 |
| The latest information on CAD/CAM software and
technology
|
July 9, 2008
|
To help establish stronger ties between CAD, academia, and
manufacturing, the International CAD Conference and Exhibition
has hosted an annual event since 2004 in various global locations
such as Thailand, Hawaii, and this year Orlando Florida. Speakers
included Judy Vance of the National Science Foundation, Michael Campbell of PTC, and Jay Tedeschi of
Autodesk.
There were also various presenters who discussed topics such as
“Shape Search Sciences: An Engineering Design Perspective,”
“Effects of Computational Uncertainties in Solid Modeling,” and
“Design for Additive Manufacturing.”
The latter garnered lots of interest because, as most of you probably
know, there is not yet an established mechanism for the design of the
freeform shapes additive manufacturing makes possible in which geometry
is basically “free.” David Rosen of Georgia Tech spoke on
their attempts to invent a way to design stochastic structures (such as
lattices) that might for example, replace solid struts in an automobile
column for a lighter yet stronger alternative. Traditional CAD just
can’t handle such problems well. Basically, what is needed is a new
algorithm that can handle hundreds of thousands of design variables such
as material specifications in certain locations of the model and how
things are weighted in certain distance locations. He says he has hit a
roadblock and asks that anyone with a good idea to contact him.
Another idea pitched by somebody else was to come up with a new
“super kernel” that could handle CAE and CAD and CAM.
Show organizers are talking about having a contest with prizes going to
the person who devises such a scheme.
The conference host is Professor of Computer Science and Engineering
at the Univ. of South Florida Les A. Piegl. He has an interesting
past, including stints as Visiting Professor of Manufacturing
Engineering at the City Univ. of Hong Kong, an Alexander von Humboldt
Research Fellow at the Univ. of Braunschweig, and a senior software
engineer at SDRC. His specialty is NURBS research and development and he
co-wrote a text book on NURBS. This year’s event was sponsored by VX,
PTC, Autodesk Inc., and CAD Solutions LLC. Other supporters included
AUS, Boeing, ANSYS, isicad, and MACHINE DESIGN.
I am now on the Industry Advisory Board of the conference, and, as
such, welcome your comments, ideas, opinions, and suggestions.
-- Leslie Gordon
lgordon@penton.com
blog
Second Life: Pez Balut
|
Recycling is a valid and key component to this, but is no longer
enough. We must also commit to "building" a whole, green Earth.
Because I believe in this philosophy, I am pleased that TurboCAD Pro
V15 has gone "green." Immediately visible are over a hundred
eco-friendly materials in the Materials palette, a link to the Green
Building Design Center in the Internet palette, and several folders of
eco-friendly design symbols in the Library palette. Read the rest of the article
|
Green engineering is the design and development of products and
processes that bring environmental and economic benefits. That said,
green engineering is fundamentally no different than any other type of
engineering innovation. First, you need to get a handle on real-world
behavior, which often entails measuring power consumption, emissions,
and environmental factors such as temperature. Armed with the data, next
you can improve efficiency or reduce environmental impact. On that front
there is good news. Innovations in measurement, automation, and design
tools have made the technology components for green engineering not only
more accessible, but also easier to use. Read the complete article
|
For an active job seeker, a resume is one of the most important
tools for getting your foot in the door. Long before the first
interview, you must present your background, experience, and potential
in a one-to-two-page document, and make that document count. Without a
good resume, nothing happens.
Read the whole article
|
|
|
Software makes files 3D
printing-ready
|
ZEdit Pro gives MCAD users an easy way to add graphical
elements such as color, texture, annotations, and engineering labels to
designs for 3D printing. The software also lets users print CAD models
that are too big for the build envelope. The software segments oversized
models, creating pins and holes for reassembly of the sections after
printing. ZEdit Pro also hollows out solids that would otherwise waste
resources, and helps users create bases and pedestals for models.
Z Corp., 32 Second
Ave., Burlington, MA 01803, (781) 852-5005
|
|
Announcing the new Pro/ENGINEER
Wildfire 4.0 Interactive Tour!
 The newest release of
Pro/ENGINEER delivers a wealth of new and enhanced capabilities across
the board. From detailed design, to design outsourcing, verification and
validation, data import and repair, manufacturing tooling and equipment
design, electromechanical design-and much, much more!
Loaded with dozens of mini-demos, the Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0
Interactive Tour lets you experience, first-hand, the features and
functionality available with the latest release.
|
|
Arena's PLM Summer '08 release includes new tools such as the
Electronic Design Automation (EDA) Adapter that pushes the latest
approved parts data directly back to the electronic-design environment,
so the right parts are designed in from the start. This means engineers
can access constantly updated component information such as needed
parts, descriptions, parametric information, symbols, footprints, and
datasheets from inside the design environment. The EDA works with
Altium Designer, Mentor Graphics' DxDesigner and DxDataBook, and
Cadence's OrCAD Capture CIS, among others.
Arena Solutions Inc., (866) 937-1438
|
|
|
How to measure and model everything
from surface models to power plants
|
The PhotoModeler Scanner includes PhotoModeler software,
which features the new so-called Dense Surface Modeling (DSM)
technology. This scans photo pairs to generate a large number of
measurement points and create a point cloud much like the output of
laser-scanning equipment. The software translates the data into a mesh
surface that can be used by most 3D CAD systems. Additionally, a DMS
scan registers photographic color information pixel by pixel onto the
resulting 3D model surface. For quick viewing, colors display as a
point cloud or can be fully rendered to create realistic solid models.
Using a camera as the only source of data collection yields a better
registration match between the 3D data and photographic color data as
compared to laser scanners, which must rely on a secondary device for
acquiring color data.
Eos
Systems Inc., Eos Systems Inc., Vancouver, Canada
|
|
|
Software analyzes properties of
polygonal and solid models
|
KeyCreator 7.5, mechanical design and manufacturing CAD/CAM
software, includes a Direct Dimension-driven Editing function for the
editing of bolt holes and matching sets of holes and shafts or pins. The
function lets users employ an intuitive parametric-editing interface on
any solid at any time, regardless of how or where it was constructed.
Users can also calculate mass properties such as volume and center of
gravity on polygon mesh models, which, for example, expands the
usefulness of STL models. In fact, the software can analyze the mass
properties of a mixed set of polygonal and solid models. This frees
users to represent unchanging parts in a large assembly with a polygonal
model instead of a solid, often slashing the file size and memory
needed.
Kuboteck USA Inc.,
100 Locke Dr., Marlborough, MA 01752, (508) 229-2020
|
Get connected to Machine Design!
 Visit our Linked-In group to
connect directly with Machine Design and our group of Engineering
professionals. Our Linked In group focuses on providing valuable
information to the Engineering community. We seek to strengthen the
quality of information, relationships, and communication amongst our
readers and members. To become a member Join Now!
Our Machine Design Linked-In group is for:
- Editors
- Engineers
- Students
- Enthusiasts
- And more...join now.
See you inside,
MachineDesign.com
Looking for an engineering job? Find it on our online Engineering
Job board
Post a resume, get alerts about interesting positions as they are
posted, and see what kinds of engineering jobs are hot right now!
Visit the Design Engineer Job Zone
Engineering TV is an innovative online video program
by engineers for engineers. Twice a week, each 5-8 minute episode shows
cutting-edge technology in
action and looks behind the scenes as today's engineers shape tomorrow's
breakthroughs. Brought to you by the Penton Media Design and Electronics
Engineering groups.
View
Videos
Rev up your interdisciplinary design skills
What happens when a microcontroller turns on a power FET, sending a
current pulse to a motor coil that develops a magnetic field which turns
the rotor shaft, advancing a timing belt that drives a pair of nip rolls
suspended on bearings in a web-processing operation on a form, fill, and
seal machine installed on a potato chip line at a Frito Lay plant in
central California? And how can you be sure that the encoders, prox
sensors, and other feedback devices you plan to use will accurately see
and report every relevant motion, machine state, and process condition?
And will the signals get through the networks fast enough, without being
corrupted, giving the controllers time to execute their algorithms as
intended? It's a lot to think about, and it only scratches the surface
of what many engineers grapple with today. If you happen to be one of
them, then the place for you — where you can find answers and meet
others with similar concerns — is www.Mechatronic-Design.com.
Backed by some of engineering's top information sources including
Machine Design, Electronic Design, Motion System Design, and Power
Electronics, Mechatronic-Design.com is the interdisciplinary engineer's
desktop, toolbox, library, and lifeline in one easily accessible
place.
Find. Learn. Apply.
Mechatronic-Design.com.
Experience National Instruments Technologies From
the Comfort of Your Own Computer!
 With more
than 200 on-demand webcasts, videos, interactive
tutorials and demos available for users of any experience level, it is
easier than ever to learn about the newest products and features
available from National Instruments.
Begin your search here with a collection of
webcasts specifically chosen for design and automation engineers.
CAD Library offers advanced CAD Resources
The Machine Design CAD
Library, includes millions of configurable 2D and 3D CAD models
of
components and assemblies downloadable for easy use in new and existing
designs. Our models are in native CAD formats. No translation
required!
|
|
Sponsored
by:
 |
UPCOMING IN-PERSON EVENTS
Design-2-Part Shows are America's longest running and most trusted
events for sourcing custom parts and services.
Ten shows covering the country offer OEMs, engineers and purchasing
personnel the opportunity to meet job shops and
contract manufacturers face-to-face.
ARCHIVED WEBCASTS AVAILABLE FOR FREE VIEWING
Click Here for a list of archived Machine Design
webcasts.
|
CD-adapco says its STAR-Tutor is a virtual classroom that
lets you learn more about CFD and the developer's solutions, wherever
you are. "Whether you're new to CFD, using simulation in a new
application area, or picking up a CD-adapco tool for the first time,
STAR-Tutor can get you up to speed, fast. STAR-Tutor's innovative format
lets you fit personal development training around your schedule," says
the company. To register
|
|
|
Protomold increases part-size
capacity
|
Protomold of Proto Labs Inc. announces it recently
significantly increased its maximum part size. The company says if it
gave you a "no quote" in the past because the size of your part was too
large, try out the new capabilities the next time around. Or feel free
to just resend an old model to check out the new capabilities. Learn
more by reviewing the company's Design Guildelines and reading its January Email Update on this topic.
|
|
|
Univ. of New South Wales teams with
ANSYS
|
ANSYS Inc., a
developer of simulation software and technologies intended to optimize
product development processes, has announced that the Univ. of New South
Wales (UNSW) in Australia will be implementing software from ANSYS
across its campuses on that continent. A world-class research and
teaching university headquartered in Sydney, UNSW says it will use the
ANSYS academic products for teaching programs and research activities in
various fields of engineering and science.
"The use of academic products from ANSYS as an integral part of the
curriculum lets our students be trained on a cutting-edge commercial
engineering-simulation toolset along with underlying numerical theory,
making them ready for the simulation-driven product-development
environment of industry," says Professor Eddie Leonardi, director of the
Computational Fluid Dynamics Research Laboratory and deputy head of the
School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at UNSW. "The depth,
breadth, and comprehensive multiphysics capabilities of ANSYS make the
academic products unique in meeting our teaching and research needs."
|
|
|
Thank you for reading the CAD/CAM Monthly Newsletter from Machine
Design.
This email was sent to #email#. You've received this e-newsletter for
one of two reasons:
1) You signed up for it on one of our web sites.
2) You are a reader of Machine Design magazine.
Manage Your Subscription
To quickly unsubscribe from this newsletter, click here Unsubscribe
To subscribe or unsubscribe, to this or any of our newsletters, visit our subscription page.
To CHANGE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, visit our subscription page, login with your
old email address, then change your address.
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.
|
|
Subscribe to our RSS feeds