ICAM and Siemens Join Forces in the Race to Dominate High Speed Machining

ICAM Technologies Corporation announced today that it has signed a Co-operation Agreement with Siemens Automation & Drives of Germany to make ICAM’s CAM-POST® NC Post-Processing solutions compatible with Siemens’ new Sinumerik 840D and 810D High Speed Machining (HSM) control systems.

Under the agreement, CAM-POST, ICAM’s advanced NC post-processing technology, will support Sinumerik control systems to ensure that they are fully compatible with all major CAD/CAM software. Manufacturers can now take advantage of the faster production cycles permitted by CAM-POST’s HSM feature through CAD/CAM systems like CATIA, Pro/Engineer, SDRC, Computervision, and Unigraphics. Consequently, manufacturers will benefit from reduced operating costs, improved productivity, and faster time-to-market.

High Speed Machining (HSM) is a field in which Siemens and ICAM see a lot of potential since the performance of virtually any NC machine can be improved by using advanced control systems. Most major brands of 3 and 5 axis machining centers are available with Siemens CNC controls, and five axis machinery can be cost-effectively retrofit with newer type HSM controls to improve their speed and productivity.

”This agreement reinforces our commitment to being a leader in the application of technological advances that improve the manufacturing process, ” says John J. Nassr, President of ICAM. ”The CAD/CAM and the NC machine markets are important to us, and by teaming-up with Siemens we are insuring that ICAM is in a position to make a strong contribution to both markets. Ultimately it is manufacturers who will be the big winners in all this.”

“Siemens constantly pushes the limits of High Speed Machining (HSM). For example linear motors coupled with a high performance SINUMERIK CNC system have allowed machine builders to set new benchmarks for dynamic performance while maintaining sub-micron accuracy. Therefore it is of prime importance that the combination of the machine tool, CNC and part programming software are optimized for HSM, ” says Norbert Armbrüster, Vice President Sales and Service, Siemens Automation Motion Control Products. “Users will now benefit from plug-and-play solutions which fully utilize advanced CNC control features for HSM which include 5 Axis polynomial interpolation (NURBS) with programmable feedrate transitions. Users from the Mold & Die and aerospace industries especially will see drastic improvements in machine tool utilization”.

Siemens Automation & Drives delivers total solutions for the process and manufacturing industry worldwide. S ie eimens Automation & Drives comprises 13 business divisions with an optimally matched supply and performance range of products, systems and solutions , industrial applications and electrical installations. Products include industrial automation systems, programmable controls, process and motion control systems, along with a wide range of services, from software maintenance to training. The Machine Industry Business of Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc. based in Elk Grove Village, IL, just outside of Chicago Visit Siemens Automation & Drives Group on the (on the internet at www.ad.siemens.de ) offers solutions for the automation of machine tools, transfer lines and ot http://www.aut.sea.siemens.com/machine.htm her specialized machinery.