Product category:
3D CAD software
News Release from: SolidWorks Corporation
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 29 August 2003
Programme promotes CAD/CAM
interoperability
A new programme aims to accelerate the design-to-manufacture process by promoting tight interoperability between SolidWorks 3D mechanical design software and industry-leading CAM products.
SolidWorks Corporation has unveiled a new programme to accelerate customers' design-to-manufacture process by promoting tight interoperability between SolidWorks 3D mechanical design software and industry-leading computer aided manufacturing (CAM) products The SolidWorks Certified CAM Product Programme provides customers with a seamless line of communication between their product design software and the applications that drive manufacturing, so companies can bring products to market quickly
The new programme solves the industry-wide problem of incompatibility between a company's computer-aided design (CAD) and CAM software, which often forces engineers to manually recreate part or all of a product design in their CAM application.
This slows production and delays product delivery.
The SolidWorks Certified CAM Product Programme ensures that customers can easily move from 3D product designs in SolidWorks to their CAM applications to reduce the transition time between design and manufacturing.
SolidWorks has partnered with the industry's top CAM providers, who today became part of the global SolidWorks Partner Programme, which boasts more partners - 500 - than any other vendor in the CAD industry.
The Certified CAM Products include: Mastercam from CNC Software; GibbsCAM from Gibbs and Associates; EdgeCAM from Pathtrace; Esprit from DP Technology; CAMWorks from TekSoft; and SolidCAM from SolidCAM.
"Today's top CAM software companies are not just focusing on developing their own software, but are also investing in strong relationships with CAD companies to help customers meet tougher deadlines and manufacturing demands", said Mark Summers, CNC Software's cofounder and President.
"The direct link between Mastercam and SolidWorks makes the transfer from product design to manufacturing fast and reliable so that our customers can meet these manufacturing challenges".
Certified CAM Products must meet specific criteria for compatibility and functionality in conjunction with SolidWorks software.
For example, all Certified CAM Products must be able to read native SolidWorks geometry.
They must also be fully associative so that when an engineer modifies a SolidWorks-generated 3D design, the change carries over to the CAM application automatically.
Increased associativity reduces the risk of costly and time-consuming production errors.
SolidWorks will work with its partners to test how the products work together to ensure they deliver seamless product design and manufacturing capabilities.
"Our mission is to simplify every phase of computer-aided manufacturing for our customers", said Bill Gibbs, founder and President of Gibbs and Associates.
"That includes the handoff between CAD and CAM.
Partnering with industry-leading 3D mechanical design vendors like SolidWorks ensures that we provide a smooth and fast path between engineering departments and the shop floor".
The SolidWorks Certified CAM Product Programme will benefit companies ranging from small job shops that custom-build parts to Fortune 1000 corporations that want to streamline their entire product development system.
"Accelerated product development hinges on how easy it is to translate a design into the finished product", said Brian Houle, Manager of the Solution Partner Programme at SolidWorks.
"By partnering with the CAM industry's leading vendors, we're giving manufacturers a head start on production by offering an integrated environment that eliminates the incompatibility issues they've wrestled with in the past.
Now they can transform their designs into physical products faster, and with fewer errors, than before".
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