Open Mind Technologies AG, a leading developer of CAD/CAM software solutions worldwide, announced it offers an Additive Manufacturing capability option in hyperMILL CAM software to support 3D printing/additive processes. hyperMILL together with Additive Manufacturing also provides efficient hybrid processing with simultaneous additive and subtractive processing on one machine.

For highly complex 5-axis simultaneous processing, hyperMILL Additive Manufacturing enables an array of flexible options for Directed Energy Deposition processes (DED) and Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM). Both laser-based powder nozzle machining heads and WAAM can be controlled using hyperMILL Additive Manufacturing for selective material deposition, as well as conveniently programmed and automatically simulated for collision avoidance.

Alan Levine, managing director of Open Mind Technologies USA, Inc. said, "As an early adopter of driving forward the implementation of integrated process chains, Open Mind has optimized hyperMILL Additive Manufacturing technology to boost the efficiency, precision and process reliability of additive and hybrid manufacturing." 

Using Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) and any necessary rework, hyperMILL supports the full potential of additive manufacturing. "If 3D-printed parts do not have the desired surface finish, or has support structures that have to be removed, the parts, including hard-to-reach areas, can be machined after being printed using 5-axis cutting processes," Levine said.

With hyperMILL, users can program the cladding and milling together. True-to-detail additive and subtractive simulation as well as stock tracking between the individual process steps guarantee the greatest possible reliability.

Key additive applications include repair of damaged components, cladding of additional surface skins, or creation of new components from a substrate. This also creates totally new options for combining different materials, such as when high-quality material layers have to be applied to carrier materials.