CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
December 2005
Events News
Delcam to Host Free Composites Workshop at Autosport Show
Delcam is to host a free workshop on the latest developments in CADCAM systems for the design and manufacture of composites at the NEC, Birmingham, on 12th January 2006, the opening day of the Autosport Engineering Exhibition . The workshop will show how these systems can help autosport companies that use composite parts to improve quality, boost productivity and reduce lead times.
The workshop will show how Delcam's PowerSHAPE CAD system can be used to create pattern and tooling designs from component designs, and to generate 2D patterns from 3D CAD models of parts. The latest five-axis machining techniques will also be covered, both for the production of patterns or moulds, and for the trimming and drilling of components.
PowerSHAPE can read data from all the main CAD systems and also supports industry standard formats such as IGES and STEP. The software includes a wide range of tools to repair imported files, for example, replacing missing surfaces, adjusting trimming and adding fillets, and then to convert product designs into tooling designs.
The methods for the generation of 2D patterns from 3D CAD models provide quick and easy ways to create prepreg designs, even when manufacturing complex, curved shapes. The 2D patterns can then be arranged to give the most cost-effective use of material with special nesting functionality within the software before being passed to the cutting machine.
The range of five-axis machining methods in Delcam's PowerMILL CAM software gives the user better control over cutting conditions as well as helping to minimize any excessive movement of the machine head that can lead to longer machining times. Five-axis drilling has recently been improved to give faster drilling and more comprehensive hole recognition from a wider range of CAD systems.
As well as incorporating comprehensive gouge protection, PowerMILL's machining simulation option offers collision checking between the various parts of the machine tool and the model. The simulations will also indicate any areas where the machine tool is attempting to move outside its operating parameters, again helping to ensure that the program will perform correctly on the computer before it is passed to the factory floor.
Companies within the autosport industry already using Delcam's software include ATR Group, pioneers of the use of carbon fiber-reinforced plastics in autosport, Centro Ricerche Cagiva, the research centre for the Cagiva, Agusta and Husqvarna brands, and Zytek, the manufacturer of all engines for the A1 Grand Prix series.
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