The era of robotic automation’s reputation as an expensive, over complicated technology is gone. In recent years many small to medium-sized companies have turned to automation in order to compete with low-cost sourcing. […]
Recent advancements in industrial PC CNC controls have opened a new technology path to improved speed, accuracy, surface finish, flexibility and convenience for moldmaking, along with greater value. Here is a review of some of the features of the next generation controls you should consider when investigating your next PC CNC control purchase. [...]
CATIA is widely used throughout the engineering industry, especially in the automotive and aerospace sectors. CATIA V4, CATIA V5, Pro/ENGINEER, NX (formerly Unigraphics), and SolidWorks are the dominant systems. […]
screen shot captured from a SolidWorks top-down design approach.SolidWorks is a parasolid-based solid modeler, and utilizes a parametric feature-based approach to create models and assemblies. […]
SolidWorks is a 3D mechanical CAD (computer-aided design) program that runs on Microsoft Windows and was developed by Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp., a subsidiary of Dassault Systèmes, S. A. (Vélizy, France). SolidWorks is currently used by over 3.4 million engineers and designers at more than 100,000 companies worldwide. […]
With the release of Mastercam X (10), the application became a true Windows-based application, as opposed to one ported over from DOS. It also represented a fundamental shift in the way the application was configured. […]
Founded in Massachusetts in 1983, CNC Software, Inc. is one of the oldest developers of PC-based computer-aided design / computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) software. They are one of the first to introduce CAD/CAM software designed for both machinists and engineers. Mastercam, CNC Software’s main product, started as a 2D CAM system with CAD tools that let machinists design [...]
Most moldmakers are already familiar with using surface modeling techniques to undertake minor modifications to product designs—such as adjusting draft angles or increasing fillet radii to ease the flow of material—and to create extra geometry for the core and cavity, such as split surfaces. […]
Some CAM vendors refer to optimized software as the software best suited for the types of machines, processes or parts being programmed. On one hand, having CAM integrated with the CAD program may be argued as the most effective and optimum way to work. Conversely, CAM programmers may be better served by selecting specialized software [...]
Data translation between CAD and CAM software applications is very high on the list of problems for buyers. The standard format IGES and the popular VDA in Europe are often flavored by software developers to fit their database structures. […]