FeatureCAM is used to drive all the machining at Pier 9
Autodesk has added Delcam's FeatureCAM feature-based CAM software for its Autodesk Workshop at Pier 9 in San Francisco. FeatureCAM will be used to program all the CNC equipment at the facility, including a DMS 5-axis router and a Mori Seiki mill-turn machine.
According to the company, Autodesk opened its Pier 9 facility in September 2013 to support the company's vision of helping everyone to imagine, design and create a better world. The 27,000 sq. ft. site is located a short walk from the company's San Francisco headquarters.
"Pier 9 is a very interesting facility because it has traditional Autodesk software alongside an incredible workshop," said Gonzalo Martinez, Director of Strategic Research at Autodesk. "It has a whole floor for additive manufacturing, plus we have a metal shop and a wood shop on the site. The best part of the concept is that it lets people experiment. They have access to the tools that we provide - both the software and the hardware - to see what they can do."
Jeremy Malan, Applications Engineer at Delcam, was responsible for installing FeatureCAM at Pier 9. "Pier 9 has a lot of people that are learning machining for the first time, so it is really helpful that FeatureCAM is one of the easiest to learn software programs out there," he said. "With FeatureCAM, even new users are able to quickly identify the kind of feature that they are trying to make and how they are going to do that on the machine."
"I love what FeatureCAM does because, at Autodesk, we have always been very good with design tools and visualization and simulation tools, but we were not really connected to what I would call fabrication," said Martinez. "Having access to FeatureCAM is really beneficial because it is able to read files from any of our design software and is able to output toolpaths ready to cut parts on any of our machining equipment.
"I really looked forward to testing FeatureCAM on our Mori Seiki machine, which is our most complex being a mill-turn with two turrets and 5-axis capabilities. There are always multiple axes moving around, but, with FeatureCAM, I can make sure that nothing is colliding and that the machine is working correctly. Also, the support that I have received from the Delcam team has been an A+ from day one. The people are extremely knowledgeable about the industry."
For more information contact:
Delcam
877-335-2261
marketing@delcam.com
www.delcam.com
www.delcam.tv/pier9