Delcam Releases PowerSHAPE CAD 2013

By DE Editors

The 2013 release of Delcam's PowerSHAPE CAD system includes enhancements to its direct modeling and reverse engineering capabilities. In addition, the solid and surface modeling options have been made faster and even more robust, according to the company.

One new option in PowerSHAPEs direct modeling functionality is"Replace Face." This allows a selected face or group of faces to be replaced with another face or group of faces, either from the same solid or from a separate solid or surface model.

In its most basic form, Replace Face can be used for offsetting surfaces of the model to provide machining allowances or clearances for electrodes for EDM. It can also be used for more complex modifications to product designs. In all cases, any other faces within the design that are affected by the change are extended and re-trimmed as necessary to maintain a closed solid.

A second new option is the "Solid Core" command. This automatically selects the smallest rectangular or cylindrical shape that will fully enclose a group of solid faces. It can be used to create blanks for the manufacture of electrodes or when modeling slides within moulds to accommodate undercuts. The shapes can be selected from spreadsheets (for example, one showing different standard sizes for electrode blanks) that can be edited to each company's specifications.

Delcam has also simplified the selection and editing of faces. Groups of faces can now be selected by surrounding them with a boundary, either by dragging the mouse or by clicking a series of points. Simpler methods have been added to then rotate the selected faces around a point or a cylinder, or to move them along a line.

For reverse engineering, PowerSHAPE now allows point-cloud data to be captured directly. Point data can be displayed on-screen instantly as a laser attachment is passed over the object being scanned.

Another new option is the ability to perform 2D nesting of 2D profiles or 3D parts. Once the numbers of each component required and the minimum spacing needed between each item has been specified, PowerSHAPE calculates the most efficient layout using the minimum amount of material. The shape of any unused material can be saved so that it can be used for later projects.

For more information, visit Delcam.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.