Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines are used for very precise and accurate operations when manufacturing a part and amongst the industrial machinery, they are known to be one of the most expensive machines.
CNC machines use computer designed models to make the actual replicas and operating them can be rather tricky and troublesome. Namely, the models are made with the help of various types of software and many software solutions are all but flawless, this can cause some real problems.
To be more precise, the working hour of the machine is quite an expensive one and it is not the best idea to use it for the try-outs and exercise. Consequently, there is a great need for the trained personnel in this area and a great need for the new parts made on the CNC machines.
So, the natural course of events was to create a simulator that will mimic the operations of the CNC machine virtually. This greatly decreases the cost, risks and provides sufficient training for future machinists. There are various virtual CNC software products on the market and some of them are well-designed.
The simulator allows not only the operations of the actual machine in the virtual environment, but it is capable of simulating any 3D model from the numerous Computer Aided Design or Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) software for any training or teaching purpose. Actually, it uses an OpenGL engine that is used for operating the GPUs in any of the modern computers and that allows further options that are more than useful.
The CNC simulation is able to detect the possible errors and bugs that would appear on the real CNC machine and that reduces the possibility of errors occurring in the production process. The CNC simulator predicts the error, isolates it enabling you to pinpoint the error and assists in De-bugging. The simulator has exposed any potential defect that could possibly arise in real-world processing through simulation, thus reducing the risk of costly mistakes on the shop floor.
The machinists work hour is expensive when it comes to the CNC experts, it is evident how the simulator improves and simplifies the whole process.
The CNC simulator software developers managed to overcome the difficulties of putting the actual CNC machine in a virtual environment to simulate and verify the whole manufacturing process risk free and at low cost.This demonstrates improvements made in manufacturing technology.
This illustrates that the simulator reduces the costly expenses in training and operations. This is the reason why many manufacturing companies and technical education centres use the CNC simulator software to train their personnel, since it reduces real expenses and provides all of the functions found on the actual cnc machining parts supplier