More Efficient Prove-Out and Workload Balancing

STEP-NC can reduce the cost of prove-out and enable better workload balancing for the following reasons:

• The post is replaced with a converter. The converter does not have to perform any mathematical transformations and can be supplied as a standard option in the CNC vendors catalog. Posts are written by a third party vendor as a piece of custom software that is only used for one control only. Therefore, they are inherently less reliable than software that is used by thousands of people on thousands of controls.
• The toolpaths that are sent to the control use workpiece coordinates. Therefore, a system can be built to show the paths that are going to be executed in advance of the dry and slow runs (a forward plot). The operator can then decide which paths need to be simulated in a dry-run and which do not because they are no where near the system limits. He or she can also see the future path of the slow-run and be less conservative with respect to reducing the feed-rate when the path is going to be in safe areas
• The AP-238 specification allows the product geometry, fixture geometry, cutting tool geometry and tool holder geometry to be communicated to the control where it can be combined with the already known machine geometry. Many CAM systems contain simulators that detect collisions. AP-238 allows these systems to be used on the control where they will further help the operator reduce the time and stress of prove-out.