FeatureCAM's full machine simulation (FMS) gives the user the ability to see the entire machine in a view that is similar to FeatureCAM's 3D simulation. FMS is intended to complement the existing simulation techniques of centerline, 2D simulation, 3D simulation and Rapidcut. With these other types of simulation a user can only see the stock and the current cutting tool. While sufficient for the simplest machines, more complex machines such as multi-axis turning and 5-axis milling demand simulation of the entire machine in order to help the user understand how the machine will cut his part. Odd motions and collisions can be detected so that the program can be adjusted long before code is sent to the CNC machine. A user can expect to save a lot of time by proofing his NC code on the PC before sending it out to the machine.
A few simple machines ship with FeatureCAM to serve as examples and demonstrations. But the ability to design a machine from scratch is also included in FeatureCAM as a new document type called a Machine Design document. The file extension is .md. The process of designing a machine consists of creating solids and establishing movement relationships between them. Since machine design relies on solids, the user will need to either create them in FeatureCAM or import them from another CAD system. Solid modeling or solid import must be enabled on the dongle depending upon your method of creating a machine. Once the solids are present in an MD file then the user establishes relationships between them. This capability is part of the MD document type and is independent of solid modeling or solid import.
FMS applies to every machine except wire. The full range of milling machines is supported, such as 2.5-axis, 3-axis, 4-axis indexers and rotary tables, and 5-axis machines of all types. Turning is also fully supported: simple 2-axis turning, Y-axis, C-axis, turn/mill with rotary (live) tooling, subspindle, all the way through multi-axis multi-turret turning. Auxiliary machine functions like parts catchers, tool changers, bar feeders, etc. are also possible, possibly requiring some coding in BASIC using FeatureCAM's API.