Integrated CAD/CAM At Its Best 

Missler Software is currently participating in the International Construction Trade Fair, Batimat, in Paris, 05-10 November, Hall 5.1, Stand E38 with TopSolid'Wood and TopSolid'WoodCam. This is the perfect opportunity for you to see complete CAD/CAM integration for the wood industry. Let's take a closer look at what TopSolid'Wood offers:

TopSolid'Wood outputs to the CNC plant floor through TopSolid'WoodCam, an integrated CAM solution which automatically produces the ISO code, via a post processor, to manufacture parts on CNC machinery. TopSolid'WoodCam offers unique and complete simulation of the machine tool which is vital to verify complex 5 axis tool paths. Thanks to the complete integration between TopSolid'Wood and TopSolid'WoodCam a real data flow exists between the design office and the manufacturing facility. This prevents numerous potential communication and technical errors and thereby generates considerable time gains.

A real CAM solution

TopSolid'WoodCam is a « real » CAM solution developped for the wood industry. Thanks to the many partnerships established by Missler Software with machine tool manufacturers in the wood industry, TopSolid'WoodCam drives the most complex machines present on the market today. TopSolid'Wood also proposes interfaces for 2 ½D machining which enables files to be exported directly to the machine tool manufacturer's software solution. In simple terms, TopSolid'Wood can directly communicate geometries to be machined to such machine tool manufacturer software solutions as WoodWop, BiesseWorks, Xilog, … for the machining of simple parts (for example, panels.)

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TopSolid'Mold and TopSolid'Cam are 2 software packages offered by Missler Software for the design and machining of molds. (These 2 modules include the standard design elements and machining processes involved in the mold making industry. The mold maker's way of working, together with the mold components (columns, ejectors, etc.)and technologies (standard mold bases, guide rails, etc.) used in the trade are direcly accessible in TopSolid'Mold and TopSolid'Cam.

TopSolid'Mold is a fully integrated CAD module designed to meet the highly specialized needs of mold makers and tool & die specialists. TopSolid'Mold enables calculation of the shrinkage factor, analysis of undercuts, calculation of the parting line and surface of the joint, automatic creation and definition of the core block and cavity, implementation of the standard carcass, systems of injection and ejection and analysis of the cooling system.

TopSolid'Cam, which is completely integrated with TopSolid'Mold, enables the automatic generation of the machining schedule of the mold. (TopSolid'Cam recognises the plaques, die sets and components used in the design stage) All manufacturing data produced by TopSolid'Mold will be understood by TopSolid'Cam, notably the drilling procedures for components. General mechanical processes produced by TopSolid'Cam will be automatically recognised by TopSolid'Cam. In order to respect the work habits of the mold maker it is also possible to use colour codes on parts and components that may be directly interpreted by the machining process.

Here are 3 TopSolid'Cam strong points for mold makers:

• The possibility to carry out 2D and 3D operations at the same time. In the past moldmakers would have had to separate these 2 processes on different machines. With TopSolid'Cam such operations are now possible in a fast and economical fashion.
• The automatic transformation of 3 axis tool paths in 5 axis tool paths – This function automates the transformation of a 3 axis tool path into a 5 axis tool path and is a significant improvement for mold makers. It permits the use of shorter tools to machine the part, which in turn favours good cutting conditions, a decrease in possible vibrations and a significant reduction in cycle times.
• Automatic prevention of collisions in continuous 5 axis machining – Frequently used by mold makers the automatic prevention of collisions in continuous 5 axis machining is now available in TopSolid'Cam 2007. Therefore, the tool orientation is automatically modified in case of collisions or attachment with the part.

Nowadays, we hear a lot about integrated CAD/CAM packages and many people wonder whether or not they should buy an integrated package or separate CAD and CAM packages.

Here are just some of the reasons why it makes more sense to work with an integrated CAD/CAM package: Obviously a completely integrated package from one developer means that the part, the tool, the drawings and the machining are all linked, all of the time, so changes and improvements are handled with ease. To fully understand the benefits of a complete one-package solution we need to see what happens when we explore the alternative; to use a number of separate packages from different developers, and try to get them to work “seamlessly” together:

1. Interfacing - Whenever 2 or more software packages need to communicate there is always room for error. Sometimes it may be a minor problem but often the problem will be more severe. Each software supplier writes their own code to handle complex geometry. If there are any differences in the way one or the other describes a lofted surface for example, it means you will not get exactly the same shape as was intended. With an integrated product, with both CAD and CAM, there is absolutely no possibility of transfer errors.
2. Data Loss - In TopSolid, for example, you may add numerous forms of additional information on to your part models. This can include tolerances, surface finish requirements, machining methods etc. All of this information can be automatically read by TopSolid'Cam. However, when transferring model data between 2 separate products this information is lost.
3. Version Lag - This is a very common problem and it happens when one of your software suppliers releases a new version of its software, of course this means that your other package is now incompatible and will no longer work! You cannot afford to lose half of your capability so you simply have to put the new version back on the shelf until the second supplier catches up.
4. Fragmented Support - As long as you have 2 or more suppliers then each of them are free to play the “blame game” when something goes wrong. Is it a CAD problem or a CAM problem? Another aspect of this problem is what happens when you find a bug in the software. If it's a bug that impacts both packages, you have twice the workload in reporting and monitoring the result.
5. Future Direction - No control. As each software company develops it products, they do so to suit their own goals and requirements. Ultimately this could affect the level of compatibility with other systems.
   

(by Steve Thomas, Cim Solutions, TopSolid VAR in Australia)

In next month's newsletter we will look at further benefits of integrated CAD/CAM.

Innervizion Technologies, a TopSolid VAR based in Bangalore, India, has recently added GOelan to its portfolio of software solutions, by becoming the second GOelan reseller in India. According to Amarnath Kulkarni, Chief Executive Officer of Innervizion Technologies: “We have been a TopSolid reseller for about 1 year now. TopSolid is a very unique solution on the Indian market - integrated CAD/CAM, a very powerful CAM solution for multi-function machines, dedicated solutions for vertical markets are just some of what TopSolid has on offer; It is a very sophisticated solution for complex part machining. We have seen that there is also a huge market in India made up of small scale companies with CNC machines who engage in simple parts machining. This is where GOelan fits in perfectly."

GOelan is a CAD/CAM software for the design and machining of mechanical parts in milling, turning and wire electroerosion. It is a very easy-to-use software which enables programming of CNC machines particularly suited to huge production markets like India where customers want a quick, easy to use CNC programming software but with limited budgets. GOelan is perfectly suited to help such customers achieve the right cost per component by avoiding expensive CAD/CAM.

For further information please contact info@innervizionindia.com

The Jeffrey Redmond Company is a contract manufacturer providing custom wood products for home and industry. The company's dedication to providing the best service possible to its customers has always been at the source of its continual search for the most modern machines and software on the market. The software search was finally satisfied in 2006 when Jeffrey Redmond acquired TopSolid'Wood and TopSolid'WoodCam for the design and manufacture of all its furniture.

Over the years Jeffrey Norris, founder of the Jeffrey Redmond Company, has worked with, at some stage or other, all of the well-known wood packages on the market such as eCabinet, CabinetVision, Autocad, SolidWorks, ... “I was sick of suffering through bad software and trying to work around the limitations of different software packages.” explains Jeffrey.

When asked the question about what makes TopSolid'Wood different from other software solutions Jeffrey takes a minute to decide where to start. “TopSolid'Wood is so far ahead of all the software solutions I have seen. I work in the custom furnishing business. I need to be able to design freely. TopSolid'Wood enables me to design the most complex shapes imaginable. There are no design limits as the software uses the Parasolid kernel."

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You are a TopSolid operator and you would like some tips on what your software is capable of doing. Each newsletter will include a highlight of the month accompanied by an avi of a TopSolid module.
This month let's take a look at TopSolid'Wood and serial sets.

Video commentary

It has been possible, since the release of TopSolid'Wood 2007, to define an alternative assembly or an in-place assembly in serial mode. This allows an operation to be carried out on several parts at the one time.

In the woodmaking industry, where machining operations are often carried out on sub-assemblies stuck together, the serial mode eliminates the need to re-do operations. The serial mode can be activated or desactivated for all operations done on a part belonging to a serial assembly.

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An important improvement of GOelan 2008 (to be released in February 2008) is the possibility to assign tolerances to 2D and 3D DXF files which until now were transferred without tolerances. This new function will enable companies to carry out precision machining on these parts and also eliminates "too high quality" when in the past excessively high tolerances were chosen. Here is how it will work:
In 2D: GOelan 2008 will use the contours of the design
In 3D: GOelan 2008 will use the natural edges of the face to me machined.

In both cases the operator will indicate the tolerances desired.

This new function allows companies to carry out precision machining with GOelan 2008. Operators can choose any tolerance from the minimum to the maximum along the tolerance range. It will not be possible to assign a tolerance that is too high - GOelan will highlight all over-toleranced zones so that this is rectified by the operator.

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All Missler Software and reseller trade fairs will be published here each month and can also be found on http://www.topsolid.com/news/shows/showslist.asp