North American signmakers will have their first opportunity to see the 2010 versions of Delcam’s ArtCAM family of software for signmaking and other artistic applications on Booth #2322 at ISA Expo taking place in at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, from April 8^th to April 10^th.  The range comprises the entry-level version, ArtCAM Express for users new to CNC machining, ArtCAM Insignia for production machining, and ArtCAM Pro for more complex design and manufacturing.

The main change in the 2010 versions will be a completely new interface that can be customized by the user to give them the optimum productivity.  This means that every user can set up the software to give quicker access to the commands that they use most frequently. 

Similarly, commands that are rarely used can be hidden from the initial menu choices.  This releases much more of the screen for visualization of the model during the design progresses.

Another change that will increase productivity is the ability to use many more commands on the 3D model directly.  Previously, much of ArtCAM’s modelling had to be carried out on a 2D view, and then calculated and visualized in 3D.  Direct editing in the 3D window will give more immediate feedback, and allow much faster creation and modification of designs.

Further improvements have been made to the sculpting tools, following the major simplification of these options in ArtCAM 2009.  These tools are highly valued by ArtCAM’s creative users as they can be used to produce virtually any shape.  They duplicate in the virtual world the ability to sculpt physical materials but with the added advantage that material can be added as well as taken away.

On the machining side, a great deal of underlying technology has been incorporated into ArtCAM from Delcam’s industry-leading engineering CAM system, PowerMILL, such as the latest in multi-threading technology which gives faster calculation times.  The machining improvements in ArtCAM 2010 will also give users greater flexibility to edit toolpaths, in particular to optimize the leads and links.

Also of particular value to signmakers will be a new dual strategy combining roughing with an end-mill and V-bit carving.  This gives the advantage of faster material removal with the end-mill, while retaining the finish quality that is possible with a V-bit cutter.  In addition, machining simulations have been made more flexible by adding the ability to change the view during the simulation.  This makes it easier to check the quality and accuracy of the toolpaths on the computer before they are sent to the machine.