[step-manufacturing] STEP-NC Explorer with basic/primitive simulation

[Martin Hardwick]

All,

We have added some basic simulation capabilities to the STEP-NC 
Explorer. There is a new option called Motion that will let you 
switch between four basic motions:

"Virtual Gantry Machine"
"Virtual Fixed Spindle Machine"
"Virtual AB Tilt Table Machine"
"Virtual BC Tilt Table Machine"

The new explorer and three test data sets is in the following directory:

ftp://ftp.steptools.com/private/Vancouver/test_data/

For those who do not have a STEP-NC Explorer key there is a STEP-NC 
viewer in this directory that is an extended version of the free STEP 
viewer. It will show tool paths and perform the four types of machine 
simulations as well. When using this viewer you may want to delete 
the shape of the stock and/or fixtures before starting the 
simulation. There are buttons to change the workingstep and toolpath.

The impeller part has the most interesting simulations. The fish_head 
only does limited five axis machining towards the end of the program. 
There is no five axis motion in the posted version of the CDS part.

You cannot set the origin of the axes of rotation in these 
simulations and you cannot attach machine geometry to the axes.

Martin