Product category:
Materials design and moulding design software
News Release from: VX Corporation | Subject: VX Version 5 mould design package
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 28 September 2001
New version of mould design package
announced
VX Corporation has announced the addition of new industrial-strength tools, interoperability features and performance enhancements which aim to enhance its VX mould design package
VX Corporation (formerly Varimetrix), the developer of integrated CAD/CAM software for engineers and industrial designers, has announced the addition of several features which aim to enhance its VX mould design package Based on recommendations made by the company's International Mould Makers Advisory Council, VX has added new industrial-strength tools, interoperability features and performance enhancements that meet the complex, 'real-world' daily needs of mould makers
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 16 Aug 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
CAD modelling system keeps Gillette sharp
Further seats of VX CAD/CAM, VX's flagship hybrid modelling solution, have been added to the installed base at Gillette's Advanced Technology Centre (GATCUK) in Reading.
Bringing together industrial design and CAD
VX Corporation offers some suggestions to help guide the designer searching for tools that provide easier, more affordable and more complete design through manufacturing capabilities
"Our mould maker advisory council has used a wide variety of CAD/CAM packages in their work, so they have strong opinions about what works," said Bob Fischer, vice president of sales and marketing at VX.
"They provided VX with a list of must-have features for automating mould making which we have now incorporated into VX Version 5.
But our advisors also stressed that interoperability was as important as the new mould making functions, because they're on the receiving end of a mix of non-native data that they have to turn into workable moulds with proper draft angles." Recognising that moulds today are often complex machines in their own right, VX Version 5 automatically creates cooling channels as well as face vents, swabs, electrode placement and inserts, and checks for interference with the part, mould cavity or cooling elements.
Further reading
Postprocessor technology transforms CAM toolpaths
VX Corp is to resell the IMSpost postprocessor software developed by Intelligent Manufacturing Software (IMS).
More control over curves from CAD/CAM software
Available now from VX Corp is the latest release, Version 6, of its VX CAD/CAM software.
In addition, difficult curved parting lines are easily generated.
Gaps or multi-branch nodes for all parting curves are indicated and users can zoom in, out or around to examine the mould and make changes quickly.
Performance enhancements are gained by access to the Cadenas parts library of hardware, hardware assemblies and mould frames.
Parts can be pulled directly into VX mould designs and are converted into VX editable files in the process Powerful interoperability capabilities for today's hybrid CAD/CAM environments are provided with new healing capabilities and direct import of files created with Parasolids-based CAD/CAM systems as well as Pro/E and Catia files.
CAD/CAM systems using the Parasolids kernel include UGS, Solid Edge and SolidWorks, among others.
The new VX healing tools highlight problems in geometry such as missing tangencies and mismatched surfaces, which can be automatically or manually healed.
Parametric parts created in VX can be exported to the external Cadenas/PARTsolutions libraries to share with other manufacturing partners.
New high-end CAM tools include peeling cuts with rest milling, which automate the removal of stock to a polished surface even with less than perfect data, are also important for many mould making applications.
"All of these new functions in VX can save an enormous amount of time for mould makers, who often have to produce these complex and expensive devices very quickly in order to meet their customers' dramatically reduced product life cycles," said Edwin Rappard, president of 4C Creative CAD/CAM Consultants in The Netherlands.
• VX Corporation: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Engineeringtalk email newsletter
• Engineeringtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
