able to specify an application that would help progress a design, and then feed that to the product design team and operators to execute.

Roger Assaker, President of Hexagon’s Design and Engineering Software Business Unit, said: “AI is an increasingly valuable tool within design and engineering, helping push virtual engineering to the next level. It has the potential to shorten the time taken to complete labour-intensive design tasks that may have previously taken days or weeks down to minutes or hours without losing simulation fidelity. Furthermore, the user-friendly design of ODYSSEE A-Eye makes it simple to integrate into modern engineering practices, democratising a highly advanced process for use by non-experts, and producing the results in a very accessible format.”

Hexagon
www.mscsoftware.com/product/odyssee