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With the rapid growth of the domestic aviation industry, conventional three-axis machine tools are no longer sufficient to meet the increasing demand for diversified product processing. As a result, more complex multi-axis machining technology has become the standard in modern manufacturing. Our company uses VERICUT simulation software, which originally only supports three-axis machining functions. The challenge is how to simulate multi-axis machining using the existing three-axis machine tool setup within this software. Taking the A-axis as an example, we explored ways to expand the machine tool module in the software and successfully implemented multi-axis simulation.
**1. Research on Three-Axis Machine Tool Simulation**
First, we opened the VERICUT 6.1 application software and created a new project. We added the original FANUC three-axis control system and machine tool module under the Setup > CNC Machine menu. By navigating the component tree, we could see all the parts of a standard three-axis machine, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Components of a typical three-axis machine.
The simulation of three-axis parts relies on the manufacturer-provided control system and machine tool module. We added blanks, coordinates, tools, and programs to complete the simulation. However, this setup is limited to three-axis machining and cannot support multi-axis program simulations.
**2. Adding New Machine Components**
To enable multi-axis simulation, we needed to add a fourth axis (A-axis) to the existing three-axis machine tool. Before doing so, we studied the motion relationships between the components of the standard three-axis machine. We found that the A-axis should be attached to the X-axis. Using the component tree, we added the A-rotation feature under the X-axis, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Adding the A-axis rotation to the X-axis.
By adding a rotating part around the X-axis, we adjusted its position using the software’s move and rotate functions to match the real machine tool. This ensured accurate simulation of the physical machine.
**3. Verifying A-Axis Simulation**
After successfully adding the A-axis assembly, we tested the newly added components. A simple CNC program was used to verify the simulation, as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3: A sample CNC program for testing.
Once the machine configuration, tools, program, coordinates, and parts were set up, we started the simulation. The results confirmed that VERICUT now supports A-axis simulation for a four-axis machine, as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4: Successful A-axis simulation in VERICUT.
**4. Conclusion**
Through our research and implementation, we successfully enabled A-axis simulation in VERICUT for a four-axis machine tool. This significantly reduces the risk of part or machine damage due to programming errors, minimizes on-site debugging time, and improves overall production efficiency. It also provides valuable experience for simulating other multi-axis CNC machining centers in the future.