Esprit 2007 automatically captures original design intents.
DP Technology Corp. (www.dptechnology.com) says it has taken a significant step forward in the exchange of information between the design and manufacturing of products with the release of its 2007-version of Esprit CAM software. The Esprit software features FX technology that allows shops to capture original designs automatically and to define clearly what is to be machined. The company says the software also makes for faster and more accurate part programming.
The FX technology provides portions of original CAD feature trees to Esprit user interfaces, going beyond the transfer of part geometry. This "feature exchange" technology includes complete original design intents such as feature names, tolerances, material properties, surface finishes and administrative data.
Using FX technology, the software maps CAD features and their associated properties into machinable features to provide a complete definition of 'what' is being machined. These manufacturing features and their properties then feed into the Esprit KnowledgeBase, which helps users to select ways to machine parts based on existing best practices.
Traditional software programs generate sold-geometry drawings based on the input from designers who describe geometries, or part shapes, through sketches. CAM systems receive the solid geometry drawings and, using feature recognition, extract features that are used to generate toolpaths for drilling holes or machining slots or plains.
However, important data, such as part features and attributes, can be lost during the exchange from CAD to CAM because designers enter scripted information to describe theoriginal features, and those attributes are properties of the original designs.
DP Technology believes that the key to increased productivity for part programming is the elimination of repetition. So it designed its Esprit 2007 software to put repetitive information, such as data on cutting tools, cutting speeds and other cutting conditions, into a database supported by its knowledge-based technology. As such knowledge bases and software functionality advance, the company expects CAM systems to disappear and to become devices analogous to printer drivers but within CAD systems.
