The Widia NOVO online platform — available in the UK from Tamworth-based Industrial Tooling Corporation Ltd (www.itc-ltd.co.uk) — now allows tool assemblies to be directly imported by users of Mastercam, thanks to a ‘partnership’ between Widia and the CNC software developer.

Mastercam worked closely with Widia to enable users to import 3-D tool assemblies directly into Mastercam, validate them and save the files in their Mastercam file and/or tool library.

Furthermore, features such as automated filtering ensure that tools and holders can work together for a particular job.

Users of Mastercam benefit from having the correct tooling for the material and for the type of machining operation — plus an accurate 3-D model that can be used for visualisation and collision checking.

This capability offers significant time savings to ITC customers working with Mastercam and the Widia NOVO platform.

Chris Merlin, director of ‘Portfolio Commercialisation’ at Widia, said: “One of the promises of digitalisation in manufacturing is greater precision and speed through the effective use of data; this is where integration is a must.

"Users want their systems to work together seamlessly via simple solutions, without extra effort on their part. By connecting Mastercam and Widia NOVO, users can effortlessly join cutting-tool data with machining data.

"The 3-D models, drawings, and starting parameters are easily available for validation and programming processes.

"All of this leads to less misapplication of tooling solutions, more optimal machining strategies and increased productivity, with better quality in the manufacturing environment.”