When designing something complex in CAD you will find there is a bit of a process. First you design parts. Then you build the parts into Sub-Assemblies. Next you build sub-assemblies into Groups. Then you build the groups into the machine. It is a logical pyramid process. You can also think of it like a file structure inside of a computer.

Designing Parts

Parts are your building blocks. Without this level, nothing could be produced. The part level breaks the entire “thing” down to its simplest form. You also manufacture at the part level. You make parts, and then assemble them into other things. Parts are generally made out of raw materials.

Think of a differential on the rear axle of a car. The differential is made up of gears and a housing. Each of these are parts of the differential and the differential is the assembly of these parts.

Designing Sub Assemblies

Sub Assemblies are the next level up and I am guessing you are getting the idea. You first design parts, then put them together into sub assemblies. In the car example above the differential is a sub assembly in the axle “Group” of the car. Sub Assemblies are put together to form groups.

Designing Groups

Moving up the design chain, groups are usually things you can identify with. It could be a door, engine, transmission, or cooling package on a car. Above we used the example of an Axle as a Group. Groups are put together into machines. Our example is a car, which is at the machine level.

Designing the Machine

Finally, the top level of all your designing, the machine. The machine could be built for the end user or be sold to another manufacturer. That manufacturer could use your “machine” as a sub assembly or group. You can see all this is just a matter of viewpoint. You can consider just about anything a sub assembly, group or final machine. It is all just semantics and what you are using the item for.

http://ezinearticles.com/?CAD-Design-Process—CNC-Process&id=742671

Intellectual property (IP) is one of the most critical resources of any business. loss of proprietary manufacturing designs and processes, CAD files, financial information, customer lists, research data and any other information that gives a company a competitive edge can be disastrous. Companies that have had their product intellectual property stolen have lost product sales, lost market share and reduced margins.

According to the U.S. Commerce Department, intellectual property theft is estimated at more than $250 billion and 750,000 jobs annually. The International Chamber of Commerce estimates the global fiscal loss to intellectual property theft is more than $600 billion per year.

A 2004 survey of 400 business professionals about their attitudes toward intellectual property theft conducted by Ibas, (www.ibas.net), a global supplier of data recovery and computer forensics, showed the following:
• 69.6 percent of business professionals have stolen some form of corporate intellectual property from their employer when leaving a job.
• 30.4 percent admitted to taking information such as customer databases and contact information.
• The most commonly used method for stealing intellectual property is to send electronic copies of documents and files to a personal email account.
• 58.7 percent think that taking intellectual property is as acceptable, if not more, as exaggerating an insurance claim to cover the excess charge.
• only 28.2 percent think that intellectual property theft is completely unacceptable.
• The most common justification for intellectual property theft was that the person had created the documents/files stolen and felt they partly belonged to him or her.

While employees are a company’s greatest asset they can also be its greatest liability. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, current and former employees are the most common perpetrators of intellectual property theft. They reported that the number of suspects referred to U.S. attorneys with an intellectual property theft-related lead charge increased 26percent from 1994-2002. from 1994 to 2002 the number of cases in which plaintiffs sought civil remedies related to patent, trademark, and copyright infringement increased 20percent to 8,254. And in 2004 they estimate American businesses suffered more than $250 billion in intellectual property theft.

And, with the growing trend to distribute CAD files to customers and suppliers, a company not only has to be concerned about the safety of their intellectual property in the hands of their own employees, but also in the hands of all those other companies’ employees.

So what can a company do to reduce the likelihood that its designs and other intellectual property do not get stolen?

Start by educating employees about the threats and consequences of intellectual property theft. help them realize that by protecting the company’s intellectual property the employees are also protecting their employment. Then hire certified information security professionals to help implement appropriate information security technologies such as firewalls, attachment and content filtering, intrusion detection, encryption and physical theft security. While the theft of laptops and USB devices is a concern, research indicates that most intellectual property theft of CAD files and other company data is usually done via email attachments or web transfers.

That focuses on internal theft, but what about theft perpetrated at, or by, other companies that are given access to proprietary data? A recent Aberdeen Group (www.aberdeen.com) report, “protecting product Intellectual property Benchmark report” has the following recommendations:

To protect their investment in product intellectual property, companies should evaluate their product innovationproduct development and engineering processes to ensure that they effectively:
• Adopt “intellectual property friendly” approaches to collaboration including sharing only the amount of design data required by partners to accomplish their tasks
• ensure that research and development (R&D) discoveries are captured, evaluated from a business perspective, and safeguarded by executing the appropriate protection
(i.e., patents, trademarks, trade secrets, defensive publishing).
• protect product data, including implementing secure product data management (PDM) and enhanced IT security solutions to safeguard product data within the firewall and digital rights management (DRM) to protect product intellectual property “in the wild” when designs are shared with others outside of the corporate firewall.

There are a number of software packages available that can help with that last point. Choosing one (or more) of those packages depends on what CAD software is being used, what level of distribution control is needed and what is the budget for acquiring this type of software.

The best place to start evaluating and selecting this type of software is to talk to the supplier of the CAD software being used. each of the major 3D CAD suppliers has a different approach.

UGS (www.ugs.com), a supplier of product lifecycle management software, uses its Teamcenter software to control access to data with a system of permissions that defines not only who can access what data, but also how much of the data they can access. Users can be allowed to download complete files or restricted to only seeing a selected subset view of the data, e.g. only shape information. UGS also uses file watermarks to determine the source of a file and whether it was created with licensed UGS software or a bootlegged copy. UGS has experimented with more complex digital rights management software but decided that the resulting control process was unnecessarily cumbersome to their typical customers’ workflow.

Autodesk (www.autodesk.com) uses its Streamline software to also create a permissions-controlled access portal. like UGS’s Teamcenter, Streamline can allow an authorized user to download a complete file or restrict that user to some subset of authorized data. If a user is allowed to download a file by Streamline or Teamcenter, all control over the further use of that file is lost. The file can be copied and/or distributed around the world without the permission of the file’s original creator.

Autodesk does have a tool that was designed for sharing data on a limited basis. Its DWf file format is an encrypted file. Inventor 2008 adds permission controls to outputted DWf format files that enable the file creator to decide if recipients of the file can measure, print or markup the file in addition to viewing the file. Autodesk’s Design review software is needed to view a DWf file. Controlling the measure, print and markup functions is currently only controllable with files created by Inventor 2008 but Autodesk expects to add that function to AutoCAD as well.

Solidworks took a completely different approach. Instead of trying to develop control portal software or encrypted file readers, Solidworks partnered with companies who specialize in that sort of software. one of the partnerships is with pinion Software (www.pinionsoftware.com). Similar to Autodesk’s DWf format, the pinion software uses encryption and permissions to control access to the data. Authorized users can be prohibited from saving changes, cutting, copying, pasting and using screen grabber utilities. permissions include date and time limitations as well as access controls. The single-user price for the pinion software is about $1,000.

Another Solidworks partnership, this one with liquid machines, Inc. (www.liquidmachines.com) appears to offer digital rights management level of control. Solidworks 3D can output a liquid machines encrypted file with one click on a dropdown menu. That file can only be accessed on a computer that has liquid machines’ client agent software. When a user tries to open the file in Solidworks 3D, the software detects that it is a liquid machines encrypted file and checks for resident liquid machines client agent software. If present, the agent software will contact, via the Internet, a database on the originating company’s server to see what access is to be allowed. A full range of access, including editing and copying, can be allowed. When a file is copied, it is also encrypted and subject to access control by the originating company’s database. The software is sophisticated enough to allow controlled offline access, e.g. enable downloading to a laptop for access where there is no Internet connection. This gives file originators complete control of all downstream access to, and modification or copying of, the original files. This is not available in any of the other packages. Current single-copy cost for the client agent software is about $400. According to Jody Saarmaa, senior director of product marketing at liquid machines, a typical package of the server software and several client agent seats for a small business usually costs around $30,000.

When considering whether to invest in any of these software products or not, it might be useful to consider the following:

“The engineering data created using SolidWorks 3D manufacturing design software [ed. note: or any other company’s design software] is often among a company’s most valuable intellectual property,” says Joyce Durst, president and Ceo of pinion

Software. “When this information is shared without continuous protection as part of design collaboration, outsourced manufacturing, or other technical business processes, it could become subject to unintended or illegitimate use that could have significant consequences to your business.” like losing your business.

http://www.americanmachinist.com/304/Issue/Article/False/68575/

Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) became indispensable tools in manufacturing environment of today. But as companies learn from their own experience once and again to receive the real benefit of NC/CNC technology the computer software has to provide efficient and reliable NC/CNC programming. To make NC/CNC programming easy it has to be customized and the company’s “know-how” has to be known and used by CAD/CAM NC/CNC Programming System.

The Melbourne company CAMTEK PACIFIC released SealTurn Expert - the comprehensive auto programming system which allows cutting of standard and special seals direct from the seal order by proceeding through Step-By-Step computer predefined procedure. It allows to decrease to minutes time from receiving the order to the manufacturing the seal.
Step 1 – selection of the seal group. Available groups include Backup Rings, Bearing Protection, Gland Seals, Guide Rings, High Pressure Rotary Seals, Piston Seals, Pneumatic Seals, Special Seals and Wipers. Accordingly to the seal order the operator has to click the correspondent group to open the next dialog box with the group content.

Step 2 – selection of the seal type from the correspondent group. The groups include number of various seal types covering requirements of various industry fields and applications. The types are normalized and are parametrically defined in seal catalogues. For example, Piston Seal group includes 45 seal types, covering individual seals and seal packs. All together the package covers 150+ seal types.

Step 3 - all seals are predefined with three main conventional parameters: outside diameter, inside diameter and width. These parameters are input by the operator direct from the order, Depending on a type of the seal further parameters are calculated per inbuilt formulas and rules.

Step 4 - the seal is designed automatically and a drawing is displayed including all seal parametric and constant dimensions. The parameter dialogue box allows the user to adjust any parameter and billet sizes if required. The seal design and display are instantly updated.

Step 5 - when the seal design is accepted by the operator SealTurn Expert automatically generates a machining procedure. Machining methods are standardized and structured. Each seal type has predefined machining method which resolves all necessary machining operations, tools and cutting feeds and speeds. The operator can review the solid simulation of the machining and modify the manufacturing procedure if required.

As soon as the manufacturing procedure is approved it is post processed and a set up sheet and an NC program are generated. The package includes DNC module which provides the transfer of the program from SealTurn workstation to the machine tool control. If NC control is running MS Windows operational system SealTurn can be installed into NC control as a part of Computer Integrated Manufacturing System.

“Typically it takes 2-3 minutes for a standard seal from the first mouse click upto having the first seal being cut.” Says OZSEALS machine tool operator Concetto Palamara.

SealTurn Expert has been installed in the number of seal manufacturing companies in Australia, Austria, New Zealand, Spain, UK and USA.

“Our experience in developing of Expert applications using PEPS Open Architecture is very successful. We invite companies to analyse their manufacturing environment and see us to evaluate advantages of their “know-how” being implemented in their CAD/CAM System. SealTurn can be easily enhanced and modified to satisfy the customer requirements.” Says CAMTEK PACIFIC managing director Mark Goldfeld.

The cost of the first licence in a company AUS$14,000, the first+ licence AUS$9,000 ex GST. The first licence includes installation, training and 12 month support.

http://www.tenlinks.com/NEWS/PR/camtek_pacific/100507_sealturn.htm

With the emphasis in the moldmaking industry today on producing molds in the most efficient manner while still maintaining quality, moldmakers need to keep up with the latest software technologies-packages that will allow them to program and cut complex molds quickly so that mold production times can be reduced. In a nutshell, the industry is moving toward improving the quality of data exchange between CAD and CAM as well as CAM to the CNC, and CAM software is becoming more “intelligent” as it relates to machining processes-resulting in reduction in both cycle times and overall machining time. Five-axis machining also is emerging as a “must-have” on the shop floor-especially when dealing with deep cavities.

Here is what a dozen CAD/CAM manufacturers had to say about the latest software technologies and where the market is headed during the remainder of 2005:
In CAD, more moldmakers are looking to do the design work in 3-D, which is more powerful and efficient. Image courtesy of Cimatron.

Sam Golan, CEO and president, Cimatron Technologies, Inc. (Novi, MI): CAD/CAM technology continues to advance, so we continue to see new generations of software coming out with new capabilities and better performance. In CAD, more moldmakers are looking to do the design work in 3-D, which is more powerful and efficient. Since much of the communication with customers is still 2-D-based, moldmakers are now able to take advantage of software that supports hybrid 2-D/3-D design with wireframe and solids, enabling greater flexibility, speed and better communication.

On the CAM side, the trend is toward newer technologies and processes such as micro milling to support the manufacturing of high-precision injection molds with complex 3-D structures and high surface qualities.
In CAD, more moldmakers are looking to do the design work in 3-D, which is more powerful and efficient. Image courtesy of Cimatron.

Sam Golan, CEO and president, Cimatron Technologies, Inc. (Novi, MI): CAD/CAM technology continues to advance, so we continue to see new generations of software coming out with new capabilities and better performance. In CAD, more moldmakers are looking to do the design work in 3-D, which is more powerful and efficient. Since much of the communication with customers is still 2-D-based, moldmakers are now able to take advantage of software that supports hybrid 2-D/3-D design with wireframe and solids, enabling greater flexibility, speed and better communication.

On the CAM side, the trend is toward newer technologies and processes such as micro milling to support the manufacturing of high-precision injection molds with complex 3-D structures and high surface qualities.

What we hear in our conversations with moldmakers is that they are increasingly looking for more integrated solutions-integration among CAD/CAM functions as well as integration of CAD/CAM into the complete business process from business acquisition (e.g., quoting) to product delivery and support. CAD/CAM solutions can no longer be viewed as a collection of tools, but rather as integrative systems that support a continuum of business processes.

Peter Dickin, public relations manager, Delcam, Inc. (Windsor, ON): I do not anticipate any major advancements in CAD/CAM, but a big emphasis on making existing functionality easier to use. This will affect three areas of mold manufacture in particular-3-D tooling design, five-axis machining and electrode design and manufacture. In each case, software has been available for some time. However, the improved ease-of-use will make the adoption of these programs much simpler. In particular, the use of 3-D mold design has the potential to make the whole process much more efficient as it removes the inevitable problems that result when trying to coordinate the 3-D design of the core and cavity, and the 2-D design of the remaining components.

Another area that will see improvement is inspection. Developments in both software and portable hardware will make it much easier to inspect each component of the tool, as it is manufactured. This should ensure that mistakes are spotted and corrected before the final assembly of the tool, preventing delays from a single component that won’t fit where it should.

Maryann Beaver, marketing coordinator, FeatureCAM (Salt Lake City, UT): Moldmakers need powerful CAD/CAM solutions that can help them program and cut complex molds with less time and effort invested into each part. The CAD/CAM industry is moving toward automation and better integration with CAD programs. Solid modeling software is becoming more commonplace for many reasons. Gaps or overlaps between part surfaces are avoided-providing a watertight model that is easier to machine. Solid models also let a designer create a digital mockup of a part instead of physically creating a real part. These mockups save time and money because they can be viewed and approved by customers and used for engineering analysis. Direct machining also can be performed on solid models. CAM systems should support solid model programming and importing.

Solid modeling also allows users to take advantage of automatic feature recognition (AFR)-an advanced technology that is paving the way for increased ease-of-use, accuracy and automation in CAM systems. AFR utilizes all the design intelligence that is already contained in a solid model. It automatically recognizes the features on an imported solid and then creates machineable features, so the CAM system can automatically generate toolpaths using the machining preferences and rules set by the user. It generates a part program directly from a solid model. AFR should provide full associativity with the imported solid. If the design changes, simply import the revised model and AFR will compare the new model with the original features. The CAM system will then display a list of every feature and whether it is new, unchanged, modified or deleted. There is no need to reprogram the part when revisions happen. The CAM system is smart enough to leave the unchanged features alone. When the system detects revised features, changes are only made to the specific machining parameters that are different from the original solid, such as the depth of a hole or a pocket radius. Design changes are inevitable, so a CAM system should make it as easy as possible to accommodate those changes.

Yvonne Anderson, marketing manager, Gibbs and Associates (Moorpark, CA): In the area of CAD/CAM interoperability, the quality of exchanging data from CAD to CAM will continue to improve-becoming more reliable and accurate. Associativity mechanisms will continue to accommodate incremental updates to processes based on design updates. Information content will extend from standard geometric transfers to include more product information, which can be used within the CAM system. As a result, mold production times will be reduced, while molds’ overall quality will be improved.

With CAM/CNC interoperability, the quality of exchanging data from CAM to the CNC will continue to improve-leveraging more functionality of the CNC. Here are some examples: NURBS toolpath improves the performance of the CNC with improved surface finish, requiring less hand finishing; and toleranced toolpath allows the CNC to adjust its accuracy to fit machining context, significantly reducing machining time during roughing operations. Again, the net result is reduced mold production times, while molds’ overall quality is improved.

On the subject of CAM refinement, the functionality of CAM systems will continue to improve-providing more and more moldmaking-specific capability. New toolpath algorithms for roughing and finishing will continue to be developed-improving material removal rates, tool control and/or resulting surface finish. These ongoing refinements will provide the moldmaker with a broader palette of machining capability-improving mold production.

Bob Bean, COO, Kubotek USA, Inc. (Marlborough, MA): There is currently an emphasis on adding direct face editing to CAD/CAM systems. Many mid-range solid modelers have added or are adding this capability this year. This is significant since moldmakers typically need to modify imported models to adjust draft angles, simplify geometry and in general make changes to the part and mold to reduce cost or improve product quality. Future advancements will include model simplification and feature editing without history trees-which will allow even more flexibility for the mold designer to work with any customer’s geometry. It will be an exciting year for the moldmaking industry.

Steve Bertrand, director of sales, Mastercam/CNC Software, Inc. (Tolland, CT): As we all know, the manufacturing industry has tightened in the past few years. A result of this shift in business is that CAM software has adjusted and advanced in order to give these shops what they need to stay competitive. Moldmakers are still seeking traditional elements in their software-speed, reliability and accuracy-but now shops are paying attention to other elements as well. These include:

* Process knowledge-In the coming year, we’ll see advances in CAM software’s intelligence as it relates to machining processes. CAM software will advance in the ability to capture and store applications, and even recognize the needs of the task at hand. This helps automate the process and reduces the amount of user interaction needed to get a part off the machine.
* Recognition-Feature and topology recognition allow each shop to tailor their unique best practices for specific manufacturing situations. This can greatly automate basic element programming. As an example, CAM software will be able, with a single click, to automatically find all drill holes and program the correct set of operations rather than forcing the user to create each one manually.
There is an increase in surface-related functionality in mid-range solid modelers. Image courtesy of Pathtrace.

Simon Lee, director of sales & marketing, Pathtrace Engineering Systems (Southfield, MI): We are seeing an increase in surface-related functionality in mid-range solid modelers. Moldmakers know that there are, in principle, huge advantages to using solids-based CAD, but have thus far been restricted by the level of organic shape modeling functionality available. We are now seeing advances in this area to allow for better control of sculptured surfaces. There is increasingly tighter integration between solid CAD and CAM, which is allowing best in class software solutions to be implemented and offer lower cost alternatives to today’s moldmakers. This CAD/CAM integration also means that there is less reliance on the notoriously flawed neutral format (e.g. IGES/STEP) for data exchange. CAD to CAM interoperability allows moldmakers to handle late design changes with minimum disruption. Advances in machine tool and toolpath simulation allow efficiencies to be implemented earlier. Adaptive feedrates and new toolpath strategies-trochoidal moves, for example-allow optimum feedrates to be programmed and achieved, reducing cycle times. Support of multiconfiguration (mill/turn) machine tools is constantly improving-allowing more efficient production machining techniques to be applied in the mold and die arena. And, there is greater automation potential in software today.

Jeffrey Jaje, senior engineer-marketing, Sescoi USA Inc. (Southfield, MI): Many CAD/CAM products provide a fairly full complement of multipurpose functions for the design and manufacture of mold components. There will be more of a shift to specialized functions, which can automate redundant tasks across a wider audience of users. For example, CAD functions such as automatic electrode extraction can allow shop floor mill operators higher efficiencies, when the alternative is to have an idle mill waiting for a CAD department to create or edit an electrode. Couple this function with a specialized CAM function, such as thin wall machining for optimum overall efficiency. Thin wall machining is designed to simultaneously rough and finish electrodes such that breakage, and scrap is dramatically reduced-increasing throughput on the machining center. Other specialized functions include things like automatic rib machining, automatic keyway cutting and recognition of certain features like holes.

Fielder Hiss, manager of product management, SolidWorks Corp. (Concord, MA): The most significant trend in CAD is still the migration of designers from 2-D systems to 3-D design software. A focus on making 3-D systems easier-to-use, more flexible and more comfortable for 2-D users is really helping this trend to take place. The reality is that companies-especially companies like moldmakers who face such tight deadlines and cost constraints-need 3-D technology to survive. Advances in power and ease-of-use are now making it easier for 2-D users to make this move.

Glenn Coleman, vice president of product design, Surfware, Inc. (Westlake Village, CA): We feel the biggest return from CAM should be dramatic reductions in machining time, which has a higher per-hour cost than programming time. In addition, except for extremely short runs of extremely simple parts, machining time accounts for a dramatically higher percentage of overall job cost.

CAM software needs to unlock machines’ capabilities-not limit them. By allowing the use of more aggressive machining parameters, advancements in toolpath generation will dramatically reduce both cycle times and overall machining time.

Paul Brown, director of NX product marketing, UGS (Plano, TX): One ongoing advancement is the continuation of the use of knowledge-driven automation, simulation and systems-based modeling to push the envelope on application automation. Applications such as plastic injection mold design are process-oriented tasks that are ideally suited to automation, and which take advantage of the latest elements of technology that have been in development over the last 10 years.

There is an increasing emphasis on the reuse of knowledge in the product development process. While tools to capture and reuse knowledge have been available for some time, they have traditionally required custom programming, which in turn, relies on specialist skills. Increasingly, some tools are providing simple approaches to capturing embedded knowledge as geometry is created-building more than simple geometric relationships into the design and allowing logic to be built into the process. This ensures design consistency and can build validation into the process. For example, the size and quantity of ejector pins required on a mold may depend on the mass and surface area of the product. This logic can be quickly built into the design process. If the product is changed, the system can automatically adjust the ejector pin details-allowing faster turnaround of tooling post design change. Capturing knowledge in this way also ensures that best practices can be repeated within the company-speeding the design process and allowing information to be shared among all of the designers.

Traditionally, the creation of drawings of mold tools has been a time-consuming task that is not part of the creative process. Drawings are an organizational necessity rather than a desired part of the process. To eliminate this, an increased emphasis is being placed on the use of 3-D annotation or product manufacturing information (PMI) placed directly on the model data. Tolerance information-along with surface finish and material conditions-can be attached to the model and easily viewed to gain a clearer picture of the design intent. Standards such as ANSI 14.41 are emerging to help companies define this information on the model. The increased use of 3-D PMI data has created a need for tools to quickly view and review the information.

High-speed milling of hard materials used in mold cores and cavities is not new; however, many shops have only paid lip service to it, even when they had the equipment. This is because it’s not as simple as winding up the spindle speed, or the feedrate and cutting the machining times in half. Machinists start breaking tools, assume they are pushing too hard and slow the machine down. The fact is that the optimum performance criteria are dependent on each unique machine, its toolholding and cutting tool configurations, as well as the characteristics of the material being machined. We have worked with customers to define methods to calibrate each configuration and have used the latest in NC toolpaths technology to allow our customers to maximize the utilization of their high speed machine tools, cut machining times significantly and eliminate tool breakage.
Software products will be integrated in a common environment able to encompass the entire process-from quoting through manufacturing. Image courtesy of Vero International.

Giovanni Opimitti, president, Vero International (Bingham Farms, MI): The advancements that we will see this year will be aimed at granting manufacturers faster time-to-market and more accurate design through products that are more and more specialized. These products will be integrated in a common environment able to encompass the entire process-from quoting through manufacturing. We believe there will be a great effort to increase the ease-of-use issues of even the most powerful software tools.

Specifically, the following are among the major areas of development:

* Analysis - the moldmaker usually receives geometric data from their customers. First, they must ensure product manufacturability. More efficient and automated tools will be developed for working with raw imported data in order to find potential problems early on.
* Feature recognition - a lot has been already done regarding feature recognition; however, a lot more can still be done. Working mainly with imported data, it is crucial to achieve a reliable and efficient recognition of machineable features and to automatically generate the related toolpaths.
* Five-axis machining - this is a technology that is increasingly more recognized as very valuable for the manufacturing of molds, especially when it comes to deep cavities. We expect to see further developments here.

Keeping abreast of the latest in CAD/CAM technologies and trends is a step in the right direction to build a better mold faster. Choose a vendor that develops products specifically for the moldmaking industry and understands the process. Look for software manufacturers and suppliers to continue fine-tuning their current offerings while making them easier to use as well as more automation and better integration with other programs-all leading to reduced leadtimes and a higher quality mold.

http://www.moldmakingtechnology.com/articles/060502a.html

DELCAM has been granted a UK patent (Patent No. 2 389 764) for its unique Total Modelling method for adding logos, textures, styling details and other decoration to CAD models. Delcam is represented in Australia by Camplex Pty Ltd.

Successful applications of the technique already include the development of packaging, footwear, ceramics and toys, and many other products where complex decoration can add value.

Total Modelling moves beyond conventional solid and surface modelling by bringing together elements of Delcam’s Power Solution software range in a unique, fully-integrated combination of CAD design, reverse engineering and triangle modelling methods.

This wide range of techniques gives designers the ability to create innovative products more easily and more quickly, without any restrictions to their creativity.

Total Modelling enables triangle models, including those generated within the ArtCAM engraving program and the CopyCAD reverse engineering system, to be incorporated into surface or solid models created in Delcam’s PowerSHAPE hybrid CAD software.

This close integration means designers can move between the different types of modelling more easily and see more quickly the effects on the overall design of any changes in a single element.

The patent granted covers three key aspects of product design with CAD. Firstly, it covers the ability to create a solid model that combines parametric surfaces and facetted reliefs, such that the resulting model is watertight.

Secondly, it covers Delcam’s unique embossing method based on wrapping using texture mapping. Thirdly, it covers the ability to represent the embossing as a solid feature, such as when the underlying surfaces change the embossing and it is re-wrapped and re-trimmed.

Total Modelling enables logos, textures and other decorations to be incorporated into product designs more readily to help reinforce branding.

It also means any subsequent changes can be completed more quickly, for example when updating a design to be used in merchandising for a new television or film promotion.

The use of Total Modelling is both more flexible and more powerful than the Boolean addition techniques used in most CAD modellers.

Total Modelling also enables the addition of styling features to products ranging from automotive exteriors to domestic appliances.

In the automotive industry, different body styling of both decorative features and functional items, like air intakes, can be incorporated with an exact match to the underlying bodywork.

The size, position and design of these features can be changed in seconds, rather than the hours that would be needed with conventional CAD modelling techniques.

In a similar way, both decorative items and functional textures, such as grip surfaces, can be added to designs for electrical equipment that needs to meet both aesthetic and practical requirements.

Total Modelling can also be used for any bespoke items, for example, footwear, medical devices, prosthetics or sports equipment.

Design data specific to the individual customer or patient can be captured by reverse engineering and then used to modify a general outline design to any particular requirements.

http://www.ferret.com.au/articles/63/0c038b63.asp

Powder for producing 17-4 SS components directly from CAD models by direct metal laser sintering completely melts the metal powder and so produces parts that are fully dense

A new powder for producing 17-4 stainless steel components directly from CAD models using a layer-by-layer additive process has been launched by German direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) machine manufacturer, EOS, whose UK subsidiary is in Warwick. The material is ideal for parts that need high corrosion resistance as well as good mechanical properties, such as medical devices.

This grade of stainless steel is a proven metal throughout industry.

The composition of the EOS powder, StainlessSteel 17-4, corresponds to the European material 1.4542 as well as to the US steel classification, 17-4 PH.

Dr Michael Shellabear, product manager at EOS, stresses that in the development of new powders, accepted industrial materials are essential to ensure the successful uptake of DMLS as an alternative to metalcutting.

Dr Shellabear said, ‘StainlessSteel 17-4 opens the way for our e-Manufacturing technology to be used for producing small batches of functional parts, or even one-offs and spares.’ He explained: ‘The material offers our customers solutions at every phase of a product’s life cycle with which they can increase efficiency and quality.

The DMLS process completely melts the metal powder and so produces parts that are fully dense.’ Prior to launch, EOS tested the new material with a group of more than a dozen pilot users, all of which confirmed that laser-sintering is becoming an accepted, flexible production method.

One of the group is The Boeing Company, which used StainlessSteel 17-4 for producing redesigned frames for floor-level lighting fixtures in 19 carrier aircraft for an Asian customer.

The new powder is immediately available to users of Eosint M 270 laser-sintering machines.

It adds to the material range that EOS recently enlarged with the addition of CobaltChrome MP1.

The next material, a titanium alloy, is planned for commercial launch in early 2007.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/eos/eos151.html

Stihl, a family-owned manufacturer of chain saws and other lawn and garden equipment, continues to expand its Virginia Beach, VA, plant, the only one in the United States. Over the years, production has doubled and is still growing.

The plant switched to Mastercam CAD/CAM software from CNC Software (Tolland, CT) for its machining three years ago. Productivity has since doubled, says Tool Room Supervisor Todd Blanton.

According to Blanton, Stihl also chose to adopt Mastercam’s Certification Program. Originally meant to create a benchmark for technical schools and other academic programs, the certification could be tailored to Stihl’s requirements to meet internal quality standards and further its commitment to ongoing workforce training.

The first step was training and trainer certification from Mastercam’s Educational Division. The program includes a detailed curriculum that gives students a comprehensive understanding of machining and programming, from how a computer works to how a toolpath is made.

Stihl already had an apprentice program, and ten people were chosen for the certification program. They began taking classes at the plant in August, and finished training in December. In February, nine out of ten students received certification after a test. Students also received college credit from Tidewater Community College.

“We like to train our own employees right here,” says Blanton. “We have our own systems in place.”

One employee who took the class summed up the benefits. “Everyone who took the class is pretty fluent now,” he says. “They can analyze and think for themselves.” Circle 280

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3618/is_200505/ai_n13637826

The postprocessor is the last software link between an ideal CAD model and a ‘real’ machined part. To what degree the postprocessor can take advantage of a CNC’s capabilities, and vice versa, determines the number of available programming options and degree of programming difficulty. CNC/postprocessor rapport is particularly important for high speed machining (HSM).

There isn’t a comprehensive, unifying solution that marries all CNCs and postprocessors in such a way. However, Siemens and ICAM have made a step in that direction by developing the CAM-Post Sinumerik 840D postprocessor, which is tailored specifically to the Siemens 840D control. This dedicated postprocessor speeds and simplifies programming, while taking some of the mystery out of accessing the control’s high end HSM features.

“High speed machining, in particular, brings into play a lot of new CNC features that are not necessarily intuitive from the perspective of some CNC users,” says Siemens’ Norman Bleier. “Help in the postprocessor is another step in advancing the CNC concept to address the new challenges of high speed machining.”

The Sinumerik CAM-Post version is an adaptation of ICAM’s universal CAM-Post. It supports 840D control features such as:

* Local coordinate system programming, to allow 2 ½-D cycles to be performed from any tool axis orientation
* Rotating Tool Center Point (RTCP) programming based on the 840D’s transformation orientation (TRAORI) tool-tip programming capability, which is designed to simplify 5-D programming and tool compensation
* Circular Intermediate Point (CIP) and dual curve NURBS interpolation.

According to ICAM’s Malcolm White, this CAM-Post version is also helpful for programming special Cycle832 and Cycle800 commands used by the 840D for high speed machining and coordinate frame transformation. It does this by providing an intuitive dialog box to choose parameters such as exact stop, acceleration pattern, feed forward control, and data compression, and then combines these into a single cycle command.

http://www.mmsonline.com/articles/0704rt1.html

The first service pack of ESPRIT computer-aided-manufacturing (CAM) software from DP Technology includes productivity-enhancing technology for CNC programmers of mills, lathes and wire EDM machines

DP Technology, maker of ESPRIT computer-aided-manufacturing (CAM) software, has announced the international release and first service pack for ESPRIT 2008, which includes more newly added productivity-enhancing technology for CNC programmers of mills, lathes and wire EDM machines. With the initial release of ESPRIT 2008, DP Technology provided enhancements to address the growing needs of ESPRIT’s existing users, the demands of the latest generation of machine tools, and new cutting-edge manufacturing techniques.

Service Pack 1 represents the next evolution of ESPRIT, providing additional enhancements in the areas of CAD to CAM feature exchange with ESPRIT FX 2008, support for the latest series of AgieCharmilles wire edm controls, the Orange control, a new Makino wire EDM expert system of machining conditions, expanded capabilities within the ESPRIT API, and support for 12 languages - including Chinese, Czech, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.

ESPRIT FX is the latest in advanced CAD to CAM feature exchange technology, included in ESPRIT 2008, which allows users to automatically capture the original design intent, clearly define what the user is machining, and program parts quicker and more accurately.

ESPRIT FX reads the CAD feature trees from SolidWorks, Solid Edge and now, with service pack 1, Pro/ENGINEER.

Going beyond transferring just the part geometry, the FX technology provides portions of the original CAD feature tree directly inside the ESPRIT user interface, thereby including the complete original design intent - features, tolerances, material properties, surface finishes, administrative data, and more.

Using the FX technology, the CAD features and associated properties are mapped into machinable features, providing a complete definition of ‘what’ is being machined.

These manufacturing features and associated properties are then fed into the ESPRIT KnowledgeBase, which aids the user in automatically selecting how to machine the part based upon existing best practices.

ESPRIT 2008 has been updated to support the latest machines and cutting technology for AgieAgieCharmilles, Fanuc, Mitsubishi, ONA and Sodick wire EDMs.

This includes all-new ‘technology pages’ (user interface / dialogue boxes) for 2-axis and 4-axis cutting for each manufacturer.

Each machine-specific user interface includes the machine-specific terminology and technology settings for the given EDM machine manufacturer, as well as a direct interface into the machine’s technology database.

With Service Pack 1, ESPRIT now supports the new family of AgieCharmilles wire EDM controls, the AgieCharmilles Orange control.

This support includes a new control- specific user interface for the AgieCharmilles Orange, along with an integrated technology database to simplify the selection of the cutting parameters and provide terminology consistent with the machine, while also providing full control over the machining conditions.

For Makino, a similar Makino specific user interface has been released along with an integrated Makino machining conditions database.

http://www.manufacturingtalk.com/news/dpt/dpt147.html

Tangent Concepts, a certified west coast dealer for SURFCAM Velocity Powered by TrueMill, today announced that TrueMill inside of SURFCAM Velocity will be demonstrated with live machining throughout the Pacific Coast Machine Expo, 2007 at the Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, CA. November 13-15 booth number 1404.

Come see with your own eyes!
In the 20+ years since CAD/CAM existed, there have been significant advances in machine tools, cutting tools and other manufacturing components to machine faster and increase productivity. However, there has been minimal to no improvement in the CAM software to enable these components to machine to their potential. TrueMill, the patent-pending technology in SURFCAM Velocity, solves this problem by maintaining a consistent and predictable load on the cutter.

As a result:-
1. Increased milling output; TrueMill unlocks the potential of your existing equipment enabling faster and deeper machining with less effort. This maximizes material removal rates which reduces cycle times by a minimum of 30-70%.
2. Extends the life of your cutting tools by 2x-4x.
3. Reduces stress on your all other manufacturing components; machine, spindle, the vice, fixtures etc…
4. Higher quality parts due to more efficient removal of material.

Walter Romanenko, President of Tangent Concepts says; “I just sold TrueMill to a customer who got his return on investment in less than a day. I would like to invite ALL who are serious about their business to stop by our booth, number “1404″ and the Western Machine booth number, “830″ to really see how speed, and performance can make you a winner”

For more information on SURFCAM Velocity, TrueMill and other Surfware products visit www.tangentconcepts.com. See you at the show, booth number 1404.

About Tangent Concepts
Tangent Concepts Inc., a Service/Product Company focuses on CAD/CAM product sales, web based support, free training, and regular productivity seminars. Unlike dealers who sell a variety of products along with software, Tangent Concepts specializes in software for manufacturing only. Our program features on-staff technical experts . We have been a leading SURFCAM dealer since 1989. We know both SURFCAM and machining so we can help your programmers solve CAD/CAM application problems.

http://www10.mcadcafe.com/nbc/articles/view_article.php?section=CorpNews&articleid=458450