We are happy and proud to announce the new version of SmoothTool, version 1.6, is now available to all new and existing license holders!
Since the release of SmoothTool 1.5 in June of this year, the development team here at Smooth Robotics has been working tirelessly on this new release and has now shipped an exciting update with some very cool and sought-after new features alongside numerous improvements/changes and bugfixes.
Let’s get straight to it – the new features in SmoothTool 1.6 are:
- Multipass system
- Interactive 3D universe
- Fronius TransSteel integration
- External start button support
Multipass system
The multipass (or multilayer) feature has been on our roadmap for quite some time and has been a widely requested feature from the industry.
To put it briefly, a multipass weld is required if you need to weld thicker pieces of material together. When the thickness of the material reaches a certain point, a single weld is not enough to secure a strong and reliable weld.
A multipass weld is a weld that consists of a number of singular welds (or passes) layered on top of each other in a specific manner to create a bigger and stronger weld.
The Multipass system in SmoothTool makes it easy and fast to set up a multipass weld and it lets you add as many passes as you need to get the right weld thickness.
Once the base pass is taught, the Multipass system can auto-generate each additional pass based on user input.
To achieve a perfect result, SmoothTool lets the user specify the travel- and work angles for each pass in the multipass weld.
Interactive 3D universe
The 3D viewer has always been a valuable part of the SmoothTool URcap, but with the introduction of SmoothTool 1.6, the 3D viewer is no longer just a visualization tool.
In 1.6 the new 3D universe is now interactive and allows the user to edit the welding path directly in the 3D view. This is done by selecting a point in the path and tapping the new “Touch Up” button which opens a new menu. This menu allows the user to touch up each point by moving it in 3D space and/or adjusting the torch angle for the highlighted point.
This new powerful feature makes it extremely easy to make small, but important corrections to your welding program.
Table & robot base
Another new feature in the 3D universe in SmoothTool is the ability to add a welding table and the robot base to the 3D scene.
The 3D table is configured so it matches the user’s physical table dimensions (length, width, and height) and the robot base is placed in its actual position in relation to the table – even upside down or on the wall, if that is the case.
It is quick and easy to set up and gives the user a better overview of the welding path since the program is now in relation to something tangible position-wise and size-wise.
Fronius TransSteel integration
A new Power Source series have been added to our list of integrated power sources. This time we are happy to have added the Fronius TransSteel series to the list. This means we now support both the Fronius TPSi series and the TransSteel series.
It is important to note that SmoothTool can work with any type of power source but using one of our integrated power sources adds advanced functionality. For instance, with an integrated power source, you can change the power source settings anywhere in your welding program by inserting a weld parameter node. You also have access to advanced power source features directly through the SmoothTool software on the teach pendant – these features differ from model to model.
External start button support
Finally, we have a small but useful new feature to the software in version 1.6.
You now have the option to connect an external start button to SmoothTool. When the start button is enabled, the program will wait for it to be pressed before starting/continuing each loop.
Besides all these new features, a lot of changes, improvements, and bugfixes have been added to this new release of SmoothTool. We are excited to share the new update with all our partners and customers. We believe that the improvements to the software will help the welders and their companies to increase output, productivity, and thereby profitability.
At Smooth Robotics we are dedicated to improving and expanding our welding software and welcome any and all feedback from welders, operators, partners, and the industry as a whole. So please contact us if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions. We would very much like to hear from you.
We hope all our users will enjoy this new software release. To get a quick overview of all the new features, improvements, and bugfixes in SmoothTool 1.6 – please check out the 1.6 release notes that comes with the new URcap (requires a license).