ENG Mikrosam’s MikroPlace is a comprehensive software solution for offline programming, design, and simulation of AFT/ATL/Filament Winding and Trimming.
CATIA-compatible and fully NURBS-compliant CAD platform. It can be used for gantry machines and robotic cells to which the above processes are attached. Mikro Place has five basic modes: machine setup, layup, analysis, post-processor, and simulation. Using these modes you can design laminates and generate fully functional machine movement G code.
If you wish to check out our software you can purchase a stand-alone or demo license.
Every software from Mikrosam comes with multi-year free upgrade support.
Key Features
Layup and Analysis
- Import or generate layup surface
- Generate Laminate
- Generate layers
- Inspect and modify layers
- Analyze layup and generate reports
Post-Processor
- Generate machine path
- Inspect and modify process parameters
- Inspect and modify orientation parameters
- Generate NC code file
- Generate TCP code
Simulation
- Collision Detection
- Axes violations checks: limits, rapid axis change, singularities
- Set position for adjustable components: headstock,tailstock,laser
- Animation controls for simulation replay
Design of the layup
- Create Ply Boundaries
- Create rosette
- Coordinate system defined with zero direction vector
- Zero-direction guiding curve
- Multiple guiding curves
- Strategies based on manufacturing engineering specifications
- Constant angle
- Geodesic and parallel Path
- Generate courses from given curves
- Grid structure
- Adaptive Radial Path and Rings
- Adjustments of the programmed gap and course stager
Courses and layers management
- Visualize tapes and modify tapes using visual inspection
- Show/hide options
- Regenerate courses or layers using different parameter
- Modify course/ply geometry, order, and direction
- Course fitting and tow dropping
- Design ultrasonic tape cut
- Using cutting strategies
- Manually
- Inspect curvature
ATL waste material management
Reorder and modify courses for minimum waste material. Layup of scrap courses management.
Laminate Management
Copy and reorder layers to make desired laminate.
Command Log
MikroPlace keeps track of all commands that are executed on objects. You can undo and redo commands.
Reports, ply book, FEA
- Reports
- Total material length for each spool
- Total material length and quantity for each layer and for the whole laminate
- Total Path Length
- Export reports in excel
- Ply Book
- Export ply book specifying what to be printed
- Export in operator-friendly .pdf file
- FEA
- Export .csv file with thickness and fibers angle in each point
- Manually define mesh parameters for export
Prepare layup surface
Layup surface in MikroPlace should be a surface or polysurface object (BREP-Boundary Representation).
This means that each surface can be defined by a equation (either explicit or implicit (parametric)) with only two independent variables, so by definition a surface cannot have thickness.
Create: plane, tube, vessel, axsymmetric and fitting.
Import: STEP,IGES, STL and many others.
Import ply data from Fibersim, CATIA
When importing from external software or from MikroPlace you should have:
- 3D model from the layup surface positioned on the place where layers were generated
- .xml file with layup plies information
Edits of Results
- Ply Edits of Result – history of all the edits made to a ply after it is generated.
- The history of edits is not lost when the ply is regenerated.
- Reapply all edits after ply regeneration.
Analyze for potential layup issues
- Roller Bend
- Steering
- Thickness
○ In point
○ Laminate thickness
Unroll tape to see the cuttings
Unrolled Ply generates courses for scrap material that are not generated during the layup generation
- Waste material strategies
- Ignore Waste
- Stop Before Waste
- Layup Waste
Show Tape Cuts – the tape and the cuts on the tape will be displayed on the screen. You can visually check 2D geometry for layup and waste courses.
Generate and modify machine path parameters
- All path parameters can be set per course
- Free head movement strategy: safety zones for the machine head
- Distance for head lead in and lead out
- Methods of landing and exiting the surface
- Layup strategies that depend on the type of the layup shoe/roller
- Lead/Lean angle
Analyze machine path
- Show knife path according to layup parameters
- Unroll machine path and show the processes during movement
- Change orienation and process range parameters (range by range)
- Analyze path length and geometry course by course
Generate NC Code
- Divide NC blocks according to path length or angular spacing
- Check and stop generation process if some of translation or rotation axis limits are violated
- Print absolute or relative coordinates, commands for contour smoothing
- Chose path interpolation and slope profile
Simulation
- Set up simulation parameters
- Adjustable tolerances
- Exclude components for collision and limits check
- Add additional objects for collision detection
- Machine Jog controls
- Report
- Status of simulated NC line
Program/Real products
Software and hardware requirements
Hardware:
- 64-bit Intel i7 9th generation or similar AMD processor (Not ARM)
- 32 GB memory (RAM) or more is recommended
- OpenGL 4.1 capable video card is recommended
- 16 GB Video RAM or more recommended
- 512 GB SSD minimum recommended
- A Multiple-button mouse with a scroll wheel is recommended.
Windows Operating System:
- Windows 10
- Rhino 7 – a software package for creating polygonal curves, geometrically complex shapes and the possibility for their transformation into a 3D model
- Initial license validation of Rhino 7 requires internet connection
Explore MikroPlace
Comprehensive Software Solution for offline programming, design, and simulation of AFT/ATL/Winding!
Interested to learn more?
Contact us for more information, demo or for analysis of your design
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