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| The latest information on CAD/CAM software and
technology
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Aug 14, 2008
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As the developers describe it, a Knol is a unit of knowledge —
an authoraritiative article on a specific topic. The Knol site seems to
be Goolge’s answer to Wikipedia but with a cleaner and more interesting
interface. Knols posted when I checked out the site included one on knee
joints, complete with a detailed illustration, a tutorial on how to make
Web comics that don’t "look sucky," and a lengthy article all about
Japanese whiskey. Typing "CAD" in the search box brought up a helpful
article on "CAD Services, What They Are and How to Pick Them." It
includes a list of what the author says are reliable engineering forums
in which you can ask your peers to suggest good CAD services companies.
(Only one of the links worked, Engineers Edge. MACHINE DESIGN also has a good General Engineering Discussion forum.) The author
then provides a test matrix to use to find the top three companies so
all your eggs do not go in one basket. "Industry wisdom states that you
can expect to save 40% in costs by outsourcing your drafting to a CAD
service," says the author.
On a separate topic: Have any of you heard about the new emerging
"virtual topologies"? Please send me an e-mail and explain what function
they have in terms of CAD and FEA. We might post your replies here!
Thanks for reading this e newsletter!
-- Leslie Gordon
lgordon@penton.com
blog
Second Life: Pez Balut
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How often has one of your designs been a trade-off of weight versus
strength? Too heavy, and you waste material. Too light, and parts might
fail.
Hold on to your hat. A new technology fabricates components that are
strong and lightweight
Called electron beam melting (EBM), the technique shoots electrons
moving at half the speed of light onto powdered metal to melt and weld
the material, one layer at a time. As with any other additive method,
EBM builds parts that can fill arbitrary volumes. It suits jobs
demanding costly materials where machining would leave expensive chips
lying on the floor. EBM is also a great way to generate so-called
"lattice structures" or arrangements of repeating patterns with
engineered stiffnesses. There is often no other practical way to
fabricate some of these geometries. Read the rest of the article
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James Dyson's so-called overnight sensation, the Dual Cyclone vacuum
cleaner, was anything but. In his book, Against the Odds, the British
designer, whose bagless machine turned an industry on its ear, details a
grueling, yearslong battle to prove his revolutionary design and bring
it to market. Read the rest of the article
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Ten years ago, technologies such as computation- fluid dynamics
(CFD) were just a gleam in the eye of everyday engineers. No longer. The
advanced analysis is moving mainstream, said participants at CDadapco's
recent Star American Conference in Dearborn, Mich. The company develops
CFD software for analyzing fluid flows, temperatures, and thermal
effects in everything from large parking garages to Formula 1 race cars,
and even nuclear reactors. Read the rest of the article
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SURFCAM Velocity 4, to be introduced at IMTS, provides improved
3-axis finishing, 4 and 5-axis machining, and TrueMill, the company's
toolpath engine that controls the load on the tool to significantly
increase productivity and extend tool life for materials including
aluminum, steel, titanium, and Inconel. With TrueMill, the more
difficult it is to machine the material, the greater the competitive
advantage. New 3-axis finishing features include high-speed machining
strategies with faster processing, reduced length of rapid motions,
tapered tool support, and improved surface finish. New 4 and 5-axis
machining features include precise control over every aspect of
multi-axis machining, ensuring safe tool motion in challenging
applications. Included is support for all standard tools with collision
checking, avoidance, and toolpath containment. For additional
information, visit surfware.com
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Coolit v.8 CFD thermal analysis software includes new tools for
modeling IC packages. The tools build detailed parametric chip models
that can be converted to compact models. Users can switch between
detailed and compact models. Included is a library of hundreds of widely
used Ball Grid Arrays (BGA), Dual Inline Packages (DIP) and Quad flat
Packages (QFP). Users can copy and modify models, or add new models to
the library. Coolit v.8 also features many improvements in algorithms
for computation and presentation of results. These and other
enhancements make Coolit more user-friendly and powerful to use. For more information
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solidThinking industrial-design
software
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The latest version of solidThinking industrial design and styling
software works on Windows and Macs. It provides editing flexibility,
accuracy, simultaneous parameter editing, and control-point editing. The
software produces high-quality photorealistic renderings, so users can
explore colors and finishes with ease. It also provides global
illumination, letting users see a virtual design comparable to a photo
of an actual object but with the benefits of keyframe animation and
rotation. The software integrates completely with CAD/CAM/CAE systems.
For more
information
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Rev up your interdisciplinary design skills
What happens when a microcontroller turns on a power FET, sending a
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 With more
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Begin your search here with a collection of
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CAD Library offers advanced CAD Resources
The Machine Design CAD
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ARCHIVED WEBCASTS AVAILABLE FOR FREE VIEWING
Click Here for a list of archived Machine Design
webcasts.
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Stratasys is shipping its new FDM
900mc
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Stratasys announces it has begun shipment of its new FDM 900mc
direct digital manufacturing machine. The company says it has taken a
record number of orders for its large-format machines. The machine is
designed to serve a growing trend in low-volume manufacturing,
especially in the automotive, aerospace, consumer product, and heavy
industry markets. The 900mc is said to rival injection molding for
accuracy and repeatability. For more information visit stratasys.com
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Next View partners with
Psion
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Next View
Software, a developer of supply-chain software, announced it has
signed a co-marketing agreement with Psion Teklogix,
a global provider of wireless computing solutions.
"Next View Software is pleased to be partnering with Psion Teklogix
because it provides one of the broadest product lines in the industry as
well as world-class global service and integration capabilities," says
Steve Simmerman, Business Development leader for Next View Software.
"Our customers demand innovative and high quality mobile computing
devices and Psion Teklogix fills that need. The demand for real-time
access to data and visibility throughout the supply chain, including
RFID, continues to increase. Our team has developed a product suite
based on software technology from Microsoft, including the XNA framework
and Windows Workflow Foundation. Our solutions are completely built
using a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) utilizing Microsoft .NET 3.0
and ASP.NET 2.0 with AJAX," he says.
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The free Adobe Reader 9
software
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The free Adobe Reader 9 software is now available for download from
the Adobe Web site. Adobe Reader 9 is available for
Windows and Macintosh operating systems and in English, French, German,
and Japanese language versions. Additional platform and language support
will follow.
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Contact Information
Editorial questions: Leslie Gordon
216-931-9242
Advertising/sponsorship opportunities: Virginia Goulding
216-931-9893
Machine Design
1300 E. 9th St.
Cleveland, OH 44114
©2008 Penton Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
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