Missler Software and WFL are happy to announce that they have entered into a strategic collaborative agreement to better support companies equipped with WFL machines.

TopSolid'Cam is perfectly adapted to driving complex Millturn machines. Machine simulation, collision check, spindle synchronization, raw part updating and visualization of material removal are important elements of TopSolid'Cam for the tool path programming of Millturn machines. In addition TopSolid'Cam offers a unique CAM solution in that it is capable of piloting turning, 2 axes milling, 3 axis milling, 4 & 5 axis continued milling, 4 & 5 axis continued turning, synchronization and complex simulation.

Close collaboration between Missler Software, its long-time reseller Comdata in Austria and the machine constructor WFL has resulted in significant post-processor development together with machine simulation. WFL is in fact equipped with TopSolid'Cam for the programming of customers' test work pieces and this comprehensive CAM solution is on display within its show room at Linz .

According to Dominique Laffret , Vice-President of Strategic Relationships at Missler Software, “Missler Software and WFL have worked very closely together for a number of years now. We are well aware that we will see many more multi function machines appear on the market place over the coming years so we need to work closely with machine manufacturers like WFL who are on the cutting edge of such multi function technology”

Close collaboration with Missler Software is also a key element for WFL. According to Peter Skutl, General Manager at WFL “By Working with Missler Software, we can help ensure that our customers can take full advantage of the capabilities offered by our advanced Millturn machines.”

The behavioural simulation of a system is becoming more and more critical in the detection of time-costly errors. Early analysis allows different options to be considered and of course enables the correct dimensioning of structural elements, motors and prevent collisions. Thanks to the kinematic, dynamic and structural calculation functions which are integrated with TopSolid, a complete digital chain from design, simulation and production are guaranteed:

• Kinematics: links of all kinds (pivots, guide rails, pivot balls, gear pair, rack...) trajectory study in space, collision detection, animation, ...
• Dynamics: inertia, torques, forces, effort exerted
• Structural calculation: loads, result analysis, beam, shell and volume analysis

TopSolid also proposes top-class interfaces with simulation industry specialists which are fully integrated with TopSolid:

Ansys - Structural calculation - thermic and fluid

AutoForm Engineering - Simulation of sheet metal deformation

A new partnership will shortly be announced re the simulation of plastic injection in a part or a tool.

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TopSolution, official TopSolid reseller in Poland, has just recently participated in the wood exhibition Drema in Poland. The International Trade Fair of Woodworking Machines and Tools, Drema is a central trade fair in a country where the wood industry plays an important role.

TopSolid'Wood and TopSolid'WoodCam offer an integrated CAD/CAM solution for design and manufacturing in the wood industry. This specialized wood solution is quickly becoming the number one CAD/CAM solution for the wood industry in France and the company is confident that it will have an equal success in the rest of the world.

TopSolid'Wood and TopSolid'WoodCam will be present on the international wood fairs Xilepo (16-20 may, Italy) and IWF (23-26 August, USA)

Missler Software and its main US reseller, Clear Cut Solutions, have just participated in the renonwed US MoldMaking Expo, 25-26 April.

TopSolid'Mold has proven over the years to be a perfectly adapted solution to the needs of US moldmakers. It is a fully integrated CAD module designed to meet the highly specialized needs of mold makers and tool & die specialists.

Clear Cut works with many mold makers in the USA. The company Contour Tool and Engineering is a good example of a customer that has benefited with the complete integrated solution from TopSolid. Equipped with TopSolid'Design, TopSolid'Mold, TopSolid'Electrode and TopSolid'Cam the company successfully made the jump from 2D to 3D with TopSolid. "What used to take Contour a week now takes a day" according to Tim Rietsma, co-owner of Contour Engineering.

Tim neatly summarizes the advantages that TopSolid has brought to his shop. "In a nutshell, we are on the leading edge of technology as far as designing and machining," he states. "It makes the employees' jobs easier, reduces human error, saves a lot of time and gives us a more complete design."

Judel/vrolijk & co plans and designs sailing and motor yachts and also implements small commercial shipbuilding projects on an international level.

The company's designs have been successful in numerous international regattas such as the Admiral's Cup, the unofficial team world championships in offshore sailing which their yachts won three times. Equipped with 4 TopSolid licences the company has not looked back since the installation of TopSolid in 2000. The company "immediately thought that TopSolid was exactly what we were looking for“

Discover more about how the company designs top class boats with TopSolid.

Click here for the rest of the report

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'Design and the function parameter/animate.

Video commentary

The function parameter/animate enables an operator to vary the value of a parameter and to thereby influence the shape and/or the mechanism.

In the example in the video we have created a point on a line with the option point constraint and a distance of D=0mm. We have assembled the head of the robot with a point on point constraint: the extremity of the head of the robot coincides with the point on the curve.

We have measured in advance the distance to be covered. It is, therefore, sufficient to vary the animation of the parameter D with a movement of 100 from the position D=0mm to the position D=7050mm (length of the curve)

The animation can be carried out in advance with the possibility of tracing a path from a mobile point and like for other functions, record an animated video.

Minimum requirements to read videos

2 formats are possible: AVI and WMV

• To read the AVI file the Techsmith codec has to be installed first, click here to download it.
• To read the WMV file the lastest version of Windows Media Player available here is required

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

The month of May is a very busy month and TopSolid will be on display on trade fairs all over the world. Don't miss the numerous opportunites to see Missler Software's integrated CAD/CAM solution in action.

Congratulations to company Duo-Design who won a weekend for 2 at the EuroMold trade fair in Frankfurt last December. Duo-Design is specialized in industrial design and the manufacture of toys and is equipped with 2 TopSolid licences

In this month's newsletter we would like to present one of the projects which will compete in the 2006 TopSolid Design Contest. The project, a sugar cane cutting machine, was designed and produced by the company Nouvelle Société Sucrière de la Comoé, the largest company in Burkina Faso employing more than 4000 people.

The new design enables the company to cut 2800 tons of sugar cane per day as opposed to 2200 before the installation of TopSolid.

You can participate in the TopSolid Design Contest by sending your project (format jpg, tiff, eps, top, …) and a brief description to bestproject@topsolid.com