New CAD/CAE products go for lower cost, easier use.The latest developments for CAD/CAM CAD/CAM in full computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing. Integration of design and manufacturing into a system under direct control of digital computers. and CAE (1) (Computer-Aided Engineering) Software that analyzes designs which have been created in the computer or that have been created elsewhere and entered into the computer. flow analysis illustrate two trends, one toward lower-cost packages with increased capabilities, and the other toward sophisticated systems that are simpler to use. These benefits were evident in new products suitable for plastics at the recent AutoFact '96 Rapid Design and Manufacturing Exhibition in Detroit. LASER SCAN CHECKS PARTS A new "paperless" first-article inspection service from Product Development Technologies Inc., Wauconda, Ill., compares a molded part directly to its CAD database instead of to a paper blueprint. This Computer Aided Verification Computer Aided Verification (CAV) is an annual academic conference on the theory and practice of computer aided formal analysis of software and hardware systems. The conference consists of peer-reviewed research papers and system descriptions. (CAV (1) (Component Analog Video) See YPbPr. (2) (Constant Angular Velocity) Rotating an optical disc or hard disk at a constant speed. Contrast with "constant linear velocity" (CLV), in which the platter rotates at varying speeds. ) service uses 3D laser scanning to measure part geometry - including all core and cavity side details, surface contours, and relevant parameters - to [+ or -]0.001-in. accuracy. The verification system compares a 3D multi-million-point "scan cloud" with the CAD database. CAV reportedly takes less than five days, versus up to three weeks for traditional CMM (Capability Maturity Model) A process developed by SEI in 1986 to help improve, over time, the application of an organization's supporting software technologies. inspection. Complete inspection results are presented with a short, color-graphic report highlighting any errors found in either the part or the CAD data. LOW-COST CAD/CAE CAD/CAE Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Engineering New CAD software for small and medium-sized companies from Advanced Solid Technologies, Inc., Montreal, is said to incorporate high-performance features into a low-cost PC-based package. TOPsolid 5.13 is modular software See modular programming. that ranges from 2D and 3D parametric type to 3D integrated surfaces and solids with free parametrics, as well as standard libraries for technical data management. Price ranges from 82500 for the basic 2D/3D parametric wire-frame design and drafting module to $8250 for fully featured parametric surfaces and solids. A new version of CADkey mechanical CAD software for DOS and Windows has been released by Baystate Technologies, Marlborough, Mass. Highlights of CADkey 97 include solid modeling and improved rendering. The new version has extended 3D design capabilities that combine the flexibility of wire frame with ACIS solid modeling. Users can now construct solid primitives such as blocks, cones, and spheres; perform Boolean operations such as subtract, intersect In a relational database, to match two files and produce a third file with records that are common in both. For example, intersecting an American file and a programmer file would yield American programmers. , and union; extrude extrude /ex·trude/ (ek-strldbomacd´) 1. to force out, or to occupy a position distal to that normally occupied. 2. in dentistry, to occupy a position occlusal to that normally occupied. , sweep, or revolve geometry into a solid; and apply constant and variable fillets, chamfers, and blends to solid models. The 3D modeling is associative to 2D drawing, and models can be display-shaded with hidden-line removal in the drawing layout mode. You can use wire-frame, solid, or surface modeling at any time during the design process, and editing capabilities include solid-to-solid, solid-to-wire-frame, surface-to-surface, and surface-to-solid trimming operations. Price is $1195. SIMPLIFY COMPLEX MODELS The second major release of Windows-based Solid Edge CAD software from Intergraph Software Solutions, Huntsville, Ala., includes new part and assembly design tools and performance enhancements. New "top-down" design aids include in-place modeling of assembly components. Designers can now use Solid Edge to create new part models within the assembly, ensuring accurate fit and function by directly associating part dimensions to the faces and edges of other assembly components. The latest release is said to be easy to use and learn, and new modeling techniques are addressed in new interactive, self-paced learning aids. Performance is reportedly twice as fast as before for routine tasks such as opening and saving files, activating files from the assembly environment, and editing features. New feature-based solid-modeling capabilities are said to minimize modeling time and improve modeling stability. Rounding has also been significantly improved with the implementation of the ACIS 2.0 modeling kernel, which tackles complex multiple-edge and interacting rounds. Price is $5995. Enhancements in Version 2 of SolidWorks 96 solid-modeling software for PCs from SolidWorks Corp., Concord, Mass., are said to allow designers to work efficiently on assemblies with hundreds of parts. Users can add and edit part features while working within an assembly view. They can share geometry between components. References are dynamically linked, so design changes automatically propagate prop·a·gate v. 1. To cause an organism to multiply or breed. 2. To breed offspring. 3. To transmit characteristics from one generation to another. 4. through an entire assembly to all of its related components. New drafting enhancements include automatic creation of an embedded Excel spreadsheet containing an assembly bill of materials The list of components that make up a system. For example, a bill of materials for a house would include the cement block, lumber, shingles, doors, windows, plumbing, electric, heating and so on. . The spreadsheet is dynamically linked so that when an assembly is changed, the bill-of-materials is updated too. Advanced assembly viewing and simplification tools allow a viewer to quickly open up large assemblies. Components and subassemblies can be shown or hidden, and components can be dragged to see the corresponding motion of an assembly. SolidWorks costs $3995. ADD-ONS BROADEN CAPABILITY Under an agreement with SolidWorks, Surfware of Westlake Village, Calif., will incorporate SolidWorks solid modeling into its new Windows-based SurfCAM Solids product for design and manufacturing. Once this is accomplished during the next year, Surf-CAM Solids is expected to be the first PC software package that offers integrated drafting, solid modeling, part assemblies, lathe lathe (lāth), machine tool for holding and turning metal, wood, plastic, or other material against a cutting tool to form a cylindrical product or part. It also drills, bores, polishes, grinds, makes threads, and performs other operations. and two- through five-axis machining with a single user interface. A new version of SolidView 3D communications software (communications, software) communications software - Application programs, operating system components, and probably firmware, forming part of a communication system. These different software components might be classified according to the functions within the Open Systems from Solid Concepts Inc., Valencia, Calif., includes a "publishing" capability for sending 3D designs over the internet and company intranets. SolidView is not a CAD system but a Windows-based program based on the .STL (STereoLithography) A 3D printing file format created by 3D Systems for its stereolithography system. Also supported by many numerical control, rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing machines, STL provides the surface geometry of the item in triangles. format that allows users to communicate 3D design information from all popular CAD systems. Version 2.0 allows users to take an existing CAD design, add measurements and notes, and then "publish" the file to anyone with a Windows-based PC even if the other party does not have a copy of SolidView. In addition to reading .STL files, SolidView can also read DXF DXF - Drawing Exchange Format and OBJ files, and an IGES (Initial Graphics Exchange Specification) An ANSI file format that is system independent and also intended for human interpretation. Evolving out of the U.S. input is available as an option. The basic system costs $495. CAD-INTEGRATED FLOW CHECK Moldflow Pty. Ltd., Lexington, Mass., has integrated its MF/Flowcheck preliminary flow-analysis tool into Autodesk's Mechanical Desktop 2D/3D design package, thus providing seamless flow analysis within the CAD environment. MF/Flowcheck provides visual information on fill, flow pattern, and location of possible weld lines and air traps, alerting tool designers to potential problems. For example, the "Will-it-Fill" analysis is used to quickly determine whether a part will fill under normal injection pressures. It assigns each node a color-coded confidence factor blue means it will fill; green, it may fill; and red, it will not fill. MF/Flowcheck is integrated into four other suppliers' CAD systems. |
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