Tebis

Facts and figures

Functionality

Tebis is a CAD/CAM software solution for applications such as die, mold or model making. The software is primarily used in the generation of toolpaths for chip-breaking manufacturing such as drilling and milling, but also in Wire EDM and Electrode EDM. These toolpaths control multi-axis CNC machines. Other applications include manufacturing planning, design, reverse engineering, quality assurance, CNC machining and assembly. The software features interfaces for neutral file formats as well as proprietary formats of third-party manufacturers (STEP 203/214, VDAFS, IGES, DXF, STL, Parasolid, Catia V4/V5, Creo, SolidWorks, NX, JT).

Industrial application

The programs are used in manufacturing companies of all sizes, from small and medium-sized companies to OEMs in the automotive and aerospace industries and their suppliers. The following is a small sampling of companies who use the CAM system from Tebis.

The history of Tebis

Tebis was founded in 1984. Following initial consulting jobs and business software projects, Tebis shifted its focus after six months to CAD/CAM. The first technical product was a PC-based station, which used a drawing board equipped with a position-measuring system to digitize transparent plans and convert them to scribed programs for milling machines.

Versions 1.0 to 1.0.4 constituted the first Tebis CAD/CAM system. As one of the first 3D systems, Tebis ran exclusively on PCs (DOS). Two monitors were required for its operation: One monitor displayed the real commands, while the other showed the geometries in 4 panels. The input commands were entered using a digitizer tablet. The milling programs were calculated only for individual surfaces. In order to bypass the limitations of the tiny RAM (256 byte) of the NC machines of the 1980s, Tebis provided a DNC connection to enable postprocessing via a V24 line next to the machine.

The Tebis Version 2.0 with a graphical user interface was introduced in 1989. It is still used today in a much more advanced form, and is distinct from common Windows interfaces. This version made it possible to animate geometries onscreen in real-time. Tebis Automill technology, which allows users to calculate milling paths across surfaces, was introduced in Version 2.1.

Tebis Version 3.0 was presented in 1993. The system was modularized and expanded for operation under the SCO UNIX, HP-UX, IRIX and AIX operating systems. Version 3.1 included the Milling Wizard, version V3.2 featured interactive CAD and version V3.3 offered the first integration of a tool library and parameterized administration for all NC calculations. In Version 3.4, modules for the simulation of machining at a virtual CNC machine, the design of electrodes for EDM, and 2.5D milling and drilling were added. The current Version 3.5 offers an option for automating NC programming with variable machining templates, and for the first time makes the job manager the central control element for all machining steps. The BREP design CAD module has been integrated into the software, so that Tebis software can now accompany the entire manufacturing process in die, mold and model making.

Tebis is one of the market leaders in CAM software.