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Vero VISI 18: Design

Al Dean looks over the latest release of Vero Softwares VISI CADCAM system with
a specific focus on its design and mould filling simulation tools

W
ith its roots at Italian
manufacturer Olivetti in
the 1980s, Vero Software
and its flagship product
range, VISI, has a background steeped
in the business end of manufacturing.
Having grown from a mould and die
focussed modelling and machining
solution, the range now offers a wealth
of CAD tools for simulation, design
and manufacturing, even delving into
the more esoteric realms of wire EDM.
The last few releases have seen a huge
amount of work done on both the
integration and extension of the new
tools the company has acquired such as
the mould filling simulation tools from
Plastic & Computers and wire EDM tools
from Camtek. So, with this amount of
product to look at, wed better crack on
and start with the basics.
Vero has been working hard on the
systems user interface. It looks fresh and
modern with a crisp graphics display and a
Product: VISI 18 neatly task oriented user experience that
Supplier: Vero helps to instil a certain level of confidence
Software in the working environment. Specifically,
Price on application this release features a consolidation of the
vero-software.com file/open and file import commands, which
were previously separate. Now the user has
drag & drop access to all of the following
formats - Acis, Catia V4 & V5, DXF/DWG, Iges,
Parasolid, Pro Engineer, Solid Edge, Solid
Works, Step, STL, Unigraphics and VDA. While
this may seem an extensive list, work has
been done on the output of data. So, as well

WORKFLOW: Designing springback into stamping die

1 A complex automotive panel requires over-bending to

2 Preserving geometry is used to hold conditions and
3 An intermediate mesh preview is provided to allow
allow for material elasticity Matching geometry is used to drive the deformation multiple parameter combinations

48 NOVEMBER 2010 DEVELOP3D.COM

 SOFTWARE REVIEW

as supporting interaction with mesh data, 1 Interactive bending

VISI will also read PLY polygon files and will of a solid model using
output directly to Z Corporations own ZPR the deformation tools
format for 3D printing. 2 Plastic filling

VISI 18 also brings on board tools for simulation with

complete tool design
working with mesh data, which may for and hot runner circuit
instance come from a reverse engineering
process or a simulation. All of the tools
3 VISI 18 introduces
new tools for the
needed to clean up that data are provided, management and
such as hole filling, rationalising normals, manipulation of mesh
deleting areas of data and sharpening up bodies
edges (something that reverse engineering
capturing devices suck at). Although its not
a specialised tool like those developed by
Geomagic and CopyCAD, it will let you work
with the data once its been processed.
In terms of interaction with geometry, the 2
reliance on the dialog has been removed
and instead the drag handle approach, now
common in all 3D design tools, is used. Its
been nicely implemented here, particularly
when dealing with fillets that have multiple
radii and other complex areas. The drag/
drop and push/pull concept is pervasive
throughout the user interface making
geometry wrangling much more efficient.

Geometry Manipulation
Whilst many may think that the 3D geometry
issue has been solved, its clear that theres
still more work to do and VISI 18 shows this
perfectly. This is evident in the new Advanced
Modelling set of tools, which have been
implemented in two forms. The first is the
ability to deform a surface model with much
more freedom compared to most surface
modelling tools. The user can Stretch, Bend,
Twist and apply a Radial Bend (Bend + Twist)
to the geometry. Whats interesting is that
these tools arent restricted to surface
geometry, but can be applied to any mix of
surface, solid, mesh or indeed, wireframe.
In practice, theyre pretty easy to use. Take
the Bend operation for instance and point to
two points. The first is where the geometry
is held, the second is where you apply the
bend. In terms of control, you have a great
deal, not only over the amount of movement,
but exactly where its applied. Whats
interesting is how the system applies the
changes. Its capable of maintaining surface
quality and you can specify whether the
holding condition is positional, tangential or
curvature constrained, up to G4 standards
(3D acceleration). Similarly, if you Stretch
and Twist, all three will maintain the surface
quality needed while allowing you to achieve
the deformation required.
Target Driven Deformation
The second and more advanced of these tools
is Target Driven Deformation (TDD). While the
first four operations discussed above allow
you to define global deformations, these give
a further level of control. Not only in terms
of how the geometry is deformed, but also
what faces and features are affected and
which are retained. In short, they allow you to
deform a model based on multiple start and
end conditions. So, think of taking an edge set
from a starting model, creating the edge set
that you want the model to conform to and
having the system carry out the modification.
While this probably sounds mildly baffling in
3
text, our 6 step workflow below should show
1
you how it works more clearly.
In order to understand the level of control
at hand you need to consider why Vero has
provided this tool. VISI is commonly used in
the stamping die industry where, as anyone
experienced in the field will know, spring-
back is a constant problem. The nature of
the process together with the materials used
mean that if the die is designed based on the
nominal CAD data, the resulting part wont
match. The reason being that while huge
force has been applied, the sheet material
still retains its elastic nature and springs
back out of the die to a different shape. This
is a true black art and requires some serious
knowledge on a part by part, machine by
machine basis. The way its accounted for

4 A new deformed set of geometry is returned maintaining

5 Face tangency and continuity (up to G4) can be constrained
6 Dynamic sectioning and part detailing shows the model
face continuity deviation

DEVELOP3D.COM NOVEMBER 2010 49

 SOFTWARE REVIEW

is by making changes to the die that over

compensate for the spring-back so that
when removed from the die, the part will
represent the required form.
The specialist (using digital simulation
tools such as Autoform or Dynaform) will
be able to look at the part, the production
process and predict where the spring back
is likely to occur and be able to account
for it. The problem traditionally has been
that its quite difficult to model that design
change in order for a die to be machined.
Vero is looking to solve this with Target
Driven Deformation by allowing the user to
sketch in edge conditions, or take point data
from a CMM machine, which defines where
the compensation is required, and have the
surface matched to those new geometry
conditions. Basically, you start with an
edge chain, sketch out where you want it
and have the system deform the surfaces
to effect that change. Of course, applying 5
this might cause unwanted deformations to
specific features like holes and bosses that
need to be a specific shape for assembly.
For this reason you can use the Preserving

Group option to specify areas that are not In combination with Veros mould filling tools, its even possible
allowed to change. Chances are, you will use
multiple applications of this command to
to discover where a plastic part will warp and define the changes
achieve the result you want for complex parts required to overcome that warpage
and the system will give feedback about the
variance of tolerance (for position, tangency,
curvature) and support its use in an iterative
manner. It also supports symmetry, if thats
applicable to your parts.
While the example used here is stamping products that actually does offer complete
5 A number of a system that actually lets you fully account
die specific, the good thing is that this type design to manufacture capability. Many of gemetry deformation for problems that may arise. Much of that is
of geometry manipulation can be applied to the more mainstream vendors, particularly tools have been driven by the new geometry manipulation
introduced for VISI 18.
many other problems that regularly occur, Autodesk at the moment, are making huge tools, which are first class. VISI has allowed
Here is an example of
whether thats fixing small gaps in surfaces, noises about how they support a complete a deformation being you to work directly with dumb geometry for
adding draft to a part without affecting process, but the fact is that, until youve got applied to a surface decades now but the difference now is that
key features or to manipulate mesh data. the CAM tools in there, youre nowhere near a its been what its users have needed to do
In combination with Veros mould filling fully integrated solution. for decades as well. And this release shows
tools, its even possible to discover where a While only the major design and mould that this work is still important and the new
plastic part will warp and define the changes filling simulation tools have been discussed mesh-based modelling tools, combined with
required to overcome that warpage. So the here it should be clear that Vero are achieving the new deformation capabilities, enable
TDD tools will account for it and rerun the a very happy medium by adding new tools you to make the edits you need, where you
mesh file to compensate the warpage. and improving existing ones. The complete need to, without worrying about much else.
integration of VISI Flow is excellent and offers Well conclude things with a look at the
conclusion an interesting alternative to Moldflow as you manufacturing update next month and a
VISI is one of those very rare suites of have the flow simulation tools integrated with bigger conclusion, so stay tuned.

VISI Flow: Vero acquired the TMconcept

product from Italian software
Integrated house, Plastic & Computers back
mould in 2007. When I looked at it for the
first time, I saw a tool with huge
filling potential, particularly considering
analysis the lack of diversity in mould
filling simulation tools on the
market (which has traditionally
been dominated by Moldflow,
now owned by Autodesk). But that
potential was tempered by a pretty
clunky user interface, a lack of
integration with the tools required
to make changes and a general
lack of involvement in the process.
The last three years have seen a
great deal of work done by the
Vero team on bringing this system
into the VISI Fold and that work
reaches a level of maturity with the
VISI 18 release. VISI Flow is now
fully integrated into the VISI Suite.
In terms of functionality updates,
the set-up process remains much
the same, but theres been more
intelligence added to the meshing
process. The system supports
complete tooling simulation, not
only the part form, but runners,
cooling and such. Whats changed
is that the meshing process will
only remesh parts that have
changed. This is much more
efficient and enables you to play
with parameters and positional
variants (such as the position of
cooling channels, dimension of
runners, gating positions etc) more
effectively. Ultimately that means
you can get closer to an ideal
solution more quickly.
The other big change is in the
quality of visualisation. Although
the manufacturing engineer may
think that pretty pictures, shaded
models and animations will not
help make design decisions and
changes to tooling, the fact is
that you often have to present
these decisions to non-technical
colleagues or management. VISI
Flow now has the high-quality
visualisation tools that Vero
has built into VISI, along with
some more specialised tools. For
example, if you know a pressure
limit in a mould, then you can
show a colour-coded display of the
model with the quality spread of
the part along with labels (such as
temperature). It gives you all that
is needed to make a judgement call
on what to change and where. An
example is being able to visualise
the tooling as well as the filling
simulation at the same time,
which allows you to validate the
impact around the parting line and
recognise if additional venting is
required.
In general, the new results-
related tools allow you to work out
where problems are and whats
causing them without too much
complexity in the way of getting
to that information. In terms of
documenting that process, 3D
notes can be added onto the model
and can incorporate any mould
design data you already have,
whether thats specific plates,
cooling systems and runner or
the full mould stack. While it may
sound unnecessary, being able to
add more context to a presentation
or report means you can remove
ambiguity for the non-techie
and get your point across more
efficiently. Finally, to assist with
reporting, you can generate a
report as before, but you can also
now set-up specific views of your
simulation run and click the add to
report icon to automate things a
little more.

DEVELOP3D.COM NOVEMBER 2010 51

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Vero VISI 18: Manufacturing

Following the design focussed review in the last issue, Al Dean now completes his
review of Vero Softwares VISI CADCAM system with a look over whats coming up for
manufacturing, covering Progressive Die Design, Machining and Wire EDM

I
n the November 2010 issue we took
a look at the design oriented tools
within Veros flagship VISI product
discovering a system that has
improved and expanded its capability.
In this issue we turn our attention to
the world of manufacturing - an area in
which Vero and VISI earn their collective
bread and butter. So, lets begin with
something thats often overlooked by
many CAD/CAM software developers:
progressive die design.

VISI Progress
Progressive die design involves a fascinating
process in terms of workflow. It essentially
starts with a part, typically sheet metal in
nature, and works it backwards to arrive
at a blank form. The user then creates the
punches and formers at each stage taking the
developed blank to final form. The actual tool
is then designed around those entities. When
complete, the die is built, the sheet metal
is fed in and out pops a typically complex
component. This may seem counter intuitive
for those not experienced in the industry, but
it works beautifully.
The first part of the die design process
is perhaps the most complex. While the
folded form of a component can typically be
defined in a single operation for each fold,
unfolding that same form for each die stage
is often much more involved. Firstly, some
bends need to be applied in multiple stages,
either to purely achieve an extreme change
in angle or to allow the die to create other
features. Additional complexity arises as
the progressive die design needs to account
for not only the bending and punching of
materials, but also for the distortion and
stretching of the sheet metal as it progresses
through the process. In essence, its not just
a case of flattening out a sheet metal model
of a part and using it. The flanges also have
to be unfolded.
In VISI Progress 17 flange unfolding was
substantially improved. This release sees
that work mature with disparate commands
and options consolidated into a handful
of operations. These are context and
selection sensitive so that the geometry
the user selects will predefine the method
used to fold specific geometry. Theres also
greater feedback and reporting on the more
complex operations, such as using a binder
surface to unfold complex faces. This allows
the user to predefine a sheet form onto
which flanges will be developed. The system
then calculates the deformation in order to
provide an accurate geometric form. For
this latest release the forming process is
now animated and coloured feedback shows
where thickening or thinning of the sheet
metal will occur.
There are also tools to show how edges are
shifting between each stage. For instance,
1
Product: VISI 18 constraints can be added to hold specific
Supplier: edges in order to maintain particular
Vero Software features. Finally, after completing the blank
Price on application
development, it is possible to generate a
HTML report that provides all the relevant
www.vero-software.com
information for the production of the part.
This includes weight, theoretical thickness,
area, perimeter, plus additional details for all
internal forms. Information like this is vital
when preparing a quote.
Next up for VISI Progress 18 is greater
1 Combination
finishing routine based support for the smaller details such as Ribs
on angle ranges and Bosses (or, to use the more common
2 Interactive drilling parlance, Bird Beaks), which add strength
allows the user to to parts. As these have a dedicated feature,
override feature the user defines the geometry on which to
recognition for live
base them (essentially a line), and then picks
editing
the geometry to which theyre applied. Also
3 Interactive milling
key is a new ability to integrate assembled
allows dynamic
creation of simple 2D components into the parts at individual
machining tasks stages. This ensures that the stages defined

WORKFLOW: Discovering and programming features for Wire EDM

1 Setting up the EDM environment including clamps

2 Feature recognition will find 2D and 4-axis features 3 If necessary, features such as taper can be
and obstacles dynamically edited

56 DECEMBER / JANUARY 2011 DEVELOP3D.COM


in production will allow these intermediary
steps to be performed and that the folding or
production process doesnt foul with the die
during fabrication.
A typical die stack consists of a number
of plates, each with different apertures for
punches and for slug removal. VISI 18 sees
the introduction of some automated features
to aid the assembly and manufacture of the
4 Machine setup will load specific EDM technology data
2 field of Wire Electrode Discharge Machining
3 In practice, the user switches to the Wire
common features. First off, VISI Progress is
able to apply relief holes to vertical edges
of internal pockets and automatically
assign feature attributes that can be used
to generate drilling tool-paths. Second is
the ability to create automatic die housing
inserts, which include minimum distance
checking and key corner radius adjustments
to avoid incorrect assembly. These are
5 Toolpath parameters including tagging, No. of cuts, 6 Dynamic simulation can also be used to validate
power settings are all available slug removal
DEVELOP3D.COM DECEMBER / JANUARY 2011 57
replaceable components that would typically
experience the most wear and tear during
the dies life cycle and are usually made
of hardened steel. The system will ensure
that multiple inserts in a single plate dont
come too close together as this can cause
weakness in the assembly. It will then spit
out a report with images and dimensions for
production as well as positioning details if
required. The last update is a new Blanking
Batch file into which files can be added,
development parameters set up, and then
the system can chunk through the list,
generating the blanks where needed.
VISI PEPS-Wire
Vero acquired UK-based Camtek Limited
some time ago and its tools, including the
PEPs suite of specialist CAM technologies, are
now beginning to merge into the flagship VISI
product. PEPSs mastery always lay in the
(EDM). This is linked heavily to the more
mainstream world of 2.5-axis machining, but
has a very different requirement in terms of
capability and control as well as integration
with a range of specialist machines. It starts
with feature recognition that finds not only
parallel-sided pockets but also those with
land and taper, variable land and more
complex 4-axis tapers (which are most
commonly used for extrusion dies and large
scale mouldings). Next, the user works
through the features, adding in the necessary
start holes and approach points. The system
then presents a machining operation best
suited to the geometry at hand. For example,
if its a parallel or tapered aperture, itll
present 2-axis operations whereas a 4-axis
operation will be offered for more complex
ruled surface features. Of course, for more
simple wire-EDM type jobs, a 3D model isnt
always necessary or available and in these
cases operations can often be driven from 2D
geometry just as efficiently.
environment, selects the features to work
with, and uses the appropriate technology
for a specific machine tool (VISI PEPS-Wire
has a wealth of predefined technology for
a lot of different machines) and filtering
operations to define the toolpaths required.
These can be either automatically created,
or in more complex scenarios, perhaps due
to machine head movement or intricate
geometry, taper, approach and exit angles

can be manually edited. Tagging is also
critical for Wire-EDM processes, as users
may want to retain the slug for removal at
the end of all the machining operations or
have the slugs removed as early as possible.
Finally, as the system is integrated into
VISIs existing machining-related products,
advantage can be taken of the systems full
suite of machine and part-based simulation
and verification tools. This ensures that the
part runs well, with additional tools used
to help remove the slugs resultant from
tapered or 4-axis pockets.
VISI Machining
VISI is best known for CAM and Vero has
been in the game for quite some time.
In fact, many of the other CAM vendors
license the same code on which to build
their applications. At present the toolset is
incredibly well developed and runs a wide
range of machining operations and types.
From basic 2.5-axis production machining
jobs into the more complex world of surface
machining for tool and die applications.
In terms of updates for this release, a major
focus is on building greater support for mesh
geometry. We covered this in general in the
November 2010 edition, but with specific
reference to machining Vero has now added
tools that allow the user to manipulate the
mesh that underlies all CAM operations (N.B.
the majority of machining systems use a
tessellated mesh rather than the surfaces
on which to build tool-paths). In practice this
allows users to take that mesh and quickly
create an offset. An example is adding
machining or grinding stock to a casting,
something that might be very difficult to
achieve using surface geometry.
Another addition is the ability to edit mesh
parameters for local areas on the model. This
allows the user to tighten up the machining
tolerances in critical areas without penalising
the calculation time by applying smaller
tolerances across the entire model.
Interactive drilling
The new release has also seen work done
on interactive drilling cycles. This provides
complete flexibility regardless of model
topology and allows users to find holes and
SOFTWARE REVIEW
select them individually to create a tool-
path. In essence, overriding the automated
tools, the user can make changes that
might not be inferred from the geometry
recognition alone. For example, rather
than re-modelling a couple of holes as a
result of a design change, the user can
simply edit the diameter of both holes
interactively from the tool-path execution.
This type of control is then extended to
the Interactive Milling tools, which allow
users to manually create and edit simple
2D machining tasks. Essentially, this means
defining the cutter, sketching out the
tool-path using simple mouse clicks, and
creating offsets to the depth and number
of steps required.
The last two major updates for machining
are as follows. Firstly, a new feed-rate
reduction option allows users to define a
maximum/minimum angle and reduce the
4 feed-rate in those ranges. This allows for
greater control over cutting speeds as the
tool climbs up and down walls. Secondly,
4 Automated there is a brand new tool-path/operation
die housing insert type called Aggregate Machining. This is
construction
most useful for highly complex geometry
5 Corner relief for
where users can mix and match machining
internal apertures
strategies for steep and shallow areas in
the same part. The model is broken down
into individual zones based on angle ranges
into which a separate toolpath strategy
can be applied. In previous releases, this
was created as a single tool-path. However,
from VISI 18 onwards, it can be split it
into separate operations over which the
user has finite control of the toolpath type
including raster, spiral, radial, morph,
waterline and constant step-over - after
all, these are typically the final machining
operations and for those wishing to achieve
the highest surface quality possible, a high
degree of control is needed.
Conclusion
Over the last two issues, weve discussed
all of the major updates to the VISI product
range for the 18th major release and I have
to say I continue to be impressed with what
Vero is accomplishing with its flagship
product. The design tools continue to evolve
and expand, not only in terms of process
coverage, but also the types of geometry
one can work with, and how one works
with them. What I like the most is how the
introduction of new capabilities in one area
feeds into others. For example, the support
for mesh geometry enables new mesh-
based capabilities for the CAM user.
The new advanced modelling tools will
be useful to any user looking to make
complex geometry modifications, but they
also enable the accurate compensation
for spring back in stamping dies. However,
alongside a focus on solving complex
problems, it also enables low-tech
workflows. So, its about using the best
approach, however high or low tech it
might be, to the greatest effect both in
terms of common sense and time. To me,
thats a perfect combination and one which
makes VISI one of the most impressive
5 toolkits for manufacturing focussed
designers and engineers on the market.
DEVELOP3D.COM DECEMBER / JANUARY 2011 59