EC2017 R1 WhatsNew PDF

What’s New in
Edgecam 2017 R1
This document highlights new product features and enhancements in Edgecam 2017 R1.
To run Edgecam and Part Modeler 2017 R1, the expiry date in the license must be October 2016 or later.
www.edgecam.com
Contents
‘WHAT’S NEW’ DOCUMENT OVERVIEW .................................................................................................................. 4
IMPORTANT INFORMATION .................................................................................................................................... 5
Manufacture Enhancements
TOMBSTONE ........................................................................................................................................................... 6
INTELLIGENT COLLISION AND FIXTURE AVOIDANCE FOR CLEARANCE AND LINK MOVEMENTS (INDEXING) .................................. 6
INSERT COMPONENT IMPROVEMENTS .......................................................................................................................... 7
ALLOW CPL TYPE TO BE SPECIFIED .............................................................................................................................. 7
ROUGHING FROM CURRENT STOCK ADJUSTS CYCLE LEVEL TO STOCK HIGH POINT ABOVE SELECTED FEATURE ............................... 8
PROFILING - CUT INCREMENT STAND OFF ADDED TO LINKS TAB ........................................................................................ 8
PROFILING - SUPPRESS HELICAL CLEAN UP PASS ADDED TO DEPTH TAB .............................................................................. 9
PROFILING - CUT BY OFFSET OPTION ADDED TO MULTIPLE PASSES SECTION OF GENERAL TAB ................................................. 9
PROFILING CYCLE - BREAK CORNERS OPTIONS WITH GEOMETRY COMPENSATION ............................................................... 10
PROBING FOR TURNING .......................................................................................................................................... 10
INTERPOLATE ANGLE / DISTANCE ON FIVE AXIS............................................................................................................ 11
ROUGH GROOVING CANNED CYCLE ........................................................................................................................... 12
SELECTING CHUCKS FOR SUB SPINDLE ........................................................................................................................ 13
WIRE TRANSFORMATIONS ....................................................................................................................................... 14
WIRE WIREFRAME FEATURES ................................................................................................................................... 15
WIRE - FANUC TECHNOLOGY DATABASE ADDED FOR FANUC Α-C600IA ........................................................................... 15
ADVANCED SUB PROGRAMMING CAPABILITIES IN WIRE................................................................................................. 16
SAFE RETRACT ENABLED IN TURNING ......................................................................................................................... 17
AUTO STOCK FROM MODEL ..................................................................................................................................... 17
FILTER CPLS ......................................................................................................................................................... 18
STORE TOOLPATH GRAPHICS DATA............................................................................................................................ 18
WORKFLOW SHIPPED STRATEGIES IMPROVEMENTS ...................................................................................................... 19
Interface Enhancements
SESSION DETAILS ADDED TO SETUP BROWSER .............................................................................................................. 20
IMAGES ON DIALOGS (TURNING CYCLES) .................................................................................................................... 21
ROTATIONAL HANDLE ON DYNAMIC CPL MARKER WITHIN THE TURNING ENVIRONMENT .................................................... 23
What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 2 of 69

www.edgecam.com
Simulator Enhancements
VIEW COMPARISON FOR MULTIPLE COMPONENTS ........................................................................................................ 24
Edgecam Workflow Solids

ISOMETRIC VIEW SHOWN WHEN EXTRUDING / REVOLVING FIRST SKETCH.......................................................................... 25
Code Wizard Enhancements

COMMAND LINE IMPROVEMENTS.............................................................................................................................. 26
SUPPORT FOR POLAR INTERPOLATION OPTIONS IN AXIAL ROTARY MILLING ....................................................................... 26
AXIAL ROTARY MILLING PARAMETERS RENAMED .......................................................................................................... 26
LINEAR TURRET SUPPORT ........................................................................................................................................ 27
SUPPORT FOR SLIDING SPINDLES / SLIDING MATERIAL .................................................................................................. 28
SUPPORT FOR X MOVEMENT ON MOVE SUB SPINDLE COMMAND .................................................................................... 28
NEW VARIABLES FOR CANNED ROUGH GROOVE CYCLE ................................................................................................. 29
INDEXG200 TEMPLATE USING VARIABLE ADDRESSES.................................................................................................... 30
LOWER TURRET CONTROL OVER COOLANT M-CODES.................................................................................................... 31
PROBING FOR TURNING .......................................................................................................................................... 31
NEW LANGUAGE TRANSLATION MECHANISM FOR POST PROCESSORS ............................................................................... 32
Code Generator Enhancements

VARIABLE FORMATTING .......................................................................................................................................... 33
NEW SYSTEM VARIABLES FOR CANNED ROUGH GROOVE CYCLE ...................................................................................... 33
NEW SYSTEM VARIABLES FOR REFERENCING DATUMS.................................................................................................... 33
Miscellaneous Enhancements
NEW PCI COMMANDS TO HANDLE LAYERS ................................................................................................................. 34
RPM DIAMETER ADDED TO TURNING TOOL ................................................................................................................ 35
Licensing
CLS NETWORK LICENSING PROFILES .......................................................................................................................... 36
LICENSE MANAGER DIALOG ..................................................................................................................................... 36
NEW MODULE LICENSE - EDGECAM TOMBSTONE MANAGER ......................................................................................... 36
MAINTENANCE DATABASE REPORT....................................................................................................................... 37
NEW FEATURES IN VERSION 2016 R2 .................................................................................................................... 38

www.edgecam.com
‘What’s New’ Document Overview

Purpose of this Document and Other Sources of Information
The purpose of the document is to highlight new and changed items in the current release. Non-release specific
information such as installation and licensing information, system requirements and CAD Links information can be
found in the relevant document.
For help with your installation, please refer to the Installation Guide. This is available from the DVD or the Help
sub-menu in the Edgecam program group.
For help with licensing your standalone or network license, please refer to the Licensing Guide. This is available
from the Help sub-menu in the Edgecam program group, the CLS menu and the License Manager dialog.
For information on system requirements and supported CAD systems, please refer to the Installation Guide.
Targeted Information inside Edgecam and Other Programs

In addition to this document, ‘targeted’ information on new items is available in the dialog help and user guides for
other applications. This allows you to focus on new features/enhancements for a specific program or the cycle you
are currently working on, for example.
Dialogs that have new functionality or where the cycle behaviour has changed have an additional ‘What’s New’ tab
in the help. This explains what has been added to the dialog or changed in this release.
What’s new topic(s) have been added to help files for other programs, such as Code Wizard, Code Generator, and
ToolStore etc. This only lists new functionality for that program, allowing you to focus on those items.
The Development History of Edgecam

Additional functionality and enhancements are developed with each release of Edgecam software. For an overview
of new features and enhancements in the last release, please refer to New Features in Version 2016 R2.
For a summary of new features in previous releases, please visit the History section of the Edgecam website.

www.edgecam.com
Important Information
Windows 8 no longer supported
Support for Windows 8 has been removed from this release onwards.
Windows 8.1 will continue to be supported.
CATIA V4 Loader will be unsupported at this release

The CATIA V4 Loader has been frozen for some time and unsupported from the third party supplier. The issue is
that on Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 the application will crash due to tighter UAC controls. We are still shipping
the Loader and it does still work on Windows 7.
We expect to remove support at Edgecam 2017 R2.
Internet Explorer 11 is required

Due to new functionality in Edgecam 2017 R1, Internet Explorer 11 is required.
Note: Edgecam 2016 R2 required Internet Explorer 10.
License Expiry Date

To run Edgecam 2017 R1, the maintenance expiry date in your license must be October 2016 or later.
Installing Edgecam 2016 R2 after 2017 R1

If Edgecam 2016 R2 is installed after Edgecam 2017 R1, Internet Explorer 8 is set to be used and will cause
problems with the browsers in 2017 R1 which use Internet Explorer 11.
The solution is to reinstall Edgecam 2017 R1.

www.edgecam.com
Tombstone
For this release, we have introduced a Tombstone
module for assembly of pre-existing parts on a defined
mounting device allowing further optimisation and
subsequent simulation and output.
Note: Tombstone is a licensed module and customers
will not see the new Tombstone manager unless the
module is purchased / added to their license.
Intelligent Collision and Fixture Avoidance for Clearance and Link

Movements (Indexing)
In previous releases, the user had to specify a clearance
radius which was used whenever the tool was indexed.
For this release, a new Collision Check Index Moves
option has been added which, when checked, will
optimise the clearance / retract distance automatically.
Note: For old parts the option is off, by default.

www.edgecam.com
Insert Component Improvements

It is now possible to insert separate sequences from a
recently saved PPF.
There are new Sequence Source List and CPL Source List
options on the dialog:
 Using Sequence Source List, you can either
import all sequences or a separate sequence,
identified by its name. This is unavailable until
Insert Sequences is checked.
 In CPL Source, there is now a List option to
choose from the list of available CPLs in the PPF
(CPL Source List).
Note: To insert an old PPF, the file needs to be opened
and saved in the current version.
Allow CPL Type to be specified

A CPL Type option has been added to the General tab of
the Create and Edit CPL dialogs which allows you to select
one of the following CPL types:
 Default.
 Mating Location.
 Machine Datum.

www.edgecam.com
Roughing from Current Stock adjusts cycle level to stock high point
above selected feature
With Stock Type of Current Stock, the cycle level is now
automatically adjusted to the level of the current stock
high point directly above the selected feature.
Notes:
1. The stock must be updated prior to applying the
cycle otherwise additional unwanted passes may
be generated.
2. If unwanted polishing cuts are generated,
specifying a small negative stock offset should
remove them.
Profiling - Cut Increment Stand Off added to Links tab

A new Cut Increment Stand Off field has been added to
the Links tab of the Profile Milling cycle. This allows you to
control the rapid approach height above the previous
depth of cut from which to start feeding down to the next
cut level.
When specified, the tool will feed from (last cut depth +
Cut Increment Stand Off) down to the next depth of cut.
The Cut Increment Stand Off will be overridden if:
 Feed When Plunging is checked.
 Apply Safe Distance on the Lead Tab is checked.

www.edgecam.com
Profiling - Suppress Helical Clean Up Pass added to Depth tab

A new Suppress Helical Clean Up Pass option has been
added to the Depth tab of the Profile Milling cycle for
circumstances where this is not required.
By default the clean up pass is made; existing parts are
unaffected.
Profiling - Cut by Offset option added to Multiple Passes section of

General tab
A Cut by Offset option has been added to the Multiple
Passes section on the General tab of the Profile Milling
cycle:
 When checked, all Z cuts are completed for a set of
offset passes before moving to the next set of
offset passes.
 When unchecked, all passes are completed at one
level before moving down to the next level.

www.edgecam.com
Profiling Cycle - Break Corners options with Geometry Compensation

Previously, when Geometry compensation was in use, users were limited to the Sharp and Round corner strategies
in the Profiling cycle. To enhance the capabilities of the cycle, we have now added more corner strategies:
Notes:
1. When compensation is being used, the High Speed and Sharp corner strategies will produce the same NC
Code as the Round strategy if the back offset is identical. In the machine, Sharp and High Speed are
probably not applicable; a Feedback message has been added to these cases to warn the user.
2. For the Twizzle corner strategy, it is important that the generated NC Code is tested in the machine first.
Some controllers might encounter problems with the toolpath crossing itself.
Probing for Turning

For this release, we have implemented Probing for
Turning.
Note: Probing requires a standard turning license or
above so that it can be loaded as a driven tool.
This involves enhancements to Edgecam, Code Wizard
and the post-processor template:
Edgecam
In Toolchange:
 A probing tool can be loaded on all turrets. The
tool can also be loaded in any orientation with
the CPL (datum) being orientated accordingly.
 The Probing category in ToolStore is only
accessible via Toolchange.
Probing cycles can only be created if a probing tool is
selected, the mode is Planar and probing macros are
available in the current post.

www.edgecam.com
Interpolate Angle / Distance on Five Axis

Edgecam now follows the Interpolate settings (Angle and
Distance) for the approach moves of a Five Axis cycle.
Current cycles using these settings will, therefore, show a
significant change in the output when generating code.
Notes:
1. If Interpolate Distance is set but Max Distance is
blank, a default of 1mm (0.05 inches) is set for
rapid and feed moves.
2. If Interpolate Angle is set but Max Angle is blank,
defaults of 10 deg for rapid and 3 deg for feed
moves are set.
2016 R2 and 2017 R1 code (using Max Angle of 5

deg):

www.edgecam.com
Rough Grooving Canned Cycle

A Canned Cycle capability has been added to the Rough
Grooving cycle, broadly following the principles of
Straight Turn and producing a G75 type cycle in the NC.
This has involved the following enhancements:
Edgecam
A Canned Cycle checkbox is available on the General tab
of the Rough Grooving cycle dialog as long as the code
generator selected has the ability to output in this form.
Note that when canned cycles are output to the NC code,
the toolpath is machine dependent and simulation may
not be an exact match. If Canned Cycle is selected some
other options will no longer be valid. The groove is
checked for suitability including corner radii compared
with tool corners and a cylindrical (not conical) groove
base.
Code Wizard
Three variables have been added to the Turning Cycles
G-Codes tab:
 Rough Groove canned cycle support ?.
 Rough Groove Output Zero Peck Depth.
 Rough Groove.
Code constructors for the cycle (with lower turret variant
where applicable) have been added with appropriate
tokens. For ISO style machines, a sample output format
has been created which can be modified to suit individual
requirements. For Siemens machines, the code
constructor does not have sample output but the full
range of relevant tokens is available.
Code Generator
Four new system variables (PECKRETRACT, STEP, XEND2
and ZEND2) have been added to Turning MACRO 6
(ROUGH GROOVE CYCLE) to implement this functionality.
Notes:
1. This cycle generates RAPID approach moves to
the selected cycle start point from which position
the canned cycle will be activated, finishing at the
cycle end point XEND2, ZEND2.
2. The implementation is for grooves in the part
diameter only. Face grooves are not currently
included.

www.edgecam.com
Selecting chucks for Sub Spindle

When selecting fixtures using Fixture Manager, you can
now place a chuck on the opposite side of the
component. This enables the Sub Spindle to have a
custom chuck as was already possible for the Main
Spindle.
When selecting a Chuck with Jaws or Chuck Collet, the
Chuck or Collet can be placed on the opposite side by
selecting Sub Spindle.

www.edgecam.com
Wire Transformations
Rotate Wire and Mirror Wire commands have been
added to the Wire Ribbon Interface allowing single or
multiple wire instructions to be transformed:
 From and To labels group the instructions to be
transformed.
 For Rotate Wire, specify the Angle and set the
Centre of Rotation.
 For Mirror Wire, define the mirror line about
which to Mirror.
 Mirrored toolpaths are not subroutined.
 Subroutine output is supported for Translate
Wire and Rotate Wire.
 It is possible to apply multiple transformations
but nested subroutines are not supported in
these situations.
 The strategy defined in Wire Setup is upheld for
the transformations; for example, when set to
Unattended night run (pockets), all repetitions
are machined before returning to cut all of the
tags.

www.edgecam.com
Wire Wireframe Features

For this release, we have introduced a Wire Wireframe
Feature command to create new wire features from 2D
geometry.
It is intended to address some of the limitations of the
old wire fence and produce features.
Wire - Fanuc Technology Database added for Fanuc α-C600iA

A Fanuc.mdb technology database has been added for the Fanuc α-C600iA machine.

www.edgecam.com
Advanced Sub Programming capabilities in Wire

For this release, advanced sub programming options have
been added to the Output Options in Wire.
To output code using sub programs, the user can select
one of the following options:
 None.
 Features - each feature will generate a sub
program.
 Setups - each Wire Setup will generate a sub
program.
 Cuts - each offset will generate a sub program.
 Operations - each cycle will generate a sub
program.
These sub program options have been added to the
following posts:
 ACcut
 AccuteX
 ACfanuc
 ACmillennium
 Brother
 Chmer
 Excetek
 Fanuc
 Hitachi
 Joemars
 Makino
 Mitsubishi
 Ona
 Sodick
Notes:
1. To avoid problems with old parts, all post-
processors will have the Sub Program Output
option set to None by default.
2. ACcut and Sodick do not have the Cuts option.

www.edgecam.com
Safe Retract enabled in Turning

The Force Rapid to Toolchange and Force Rapid to Home
preferences on the Toolpaths tab are now available in the
Turning environment.
Auto Stock from Model

A new Auto Stock from Model option has been added to
the Preferences.
This can be used to automatically create stock from the
solid models when there is no stock defined. Typically, this
would be used when there is no real stock requirement or
when you only want to check if the machining itself runs
correctly on simulation.
When this is enabled, if you attempt to simulate a Mill or
Turn part and no stock has been defined, Edgecam will
make a copy of the models (solids present on the part) and
convert them into stock. Simulator will then have a
component and a stock representation.
Note that this will have no effect if there is no solid model
present on the part or when stock already exists.

www.edgecam.com
Filter CPLs
A new Filter CPLs option has been added to the
Preferences.
When this is enabled, commands that list CPLs for
selection, such as sequence setup and indexing, will filter
for the appropriate CPL type. CPL type can be defined
when creating the CPL as one of the following:
 Default - no specific type.
 Datum - used for indexing.
 Location - used for mating.
If a CPL is not being shown for a command, disabling this
option will remove the filtering and list all CPLs.
Store Toolpath Graphics Data

A new Store Toolpath Graphics Data option has been
added to the Preferences.
When this is enabled, different parts of the graphics can be
turned on and off before being saved.
This is useful when a user creates too much toolpath or
believes that a toolpath is not important and, therefore,
wishes to remove it.

www.edgecam.com
Workflow Shipped Strategies Improvements

As part of the ongoing improvements to the Workflow
Shipped Strategies, the following enhancements have
been implemented:
Support Sub Spindle
Previously, the Shipped Strategies did not prevent the
user from applying strategies to the Sub Spindle or to the
Main Spindle when there was a part. However, the part
was not transferred from the Main Spindle to the Sub
Spindle. When a sequence is created and there are
features on the Main and Sub Spindle, strategies will be
assigned to them and selecting Apply will machine all
features in the Main Spindle, transfer the part to the Sub
Spindle and finish machining it.
Support Ream Strategy
The ability to finish holes with Ream strategy has been
added. The user needs to set Hole Finish Method to
Ream and the Maximum Reamer value in order to filter
bigger holes.
Safe Index for Milling
In previous releases, the tool would be moved to
toolchange in order to ensure that it was safe. The
Shipped Strategies now use the Collision Check Index
Moves option from Update Fixture and apply a safe
index which is safer and quicker.
Note: For Older parts (2016 R2 or earlier), the Update
Fixtures command must be manually edited and an
Offset entered. Otherwise, a toolpath with collisions may
be created.
Machine Feature to Use Current Tool
The Machine Feature option is used to apply a quick
toolpath for a specific feature; either roughing, finishing
or both. For this release, we have added the ability to
Use Current Tool which will ignore the tooling selection
from the Shipped Strategies and use the last tool in the
machining sequence.
This improvement should provide quicker toolpath
generation which can be edited later, if required.

www.edgecam.com
Session details added to Setup Browser
For this release, the Setup Browser has been split into
Session and Setup areas and the Environment, Machine
Type and Material details have been moved to the
Session window:
 When you load a solid model, the Session area
allows the user to change the Environment
(Milling or Turning) and the Material.
 The Setup area allows the user to set the
Information, Position Datum and Position for each
Component.
 The Component is the solid, stock and fixture for
specific machining. The user may have two
different solids, stock and fixture that will be
machined in the same sequence or in different
sequences but in the same session.
 Each Component now has its own CPL and,
instead of moving the whole part / stock / fixture
around every time the user changes the datum
and position, this CPL will be moved around.
Therefore, if Auto Align sets the TOP CPL to be in
the upper corner of the solid and the user starts
moving the part, the TOP CPL does not move.
 Previously, everything moved together but now,
each Component can now be moved
independently. This means that the user can now
use the interface instead of the other Transform
commands.

www.edgecam.com
Images on Dialogs (Turning Cycles)

As part of our continuing effort to improve the user
experience, images and help tooltips have been added to
the following machining cycles:
 Thread Turning.
 Rough Grooving.
 Finish Groove.
 Rough Side Groove.
 Finish Side Groove.
 Five Axis - Tool Axis Control tab.
 Rough Profile.

www.edgecam.com

www.edgecam.com
Rotational Handle on Dynamic CPL Marker within the Turning

Environment
To improve the user experience we have implemented a
rotation handle on the CPL marker within the Turning
environment which will allow users to manipulate the X
axis position relative to the Z axis. The new handle will:
 Allow viewing of the part. The part can be
revolved from the CPL marker by moving the
cursor over the handle until it turns yellow and
then holding the mouse button down and moving
the mouse around.
 Allow users to manipulate the rotational position
of the X axis when defining CPL's to find features.
 Allow users to define a C0 position for machining.

www.edgecam.com
View Comparison for multiple components
The View Comparison function has been enhanced to support analyses of a selected component inside Simulator.
Previously, if more than one component (model + stock) was available, Simulator would simply compare the first
element defined and not give any opportunity for the user to check other components from the same session.
The enhancements implemented for Component Setup have introduced the concept of multiple and well defined
structures when more than one part and stock is in the same section. This new structure has allowed Simulator to
implement component selection when doing a comparison.
Notes:
 In Turning, the existing structure for component already allowed a clear definition of Main Spindle
component and Sub Spindle components. That structure is now used and, when View Comparison is
requested in Simulator, the user will be prompted to select a stock; no selection of model is required, as
this is already known.
 In Milling, the functionality is completely dependent on a well defined setup structure. If that structure is
undefined or incorrectly defined, comparison will use the previous behaviour and compare the first
component only.

www.edgecam.com

Isometric View shown when Extruding / Revolving First sketch
Isometric orientation when Extruding the FIRST sketch.
Isometric orientation when Revolving the FIRST sketch.

www.edgecam.com

Command Line improvements
A new Command Line options is now available:
Parameter Function Notes
-q -quiet Prevent the display of the UI during template compilation.
Support for Polar Interpolation options in Axial Rotary Milling

Axial rotary milling on Mill and MTM machines enables the user to perform machining using the rotary table as the
secondary axis.
In previous releases, output was limited to a 'True Polar' scenario consisting of an Angle and a Polar Radius and the
user could select the active axis and side resulting in the following typical outputs:
X+ C
X- C
Y+ C
Y- C
For Lathe machines, the 'Fanuc Polar' output method can be used which consists of a Cartesian output which the
machine understands and executes (in rotary) accordingly. In Fanuc based controllers that mode is normally
enabled by G12.1 or G12 or G112 and disabled by G13.1 or G13 or G113.
Support for this output method has now been included on the Milling / MTM templates similar to that found in CY
applications.
Axial Rotary Milling parameters renamed

For this release, two machine parameters have been
renamed to clarify their purpose:
 Cartesian output in Rotary Milling to Force
Planar in Rotary Axial Milling.
 Cartesian output in Rotary Holes to Force Planar
in Rotary Axial Holes.

www.edgecam.com
Linear Turret Support

For this release, Linear Turret support has been
introduced in Edgecam with modifications to the Turret
tab in Machine Configuration:
 Linear option added to the Type modifier.
 Offset for first position, Mount Axis and Pitch
Linear turret Parameters.
Tools are mounted in a linear fashion, in a specified
direction. This arrangement is mainly used on swiss type
machines but also in other normal configurations.
Note: Turrets and tools still need to point towards the
job, either axially, radially or at an angle. The following
situations are supported:
 Turret for radially mounted tools or radial
mounting blocks.
 Turret for axially mounted tools or axial mounting

blocks.
 Left turrets facing main and right turrets facing

sub spindle.

www.edgecam.com
 Turrets facing the Y axis are supported using the

slant functionality.
Support for Sliding Spindles / Sliding Material

Continuing with supporting advanced machine
configurations, we now support turning machines with
Sliding spindles.
The main difference on these machines is that a Z axis
from the turret can be placed on the spindle, making it
move in Z instead. The implementation is based on
Simulator changes which enable it to identify the
available Z Axis (turret or spindle) and simulate the
sequence accordingly.
Support for X movement on Move Sub Spindle command

Support for machines that have the sub-spindle dislocated (in X) was implemented previously using the new
Spindle Setups.
However, the user may not want to create a new setup, but simply move the sub-spindle, with or without the part.
In this situation, moving in X might also be required.
Therefore, the Move Sub Spindle command now allows for X movement The dialog has not changed but now it
allows for X input when creating or re-selecting the sub-spindle position.
A typical scenario would be when some work is done on main spindle and, for accessibility reasons, the part is
moved with the sub-spindle into an intermediate position to allow further work to be done.
The sub-spindle moves follow two basic rules:
 When moving towards the Main Spindle, X moves first.
 When moving away from Main Spindle, Z moves first.

www.edgecam.com
New Variables for Canned Rough Groove Cycle

For this release, three variables have been added to the
Turning Cycles tab which are required for the Canned
Rough Groove Cycle:
 Rough Groove canned cycle support ?.
 Rough Groove Output Zero Peck Depth.
 Rough Groove.

www.edgecam.com
IndexG200 Template using Variable Addresses

The CY output for the IndexG200 template has been
changed to use the variable formats which simplifies the
code because the template is now standard. In addition,
some of the redundant variables have been removed to
make the post-processing simpler.
Changes have been implemented in the token
definitions, code constructors content and the process of
setting the format for each of the CY variables being
output.
Tokens Definition
We have changed a number of tokens which means that
rather than having a single and fixed format, it will
change depending on which turret or spindle is active.
These changes will be seen in the Format Table.
These addresses are configurable through menus in NC

Style tab.
Code Constructors:
Some of the CY tokens have been changed. The blue
highlight for these tokens means that the format is a
variable address.

www.edgecam.com
Lower Turret control over Coolant M-Codes

For this release, new coolant controls have been
introduced. When Turret Control Over M-Codes is
checked:
 The new M-Codes for Coolant Mist, Coolant
Flood, Air Coolant On and Coolant Off will
override the main coolant M-codes when it is a
Lower Turret operation.
 The sub-spindle M-Code will not have an effect on
the output code because the Turret now controls
the coolant codes.
Probing for Turning

For this release, we have implemented Probing for
Turning.
Note: Probing requires a standard turning license or
above so that it can be loaded as a driven tool.
This involves enhancements to Edgecam, Code Wizard
and the post-processor template:
Code Wizard
Renishaw Probing and m&h Probing can be selected on
the Machine Configuration dialog:
 Probing is only available if C&Y Axis is selected.
 Renishaw Probing is a licensed option.
 Probing is disabled if Siemens based templates
are selected. IndexG200 also does not have
Probing.
 You can add Probing to existing posts or change
between m&h and Renishaw using the Add
Device option.
Post-Processor Templates
After selecting either Renishaw Probing or m&h Probing
functionality, the Format Table, NC Style tab and
additional Code Constructors will contain additional
options:
 NC Style tab includes a Probing section for all the
reversals available.
 Code Constructors section contains default values
which can be customised, if required.

www.edgecam.com
New Language Translation mechanism for Post Processors

Edgecam and all its applications are transitioning to a new language translation scheme in order to standardise and
use latest methodologies.
Post processing now uses the normal translation mechanism. The previous method is being retired and users that
need to translate specific user macros, functions, and modifiers will need to follow the new mechanism which
utilises PO files.
 A PO file comprises many entries, each entry holding the relation between an original untranslated string
and its corresponding translation.
 All strings from existing shipped adaptive post processors have been catered for in Codegen.po:
install_folder>\Language\Codegen.po
Note: Files must be saved in UTF-8 format.

www.edgecam.com

Variable Formatting
Certain Controllers, such as Siemens, require different
address for each turret, for example, X1= Z1=; X2= Z2=;
X3= Z3=; X4= Z4=.
In previous releases, because the upper and lower code
constructors are shared with the turrets, the only way to
resolve this was to create extensive code for every code
constructor and use multiple user variables. This was
time consuming and could present problems when
upgrading.
For this release, the ability to change the format of an
entry in the Format table during the processing of code
has been introduced:
 Fixed formats can now be replaced by string
variables and those string variables can be
modified during processing based on any
conditional assignment.
 Formatting now also allows a suffix to be used.
The suffix can be a variable or a hard coded
character.
New System Variables for Canned Rough Groove Cycle

Four new system variables (PECKRETRACT, STEP, XEND2 and ZEND2) have been added to the following macro in
the Code Generator:
 Turning Macro Reference (6 - ROUGH GROOVE CYCLE).
New System Variables for referencing datums

Four new system variables (SYSID2, XINC2, YINC2 and ZINC2) have been added to the following macro in the Code
Generator:
 Milling Macro Reference (MACRO 43 - INDEX PALLET).

www.edgecam.com
Miscellaneous Enhancements
New PCI Commands to Handle Layers
// Rename Layer
cmd1 = InitCommand(50,722);
// Select the Layer
SetModifier(cmd1, 3, "The name");
// Select the new name
SetModifier(cmd1, 14, "The new name");
ExecCommand(cmd1, -1);
// Activate Layer
// Select the Layer
// Set Layer Visibility
// Select the Layer
// Show = 1, Hide = 0;
SetModifier(cmd1, 42, 1);

www.edgecam.com
RPM Diameter added to Turning Tool

A new RPM Diameter option has been added to the
Spindle tab of the Turning Tool dialog. This is used to
calculate the RPM based on the specified diameter and
the CSS value.
Note: Not available when CSS is checked.

www.edgecam.com
Licensing
CLS Network Licensing Profiles
Network License Profiles allow you to save your selection of system and module licenses as a single profile making
it quick and easy for you to select pre-defined license options:
 All network licensing users can create their own set of License Profiles, and you can also copy them to a
shared folder on a nominated network PC ensuring that all users can access the same ones.
 You can specify a particular profile to use when you are configuring your Profiles or check the option to
select one from the list that is displayed when you run the licensed application.
License Profiles are enabled and configured on the Configure Network Licenses dialog. Please refer to the CLS help
file for further details.
License Manager Dialog

The Configure Network Licenses button has been added to the License Manager dialog.
The button is disabled when a Standalone license is active.
New Module License - Edgecam Tombstone Manager

The new Edgecam Tombstone Manager module license enables the assembly of pre-existing parts onto a defined
mounting device allowing further optimisation and subsequent simulation and output.
Name: Edgecam Tombstone Manager
Product Code: ENTMB-M
Prerequisite Standard Milling, Advanced Milling and Ultimate Milling Standard Production, Advanced
licenses: Production and Ultimate Production.
For further information about this new license, please contact your Account Manager.

www.edgecam.com
Maintenance Database Report

For a full list of maintenance items resolved in Edgecam 2017 R1, please refer to the Maintenance Database
Report.

www.edgecam.com
New Features in Version 2016 R2

Below is an overview of new features and enhancements in the last release.
For a summary of new features in previous releases, please visit the History section of the Edgecam website.
General Enhancements
64-bit Edgecam
Edgecam is now a 64-bit application.
The main benefit is access to memory past the 2 GB limit imposed on 32-bit applications. This gives the ability to
store larger (or more) solid parts and toolpaths.
Notes:
 Any plugins which target ‘X86’ rather than the default ‘Any CPU’ will need to be rebuilt as either ‘Any CPU’
or ‘X64’.
 Legacy 32-bit PDI executables will continue to work correctly.
 Part Modeler will remain a 32-bit application.
Graphics Tessellation
A new Store Graphics Data option has been added to the
Preferences.
For this release, we are using a different technology to store the
solid model triangles which enables a solid model to be loaded
much faster the next time that the PPF is opened. Tessellation
works by inspecting the model and breaking it up into triangles
which are then stored in a way that can be read back much
faster than before.
The loading of a PPF file containing nothing but a solid model
may be up to 20 times faster than before. The geometry of the
solid model (different patterns) will affect how much faster the
solid can be loaded.
Currently, tessellation has only been applied to solid models and
a clean PPF will load much faster. However, a PPF containing a
single solid model and a large amount of toolpath will not show
much difference in the loading time since loading the toolpaths,
sequence and other graphics will have a major impact.
Note: A similar technology already exists for Inventor files (Fast
Render for Inventor) where a much rougher triangulation is
saved to improve loading speed. Inventor models will not,
therefore, be impacted by this functionality.

www.edgecam.com
Language Translation of User Post Macros

Previously, M-Functions (or User Post Macros), had a limited
and incomplete method for translation, which required the user
to manually type in their own translation when the post was
first used based on the displayed dialogs.
For this release, this mechanism has been changed, allowing a
complete translation of the Macro, including its sub-menus and
options:
 When the post is first used, a text file of the same name
as the post will be created in the language folder of the
user documents area: C:\Users\<user>\Documents\Vero
Software\<version>\Edgecam\language.
 If a different language is in use, it is placed in the
corresponding folder: C:\Users\<user>\Documents\Vero
Software\<version>\Edgecam\language\<Language
Name>
 The text file contains all user macros present in the post
including the standard shipped macros and user-created
macros.
 Edit this file to translate the relevant text.
 Once the text file is saved, Edgecam will detect that it is
different from the mnu file being used and a Translate
option will be added to the Shortcut menu in the
sequence browser.
 After clicking the Translate option, the macro dialog will
reflect the changes.
Note: If you change \language\<Language Name> and the text
file has not been created, the default is used. Copy the text file
to the <Language Name> folder and click the Translate option
to use the new file.

www.edgecam.com
Turning with Rotating Heads (Multi Task Machines)

For this release, we have introduced support for Milling
machines that do turning by rotating a turn tool. This is usually
seen when machining very large components where the part is
stationary and the machine moves around to machine the turn
profiles, typically large bores. The turning diameter is controlled
by a secondary axis attached to the head.
The first configuration to be supported is a Horizontal Machine
with a B-axis on table.
Note: ‘Advanced Multi Task Machine Options’ is required to use
the Auxiliary X Axis functionality. The prerequisite for this
module is an Advanced Production or Ultimate Production
license.
This involves enhancements to Edgecam, Code Wizard / Code
Generator and the Simulator:
Edgecam
 Sequence creation
The machine needs to be registered in Machine Manager
for Edgecam to accept setting a sequence up 'as milling'.
The sequence can be setup either as milling or as
turning, as for other MTM machines. However, we
suggest that sequences are setup as milling because
turning will not allow changes on part positioning; there
is no real Turn spindle on this machine.

www.edgecam.com
 Toolchange
A turn toolchange can be selected as in other MTM
machines. The difference is that there is no Turning
Plane because the turn tool will spin. Since the rotation
is done by the driven spindle, all speed parameters are
derived from the only driven spindle present in the
machine; there is no turn spindle on the table.
The tool can be mounted at different orientations (Axial,
Radial, etc.), but unlike normal MTM, this will not index
the rotary axis, instead it will alter the tool mounting at
the head.
Normally on machines that do these sort of operations,
there are special mounting arrangements and mounting
blocks.
A milling toolchange is not permitted when the Auxiliary
X axis is active or if it is not at its home position (0
position). The following feedback message will appear:
'Before a Milling toolchange, the Auxiliary X Axis needs
to be retracted and deactivated'.
 Auxiliary X Axis (X2 / U axis)
New Select X Axis and Retract Auxiliary X are available.
The commands will only be available if a Turn tool is
selected. If a milling tool is selected, and X2 is extended,
some warnings will be issued and the toolchange will
potentially fail; X2 movement is not expected to work for
Milling tools.
 Indexing
Turn tools on this environment will be able to index to
predefined Turn (2D) CPLs.
If the Turn CPL does not align with the machine axis,
Edgecam will align it in the usual manner.
This is the first instance where Turn tools can index to
specific CPLs. Note that on MTM-Rotating-Heads the
index will rotate the rotary axis, in the same way a
milling tool would - the tool will continue to be mounted
(on the head/spindle) as it was prior to the index.
Indexing to a Turn CPL in this new MTM environment
will also offer the option to move the machine head to
the centre of the selected CPL. By enabling the Generate
Move To Centre option, the Index will create a rapid
movement to align the head of the machine with the
indexed CPL, as otherwise the centre of turning would
not match the turned geometry centre.

www.edgecam.com
 Move To Toolchange
When moving to Toolchange or Home position, the
Auxiliary X Axis can also be retracted. Therefore, the
Move to Toolchange and Move To Home commands
now contain an Auxiliary Axis option when a Turn tool is
being moved. The Auxiliary Axis can be set to remain
Fixed, or to retract before or after the main axis.
Code Wizard / Code Generator
When creating a Mill machine, and selecting 'Turning
Capability', Code Wizard will allow you to select a Horizontal
configuration, which will then automatically select the
secondary X axis:
 Template
The templates are the MTM templates (Multi Task
Machines), as these contain a combination of a milling
machine plus turning cycles and turning toolchange.
Some additions for the Auxiliary X Axis are present, for
example, tokens, NC-Style tab, and formats. In principle,
the output of the secondary X axis functions in the same
way as Auxiliary Z Axis (Quills).
The user needs to place the token [AUXXMOVE] where
and if necessary, as it is not added to the default output.
 Auxiliary X Axis (as a device)
The Auxiliary X Axis is inserted upon the driven spindle,
as this is the kinematic arrangement that allows it to
alter the turning diameter during a turn cycle. The X2
movement, combined with the driven rotation of the
head, will provide the ability to create a turned profile.
 System variables / Macros
Similar to Quills, two new macros are available:
 %MACRO=722=..=Select X Axis= for Selecting /
Deselecting X2 axis
 %MACRO=725=..=Retract X Auxiliary= for the
retraction move
The ACTIVEX System variable identifies whether
the secondary axis is active, and X2MOVE details
by how much it is extended at each given move.
Simulator
Simulator will represent the rotation of the tool assembled on
the auxiliary axis. Tool and fixtures / holders will generate a
spun profile, which can fully detect collisions.
Spindle Control can be used to control the spinning. For these
machines it is normally a request to start spinning only when
the tool is ready to start cutting. For this, the user can set the
tool to Stopped at toolchange, and later (immediately before
the cycle) reactivate the spindle rotation using a Spindle Control
command:
This is fully replicated in the NC code.

www.edgecam.com
Support for Nutated Heads (Multi Task Machines)

We now support Nutated Heads on Multi Task Machines.
As for normal machines, only XZ and YZ turning planes are
allowed.
When the axis is nutated, a rotation can easily result in the
turning axis not being aligned with XZ or YZ because the rotation
takes place around more than one axis. Therefore, Edgecam will
check the nutated axis and offer only the available orientations.
'Angle' is also available but the toolchange itself will fail if the
selected 'Angle' is not achievable.
It is important to consider the following points for nutated
configurations:
 Imprecision when specifying the vector of the nutated
axis may result in orientations other than Axial not
being available.
For example, a vector of [0,57735 ; 0.57735 ; 0.57735]

would result in the axis being 'nutated' about all three
axis by 45 degrees. That means the table could achieve
a 'Radial' (or 'Reverse Radial') orientation by rotating
the table by 120 degrees (machine angle). Straight to
the point, non-Axial orientations will only be available
if the turn axis becomes perfectly perpendicular when
attempting to achieve them.
 Tools in non-axial planes may diverge from axial ones in
their hand / orientation.
On normal machines, the CPL will rotate evenly with

the rotary axis, always resulting in a situation where its
alignment still matches the tool orientation. A 'left
handed non-reversed' tool will always be 'left handed
non-reversed' on a normal machine.
On nutated machines, because the CPL rotates about

two or three axes, the tool needs to be reversed to still
respect its hand in relation to the CPL.
Profiling Cycle - Break Corners options with Geometry Compensation
Previously, when Geometry compensation was in use, users were limited to the Sharp and Round corner strategies
in the Profiling cycle. To enhance the capabilities of the cycle, we have now added more corner strategies:
Notes:
 When compensation is being used, the High Speed and Sharp corner strategies will produce the same NC
Code as the Round strategy if the back offset is identical. In the machine, Sharp and High Speed are
probably not applicable; a Feedback message has been added to these cases to warn the user.
 For the Twizzle corner strategy, it is important that the generated NC Code is tested in the machine first.
Some controllers might encounter problems with the toolpath crossing itself.

www.edgecam.com
Operations Improvements
The Edgecam Operations have been improved in the following area:
 Index
All Milling Operations that can machine 2D Features will apply a safe Index command when the selected
feature belongs to a plane other than the current plane. The user is required to select the feature from a
single plane. Multiple features can be selected in that plane but the Operation cannot perform multiple
indexes.
Operations - Associative Feeds and Speeds from the ToolStore
For this release, we have added an Associative checkbox to the
Milling and Turning Operations. When checked, the toolchange
parameters will be automatically read in from the ToolStore
entry.

www.edgecam.com
Trim to Face Silhouette check box added to the Cycles

A new Trim to Face Silhouette check box has been added to the
Control tab of the Parallel Lace, Constant Cusp Finishing, Rest
Finishing and Pencil Mill cycles. When checked, a boundary is
automatically generated from the silhouette of the selected
faces and used to trim the tool path.
Note: This modifier is for compatibility with pre 2015 R2 cycles
using Features. It is NOT displayed on the dialog by default but
can be displayed by creating a mask and making it visible by
setting the initial modifier value to On.
Comment field added to the Cycles

A new Comment field has been added to the General tab of the
Milling and Turning cycles.
A general description of the cycle can be entered which is
output through the Comment code constructor.

www.edgecam.com
Indexing and CPL Handling

A new Define CPL Name modifier has been added to the Index
dialog - General tab.
Define CPL Name is a string, where the user can dynamically
assign a new name to the CPL being indexed. Basically, Edgecam
will create a copy of the resultant indexed CPL with the assigned
name. Define CPL Name works in conjunction with the
automatic realignment and alternative rotational solution but,
because it is a new CPL, the usual warnings are not necessary
and are omitted.
Note: The new modifier is only available for Indexing (Milling
and MTM).
Advanced Five Axis Improvements

A number of improvements have been implemented in the
Surface, Port and Multiblade modules:
Calculation based on Surfaces Collision check - Move tool away

on tool plane
The aim is to be able to move the tool in its tool plane; the tool
plane in the plane that is normal to the tool axis. If a collision
occurs, the tool will be pushed on the tool plane but orthogonal
to the cutting direction.
The main benefit is that this collision avoidance is independent
of the machined surfaces and it will not push the tool into a
specific single direction. As the tool moves it can compensate
collisions in its plane while maintaining the tool orientation or
height. That is applicable when, for example, the tilting is set to
be relative to cutting direction.
See Strategy and parameters on the Gouge check tab.

www.edgecam.com
Calculation based on Surfaces – Flowline

The flowline will create a toolpath that is aligned (or mapped) to
the U or V direction of the machining surface. The user can
choose the direction from the interface. Note that only a single
surface can be machined at a time.
The main benefit is that the flowline toolpath can be created
without selecting additional bounding geometries such as wall
surfaces or edge curves. The maximum stepover can be
maintained with a constant distance even if the surface
topology is very complex. Also, calculation time is very fast. The
only issue is that only a single surface can be machined at a time
because, with multiple surfaces, multiple ISO directions can
occur which would cause the pattern to break.
See Pattern list on the Surface Paths tab.
Calculation based on Surfaces - Mirror Tool path

Creates a mirror image of a toolpath by reflecting it
symmetrically with respect to a defined axis and point.
See Mirror on the Roughing tab.
SWARF machining - Maximum angle step for rotation axis

Limits the rotation angle of the machine head to a specified value measured from the last toolpath point. If the
rotation angle is too large due to the kinematic properties of the machine, the distance between two toolpath
points will be refilled with additional points. The number of points is calculated by division of rotation angle and
maximum angle step. The result is an angle change in small steps.
Some machine controls are not able to determine how to compensate large rotation angles resulting in
unpredictable tool movements which cause surface or even tool damage.
See Max. angle step for rotation axis on the Utility tab.

www.edgecam.com
Port Machining - Edge rolling

Edge rolling will create a toolpath extension enabling the tool to
approach and enter the port in a smooth and gradual manner.
The flute cuts out material step by step from the tip and is not in
full contact with the material on full diameter.
See Roll over edge on the Surface Path tab.
Port Machining - Automatic Spine

The behaviour of automatic spine creation for port machining
has changed. To create a toolpath, there must be sufficient
space between the spine and the machining surface. In previous
versions, no toolpath was created when any part of the spine
was too close to the machining surface. With the new
behaviour, the toolpath is created up to the point where the
spine gets too close to the machining surface. The resulting
toolpath is checked for collisions up to this point.
See Automatic spine on the Surface Path tab.
Multiblade machining - Fillet machining

This finishing cycle creates a finishing toolpath on the fillet area
between the hub and the blade.
The system automatically finds the fillet of the part. The area to
be machined on the hub and shroud can be defined by:
 A determined number of cuts and a stepover distance
 A big tool diameter. Define the roughing tool diameter
to determine which area of the fillet could not be
machined. Additionally, an overlap can be set.
See Pattern on the Surface Path tab.

www.edgecam.com
Rough Groove Cycle Improvement

We have made a change to the Rough Groove cycle in that the
top radius or chamfer are now ignored when their width is less
than the stepover increment.
For simple grooves, this causes passes to be made down the
walls of the groove to avoid leaving wedges of uncut material.
If the radius or chamfer are large enough to require roughing
then it may be necessary to do a separate cycle to machine
these areas.
Rough Groove Intermediate Slices

We have enhanced the Rough Grooving cycle to do
intermediate cuts after the primary cuts in order to remove
regions of uncut material:
 A Number of Intermediate Cuts field has been added
to the General tab allowing you to specify the number
of equally spaced intermediate slices to be applied to
each uncut wedge.
 A Safe Distance field has been added to the General
tab allowing you to control the approach / retract
distance from the top of each uncut wedge.

www.edgecam.com
Pathcomp added to Rough Grooving cycle

The Rough Groove toolpath now generates a compensated
toolpath which considers the tool tip radius; for existing parts,
the original behaviour is maintained.
Turning approach for Tapered Threads

For this release, the Thread cycle has a different approach
mechanism to prevent problems with Tapered Threads.
Edgecam now ensures that the approach move will always be
above the Start/End of the profile. This has been adjusted to
avoid problems with Canned Cycle and Single Block output
which could potentially cause machines to indicate an alarm
because the Cycle Start point was below the X end coordinate of
the tapered thread.
Notes: vs
 This also works for internal tapered threads as the

approach will send the tool to a lower coordinate than
the profile start/end.
 “Finish At” set to “Cycle Start” will respect the approach
move coordinate.
 This change also influences the longhand output.
 Previously, this adjustment was partially done in the post
processor. We now handle this adjustment in Edgecam
providing a more reliable simulation.

www.edgecam.com
Wire Enhancements
For this release, we have included a number of Wire
enhancements:
 Machine Configuration settings have been aligned to
match the PEPS Wire Engine; new output options have
been added. See the Machine Configuration dialog help
for a complete list of output options for each controller
family.
 Updated Makino technology database for support of
additional machines and controller versions.

www.edgecam.com
Rotary Axis Controls - Wire

Rotary Axis controls have been added to the General tab of the
Move Wire command which allow the rotary and linear axes to
be moved simultaneously or independently.
A new Rotary tab which allows rotary axis configuration when
positioning using the Move Wire command has been added to
the following machine controls:
 ACcut.
 AccuteX.
 ACfanuc.
 ACmillennium.
 ACVision.
 Chmer.
 Fanuc.
 Makino.
 Mitsubishi.
 Sodick.

www.edgecam.com
Translate for Wire

A Translate Wire command has been added to the Wire Ribbon
Interface allowing single or multiple wire instructions to be
translated:
 From and To labels group the instructions to be
transformed.
 X Increment and Y Increment modifiers control the
translation increments and Repeat specifies the
number of repetitions.
 The strategy defined in Wire Setup is upheld for the
transformations; for example, when set to Unattended
night run (pockets), all repetitions are machined
before returning to cut all of the tags.

www.edgecam.com
Probing Cycles support Direct Picking on a Solid

For this release, we have added support for direct picking on a
solid to Probing Cycles.
This gives the ability to use Probing cycles without needing to
create / extract wireframe geometry from the model.
The cycles can pick:
 Linear edges (endpoints and midpoints).
 Vertices.
 Circular edges and faces.
These picks are associative to the model which means that the
toolpath updates following a design change to the solid.
However, a limitation exists in that edge midpoint and face
centre point picks remain non-associative.
Multiple Hole Templates Now Found

For this release, we have added the ability for multiple hole
templates to be able to be found in a single hole definition. This
allows users dealing with complex holes to be able to match the
steps of the hole to pre-saved hole templates.
When constructing hole templates that will be used to find
partial hole definitions in a larger hole definition, set the Match
To Subset flag to Yes using the drop-down list.
Create Sequence - Update Stock modifiers

For the previous release, in milling, we added the ability to
define Update Stock automatic parameters using PCI variables.
These milling parameters can now be defined using the Update
Stock option in the Create Milling Sequence dialog:
 Those fields will populate the PCI variables that were
created in the 2016 R1 release.
 Note that the Update Stock command is not modal. If
you call a new Update Stock command later, you will
need to remember which settings you set up for
consistency.

www.edgecam.com
Manual Turn Profile Features - Ability to re-select Entities

during an Edit
For this release, we have improved the editing of Manual Turn
Profiles.
Previously, the user had no way of editing selected entities for
the turn profile; only the front and rear extensions could be
edited. The profiles defined in Manual Turn Features can now
be redefined.
Note: Once the Turn Profile Feature has been saved as a
Before
template it is not possible to edit the subsequently 'found'
template profile. Should you wish to edit a template, it needs to
be redefined on the feature from which it was created.
After

www.edgecam.com
Component Setup replaced by Setup Browser

For this release, we have replaced the Component Setup dialog
with the Setup Browser window.
Insert Solid - Automatic Alignment

For this release, when inserting a solid, a message will be
displayed indicating whether or not the solid will be
automatically aligned.
The location and orientation of the solid can be manually
changed by clicking Change Alignment Options.
Note: This will disable automatic alignment.
Workflow View and Render Buttons

For this release, we have re-introduced the options to toggle the
display of different machine parts (Base, Guards, Axes, Turret
and Table). We have also added the options to Show or Hide all
of the machine graphics.

www.edgecam.com
Images on Dialogs (Milling Cycles)

As part of our continuing effort to improve the user experience,
images and help tooltips have been added to the following
machining cycles:
 Plunge Roughing.
 Project Toolpath.
 Five Axis - Depth tab.
 Rest Finishing.
 Project Boundary Collapse.

www.edgecam.com

www.edgecam.com
Feature Find Hole Grouping

For this release, we have added a new Through Clearance
option to the Hole Options on the Mill tab. This allows you to
group similar holes based on the Through Clearance value that
you specify.
Similar holes can have different clearances beneath them and
may not be recognised and grouped together. Use this setting
to define the clearance beneath the hole for which holes will be
grouped provided that the Through Clearance distance contains
no faces.
The Through Clearance option has also been added to General
tab of the Hole Feature and Group Hole Features dialogs.

www.edgecam.com
Pick by Colour
For this release, we have improved the Filter Entity Types
command to take account of the geometry colour and it is now
possible to select all blue lines or red surfaces, for example, in a
given part.
For example, to machine all the blue arc entities in a given part:
 Select a machining cycle.
 On the Picking Options, select Filter.
 Click None, change the colour to blue and then check the
Arcs geometry type.
 Drag a window over the whole area to select all of the
appropriate entity types.

www.edgecam.com
Turning Slant bed support

For this release, Edgecam users can now simulate turrets
that do not share the same X axis (1,0,0).
Simulator Showing / Hiding Machine Tool Components

For this release, we have added the option to Show or
Hide all of the machine graphics.
Machine and Component movement

For this release, we have removed the Stock Movement option from the shortcut menu.
When simulating parts where the machine has no graphics, the Machine Simulation button can be used to control
whether the tool moves around the part or the part moves according to the machine kinematics.
Note: For machines without graphics, Machine Simulation is off by default.

www.edgecam.com
IGES Import
For this release, we have added the ability to import IGES files
into EWS:
 added to the Storyboard after importing allowing

wireframe entities to be individually selected.
 When creating a ruled part suitable for wire EDM, a
second sketch can be created when extracting entities
from an IGES file using the Extract from Wireframe
button.

www.edgecam.com
Edit Dimension for 2D Relationships

For this release, we have added the ability to edit a dimension
for 2D relationships.
To edit a dimension that contains mathematical operations,
double-click the dimension to display the Modify Dimension
dialog. Modify the Distance field, as required, and click OK to
accept the changes.

www.edgecam.com
Support for non-collinear turrets (Slant Turrets)

For this release, users can now simulate turrets that do not
share the same X Axis (1,0,0).
By changing the X-axis properties, the turret will machine the
turning profile at a different angle (not 180°). This is replicated
in the Simulator as the toolpath and tool positions are rotated
by a given angle that represents the machine tree settings.
Error messages will be displayed when the user attempts to
program unsupported instructions, for example, simultaneous
instructions, with driven tools, in both lower and upper turrets.
Notes:
1. As machines with Slant Turrets are expected to have the
capability to compensate the turret angle offset, users
will only experience changes in the Simulator. No
changes in the output code / post templates / internal
simulation are expected. In addition, it is important to
recognise that parametric graphics will not be precisely
visualised in Code Wizard because there is no change in
the Graphics or Home positions.
2. Machines with the turrets facing the Spindle will also
have to be changed in the “Turret” direction which
represents a vector in which the tools are mounted
around. A regular turret is usually set with a vector of
(0,0,1) while a turret facing the spindle needs to be
corrected to the same vector set in the X Axis.
3. Slant Turrets is a different machine configuration to
Compound Axes Turrets. In Slant Turrets, X, Y and Z are
considered to be perpendicular to each other.
Compound Axes Turrets will independently move in
vectors that do not have 90° of angular difference. When
a Slant Turret is being configured, the user needs to
ensure that the vectors set for X and Y axes will be
perpendicular.

www.edgecam.com
Axial Rotary Output in Polar Mode

Work has been done in the adaptive turning templates to
improve flexibility in the application of 'Polar' mode to rotary
axial moves. The controlling tab in 'NC Style' has been renamed
'C/Y Rotary (Polar) Axial Milling and new options to “Exclude
Rapids from Manual Polar have been added.
If Polar Switching is set to Automatic, the changes should be
minimal except that identification of rapids converted to feed
and thus included/excluded from the polar condition is
improved.
Polar switching set to Manual will do what is requested and
change to Polar Mode when the instruction is used within the
sequence. Use of the new option will allow delay of the
application until after the Rapid after Toolchange or to exclude
all rapid moves before and after the polar cutting moves. This
option is designed to help in cases where rapid approaches are
created by a cycle following the use of manual polar.
Notes:
1. Use of delay or automatic does mean that the
transition to Polar may not coincide with the sequence
switch to Rotary and that this could result in Simulation
differences from the NC code.
2. Users should satisfy themselves that these changes are
compatible with the requirements of their particular
machine before use on production work.

www.edgecam.com
New Milling Macros

Two new Milling Macros have been added to the Code Generator:
 Milling Macro Reference (MACRO 722 - SELECT X AXIS).
 Milling Macro Reference (MACRO 725 - RETRACT AUXILIARY X AXIS).

www.edgecam.com
ToolStore Enhancements
HTML Job Reports have been completely removed

The Old HTML Job Reports have been completely removed.
These were superseded by Live Job Reports in a previous release but some references to them remained in the
ToolStore Applications and File Locations.
All references to the HTML reports have now been removed from the software.
T-Slot Cutters - Additional Gauge Point added

For this release, we have added a Secondary Gauge Point for T-
Slot milling cutters. The Secondary Gauge Point enables the
gauge point to be set at the top of the flute.
This makes it easier to set the depth in the cycle when cutting
with the top edge of the cutter.
Changing the set point from Primary to Secondary and vice
versa causes the Z Gauge value to update; a separate tool
length offset is required for each gauge point setting.
On the Edgecam Milling Cutter dialog, the gauge point is set on
the Loading tab.
Note: When setting the Z clearance value in the cycle, you need
to allow for the depth of the flute and adjust accordingly.

www.edgecam.com
Inscribed Circle added to Turn Thread Tool insert definition

An Inscribed Circle modifier has been added to the turn thread
tool definition in ToolStore and Edgecam to help control the size
of the threading insert. In previous versions, the insert size was
based on a proportion of the insert reach. The insert size is now
controlled by the Inscribed circle value unless the insert reach
becomes too big in which case it reverts back to a proportion of
reach.

www.edgecam.com
Strategy Manager Enhancements
JavaScript Engine
Strategy Manager has been improved by adding JavaScript string functions to the Decision and Data Nodes.
Functions such as IF INCLUDES, OR, MID and LEN now have equivalent JavaScript functions which reduces the
complexity of the logic necessary and increases the opportunities to access data and output debug information.
The use of JavaScript Engine by the strategies also means that Edgecam can understand and apply the decisions
much faster. Decision and Data nodes are 15~20 times faster, in general, but may be up to 50x faster. They are one
of the reasons why regenerating a part is different to applying a strategy and these savings should improve
performance when applying strategies.
User Interface Improvements

Process Browser - Allow Sorting and Drag and Drop
To reorder processes in the Process Browser, either
right-click on the browser and click Sort Processes By
Name or drag and drop the processes.
Process Browser - Cut, Copy and Paste using keyboard
To Cut, Copy and Paste processes in the Process
Browser, use the CTRL + X / C / V keyboard shortcuts ,
respectively.
Delete processes, nodes and constraints using keyboard
To delete processes, nodes and constraints, use the
Delete button from the keyboard.
Remove zeros after the decimal separator
Zeros after the decimal separator are no longer
generated by Strategy Manager.

EC2017 R1 WhatsNew PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

EC2017 R1 WhatsNew PDF

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

EC2017 R1 WhatsNew PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What’s New in

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 2 of 69

Edgecam Workflow Solids

Code Wizard Enhancements

Code Generator Enhancements

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 3 of 69

‘What’s New’ Document Overview

Targeted Information inside Edgecam and Other Programs

The Development History of Edgecam

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 4 of 69

CATIA V4 Loader will be unsupported at this release

Internet Explorer 11 is required

License Expiry Date

Installing Edgecam 2016 R2 after 2017 R1

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 5 of 69

Intelligent Collision and Fixture Avoidance for Clearance and Link

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 6 of 69

Insert Component Improvements

Allow CPL Type to be specified

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 7 of 69

Profiling - Cut Increment Stand Off added to Links tab

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 8 of 69

Profiling - Suppress Helical Clean Up Pass added to Depth tab

Profiling - Cut by Offset option added to Multiple Passes section of

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 9 of 69

Profiling Cycle - Break Corners options with Geometry Compensation

Probing for Turning

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 10 of 69

Interpolate Angle / Distance on Five Axis

2016 R2 and 2017 R1 code (using Max Angle of 5

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 11 of 69

Rough Grooving Canned Cycle

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 12 of 69

Selecting chucks for Sub Spindle

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 13 of 69

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 14 of 69

Wire Wireframe Features

Wire - Fanuc Technology Database added for Fanuc α-C600iA

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 15 of 69

Advanced Sub Programming capabilities in Wire

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 16 of 69

Safe Retract enabled in Turning

Auto Stock from Model

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 17 of 69

Store Toolpath Graphics Data

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 18 of 69

Workflow Shipped Strategies Improvements

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 19 of 69

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 20 of 69

Images on Dialogs (Turning Cycles)

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 21 of 69

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 22 of 69

Rotational Handle on Dynamic CPL Marker within the Turning

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 23 of 69

What's New in Edgecam 2017 R1 24 of 69

Edgecam Workflow Solids

Isometric orientation when Revolving the FIRST sketch.