Tekla tube Truss Cutting Software Description

Nantong IT-SOFT Co., Ltd.

Zhang Shiqin
 Contents

Tekla tube Truss Cutting Software Description ........................................................................................... 1

Contents .................................................................................................................................................. 2

Software development background and introduction .............................................................................. 3

Software function specification ............................................................................................................... 4

Software running environment requirements ...................................................................................... 4

Software interface ............................................................................................................................... 4

Software new functions ....................................................................................................................... 6

Precautions .......................................................................................................................................... 9

Contact information .............................................................................................................................. 10

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Software development background and introduction

The role of the software is to directly call out the tube truss model built by users under TEKLA Structor
V19.0 to generate cutting code.
Because the tube materials have the same mechanical properties, tube truss structure has lots of
advantages of good appearance, light structure, convenient design and calculation, it is usually used in the
construction of halls and guesthouses, airports, railway stations and other large monomer structures. But the
cutting and assembly of complex intersection line have always been a difficult problem. Many places
originally adopted the ball node connection way to reduce the construction difficulty in order to avoid the
complexity of cutting and installation of intersection line caused by the multi-pipe intersection. But this
structure often has the disadvantages of structural strength deduction, weight increase.
Later the software which generates the intersection line with the three-dimensional center line modeling
under CAD is developed. But because the main design software of tube truss is TEKLA Structor, the model
under TEKLA needs to be poured out of the center line model and modeling is conducted and the cutting code
is generated under CAD. It was acceptable for small and medium-sized steel structure project, but if large and
giant steel structure uses this way, this will take up a lot of manpower to do the repetitive work which has been
done under TEKLA. Because the work is repetitive, two different operations can cause cutting and assembling
problem.
Our company is specialized in the research and development of CAM software. The software is
developed at the request of the customers under this background, which is applied to the construction of new
airport terminal in an airport. The software can be directly applied to Tekla Structor V19.0 to select steel tube
model needing to be cut (steel tube model needs to be trimmed under Tekla before selecting). The software
will automatically read in various information of steel tube model, such as outside diameter, wall thickness,
name, ID number, material, remarks information, etc. It can extract the model information of tube parts
synchronously for analysis and processing to achieve the requirements of cutting.
Because TEKLA model is very rough, some details cannot meet the requirements of cutting processing.
Our developers use abundant professional experience to carry out the special processing on cutting line,
making it smooth and undistorted, that is, the sharp part is sharper, and the smooth part is smoother.
Software provides various groove options, and provides the support for AWS standard welding groove.
The groove resulting from the special algorithm calculation makes the tube parts better welding effect, and
makes NDT qualification rate of the user welds higher.
Our company can read out the slotting and hole cutting information of TEKLA model uniquely, and can
cut the corresponding groove, which is the initiation at home. Only our software currently can do this at home.

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Software function specification

Software running environment requirements

TEKLA Structor V19.0 needs to be installed on the computer which is required to run the software.
The requirements of other software and hardware of the computer are the same with those of TEKLA
software.
This software needs FRAMEWORKS4.0 environment support

Software interface

Main interface of the software is as shown in the figure below:

The red frame in the figure is the parts list. After users choose the model from TEKLA, if the model is
correct, the software will write the parts information into the parts list.
The yellow frame in the figure is the parameters editing area of the current parts. Users can modify the
parts name, quantity, remarks and other information. Because the tube diameter, wall thickness and other
parameters are especially important and there are unpredictable problems after modified, it is prohibited to

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modify these parameters manually by the user. If these parameters need to be modified, they are modified
unter TEKLA model.
The blue frame in the figure is the node display and selection area of the current parts. Uses can choose
the node to be edited (intersection mouth). Double-click the intersection mouth table, the current intersection
mouth graphics will be displayed to the middle of the graphics display area and will be maximized.
The green frame in the figure is the current node groove information editing area of the current parts.
Users can modify the welding groove of the currently selected intersection mouth. There are three grooves
available for users. It is suggested to select dynamic groove if the desired welding line is uniform and the
welding materials aren’t wasted.
The purple frame in the figure is the lead wire editing area of the current parts. Users can modify the
length of the lead-in wire and lead-out wire and other information. Users can also choose to close the lead-in
wire and lead-out wire and modify the lead wire location of the current node (intersection mouth).
The black background area in the top right corner of the figure is the intersection mouth graphics display
area of the tube parts. Users can view the intersection mouth graphics of tube parts in this area. Users can scale
graphics by scrolling the mouse wheel in this area, and can also drag the graphics by clicking the mouse wheel.
Double-click the mouse wheel can display all graphics.
Click the "tool -default groove setting". Software will call up the settings dialog. As shown in the figure
below:

Users can modify some parameters related to the machine and the hardware under the interface.
"Gun A maximum angle" refers to the max angle or swung angle forward and backward of the cutting
machine on the tube length direction. This value is associated with the parameters of the machine, and can’t be
set casually, otherwise which have consequences of colliding the limit and groove not meeting the
requirements or poor intersection mouth fitting in the running process of the cutting machine. And this value is
related to the scope of the AWS.
"Gun B maximum angle" is the same with the last parameter, and it is also the intrinsic parameter of
cutting machine.
There are two "Gap of nesting", which can be set to be multiples of wall thickness or an absolute value by
Users.
Tube section beginning letter means that the software only reads TEKLA model at the beginning of the

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specified names, and the rest of the models will be abandoned. This can greatly speed up the read-in speed of
parts and can quickly determine which parts are the tubes.
"Used the Bspline for shape line" option is that software uses multiple splines to fit the original point of
intersection mouth, thus attaining the goal of encrypting intersection mouth parameters. Because TEKLA
software has a large amount of model data, its model quality is very poor. Only a dozen points are used to fit
one circle, so there is a very big problem when cutting deeper intersection mouth. Direct consequence is that
the cut intersection mouth totally can’t fit the main tube. After this function is used, the software will
automatically calculate other points on the intersection mouth to make the intersection mouth smoother,
increasing the fitting rate of tube when the tubes are mutually intersected. This is the special point of the
software.
"Close leadout(for plasma cutting)" option is that when plasma cutting is used, the software automatically
closes the lead-out wire, and arc breaking wouldn't happen to interrupt the cutting.
Click the "Tool-Normal bevel setting". Software will call up the settings dialog. As shown in the figure
below:

Different bevel can be set according to different plate thickness. As shown in figure shown, we set two
grooves at 6mm boundary. If less than 6mm, it is fixed groove 0 degrees; if greater than 6mm, it is dynamic
groove 40 degrees, which meets AWS welding standard.
The software will automatically set different bevel according to different wall thickness when reading the
tube information, to meet the needs of customers.

Software new functions

The function of read-in slotting information and the opening information is added on the software. And
the groove can be cut on the slot and hole. As shown in the figure below:

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 Software will also use the special tube method to encrypt the hole with low original accuracy (this is our
unique technology, which can significantly improve the cutting quality), to make the hole smoother. As shown

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in the figure below:

Bevel cutting function on the slot is the unique technology of our company, and allows users to cut the
desired intersection mouth once. Don't need the secondary cutting. As shown in the figure below:

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Precautions

After changing various parameters of the tube parts (information, intersection mouth groove, lead wire,
etc.), Users needs to click "modify" button in the bottom left corner of the main form to save the modified
parameters to the tube parts. Otherwise after Users clicks "tube parts list" to select other parts or call the new
tube parts, all modified parameters will be lost.

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Contact information

Company name: Nantong IT-SOFT Co., Ltd.

Company website: www.it-soft.cn
Company E-mail: zsqsoft@163.com
Company fax: 0513-8528 2430
Company Tel: 0513-8528 2430
Contacts: Miao Xiaofang
Commonly used mobile phone: 134 8512 8960/133 5806 1165

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