TopSolid'Newsletter36
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Integrated CAD/CAM At Its Best |
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S U M M A R Y |
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 TopSolid'Mold 2009 launch
Bottom-up or in place design with TopSolid'Design
What's New
Customer of the month: Gewinde Ziegler
TopSolid Tip of the month: TopSolid'Mold
Upcoming Events |
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| TopSolid'Mold 2009 |
Missler Software will shortly launch the 2009 version of its TopSolid CAD/CAM software range. You will be able to discover a peak preview of TopSolid'Mold 2009 at the EuroMold trade fair in Frankfurt, Hall 8, Stand 56.
TopSolid'Mold is a dedicated mold design software offering complete CAM integration with TopSolid'Cam. (Including the standard design elements and machining processes involved in the mold making industry.) TopSolid'Mold enables calculation of the shrinkage factor, analysis of undercuts, calculation of the parting line and surface of the joint, automatic creation and definition of the core block and cavity, implementation of the standard carcass, systems of injection and ejection and analysis of the cooling system.
Here are the major improvements of TopSolid'Mold 2009:
TopSolid'Mold in a collaborative environment - TopSolid'Mold 2009 allows the design of a mold in a collaborative environment. This means that it is now possible to enable several users to work on the design of the mold at the same time, thus reducing design times. This new function is essential for today's moldmakers who are increasingly obliged to design molds in shorter delays. The flexibility offered by TopSolid'Mold 2009 permits different organisation structures:
- Sub-assemblies are split between different users:
- Divide injection / ejection / movements
- Divide die base / core and cavity blocks / feeding system
- Divide inserts + associated movements / core and cavity blocks / die base
- Etc...
- Simultaneous mold design by the visualisation of an «assembly context» (which shows all elements of the mold design being worked on) in order to control the work of all users at the synchronisation stage. Thereby, different users can work on the one mold at the same time.
- «Distant» sharing: an on-demand synchronisation system between different work stations permits work to continue in an environment which may be temporarily unsynchronised. The user thereby works on an «image» of his study off-site (while on a business trip, at the customer site, outside the design office ...) and synchronises his work with his team on his return
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Visit TopSolid in Hall 8, Stand 56.
TopSolid'Mold 2009 in a collaborative environment enables several users to work on the design of the mold at the same time, thus reducing design times. |
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| Bottom-up or in place design with TopSolid'Design |
In CAD circles we often hear CAD/CAM software developers speak about bottom-up or in place design. In fact whether you know it or not when you design a part using a CAD software you will use one of these 2 design methods. So what is bottom-up and in place design and does your CAD system allow you to choose the method which is best adapted to your needs?
Bottom-up design
Bottom-up design is in fact the most widely used design process in the CAD world. In this case the designer designs one part per file, all parts are completely isolated from their context. After all parts have been designed they are then assembled in one assembly file. There are a few main advantages of the bottom-up design method. The first is that the engineer can easily modify or reuse the part. Another key reason for bottom-up design would be when you have multiple engineers working on one project. With the bottom-up design method, the work load can be shared equally across your engineering department. Also, bottom-up designs are very useful for the design of large assemblies that contain thousands of parts. In these large assemblies, the file size is spread out between all of the parts in the assembly, thus making it easier to work with the large assembly. However, a bottom-up design method does not allow close geometric ties to be created between files, which means that building associativity between files is extremely difficult to achieve, if your CAD product even allows it to happen in the first place.
In place design
Following on from the description of bottom-up design a logical question arises: How can an engineer design when close associativity needs to be maintained between parts? The solution is called in place design. Our definition of in place design is: The design of a part in its assembly context. Let's take the example of the design of a machine: most parts can be deigned using the bottom-up program of different components and parts. How can the engineer deal with the linked parts or the chassis? The chassis depends entirely on its environment (i.e. the assembly file with all the parts of the machine) Therefore, it would seem natural to design the chassis in the assembly file and thereby benefit from the following advantages:
- Important time gains – all design is carried out in 1 file which is completely associated with its environment. Time gains are also achieved by the simple fact of working in 1 file instead of several at the same time.
- Error reduction – as the file is associative all changes are carried through the entire file. In the case of bottom-up assembly each file would have to be manually and individually changed.
- In place design enables pre-project work to advance quickly thanks to the use of one single file.
- Version control – In an in place design, you always have 100% access and control over your parts/assembly. You always know that you are working with the latest version of the part/assembly.
In place design in industry
In place design has been a design program offered by Missler Software since the beginnings of TopSolid. It is, in fact, one of the cornerstones of TopSolid. In place design is an essential design program in industries such as the toolmaking and wood industries. If we look at the toolmaking industry we know that the design of a mold is often a unitary study. All parts are strongly linked and in place design permits the creation of strong links between parts: a component such as a guiding pin can, for example, provoke a drilling or boring operation on several parts. Each part is very closely linked to the rest of its environment. For this reason TopSolid's in place design offers huge advantages to toolmakers and is one of the very strong points of TopSolid'Mold.
In place and bottom-up design
In fact, both methods of design are very powerful by themselves. However, what makes TopSolid unique is its ability to work with the 2 design methods without limitations. There are definitely certain parts of an assembly that can be designed in their own files and then assembled into the main assembly document. Again, this method is perfect for teams of engineers. However, when designing a mechanical element that includes gears for example, it just makes sense to use the in place method of design. With the in place method you can be sure that your gears are created correctly and that they interact correctly as well. When your assembly of gears is complete, you can insert it into your bottom up assembly and move on. What makes TopSolid a powerful leading CAD/CAM product is its ability to allow you to work the way you need to work. Your needs can and most likely will change from project to project. It is clear that it only makes sense to work with a product that can support both strategies of design seamlessly and effortlessly. |
In place design guarantees close associativity between parts.
In place design is very useful in the design of machines.
In place design is a strong point of TopSolid'Mold - All parts are strongly linked and in place design permits the creation of strong links between parts: a component such as a guiding pin can, for example, provoke a drilling or boring operation on several parts.
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| What's New |
| New GOelan reseller in South Africa |
A new company from South Africa has recently joined the GOelan network of resellers. Stillam was founded in 2005 and currently employs 7 people. The South African software reseller has in the region of 650 customers of which 60% have maintenance contracts. The company is based in Johannesburg and has resellers in Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth.
In order to complete its software range Stillam was looking for an easy-to-use and powerful EDM system. After discovering the wide range of functions available in GOelan, the South African software dealer opted this solution. Vincent Wills, product specialist, explains : “ GOelan was chosen for its ease of use and functionality. The product is very easy to implement and the post- processing is of a very high standard. “ |
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Moldtech at Okuma Open Days |
Missler Software and its resellers work closely with Okuma, a world leading machine tool manufacturer who has its European head office near Dusseldorf in Germany. Missler Software has worked closely with the German team to develop approved post-processors for the MacTurn, MULTUS and MU-400 (5 axis machines) series.
The Missler Software VAR, Moldtech, will participate in the Christmas Open Days of the Hommel Group (exclusive reseller of Okuma machines in Germany) from 3-4 December in Hamburg. Moldtech will show visitors the main advantages of programming Okuma millturn machines with TopSolid'Cam. In fact, Moldtech will program the MULTUS B300 machine with TopSolid'Cam at the open days. |
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| Customer of the month: Gewinde Ziegler |
Gewinde Ziegler, a company based at Horriwil in the canton of Solothurn, north-west Switzerland, specializes in the business of thread grinding. Threaded spindle drives are high-tech products that are used in automotive technology, the aerospace industry and machine engineering of special tools.
On acquiring a WFL machine in 2007 Reto Ziegler, CEO of Gewinde Ziegler, made enquiries with the specialists at WFL Millturn Technologies in Linz about which systems were suited to the programming of these machines. WFL recommended the software that they too used for their client programming: TopSolid'Cam. The mature technology of Missler Software's CAM solution, both for 5-axis programming and for the programming of mill-turn centres, was a decisive factor in the final decision. Christoph Meier, the first user, comments: “Complex machines for 6-sided machining make enormous demands on programming. For me, it was the concurrent simulation, even with two simultaneously running tool holders, during the programming process that was the main criterion for recommending TopSolid'Cam to my boss."
Click here for the rest of the report. |
Company Gewinde Ziegler works with TopSolid'Cam's millturn functionalities to produce high-tech threaded spindle drives.
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| TopSolid Tip of the month: TopSolid'Mold |
You are a TopSolid operator and you would like some tips on what your software is capable of doing. Each newsletter will include a highlight of the month accompanied by an avi of a TopSolid module.
This month let's take a look at a new tip for TopSolid'Mold and component insertion and modification |
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Video commentary
It is possible to insert a component by “code” instead of icon selection. In this way, your library access is more direct, and you can explore the components already inserted in your file.
Once done, you can apply multiple modifications to similar components, or reproduce element properties to other components of same type. |
 Click on thumbnail to start | |
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| Upcoming Events |
| All Missler Software and reseller trade fairs will be published here each month and can also be found on http://www.topsolid.com/news/shows/showslist.asp |
| Aéromart |
From 03/12/2008 to 04/12/2008 |
Toulouse, France |
Missler Software |
| Euromold |
From 03/12/2008 to 06/12/2008 |
Frankfurt, Germany |
Halle 8, H 56 - Missler Software |
| Okuma Open Days |
From 03/12/2008 to 04/12/2008 |
Hamburg, Germany |
Moldtech | |
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