Galaad

Galaad

Galaad is the overall name of a suite of programs developed in France. It is available in several languages and has a wide user-base in Europe. In the UK, Unimatic Engineers Ltd supply it with their range of Isel CNC routers, many of which are purchased by educational estabishments. Galaad may be purchased from the suppliers of WELmill and there is a generous discount available for educational establishments.

Galaad is also the name of the main program within the suite. It will create NC code for an extensive range of CNC milling machines and routers including machines controlled by WELmill. This has been made possible by the kind assistance of the program's author, Bertrand Lenoir-Welter.

The Galaad program is primarily designed to create toolpaths for 2.5D milling and routing. It cannot, unlike AlphaCAM or EdgeCAM, create toolpaths for complex 3D surface machining. However, it does have a range of routines which allow 3D forms to be produced. These routines are rather like the special 3D effects features which can be found in many 2D graphics programs and are quite easy to use. For example, if you want a spiral machined round the outside of a cone, Galaad will create the code for the necessary 3-axis simultaneous movements of the cutting tool.

One of the other programs in the Galaad suite is called Lancelot. It is a machine controller program which can be configured to control a number of CNC routers or mills connected directly to the computer on which Galaad is running. The Emco F1 mill and WoodWorker machines with the WELmill upgrade do not use Lancelot: the WELmill software is the controller for these machines. Code for WELmill is exported from Galaad to a folder where it can be accessed by WELmill.

The notes which follow are not a Galaad tutorial: they give very basic information about how to get it to produce NC code for WELmill. The Galaad User's Manual contains a tutorial. All software requires time and effort to be put into climbing its learning curve. Begin with simple designs. Experiment with the features in each menu.

Configuring Galaad to work with WELmill

Galaad must be configured to create and export code for WELmill. Click on Parameters - Machine - External Driver to display the dialogue above. Make the settings shown in the picture: leave the Command line and Intermediate file fields blank.

When a design has been created and tool paths set, Galaad is ready to generate and export the NC code for WELmill. To do this, click on Machine - Mill to make the screen shown above appear. Now:

check that the Tools and Sequence data are correct;
click on Tool change and activate Fetch a fixed position. Set the X and Y positions to 1. Set the Z position to 50. Leave Speed blank. OK.
click on Tool parking and activate Fetch a fixed position. Set the X and Y positions to 1. Set the Z position to 50. Leave Speed blank. OK.
all other values can be as in the picture above;
click on Transfer to external driver. A standard Windows Save As dialogue box appears. Name the file and save it in an appropriate folder, eg MillData;
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Galaad can now be closed and WELmill started. WELmill can pick up the NC code file from the folder in which it was saved

Simulating Machining



Galaad is able to simulate the machining of a part. It does this by running the Lancelot program off line. Click on Machine - Simulate - Milling to make the above screen appear.



Click on Workpiece origin to make the above screen appear. Click OK then START SIMULATION.

(Note: under Machine - Simulate there is a Turning option. This is not for turning as on a CNC lathe. It applies to milling machines and routers which have a fourth, rotary, axis. This is available for the Unimatic Engineering Ltd CNC routers.)

Saving Files in Galaad
File - Save is a standard Windows saving of the design on the PC screen.

File - Export offers a number of formats including WELsoft-Mill CNC G code (.WMC). Please note that a file exported in this format is not the same as the NC code file sent, as described above, to an external driver. It does not contain all the necessary machining data, just the co-ordinates of the design expressed in G-code format.

Cutting Tools, Galaad and WELmill



Galaad is suppied with a large number of tools predefined. To see the list click on the Depth/speed/tool button on the left of the screen then click on the down-arrow to the right of the Tool field. It is suggested that you redefined the tools so that the list in the Tool field looks like that shown in the picture above.

To define or redefine a tool, go to Machine - Tool parameters and enter data which matches the tooling you have available for your mill.

It is essential that the tool numbers, types and diameters defined in Galaad are matched by exactly corresponding entries in the WELmill Tool Data Table.

Feed Speed
When you click on the Depth/speed/tool button, on the left of the screen, it may be that the default Feed speed units will not be shown as mm/min. This does not matter as Galaad will always produce NC code for WELmill in mm/min. You just need to be aware of the units when entering a new feed rate.

The units can be changed, on that screen, for the job in hand. They can also be changed permanently to mm/min in Parameters - Workspace - General. You will then need to then save this setting by clicking on Parameters - Save parameters and giving them a name such as WELmill as you cannot overwrite the Standard parameters. These new parameters will need to be loaded (Parameters - Load parameters) at each Galaad session.

Galaad Updates
Please check the Galaad web site from time to time.

Galaad Web Site
For information about Galaad, updates and a demonstration version of the program, please see www.galaad.net

Unimatic Engineers Ltd Web Site
Information about Unimatic Engineers Ltd and their range products can be found at www.unimatic.com They also have a web site specifically dedicated to education which is at www.unimatic.co.uk/education.htm
Code-generating Software
Speeds and Feeds for High Speed Steel (HSS) Tools
Speeds and Feeds for Tipped Tools (not HSS)
Tool Organisation