The 2014 release of Delcam’s PowerSHAPE CAD software offers a range of new functionality for the conversion of product designs into tooling designs. The software now provides an even more powerful set of easy-to-use tools to increase productivity through increased automation and improved workflow.
By offering a combination of modelling and reverse engineering functionality, PowerSHAPE provides the most comprehensive range of design techniques available in a single CAD program. Having all the different technologies in the same package reduces the need to transfer data between multiple programs and so streamlines the whole product development process.
Smart Feature Manager The Solid Doctor in PowerSHAPE has offered quick and easy repair of imported data from other CAD systems for many years. For the 2014 release, these capabilities have been enhanced with the addition of the Smart Feature Manager. PowerSHAPE can already recognise a variety of solid features within imported “dumb” geometry, such as fillets, slots, bosses etc. The Smart Feature Manager allows users to identify all these features within a solid in a single operation and so makes the analysis of the imported data easier and faster.
To the help of tool designers One common problem for tooling designers is finding fillets that are too small for successful filling of the mould. The Smart Feature Manager can be used to identify all the fillets having radii less than a particular size so that they can be modified to more suitable values. Another common requirement for tooling design is adding draft surfaces and split surfaces to the model. These modifications and similar repetitive tasks have been made simpler through the addition of “Apply” buttons to all the surface-creation dialogs that allow multiple operations or operations on multiple surfaces without leaving the form. Clicking the right mouse button has the same effect as pressing “Apply”, which further speeds up repetitive operations.
Many improvements The new version of PowerSHAPE includes many novelties and improvements, for instance:
- The core/cavity separation wizard has been rewritten to make it even faster and more effective
- Any ambiguous faces can be assigned to the appropriate side. If required, individual faces can be split and then attached to the correct part of the tool.
- Throughout the process, clear graphical feedback, including undercut shading, highlights any potential moulding issues arising from the design.
- New “solid extrusion” tool that allows solids to be created from multiple nested curves in a single operation.
Full details, including video demonstrations of the new functionality and the option to download an evaluation version, are on http://lz.powershape.com.
Delcam plc Small Heath Business Park, Birmingham, B10 0HJ, UK www.delcam.com Peter Dickin, Marketing Manager Direct phone: 44 (0)121 683 1081 [email protected]
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