Schott Systeme GmbH Completes a Successful EMO Exhibition

German CAD/CAM software developer Schott Systeme GmbH has recorded one of their most successfully EMO exhibitions to date. Increased interest in the company’s CAD, CAM and IT software was helped by Schott Systeme’s continuation of their ‘Transparent Pricing’ policy of not charging for yearly software maintenance, while at the same time maintaining a product price freeze for the 14th consecutive year. Visitors to their stand were presented with live demonstrations covering the latest developments in integrated hybrid CAD design, 2.5D through to 5 axis milling, professional engraving, as well as turning and wire cutting. In addition, a number of brand new machining strategies for 2011 were also displayed live on CNC machinery located on the Schott Systeme stand. This machinery included one of the smallest 5 axis simultaneous dental milling machines (DWX-50) from Roland DG Germany GmbH, and to help promote CNC machining within education, the iModela, the smallest 3 axis milling machine at the EMO, with a milling area of only 75x50x20mm.

To see the 5 axis dental machining in action visit - http://www.schott-systeme.com/index.php/en/cad-cam-videos/86-cam-software-video-dental-machining.html

SCHOTT SYSTEME GmbH is a German software company that has for over 25 years, successfully developed and marketed a wide range of product families for graphic and design, CAD and construction, product presentation and documentation, computer aided manufacture and numerous specialist applications.

Schott Systeme Provides a Virtual CAD/CAM Software Exhibition

Software developer SCHOTT SYSTEME GmbH is helping companies to make informed purchase decisions regarding CAD/CAM software solutions, without the need for critical staff to actually leave the office.

This process starts with the company’s newly launched website, which delivers a wide range of ‘industry focused’ video product presentations. The company’s aim is to provide instant but in-depth virtual product overviews, which cover a wide selection of both common and diverse requirements. These range from 2D/3D mechanical modelling and product design, through to CNC machining and professional engraving. Informed purchase decisions are also helped by what SCHOTT SYSTEME call a ‘Total Pricing Transparency’. This strategy includes the display of an instant online pricelist, the retention of their ‘Free Support & No Maintenance’ policy, and a price freeze for the 14th consecutive year across the entire product range. In addition, SCHOTT SYSTEME has embarked on a partnership with CNC-Arena, the De Facto online portal for CNC machining. This investment provides visitors with a ‘Virtual Exhibition’ for SCHOTT SYSTEME’s CAD/CAM software products, press and pricing.

For more information visit:

http://www.schott-systeme.com/index.php/de/cad-cam-videos.html
http://www.cnc-arena.com/de/newsroom/schottsysteme/virtualfair

Visit SCHOTT SYSTEME GmbH at the EMO Exhibition in hall 25 on stand L12.

SCHOTT SYSTEME GmbH is a German software company that has for over 25 years, successfully developed and marketed a wide range of product families for graphic and design, CAD and construction, product presentation and documentation, computer aided manufacture and numerous specialist applications.

Schott Systeme announces 13 Year CAD/CAM Price Freeze

MUNICH, Germany – Helping design and manufacturing companies to remain competitive, German software developer Schott Systeme GmbH has frozen their CAD/CAM software pricing for the 13th consecutive year.

This has also coincided with the launch of numerous new features covering their complete range of functionality for 2D design, 3D solid, surface and mesh modelling, 2.5D through to 5 axis milling, drilling and engraving, as well as for turning and wire cutting.

Outlining their pricing policy, company founder and owner Hans-Joachim Schott states, “Our aim is to enable our customers to invest in the very latest CAD/CAM technology, for every single CNC machine tool, while keeping both purchase and operating costs at a bare minimum.” This policy means that their standard design and machining package continues to remain under 10,000 Euros. The pricing of their stand alone 2D/3D CAD package also still remains at 2,800 Euros. With ongoing maintenance costs also being a major consideration, Hans-Joachim Schott continues “Our customers have to earn money with us, so we have retained our 26 year old policy of not charging for yearly maintenance, instead offering free life time support, while giving our customers the choice of when they wish to purchase major upgrades.”

Machinists should also be made aware that all of Schott Systeme's standard post processors are included free of charge.

Schott Systeme Showcases Their Latest CAD/CAM at the EuroMold 2010

Frankfurt – German CAD/CAM software developer Schott Systeme GmbH has used this year’s EuroMold exhibition to showcase their latest CAD/CAM software release to leading mold makers. Schott Systeme’s close ties with the event organisers also saw the company being invited to present a 30 minute live software demonstration to the ‘Design and Engineering Forum’.

The design and engineering forum provides visitors with an opportunity to witness many of the very latest emerging technologies in the area of design and manufacturing. This year’s presentation from Schott Systeme focused on the ability to utilise their ‘Pictures by PC’ CAD/CAM software for the complete process of product design, manufacturing and marketing. Demonstrated live, Pictures by PC was used to take rudimentary designer pencil sketches, and transform these into 3D CAD prototypes (the design being a roll on deodorant). Advanced hybrid solid, surface and mesh modelling tools provided a high level of flexibility helping the designer to concentrate on the form rather than the CAD tools. Seldom found within CAD systems, the attendees also witnessed the creation of graphic design for product packaging and corporate logos. Aligning the product to the EuroMold visitors, Pictures by PC was also used to create the actual mould tools for product production, as well as the finished machining. This integrated CAM functionality includes milling up to 5 axis, engraving, wire cutting and turning. Finally from a marketing perspective, the design was then rendered and professional quality animations generated to help sell the finished product.

Schott Systeme launches latest version of Pictures by PC software for design and technical documentation

Munich - Providing companies with a single 2D/3D platform for the creation of product illustrations and technical documentation, German CAD/CAM developer Schott Systeme GmbH has launched the latest version of their Pictures by PC software for design and technical documentation. This new release primarily focuses on providing tools for the creation of more accurate, dynamic and graphic rich product documentation.

Solid modelling suite: Not just a CAD viewer, the software already offers users the ability to import, modify and construct entire 3D designs. However Pictures by PC 3.4 now includes a new generation of 3D modeller, coupled with a number of innovative feature recognition tools. With most CAD designs being far too complex for illustration purposes, these tools help extensively in the quick and effortless simplification - 'defeaturing' of 3D models in preparation for illustration. This process is undertaken without a parametric feature history, and can thus be used to modify 3D data imported from almost any CAD system.

Technical illustration: The requirement for simple but high quality product illustrations, as opposed to complex 2D generated CAD drawings, has seen previous releases of Pictures by PC include an 'outline' rendering technique, to automatically create the typical 'thick thin' line illustrations. The latest incarnation further streamlines this process by providing the user with a number of ready-made render scenes.

These scenes then enable an appropriate level of illustration detail to be firstly selected, with 'low level' as an example removing the thread detail on bolts and screws. The detail level is then applied to the illustration, and a new selection of standard graphics libraries for items such as tools, hands, computer components and symbols help to further enrich the final documentation.

Product presentation: With improved quality of product presentations essential when selling a design or when creating technical documentation, Pictures by PC has integrated the latest 3D PDF format into their linked 'Portable PDF Projects'. These PDF projects firstly offer the ability to graphically link all project documentation, such as product photos, rendered images, illustrations and technical specifications.

The project and associated documents can automatically be converted into a single PDF, complete with the ability to navigate the documents using the embedded links. The addition of the latest 3D PDF then sees the actual 3D model being converted and saved within the PDF, enabling users to zoom, rotate and control the display of the product's individual components.

Schott Systeme GmbH launches intermediate update for Pictures by PC 3.4

MUNICH, Germany – Schott Systeme GmbH, a developer of CAD/CAM solutions has launched an intermediate update for their design and manufacturing software, Pictures by PC 3.4. This update incorporates a number of enhancements in the area of modelling, machining and technical documentation.

Focussing on construction, the company has extended the abilities of their existing hybrid solid, surface and mesh modelling suite. Improvements to the modeller now make the construction of complex conceptual features far easier. In addition, when combined with the software’s feature recognition capabilities, a far greater range of model features can now be extracted and ‘directly’ modified without the need of a parametric feature ‘history’ tree. This hybrid suite also sees the introduction of mesh healing, to help identify and repair problems in imported stl models.

With ease of machining in mind, enhancements to CAM include a selection of ‘ready made’ machining strategies. Building on the software’s ability to allow customers to setup and save preferred methods of machining, this catalogue of operations helps new customers to choose and apply the correct strategy in only a couple of mouse clicks. This proves especially useful when dealing with the application of more complex milling operations such as 5 axis machining. Generally the customer is then only left with the decision of which tool and cutting parameters to use, with this new update also now incorporating a ‘cutting data’ calculator to automatically determine the actual tool feed relating to the feed per tooth.

Finally to complement Schott Systeme’s technical documentation suite, the company has now integrated 3D PDF into their ‘Business Graphics’ module. Although 3D PDF is not a new technology, this has been integrated into the software’s ‘linked’ PDF’s, whereby all of a project's documentation can be graphically organised, and automatically converted into a single PDF, complete with the ability to navigate the projects links within the PDF.

Schott Systeme launches new design and machining functions within Pictures by PC 3.4 CAD/CAM software

Retains 12 Year CAD/CAM Price Freeze.

Munich, Germany – Helping mold tool companies to remain competitive, German software developer Schott Systeme have frozen their pricing for the 12th year running, while at the same time launching a raft of new design and machining functions within their latest Pictures by PC 3.4 CAD/CAM software.

Outlining the company's pricing policy, company founder and owner Hans-Joachim Schott states, “Our aim is to enable our customers to invest in the very latest CAD/CAM technology, for every single CNC machine tool, while keeping both purchase and operating costs to a bare minimum.” This policy means that their complete moldtool package for design and machining continues to remain under €10,000. With ongoing maintenance costs also being a major consideration, Herr Schott continues “Our customers have to earn money with us, so we have retained our 25 year old policy of not charging for yearly maintenance, instead offering free life time support, while giving our customers the choice of when they wish to purchase major upgrades.”

Focussing on their new software release, Schott Systeme have developed this latest version with the streamlining of the moldtool design and machining process very much in mind. This process starts with the quick and ‘clean’ import of customer models, and here Schott Systeme have enhanced their data import facilities to include the very latest versions of STEP and 3D IGES Solid formats. However for customers having to deal with poor quality data, considerable thought has been put into actual model repair, with an entirely new range of advanced surfacing functionality and a more advanced ‘Healing’ suite. Their existing ‘Tribrid’ mixed modelling techniques have also been improved to help customers working with STL mesh models, enabling them to construct core and cavity molds from mixed mesh, solid and surface models. This is also being accompanied by a new suite of mesh analysis, repair and handling tools.

Pictures by PC 3.4 also sees a number of enhancements to speed up the machining of mold tools. Firstly the software now utilises multi core processing, with users receiving an instant improvement in toolpath calculation times from between 30-50% on dual core PC’s, and from 40-60% on quad core versions, with additional gains achievable by using their latest 64bit version. The company has in addition further enhanced their ‘Freeform Feature Recognition’ module, aiding in the automatic extraction of complex freeform mold features to machine, such as tapered walls and freeform chamfers.

The company will be using this years Euromold exhibition to both celebrate their 26th anniversary, in addition to showcasing these latest CAD/CAM enhancements. Visitors are welcome in Hall 11 on Stand C63.

Schott Systeme's 5 Axis Machining at Fakuma 2009

Friedrichshafen, Germany: Teaming up with CNC machine builder i-mes GmbH, German CAD/CAM developer Schott Systeme GmbH showcased their very latest 5 axis simultaneous machining technologies live at Europe’s largest injection moulding exhibition, the Fakuma 2009 in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

Schott Systeme used the exhibition to demonstrate their latest ‘Pictures by PC 3.4’ CAD/CAM solution, and the incorporated 5 axis programming enhancements. To start, the company targeted the lengthy toolpath calculation times associated with 5 axis simultaneous machining, and invited visitors to benchmark their latest multi threaded toolpath calculations. Taking advantage of computers with multiple processors, tests made during the exhibition provided consistent speed gains for the calculation of complex 5 axis toolpaths of up to 50% on the dual core PC used during the show, with the company estimating gains of up to 60-70% on quad core variants.

In addition, Schott Systeme used the live machining of an impeller to highlight the main theme of the show, that of providing increased control over 5 axis machining strategies. Essential when machining extremely tight areas where the potential of a crash between machine and part are high, the company’s ‘5 Axis Synchronization’ technology provides the ability to individually specify the orientation of the tool at specific points on the part. Interpolating the toolpath between these designated tool orientations, 5 axis toolpaths are generated enabling the safe and optimal machining of complex parts.

Schott Systeme Showcases CAD/CAM to the Asian Market at the Asiamold exhibition

Guangzhou, China - German CAD/CAM software developer Schott Systeme have for the third consecutive year, used the Asiamold exhibition to showcase their latest CAD/CAM software release to some of Asia's leading mold makers. This years show also highlighted a significant increase in the number of Chinese companies both designing and producing their own products, as opposed to just manufacturing mold tools for 3rd parties.

Thus, with this years focus very much centering around cost effective design and machining, Schott Systeme were invited to host a one hour live presentation at the 'Design and Engineering' forum. Here attendees were given a glimpse of the very latest 3D conceptual design techniques, with Schott Systeme showing how initial concept sketches could be easily transformed into complex 3D prototypes, with a minimal amount of input from the designer. New innovations in mixed freeform solid, surface and mesh modelling also helped to highlight the ability to create core/cavity molds from a wide range of differing design data.

Seamless integration of high end machining was also high on the list of priorities, and here Schott Systeme showcased how their very latest 3 axis and 5 axis simultaneous machining techniques could be instantly applied to prototypes and molds, either constructed as solids, surfaces or mesh models. With an increasing number of CNC machine tools being delivered to Chinese mold makers, Schott Systeme's continued policy of providing machine post processors free of charge was also warmly welcomed.

Schott Systeme includes parallel processing functionality within 'Pictures by PC 3.4'

Munich, Germany - German CAD/CAM developer Schott Systeme GmbH have announced the inclusion of parallel processing functionality within the latest release of their CAD/CAM software 'Pictures by PC 3.4', providing significant reductions of up to 60% in toolpath calculation times.

With machining strategies becoming ever more complex, especially when employing high end 5 axis simultaneous milling and engraving techniques such as those offered by Schott Systeme, toolpath calculation times naturally become longer. However the Schott Systeme team have recently rewritten their software to ensure that the latest 32 and 64 bit versions can parallel process toolpath calculations.

By dividing the processing of toolpaths over multiple cores in a computer's CPU, the software has instant access to the extra processing power offered by dual and quad core PC's. Totally transparent to the user, Schott Systeme cite immediate speed gains of between 30-50% for their 32 bit version running on a dual core processor, and anticipate additional gains of up to 60% when running on a quad core.

As a result, this is generating immediate savings on every single job machined, without the user having to change the way they work. This compliments Schott Systeme's existing innovation of 'background calculation' enabling users to calculate complex toolpaths while simultaneously working on other parts within a different drawing.

Streamlining Technical Illustration With Pictures by PC

Munich, Germany - German CAD/CAM developer Schott Systeme GmbH is dramatically reducing the time required to generate professional technical illustrations, through the latest release of their CAD and technical documentation suite, Pictures by PC 3.4.

Being one of the industry's only solutions to seamlessly combine high end 2D and 3D CAD with technical illustration, rendering, animation and desktop publishing, Pictures is proving an essential tool in the creation of documentation such as product manuals, catalogues and sales/marketing literature.

A key element in this process has to date been the ability of the software to automatically generate typical 'thick/thin' line illustrations directly from imported 3D CAD models. The latest release of Pictures however will now offer a far greater degree of control over the illustration detail levels, helping in the generation of both simplified and more detailed versions of an illustration.

Direct Model Simplification

The current trend of including the minutest of details on a CAD model is one that will frustrate many illustrators, as generally only a simplified diagram of the product is required. To help overcome this, Schott Systeme have firstly included a new suite of 'defeaturing' tools. Based on their direct 'non feature' based 3D modeller, designs from almost any CAD system can be imported and subsequently modified without the requirement of a construction history or the original CAD software. These tools in addition then help to automatically recognise common features for removal such as ribs, pockets, holes, embossed text/logos and complex fillets/radii, leaving the illustrator with a much simplified version of the product ready for further detailing.

Technical Outline Defeaturing

Providing a different approach to actually modifying the 3D product data, Schott Systeme have in addition supplied the user with the ability to defeature the illustration during the actual rendering process. This later approach both enables the simplification of poor quality CAD models that cannot easily be modified in 3D, as well as instantly reducing the detail level of complex parts/features such as screw threads and gear wheels. By altering the actual rendering process in this way, 'thick/thin' line illustrations of differing complexity are more easily generated.

Schott Systeme Enhances CAM Feature Recognition

Munich, Germany – German CAD/CAM developer Schott Systeme GmbH have announced the launch of an online video demonstration, to help highlight the importance of their latest freeform feature recognition tools.

Designed specifically with mold and model makers in mind, these tools help overcome the limitations of current CAM feature recognition packages, whereby only prismatic items such as pockets and holes are extracted from a model. Instead, Schott Systeme’s CAD/CAM solution ‘Pictures by PC’ is able to examine and extract geometry to machine of a far greater complexity.

To supplement these new tools, and to help machinists better understand some of these new capabilities, Schott Systeme have in addition published an online video demonstration for download at http://www.schott-systeme.com/en/new3dmillvideo-en.htm.

Preparing complex models for machining

By firstly combining these enhanced recognition tools with the software’s latest surface modelling capabilities, users are able to prepare models for machining in a greatly reduced timeframe. Citing moldtool design as a typical example, Schott Systeme explain that all freeform holes on a model, such as those created to house ejector pins, can automatically be covered in a single click, preventing tooling during finishing operations from wanting to plunge into the holes. Complex features such as the slots created by electrodes can also be automatically covered using the software’s advanced surfacing functionality, again improving finishing operations, but also removing the need to create complex and time consuming surface patches, as can often be the case with mid range CAD modellers.

Selection of complex features to machine

Ideal for both 3 axis and 5 axis machining, these latest recognition tools help to instantly extract complex machining features. Characteristic of aerospace components for example, tapered pocket side walls requiring 5 axis ‘Swarf Cutting’, and freeform chamfers to be finished using 5 axis ‘End Mill’ techniques, are all features that can be instantly extracted from a 3D CAD model. Helping to identify areas that require rest machining, actual radius surfaces within a given size range are automatically identified and extracted for re-machining. Similar tools also enable the selection of ‘chained’ radius faces so entire freeform filleted features can be chosen in a single click. Finally, and as is often the case, freeform models may include numerous planar faces that require the application of normal facing operations. Here the software not only searches for and extracts all planar faces on a freeform model, but in addition machines then as individual 2.5D pockets, taking into account at all times the actual 3D model, thus removing the possibility of gauging and tool collisions.

For more information visit http://www.schott-systeme.com/en/new3dmillvideo-en.htm.

Celebrating over 25 years of CAD/CAM excellence, Schott Systeme continue to develop the same software solution originally launched back in 1983. Starting out as one of the very first vector based graphics packages for the PC, their product ‘Pictures by PC’ as the name suggests, has evolved into one of the most mature CAD/CAM and technical documentation products available today. Being a fully integrated 2D/3D CAD, CAM and graphics package, Pictures caters for all aspects of workshop machining, through to product design and documentation. Schott Systeme is also proud to be one of only a few CAD/CAM developers to continually offer the sale of their product without any yearly maintenance charge, instead offering free lifetime customer support.

Schott Systeme Retain 2008 Pricing for High End CAD/CAM

Munich, Germany - Helping design and manufacturing companies to continue to invest in high end CAD/CAM solutions during the current economic climate, Schott Systeme GmbH are reinforcing a 10 year old policy of not raising the price of their CAD/CAM software ‘Pictures by PC’.

With competition continuing to drive down profit margins on even the most complex of manufacturing jobs, the German software house has for the 11th year running refrained from raising the standard price of their CAD/CAM solution. Still remaining at €9,800, customers are able to purchase a fully integrated 2D/3D design and machining suite complete with hybrid solid, surface and mesh modelling, moldtool design, dedicated graphic design and technical documentation, in addition to 2.5D milling and drilling, 3D freeform machining, 3+2 axis multisided mill/drill and engraving, complete with free machine post processors. Schott Systeme have in addition maintained their stance of providing free yearly support with no maintenance cost. Module prices for 5 axis simultaneous milling, turning and wireEDM also remain unchanged at €2,500, €2,000 and €2,000 respectively.

When asked about their pricing policy and Schott Systeme’s thoughts on manufacturing in general during the current economic climate, company founder Mr Hans Joachim Schott stressed “Firstly we believe that for manufacturing companies to remain both productive and competitive in the current climate, every CNC machine should be accompanied by an integrated CAD/CAM package. The problem companies face is that high purchase prices and the continued yearly subscription costs do not make this goal financially viable. In fact we still encounter companies almost on a daily basis that continue to actually manually programme CNC machine tools as a direct result.”

Relating this to Schott Systeme’s pricing policy, Hans Joachim continued “Our customers have to remain competitive, and this is the reason behind our pricing policy. We offer a single fully integrated solution with no need to purchase additional software or numerous add-on modules. We want our customers to earn money with us, and thus do not continually ask for yearly support and maintenance costs. This coupled with a low purchase price makes it possible for our customers to both buy, but more importantly continue to own a CAD/CAM package to sit beside every single CNC machine.”

As testament to the longevity of such a pricing policy, the company marked their 25th anniversary by launching the latest 64bit version of their software during the Euromold 2008 exhibition last December in Frankfurt.

For product information, download the 2009 brochure at http://www.schott-systeme.com/en/Downloads/SchottBrochure-EN-Internet.pdf

Product demonstrations can be viewed at http://www.schott-systeme.com/en/newintrovideo-en.htm

Schott Systeme's Pictures CAD/CAM Enhances Drilling Functionality

Munich, Jan 20th, 2009 – Schott Systeme GmbH. German software developer Schott Systeme GmbH are helping manufacturing companies to further optimise their drilling processes with the latest release of their Pictures by PC 3.4 CAD/CAM software.

The continued importance of working with 2D data

Often overlooked by software developers is the continued importance of effectively handling 2D data to machine, especially when many companies remain reluctant to supply external machine shops with fully detailed 3D representations of in house designs. Highlighting this as a major oversite by many CAM products, Schott Systeme have further enhanced their own suite of dedicated 2D CAM functionality within the latest version of their CAD/CAM software Pictures by PC 3.4.

Focussing firstly on drilling, the extraction of drill features from a 3D model is common place, with Schott Systeme like many other CAM solutions offering 3D feature recognition. However in addition, the company is also offering the automatic recognition and optimisation of 2D drill features. Made possible through the tight integration of their 2D/3D CAD and CAM tools, the software is providing customers with the means to automatically sort through all of the drill objects found within a 2D drawing, subsequently arranging them into specific size groups, regardless of their number. Once grouped together, the customer’s preferred methods of drilling, including all of the standard canned cycles, can then be instantly applied to all of the holes of a given size. The latest version also sees the inclusion of drill optimisation, where the software remains aware of the location of all the surrounding holes, and automatically calculates the shortest sequence for any given combination of drilling movements.
Advanced 5 axis multiplane drilling

The second area of development has centered around the drilling and optimisation of complex multisided parts requiring pre-positional 5 axis machining. 3D feature recognition was originally introduced within the previous release of software, and was able to recognise and extract differing hole types on differing work planes. However this functionality is now combined with muliplane optimisation. Firstly the software extracts and groups together all holes of a similar size, on a specific face of the model, and these are in turn optimised to generate the shortest drilling sequence. Pictures by PC then examines the other machining workplanes, and further groups together any additional holes of an identical size that can be drilled from the same machining direction, again sorting the drilling sequence. The result is the true optimisation of drill features across multiple machining planes, dramatically reducing the time spent drilling.

View the demo video at http://www.schott-systeme.com/en/newdrillingvideo-en.htm

Pictures CAD/CAM Enhances 5 Axis Milling Functionality

Munich, Jan 12th, 2009 – German software house Schott Systeme GmbH will include a number of advanced milling aids for complex 5 axis parts within the latest release of their Pictures by PC 3.4 CAD/CAM software.

Providing significant improvements in reducing the amount of wasted machining moves, the company has both enhanced the method of handling 5 axis rest material for the roughing of complex parts, in addition to providing a far greater level of control over 5 axis finishing operations.

When approaching more complex parts that require roughing from differing directions, with an impeller providing a typical example, Schott Systeme has developed a new approach to the calculation of rest material. The current generation of CAM systems in general tend to calculate rest material in a virtual way, available for measurement within the machining simulation, but not however available as a physical CAD model. Thus providing a more innovative approach, Pictures by PC enables the generation of an actual 3D solid model representing the remaining rest material, continually updated after any number of roughing operations. Immediate advantages to this approach not only include the ability to measure, slice and manipulate the actual rest material as one would any 3D solid part, but in addition this enables further machining operations to use this 3D representation as an accurate means of defining stock material for additional machining.

Such complex parts as the impeller also present unique problems when applying 5 axis finishing operations, specifically the ability to manually control the tool orientation while machining areas that are obscured by other features on the part. In general 5 axis finishing operations tend to take the direction of a surface’s normals as being the actual tooling orientation, however this orientation will often clash with other areas of the component. Here Pictures by PC enables manually created 3D vectors to define the tooling orientation, with the complex toolpaths being interpolated between these multiple vectors. This in effect provides the user will full control over the tool movement and orientation at all times during a 5 axis finishing operation.

For more information, view the demo video at http://www.schott-systeme.com/en/newCAMrestvideo-en.htm

Having developed the same software solutions for over 25 years, Schott Systeme is acknowledged as being one of the founding members of the CAD/CAM and graphics markets. Starting out as one of the very first vector based graphics packages for the PC, their product ‘Pictures by PC’ as the name suggests, has evolved into one of the most mature CAD/CAM and technical documentation products available today. Schott Systeme continues to develop both this ‘Pictures by PC’ solution, in addition to other OEM solutions including the low cost CAD/CAM package isyCAM for ISEL and I-mes CNC machine tools.

Pictures by PC CAD/CAM to Include Sheet Metal Design

Munich, - Schott Systeme GmbH. German software house Schott Systeme GmbH will be including sheet metal design tools as part of the latest release of their Pictures by PC 3.4 CAD/CAM software.

Although generally used as a fully integrated CAD/CAM solution for mold tool design and machining, this latest version of Schott Systeme's Pictures by PC software sees a number of enhancements in the direction of pure mechanical design. The first is aimed directly at those customers requiring the quick creation of typical sheet metal components. Based on the software's non parametric approach to modelling, this provides the user with the ability to freely add and alter typical sheet metal features, without requiring the constraints associated with a history based modeller. Immediate advantages are the ability to easily alter parts imported from other CAD solutions, in addition to providing a more simplified means of converting existing 2D drawings into sheet metal components.

Not being marketed as an actual sheet metal module, as Schott Systeme have refrained from including more complex freeform unfolding, the current tools will however enable customers to dynamically unfold typical flange work directly on the 3D part. The end result subsequently provides an accurate developed flat pattern, but more importantly enables visual testing of the actual bend sequence before manufacture.

For more information, view the demo video at http://www.schott-systeme.com/en/newsheetmetalvideo-en.htm

Having developed the same software solutions for over 25 years, Schott Systeme can claim to be one of the founding members of the CAD/CAM and graphics market. Starting out as one of the very first vector based graphics packages for the PC, their product 'Pictures by PC' as the name suggests, has evolved into one of the most mature CAD/CAM and technical documentation products available today. Schott Systeme continues to develop both this 'Pictures by PC' solution, in addition to other OEM solutions including the low cost CAD/CAM package isyCAM for ISEL and I-mes CNC machine tools.

Schott Systeme Updates Existing Tribrid Modeller

German CAD/CAM developer Schott Systeme will be using the Euromold 2008 exhibition in Frankfurt from 3rd to 6th December, to celebrate both 25 years in CAD/CAM software development, in addition to launching the latest version of their ‘Tribrid’ modeller ‘Pictures by PC.

The ability to mix solid and surface models, commonly known as ‘Hybrid Modelling’ is currently available in a number of high end CAD systems. However the ability to both mix and work simultaneously on solids, surfaces and triangular mesh models is something seldom seen, but is nevertheless essential when wanting to reverse engineer parts within a single user environment. Pointing out that this ‘Tribrid’ modelling capability has been available in their Pictures by PC CAD/CAM software since before 1995, the company is providing new modelling enhancements across the board, for both freeform solid, surface and mesh modelling. The company is also keen to point out that the advantages of ‘Tribrid’ modelling also extend to machining, with the software’s fully integrated CAM functionality being able to machine all three 3D data formats. This ability to seamlessly work with such diverse data has also seen Schott Systeme become one of the house hold names for more diverse solutions such as Dental and Orthopedic design and machining.

As part of the company's 25th anniversary celebrations, Schott Systeme have been invited to showcase their fully integrated solution to the ‘Design and Engineering’ forum at Euromold 2008. Interested parties should either visit them in Hall 6 Stand C50, or contact info@schott-systeme.com

For a short video preview of design and machining, visit http://www.schott-systeme.com/en/newintrovideo-en.htm

About Schott Systeme GmbH

Having developed the same software solutions for over 25 years, Schott Systeme can claim to be one of the founding members of the CAD/CAM and graphics market. Starting out as one of the very first vector based graphics packages for the PC, their product ‘Pictures by PC’ as the name suggests, has evolved into one of the most mature CAD/CAM and technical documentation products available today. Schott Systeme continues to develop both this ‘Pictures by PC’ solution, in addition to other OEM solutions including the low cost CAD/CAM package isyCAM for ISEL and I-mes CNC machine tools.