BIRMINGHAM, UK, Mar 2, 2015 – Delcam will launch the 2015 R2 version of its PowerSHAPE Pro software for the design of products and tooling at the Develop3D Live Conference and Exhibition to be held at Warwick Arts Center on March 26. The new release includes a number of new options for reverse engineering as well as improvements to speed up and simplify the editing of product designs to make them more suitable for manufacture.
The new split-screen alignment tool in PowerSHAPE Pro 2015 R2 makes it easier to align sets of scan data
By offering a combination of solid, surface and direct modelling,together with reverse engineering, PowerSHAPE Pro 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 any product-development process that requires both reverse-engineering and CAD functionality.
PowerSHAPE Pro can connect directly to most scanning hardware to capture and display scan data in real time. The 2015 R2 version includes a new split-screen alignment option that makes it quicker and easier to combine multiple scans, taken, for example, from the opposite sides of a part. The new method also allows more accurate snapping of alignment points, giving greater accuracy in the resulting single model.
PowerSHAPE Pro can be used to take cross-sections through the scan data to generate wireframe for the generation of surfaces. The wireframe can be simplified automatically into lines and arcs, reducing the number of points needed to describe the item and giving more precise geometry for the re-engineering of the model.
Another new option is the ability to morph a complete solid or surface model to a mesh. This can be used to compensate for spring-back when pressed parts are released from their tooling. Morphing can be used to update a nominal CAD model to match the part as it is made in reality or to modify the surfaces of the tool so that the part can be produced in the desired shape represented by the CAD model.
On the modelling side, analysis of models has been made easier as the Smart Feature Selector now displays the type and parameters of each feature interactively as the cursor is moved around the model.
In addition, the ability of the Smart Feature Selector to find, select and edit multiple similar features has been extended. Now, any number of items of the same type, not just similar features, can be edited in a single operation. For example, all the arcs within a model could be set to the same diameter or all the holes could be made the same depth.
Two enhancements have been made to the tools for the creation and editing of curves. Firstly, the Composite Curve tool has been more efficient so that it needs fewer clicks to create the curve, even when following fragmented edges. Secondly, the Re-point dialog now displays the deviation between the original curve and the new one, and it is also possible to re-point a curve to a known tolerance. This makes it even easier to create high-quality, smooth surfaces when re-engineering scan data or when remodeling an existing design to allow it to be manufactured.
About Delcam
Delcam is one of the world’s leading suppliers of CAM software and associated services, and also supplies systems for product design, tooling design, reverse engineering and inspection. The company has grown steadily since being founded formally in 1977, after initial development work at Cambridge University led by the late Donald Welbourn. It is now among the largest developers of product design and manufacturing software in the UK, with subsidiaries in America, Europe and Asia. Over 330 people are employed at Delcam’s Birmingham headquarters, with almost 400 staff working in the company’s overseas subsidiaries and around 200 more in its international joint ventures.
Delcam’s software and services help manufacturing companies to increase productivity, improve quality and reduce lead times. The company’s software is used in over 90 countries by more than 45,000 organizations. These customers range from multi-national corporations to independent designers, toolmakers and sub-contractors, and come from a wide variety of industries, including aerospace, automotive, electrical appliances, footwear, healthcare, motor sport, packaging, toys, sports equipment, jewellery and signmaking. On February 6, 2014, Delcam was acquired by Autodesk and now operates as a wholly-owned, independently-operated subsidiary.
For further information, please visit www.delcam.com.