Celeritive Technologies, Inc., announces release of version 3.5.2 of its VoluMill™ toolpath software. VoluMill has undergone a major re-engineering and is now 30 percent faster on complex parts than previous versions.

The primary focus of version 3.5 was on reducing overall path length and machine cycle times. One of VoluMill’s  key improvement areas is speed increases when repositioning the tool between cuts.  Testing of VoluMill 3.5 has shown reductions in overall toolpath length by up to a third over version 3.0, and reductions in retracts to the rapid plane by up to 90%. Much of this improvement is due to Freeway Linking™, a new technique that lifts the tool slightly off the floor of the part and detours it at high speed around obstacles along a smooth path. In addition, VoluMill 3.5 introduces major improvements in toolpath sorting that minimize the length of linking moves between cutting passes.

Other enhancements include avoidance of fixtures or other obstacles, improved cutting around islands, and better use of multiprocessor computers, including dramatic reductions in processing time for the new generation of quad-core processors. In addition, VoluMill Universal™, a stand-alone version of VoluMill that can be used with any CAD/CAM system, now features toolpath verification and other new features that make part programming even easier.