Delcam webinar on CAD partner for PartMaker CAM

Delcam's PartMaker Division will host an introductory webinar on its modelling partner product for the PartMaker CAM system for turn-mill equipment and Swiss-type lathes. The webinar will begin at 1:00 EST on Friday 2nd December and will cover creating 3D solid models from 2D drawings, design for manufacturability and repair of 3D data for use in manufacturing.

Registration forms and full details are on www.partmaker.com/general/webinars.asp?webinarId=28.

The PowerSHAPE Companion for PartMaker is based on Delcam’s PowerSHAPE design software, which is used at thousands of subcontractors and toolmakers around the world alongside Delcam’s PowerMILL CAM system for high-speed and five-axis machining. It includes functionality for creating solid models, data repair, editing part designs for manufacture, and for the design of machining accessories, such as tool holders and machine components.

Like the PartMaker CAM suite, the PowerSHAPE Companion for PartMaker is based on the Parasolid solid modelling kernel, assuring interoperability with both PartMaker and all other major CADCAM systems.

The data repair functionality in the PowerSHAPE Companion for PartMaker includes PowerSHAPE’s Solid Doctor. This allows users to read in, and repair, models from all sources, including standard formats like IGES and STEP, plus native files, such as CATIA, Siemens NX and Pro/Engineer, and output a file that can be read directly into PartMaker.

With the Solid Doctor, PartMaker users can tackle all the common problems that can be found when translating low-precision and incomplete data, including gaps and overlaps between surfaces, or duplicated and missing surfaces, and generate a valid, high-precision solid model ready for programming.

Once the design has been imported, the PowerSHAPE Companion for PartMaker is able to modify any aspects of the part that might cause difficulties in manufacturing.

These could include adding chamfers to avoid secondary operations like de-burring, or adjusting or removing fillets that could add machining time and cost to a project. The same tools can also be used to generate any extra geometry needed for machining.

For companies that receive designs as 2D drawings, the PowerSHAPE Companion for PartMaker can create 3D solid models from that data. Additionally, the modelling tools can also be used in conjunction with PartMaker’s Full Machine Simulation module to design machine components such as turrets, gang slides or custom tool holders.