As of January 2023, robot programming tool Robotmaster® provides additional support for Mastercam CAD/CAM software products. Together, the two provide seamless integrated functionality between specialized, CNC machining-focused CAD/CAM programming and CAD/CAM robot programming. See how this partnership can benefit you and your shop.
What is Robotmaster Software?
The Robotmaster product, created by designer and manufacturer of industrial cutting products and software company Hypertherm Associates, offers offline robot programming solutions for modern manufacturing. At its core, the Robotmaster software directs the trajectories of robotic arms during manufacturing processes. Robotmaster is designed to take the guesswork out of programming robots so that shops turn out more products faster and efficiently. It offers an intuitive, click-and-drag style interface designed to slash programming time as well as automatically optimizes robotic motion to most efficiently handle parts. Essentially, the user does not have to be an expert in robotics to use the software because the software does the heavy lifting for them. Robotmaster supports many robot brands and pairs with the world’s leading CAD/CAM software for machining applications, Mastercam, making it simple to integrate into any manufacturing shop.
How Does It Work with Mastercam?
Robotmaster now offers a plugin for the Mastercam CAD/CAM suite of CNC machining products (Mastercam 2021 and newer). The plugin makes it fast and easy to import CAD and CAM data directly into Robotmaster from Mastercam. It even has the ability to synchronize the data so that any edits to the CAD model or toolpaths made in Mastercam will automatically populate in Robotmaster. After programming is complete, the Robotmaster Interactive Simulation Environment (RISE) provides a real-time visual verification of the programming process, alerting users of any robotic errors and possible collisions. Errors are color coded, displayed on a single screen, and can be resolved within a few clicks with software-generated solutions. After a program is finalized, the result is an optimized robot program. Robotmaster applications experts expect this integrated CAD/CAM functionality to reduce robot programming time by 75 percent.
How Does This Help You?
As the waves of Industry 4.0 keep coming, they force CNC machining shops to either ride along or be left behind. This goes for manufacturers of all sizes. Robotic integration and automation can benefit nearly every shop these days, especially as fewer trained workers are stepping up to replace the older workforce that is leaving in droves.
Mastercam and Robotmaster both excel in one regard above others: optimizing and automating the minute details of CAD/CAM functions without requiring users to oversee every single facet. They take care of the busy work. This particular partnership becomes invaluable to any shop considering integrating robotic automation. For a shop that struggles to find people to operate machines, it offers a software solution that is easy to learn and that does not require any specific expertise aside from basic CAD/CAM. For a shop that often deals with high mix, low volume production runs, it eliminates the need to tediously and manually reprogram robots for each run and keeps machines running around the clock. For a shop that promises parts that hold the tightest of tolerances, it delivers advance simulation as well as automatically optimized CNC machine and robotic motion.
The Next Step
Before jumping all in with CAD/CAM robot programming, first contact your local Mastercam Reseller or the experts at Robotmaster. They will help you pinpoint the junctions in your shop where integrated CAD/CAM robot functionality will most benefit your company and guide you in the process of incorporating it. Consider also trying the free Mastercam Learning Edition to develop a better understanding of what Mastercam products can do for you.
This content was first published on the Mastercam website.