By Dr. David Plater, Technical Director, ModuleWorks
Dr. David Plater,
During 2025, we expect to see a rapid increase in Automation, Digital Twins and Partnerships.
Automation can take many forms. At the micro level, Automation takes the form of more intelligent software to create individual toolpaths. For example, a new automatic deburring cycle, based on ModuleWorks technology, is now available in many CAM systems. At the intermediate level, template based creation of sequences can be used to automate the production of similar parts. Again, ModuleWorks provides the technology to enable this with a range of products for automation and semi-automation. And at the macro level, several companies are beginning to apply AI to the Automation of CAM programming. Again, ModuleWorks is providing the core technology to empower these systems.
Digital Twins are becoming more established in the CAM world and we expect to see a rapid increase in the range and depth of applications. One example is the use of a Digital Twin on the CNC controller to provide a Collision Avoidance System (CAS), which acts as a safeguard for multi-axis machines and lowers the barrier to entry for less experienced operators. This technology, based on ModuleWorks software, is already available for some higher end machines and is likely to become more widespread during 2025. ModuleWorks recently launched MDES (Manufacturing Data Exchange Specification), an open standard to enable a seamless digital manufacturing workflow between the CAM system and the CNC control.
