Meet DELMIA CAM Shop Floor Programmer for SOLIDWORKS

Engineers, manufacturers and machine shops are constantly looking for ways to improve efficiency and reduce waste. Traditional disconnected systems are no longer acceptable and more streamlined operations with a singular source of data are required. This means new methods of communication between engineering and manufacturing are needed to bridge the gap between design and production. The traditional method of uploading PDFs to a server and manually overwriting them with each revision is long overdue for an upgrade. And if anyone reading this is still relying on paper drawings—well, it's time for a change. Imagine a designer and a machinist collaborating on the same data within a virtual simulation of your shop floor, refining design changes and optimizing manufacturing techniques together.

The new DELMIA NC Shop Floor Programmer role included with every new seat of Solidworks is a game-changer for CNC machining, enabling seamless, cloud-connected programming and program verification for shop floor operators. This solution eliminates the disconnected processes traditionally found in manufacturing environments and provides an integrated, intelligent approach to NC programming.

If you’re a SOLIDWORKS user wondering what this new CAM software is, this is the blog for you. We will explore the core capabilities of the DELMIA NC Shop Floor Programmer role, including its advantages over traditional workflows and how it enhances machining operations through key features such as 3+2 CNC milling, 2 and 4 axis Wire EDM, Plasma/Waterjet cutting, Nesting, Manufacturability Checks, and most importantly, constant communication with engineering through cloud connectivity. This is the most advanced CAM software ever integrated with SOLIDWORKS, and the team at CADimensions is thrilled to bring it to our users.

Five-Axis 3+2 Milling Made Easy with DELMIA

Multi-axis machining has become a critical component of modern CNC operations, and 3+2 milling provides enhanced flexibility and the ability to machine complex geometries that would be difficult or impossible with standard 3-axis operations. DELMIA NC Shop Floor Programmer allows users to program 3+2 milling operations with ease, leveraging advanced toolpath strategies that optimize tool positioning and reduce repositioning time.

• Cloud Connectivity: Ensures real-time collaboration, reduces errors from outdated files, and speeds up production by providing machinists with the latest design and manufacturing information instantly.
• Intuitive User Interface: Clear workflows, interconnected apps and visual toolpath previews. It simplifies navigation while still allowing full manual control over machining parameters, ensuring both ease of use and precision customization.
• Programming Wizard: Simplifies CNC programming with step-by-step guidance for part/machine importing, stock creation, and toolpath creation reducing errors and programming time.
• Automatic Feature Recognition: Automatically detects and categorizes machining features such as holes, pockets, and slots, reducing the manual programming effort significantly.
• Intermediate Stock: Tracks the material remaining after each operation, providing real-time visualization of in-process stock. This helps optimize toolpaths, reduce air cutting, and improve machining efficiency.
• Advanced Surface Finishing: Precise control over toolpaths for smooth, high-quality surfaces. Or let DELMIA automatically optimize for specific geometry, saving you time adjusting settings while you program.
• Full Machine Kinematic Simulation: Accurately replicate machine movements, tool changes, and material removal. This ensures collision-free operations, optimizes toolpaths, and improves machining efficiency before actual production.

Wire EDM Programming with DELMIA

The DELMIA Wire EDM app enables precise and efficient programming of complex geometries for electrical discharge machining. It supports 2-axis to 4-axis wire cutting, enabling users to create complex taper cuts, contoured shapes, and fine details with high accuracy. The software automates wire threading, cutting sequences, and path optimization to streamline the programming process and enhance productivity.

• High Precision: Achieves extreme accuracy, making it ideal for cutting intricate features and tight tolerances.
• Collision-Free Simulation: Full machine simulation ensures that the wire path avoids collisions with clamps, fixtures, or other machine components, preventing costly errors and rework.
• Ultimate Control: Specific every movement and parameter or let the system automatically generate optimized cutting paths, reducing programming effort and ensuring efficiency.

Efficient Plasma and Waterjet Cutting with DELMIA

DELMIA NC Shop Floor Programmer includes robust support for Plasma and Waterjet cutting operations, enabling manufacturers to efficiently bring their designs to production without unnecessary steps.

• Versatile Cutting Capabilities: Supports both Plasma and Waterjet cutting, allowing manufacturers to handle a wide range of materials and thicknesses with precision.
• Direct Data Reference to CAD Model: Eliminates extra file exports and manual flattening steps by directly referencing the original CAD model for bent metal parts, ensuring accuracy and reducing setup time.
• Seamless CNC Integration: Generates accurate machine code for a wide range of Plasma and Waterjet CNC systems, ensuring smooth operation and easy implementation.
• Dedicated Tools: Eliminates the need to trick the CAM system into treating a machine as something it’s not, providing accurate, specialized programming for Plasma and Waterjet cutting without workarounds.

Smarter Material Nesting for Sheet Metal and Composites

For manufacturers working with sheet metal or composite materials, efficient nesting is crucial for minimizing waste and maximizing yield. DELMIA NC Shop Floor Programmer provides intelligent nesting capabilities that optimize part placement on raw material sheets.

• Automated Nesting Optimization: Arranges parts efficiently on the material sheet to maximize material usage and minimize scrap.
• Multi-Sheet Nesting: Supports nesting across multiple sheets of different sizes, improving flexibility in material utilization.
• True Shape Nesting: Accurately places irregularly shaped parts to optimize available space, reducing unused material.
• Manual Nesting Adjustments: Provides interactive tools to fine-tune part placement for special requirements or custom layouts.
• Dynamic Nesting Updates: Automatically recalculates the nest when design changes occur, ensuring alignment with the latest CAD data.

Avoid Costly Errors with DELMIA’s Manufacturability Checker

A powerful tool designed to analyze and validate part designs before manufacturing. It helps detect potential production issues early in the process, ensuring smooth and efficient machining while reducing costly errors and rework. By providing automatic checks for geometric feasibility, tooling compatibility, and material constraints, this app enhances productivity and ensures high-quality manufacturing outcomes.

• Check By Process: Optimize for either Additive or Subtractive manufacturing processes. Detect part sizes, wall thicknesses, minimum face gaps, closed cavities, flat bottoms, minimum hole diameters, deep holes, and many more features that could affect your design and manufacturing decisions.
• Check With Resources: Automatically check features against your active tool library and manufacturing capabilities. Then, easily make design decisions and adjust parameters.
• Detailed Results: Results are organized into the different criteria selected based on Additive or Subtractive manufacturing methods. Then, the tool provides colored feedback to let the user know if we are passing or failing.

Why DELMIA Is the Future of CAM Programming

The DELMIA NC Shop Floor Programmer role in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform is transforming the way manufacturers approach NC programming and machining operations. By leveraging advanced features such as 3+2 CNC milling, 2 and 4 axis Wire EDM, Plasma/Waterjet cutting, Nesting, Manufacturability Checks, and cloud connectivity, this solution delivers unparalleled efficiency, accuracy, and collaboration.

By integrating the entire manufacturing process into a connected digital ecosystem, DELMIA NC Shop Floor Programmer eliminates the inefficiencies of traditional disconnected workflows and enables manufacturers to achieve higher productivity, reduced costs, and superior machining quality. As industries continue to demand faster turnaround times and higher precision, this powerful solution stands out as a critical enabler of next-generation manufacturing success.

For manufacturers looking to optimize their machining processes, reduce errors, and embrace a fully connected digital environment, DELMIA NC Shop Floor Programmer is the future of NC programming and shop floor efficiency.