AdvantEdge v7.8 Release
Minneapolis, Minn – Third Wave Systems’ newest version of AdvantEdge™ is available now. While the latest v7.8 will provide several additional features to AdvantEdge™ users, the major highlights of the release are:
1. Tool and Holder Deflection Analysis – Reduce design iterations and engineer better processes
In AdvantEdge™ v7.8, the users will now be able to model a tool holder and tool for analyzing deflection in turning and grooving processes. In addition, users can visualize displacement contours for the tool and the cutter body for all processes, including the custom kinematics processes. This analysis will help accelerate tool design cycles by providing a greater understanding of stress in the tool body and incurred displacement for a significantly larger parameter space than possible in cutting tests. This feature can also be used in process planning to ensure tooling systems don’t deflect excessively for improving part quality and even reducing tool breakage.
Tool deflection (magnified) and super-imposed over the undeformed tool (in gray)
2. Speedup – AdvantEdge™ v7.8 is even faster than v7.7
With AdvantEdge™ v7.8, the users will experience a computation speedup of 15% vis-à-vis AdvantEdge™ v7.7. This release brings the total speedup to more than 40% in the last six months. The speed improvements in this version target processes that require larger tools, as is the case with High Efficiency Machining and processes using indexable tools modeled along with the tool holder.
Additional speedup of 15% for simulations involving large tool models
3. CAE Interoperability for Coolant Flow Analysis using third party CFD software
The users can now export temperature and heat flux data from AdvantEdge™ in the industry-standard CGNS (CFD General Notation System) file format. This functionality helps enable CFD analysis to study coolant strategies like Minimum Quantity Lubrication (MQL), nozzle placement studies, and other similar techniques.
Export of heat flux from AdvantEdge™ using CGNS file format for enabling CFD analysis
Following are the major highlights from the previous AdvantEdge releases which included several new features.
1. Speedup – Nearly 25% faster simulation times for rotating tools
With AdvantEdge™ v7.7, you will experience a computation speedup of nearly 25%. The data is based on 48 cases with a mix of milling and drilling with different materials and process conditions.
The results were observed for both Haswell and Cascade Lake architecture-based processors. Haswell architecture-based CPUs have been available since 2014, and Cascade Lake architecture-based CPUs have been available since early 2019. Our simulation runs show that the Cascade Lake CPUs provide an additional speedup of 15% over Haswell CPUs.
In v7.6, AdvantEdge™ provided the ability to selectively refine cutting edges and define kinematics for modeling complex machining problems. Along with the speedups in this release, AdvantEdge v7.7 provides the users with the ability to solve larger problems and solve them faster for accelerated decision making.
2. Reuse Previously Meshed Tool
The users can now reuse previously meshed tools in AdvantEdge™ simulations saving a significant amount of tool meshing time. This ability to reuse the tool is particularly beneficial when running a DOE analysis using one tool multiple times. Tool meshing is a computationally expensive process for STEP format tools using selective edge refinement. Reuse of meshes of STEP format tools can deliver time savings of up to 90% of the tool meshing time every time a tool is used for a new simulation.
AdvantEdge™ Tool Mesh Import
3. 3D Tool Geometry Library
AdvantEdge™ v7.7 introduces a 3D tool library with 13 turning and 6 grooving inserts from Sandvik Coromant. The users will have access to the detailed solid models (already meshed) to evaluate using AdvantEdge simulations for specific applications.
Sandvik Inserts
4. Enhanced visualization for Residual Stress extraction
Users can now verify the beam definition (orientation, length, and diameter) with respect to the workpiece to ensure the accuracy of the data to be extracted for analysis and verification. Improvements to the guidance image also help better understand the functionality, making it easier and error-free to use.
Residual Stress Volumetric Averaging
5. User-Defined Kinematics to Model Complex Non-Standard Processes
User-Defined Kinematics allows users to model complex and novel processes like spin tool turning, power skiving, thread whirling, bar peeling, and many, many more. Given the complex kinematics of processes, like power skiving, it is nearly impossible to experimentally measure even the forces experienced by the tool and the workpiece. The ability to model such processes using AdvantEdge becomes more critical to uncover new designs and process parameters.
Modeling Power Skiving using User-Defined Kinematics
Using the User-Defined Kinematics feature, users can assign a rotational and translational motion to both the tool and the workpiece, unlike in the standard processes where AdvantEdge does this automatically. File management has also been simplified. The users now have an option to import a single STEP file for both the tool and the workpiece.
User-Defined cutting edges and flute identification features remove previous constraints on the tool orientation. These features have also been made available for certain standard 3D processes such as milling, drilling, boring etc.
6. Improved STEP file Meshing for Modeling High Efficiency Machining
Using STEP models for modeling High Efficiency Machining allows the user to reduce cutting tests, evaluate more designs and speed up time-to-market. These processes are characterized by high axial depth and low radial engagement resulting in small chip loads. Improvements have been made to the STEP tool meshing algorithm to enable detailed analysis of High Efficiency Machining processes.
High Efficiency Machining Chip Formation
7. Total Simulation Time Reduced with Refined Edge Positioning
Refined edge positioning allows the user to achieve meaningful results with a shorter length of cut. This update positions the refined cutting edge at the start of Boolean and eliminates the need for applying refinement on other cutting edges. Selective edge refinement significantly reduces the number of elements required in the tool mesh. Users can now study the effect of variable pitch or chip breaker on a flute with shorter simulation runs. The feature is made available for solid and indexable milling tools with side cutting, corner cutting and full slot processes.
If you have any questions or are interested in learning more about the new v7.7 features, email us at [email protected].