D3D April14

Siemens NX 7.
0 P40
Mobile workstation P53 SpaceClaim 2014 SP1 P49 DEVELOP3D LIVE P32
TECHNOLOGY FOR THE PRODUCT LIFECYCLE
APRIL 2014 | 6 | 7 | $10 | DEVELOP3D.COM
INNOVATION IN THE SKY SPECIAL REPORT: CAM & CNC PAPER 3D PRINTING
O
U
T

O
F

T
H
I
S

W
O
R
L
D
I
n
s
i
g
h
t

i
n
t
o

t
h
e

w
o
r
k

o
f

v
e
h
i
c
l
e

c
o
n
c
e
p
t

d
e
s
i
g
n
e
r

D
a
n
i
e
l

S
i
m
o
n
SEE DaNIEL
SImON aT
DEvELOP3D
LIvE 2014
DEvELOP3DLIvE.COm
15 aPRIL
Color and material combinations
that make you say Wow!
I ntroduci ng the Objet500 Connex3 from Stratasys, the worlds only full-color and
multi-material 3D printer. Select from incomparably brilliant and consistent
colors, plus a full palette of transparent colors the only 3D printer to
offer such a wide array. And its the only 3D printer that prints flexible
materials in a broad range of shore values. All with ultra-fine detail creat-
ing the most true-to-life modeling possible. Stratasys is the proven
leader in multi-material 3D printing. For what ever your mi nd can i magi ne,
vi si t st r at asys. com/Obj et 500Connex3 or cont act us
at emea@st r at asys. com or cal l +49 7229 777 20.
[COLOR+RUBBER+TRANSPARENT+RIGID]
2014 Stratasys, Ltd.
DEVELOP3D.COM APRIL 2014 3
F
or the past month or so Ive been immersing myself in
background reading, interviews and chats with folks that are
looking to bring CNC machining in house. Its been fascinating,
not least of all because its become apparent that theres a
rebirth of interest in cutting wood, foam, plastics and metal
directly. Of course, this reinvigorated interest in all things CNC
also means a rebirth of interest in CAM. Hence our CAM and CNC
supplement this month.
While the industry veteran may consider this a little behind
the times, there is a new breed of designer, engineer and manufacturer that is
evaluating how best to bring these types of facilities and capabilities back into
their workow. Weve even been talking to someone whos looking to build their
own CNC machine (Hello, Lloyd!).
Of course, were also on the eve of DEVELOP3D LIVE (develop3dlive.com). The team
has been hard at work these past few months nding interesting and engaging
speakers for the conference streams. Weve also been working out how to bring
you the best of the technology thats out there for product development and
manufacturing. So, this year weve expanded the show oor to bring you more.
So, make sure youve registered and have Tuesday April 15 marked down in your
diary because, believe me, this is one you wont want to miss. Weve got everything
from getting a free face scan at the event to listening to this months cover star,
Daniel Simon, talking about how his career has moved from vehicle concept design
to the Hollywood workshop of dreams.
See you there!

WELCOME

EDITORIAL
Editor-in-Chief
Al Dean
al@x3dmedia.com
+44 (0)7525 701 541
Managing Editor
Greg Corke
greg@x3dmedia.com
+44 (0)20 3355 7312
Consulting Editor
Martyn Day
martyn@x3dmedia.com
+44 (0)7525 701 542
Digital Media Editor
Stephen Holmes
stephen@x3dmedia.com
+44 (0)20 3384 5297
Special Projects Editor
Tanya Weaver
tanya@x3dmedia.com
+44 (0)20 3384 5296
DESIGN/PRODUCTION
Art Director
Rob Biddulph
Design/Production
Greg Corke
greg@x3dmedia.com
+44 (0)20 3355 7312
ADVERTISING
Advertising Director
Tony Baksh
tony@x3dmedia.com
+44 (0)20 3355 7313
Deputy Advertising Manager
Steve King
steve@x3dmedia.com
+44 (0)20 3355 7314
US Sales Director
Denise Greaves
denise@x3dmedia.com
+1 857 400 7713
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Circulation Manager
Alan Cleveland
alan@x3dmedia.com
+44 (0)20 3355 7311
ACCOUNTS
Accounts Manager
Charlotte Taibi
charlotte@x3dmedia.com
Financial Controller
Samantha Todescato-Rutland
sam@chalfen.com
ABOUT
DEVELOP3D is published by
Rooms 108 - 109, 4th Floor, 65 London Wall,
London, EC2M 5TU
T. +44 (0)20 3355 7310
F. +44 (0)20 3355 7319
2014 X3DMedia Ltd
All rights reserved. Reproduction in
whole or part without prior permission
from the publisher is prohibited. All
trademarks acknowledged
Opinions expressed in articles are those
of the author and not of X3DMedia.
X3DMedia cannot accept responsibility
for errors in articles or advertisements
within the magazine
DEVELOP3D.com facebook.com/DEVELOP3D @DEVELOP3D groups/DEVELOP3D
Join our online community
Al Dean
Editor-in-Chief, DEVELOP3D Magazine, @alistardean
15 APRIL 2014
WARWICK ARTS CENTRE,
UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK
LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER @ dEvELOp3dLIvE.COm
SILVER SPONSORS GOLD SPONSORS PRINCIPAL SPONSORS
APRIL_D3DLive.indd 24 2/4/14 14:42:10
15 APRIL 2014
WARWICK ARTS CENTRE,
UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK
LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER @ dEvELOp3dLIvE.COm
FOUR SIMULTANEOUS CONFERENCE TRACKS
OVER 60 EXHIBITING COMPANIES
GET YOUR FACE 3D SCANNED FOR FREE
IMMERSE YOURSELF IN OUR VR ROOM
WIN A TRIP TO THE MONZA GRAND PRIX
FREE TO ATTEND
GREAT LINE-UP OF LEADING DESIGNERS AND
INDUSTRY SPEAKERS COVERING TOPICS:
PRODUCT DESIGN
ADVANCED MODELLING
3D PRINTING AND RAPID MANUFACTURING
SIMULATION AND ANALYSIS
DESIGN VISUALISATION
WORKSTATION TECHNOLOGY
BRONZE SPONSORS SILVER SPONSORS GOLD SPONSORS

E
x
P
A
n
d
E
d

E
x
h
I
b
I
t
I
o
n

d
u
E

t
o

h
u
g
E

d
E
m
A
n
d

L
A
S
T

S
T
A
N
D
S

A
V
A
I
L
A
B
L
E

TM
F O R A 3 D W O R L D
APRIL_D3DLive.indd 25 2/4/14 14:42:13

NVIDIA

QUADRO

#1 IN THE HEARTS, MINDS, AND
WORKSTATIONS OF DESIGNERS
EVERYWHERE
8864_3D_DeveloperAd_FNL.indd 1 3/25/14 4:51 PM
Insight
uk.insight.com
Tel: 0844 846 3333
Scan Computers
www.scan.co.uk
Tel: 0871 472 4747
Misco
www.misco.co.uk
Tel: 0800 038 8880
Jigsaw
www.jigsaw24.com
Tel: 03332 400 888
To learn more visit www.pny.eu/quadro or http://pny.quadrok-selector.com/
2014 PNY Technologies. The PNY Technologies logo is a registered trademark of PNY Technologies.
2014 NVIDIA Corporation. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo, NVIDIA Quadro are trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved. All company and product names are trademarks
or registered trademarks of the respective owners with which they are as sociated. Features, pricing,
availability, and specications are all subject to change without notice
NVIDIA
Quadro
graphics cards are the most trusted in the world,

empowering 80% of design professionals to do their best, most important
work across the widest range of applications. Quadro solutions can help
you accelerate your workows, enhance your results, and maximize your
productivity, whatever conguration, model size and complexity, or
views you use.
NEWS
3D Systems ships the ProJet 1200, a new member
joins the DEVELOP3D team, Dell re-thinks the mobile
workstation and the winner of our workstation survey
COMMENt
Having come across the 1961 US patent for Lego,
Tanya Weaver considers the appeal of this humble brick
YOUR DEVELOP3D
Tell us what you think. This month: 3D printing for the
professional, inventions and an ode to engineering
FEAtURES
Visual design guide: 5th generation MakerBot Replicator
Product design showcase: Planes
COVER StORY Concept designer Daniel Simon
60 second interview: Mark Shayler
How two brothers developed the Mcor 3D printer
Preview of DEVELOP3D LIVE 2014
REVIEWS
SpaceClaim 2014 SP1
MSI GT60-20K mobile workstation
DEVELOP3D SERVICES
DEVELOP3D JOBS
tHE LASt WORD
With a sodden notebook, Al Dean wonders whether the
best way of working is a combination of analog and digital
APRIL 2014 ISSUE NO. 57
8
12
15
16
18
22
27
28
32
49
53
54
55
60
The wood used to produce this magazine
comes from Forest Stewardship Council
certifed well-managed forests, controlled
sources and/or recycled material

CONtENtS

CAM & CNC
SPECIAL REPORT
p07_D3D_APRIL14_contents.gc.indd 7 2/4/14 19:57:54
8 APRIL 2014 DEVELOP3D.COM

NEWS

NEWS

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT NEWS
Al Dean considers what this type of small, nimble 3D printer means for industry
T
he Projet 1200 was one of the
most interesting 3D printers to be
launched last year. While the entry-
level saw all of the action
and the high-end saw further
increases in materials, build capability and
speed, this 3D printer may have slipped by
all but a few particularly considering the
sheer volume of products that 3D Systems
announced between CES in January 2013 and
Euromold in December 2013.
The ProJet 1200 is a small form factor
stereolithography (SLA) machine, and that alone
makes it unique. While the FormLabs SLA machine
is similarly desktop bound, this is something else.
The build volume is 43 x 27 x 180mm and it builds
at incredible levels of detail.
Layer resolution is around 585dpi resolution and
layer thickness is 0.03mm. It uses Digital Light
Processing chips also found in Envisiontec 3D
printers.
The material for the machine is limited to a
single offering at present. This takes the form
of the VisiJet FTX, a special purpose UV curable
resin intended for casting, whether in the medical/
dental sectors or in the jewellery industry. It has
a zero ash burn out property specially formulated
for this purpose.
Build speed isn't confrmed, but 3D Systems
quotes that a jeweller could create fve intricate
rings in under two hours.
The machine is priced at $4,900 and the material
packs $495 for ten.
According to 3D Systems, a single material pack
will provide enough material to print up to 14
dental wax ups, which are around the size of an
adult tooth.
Yes, the material is proprietary. Yes, its probably
more expensive than other 3D printers in the same
price bracket (in terms of material cost), but that
would be missing the point.
This is a specialist device aimed at a very special
set of needs. If youre working in the dental or
jewellery feld, you dont make your money by
tinkering with a 3D printer. You make it with good
design (whether thats aesthetic, in the case of
jewellery, or patient suitability, in the medical side)
and quick turn around.
It's these types of smaller, lower cost machines
that will allow those that stand to make the most
of 3D printing to do so, particularly when it needs
to ft into an existing workfow or process.
There's also potential for 3D Systems to use some
of its specialist knowledge in UV curable resins to
build more capability into this type of machine so
it expands outside of its current niche.
3Dsystems.com
THE RISE OF THE 3D PRINTING APPLIANCE:
3D SYSTEMS SHIPS THE PROJET 1200
W
ere extremely excited
to announce that Denise
Greaves has joined the
DEVELOP3D team as
director of sales and
marketing North America.
Denise brings with her a wealth of
experience in sales, marketing and business
development, especially in exhibitions, which
promote emerging technologies. She also
has a proven track record and will be central
to driving our plans for further expansion
into the US market and strengthening our
considerable US community.
I have been a big fan of X3DMedia for
some time, says Denise. Im drawn to
the quality coverage of technology tools
and workfows for design, engineering and
manufacturing.
"In this age of media aggregation,
DEVELOP3D cuts through with original
content a clear and compelling voice for
its community. I am more than thrilled and
honoured to be part of the team and expect
great things to come for the US market.
Based in Boston, MA, Denise helped launch
SPAR Point Group, which hosts conferences
and provides news, research and analysis
on the business and technology of 3D laser
scanning. More recently she was business
development manager for Meridian
Associatess 3D laser scanning and BIM
practice serving clients.
DEVELOP3D expands with North American sales operation
Accelerate your concept design for more innovaton,
beter collaboraton and faster tme-to-market.
For further informaton on features
and benefts please visit
www.ntcadcam.co.uk/solidworks-mechanical-conceptual
Or call us on 0800 018 6957
Simplify Conceptual Design
...with SOLIDWORKS
Mechanical Conceptual
Enabling Designers and Engineers to Realise their Full Potental
NT CADCAM NEAR YOU
Aberdeen Birmingham Bristol Manchester Newcastle Norwich Oxford Shefeld Strling Swansea
SOLIDWORKS Mechanical Conceptual gives you a fexible,
innovatve, conceptual design process. Complementary to
SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD sofware you can solve design
challenges, develop, verify and present your concept
before easily transitoning to building part and assembly
structures. Access your data via the cloud so development
teams can communicate from anywhere, anytme to easily
innovate and collaborate.
SOLIDWORKS Mechanical Conceptual can:
Generate ideas quickly, try variatons, and optmise
mechanical operaton.
Automatc background simulaton
Real-tme analysis during design confrm model
operatons
Rapidly evolve from 2D concepts to 3D designs
Automatc mapping of sketch relatons into assembly
mates and moton drivers
Defne design then receive automatc alerts if it fall
outside specifed parameters
Connected on the Cloud and Built for Collaboraton
SOLIDWORKS Mechanical Conceptual is:
Conceptual - Instnctve - Connected - Social
AVAILABLE FROM NT CADCAM NOW!
NT Cadcam Ad.indd 1 02/04/2014 09:47
D
ell is looking to tap into
the entry-level mobile
workstation market with
its new Precision M2800.
With prices starting at
$1,199 the company believes it can
move budget conscious students and
designers away from standard laptops
by oering an aordable, fully certied
workstation.
The Dell Precision M2800 comes with
a 15.6-inch UltraSharp display available
in HD or FHD (1,920 x 1,080). Weighing in
at 2.56kg it is lighter and slimmer than
the Dell Precision M4800 (2,88kg), but a
fair bit heavier than the ultra mobile Dell
Precision M3800 (1.88kg).
Based on Dells business focussed Latitude
chassis, the Dell Precision M2800 has a
dedicated docking station port. To connect
up to an external display there is HDMI
and VGA, but no DisplayPort. It features a
standard keyboard, keypad and trackpoint
as well as a numeric keypad, useful for
engineering and design.
In terms of spec, theres a choice of Intel
Core i5 or i7 CPUs (quad core) up to 47W,
16GB RAM, and up to 1TB storage with space
for an mSATA and 2.5-inch drive
Graphics centres on the AMD FirePro
W4170M GPU with 2GB of dedicated GDDR5
memory. By choosing this entry-level GPU
Dell certainly has AutoCAD users is its
sights, but we reckon it should be adequate
for small to medium assembly modelling in
3D CAD tools like SolidWorks and Inventor.
Dell also lists PTC Creo as a certifed app.
www.dell.com/precision
Dell standardises on the low cost FirePro W4170M GPU to
encourage price sensitive designers to part with their laptops
The new Dell
Precision M2800
should be suitable
for small to
medium assembly
modelling
DELL RE-THINKS THE ENTRY
LEVEL MOBILE WORKSTATION
CAD software
tested for virtual
workstations
D
ell is making a massive
push for the growing virtual
workstation market,
teaming up with major CAD
software developers to
deliver its new Dell Wyse Datacenter
for Virtual Workstations solution. The
rack-based technology is designed to
give engineers and designers secure
and central access to their data and
graphics-rich CAD tools from any
location on almost any device.
Dell is working with Siemens PLM
Software, Autodesk, PTC and Dassault
Systmes to certify standard confgurations
of its new virtual workstation solution
for NX, Inventor, SolidWorks and Creo.
The idea is that design and engineering
frms will be able to invest in these
recommended confgurations, which
include both hardware and software, and
have confdence that they will be stable and
deliver good performance.
Confgurations optimise CPU power,
memory and other considerations. The
virtual workstation solution can be
deployed using Dell Precision R7610 rack
workstations or Dell PowerEdge R720 rack
servers with Nvidia GRID K1 or K2 graphic
cards on the VMware Horizon View and
Citrix XenDesktop platforms. Users can
connect via a diverse set of endpoints
including desktops, laptops and tablets, Dell
Precision tower and mobile workstations,
and Dell Wyse thin and zero clients.
Dell has also opened a Workstation
Virtualisation Centre of Excellence (CoE)
in Round Rock, Texas to offer a physical
location and remote access capabilities
for customers and software developers to
evaluate the benefts of running their CAD
and other 2D and 3D applications on an end-
to-end virtual workstation solution.
tinyurl.com/DellWyse
Nvidia has unveiled a dedicated
ray-trace rendering box designed
specifcally to accelerate Nvidia
Iray-enabled applications,
including DS Catia, Bunkspeed
Drive and 3ds Max.
The Nvidia Iray Visual Computing
Appliance (VCA) combines eight top-
end Nvidia GPUs, CPUs and software
with a view to massively accelerating
the photorealistic rendering tool.
Each Nvidia Iray VCA plugs into the
network and can be linked together
to produce a whopping big render
farm for ray tracing in near real time.
With the Iray VCA Nvidia is going
for simplicity and scalability.
Each $50,000 box includes all the
hardware and software you need and
Nvidia claims little or no technical
support is required. Software includes
the Iray VCA Cluster Manager, which
dynamically allocates Iray VCAs to
meet workload demands.
Meanwhile, Nvidia has announced
that the VMware Horizon desktop-as-
a-service (DaaS) Platform will now be
powered by Nvidia GRID technology.
DaaS on GRID will bring graphics
rich 3D CAD to virtual desktops and
applications via the cloud.
www.nvidia.com/irayvca
NVIDIA UNVEILS EIGHT GPU APPLIANCE FOR RAY TRACE RENDERING
Ray trace rendering in near
real time: 19 Nvidia Iray VCA devices slice
through a complex Honda engineering model

NEWS

Fujitsu, a Japanese
information and
communication technology
company, has adopted
the PTC Service Parts
Management solution
to achieve a consistent
domestic and overseas
planning process, centrally
manage its parts inventory
and standardise processes
ptc.com
Altair has released the
HyperWorks 12.0 Student
Edition. This free CAE
suite, designed especially
for students, can be
found online at the Altair
Academic Training Centre.
On-demand interactive
support is also available
through the Academic
Support Forum
altairuniversity.com
Global IT company KISTERS
is supporting mobile users
with its new 3DViewStation
product family. This
powerful 3D CAD viewer
allows users to easily view,
analyse and communicate
3D CAD data using
mobile devices including
smartphones, notebooks
and tablets
viewer.kisters.de/en
Software developers
Luxion and KeyShot
reseller INNEO Solutions
are hosting a dedicated
KeyShot TechForum
on 17 April 2014 at
INNEO Solutions' offces
in Wootton Wawen,
Warwickshire. Attendance
is free of charge
inneo.co.uk/d3d-press-
keyshot-techforum
Theorem Solutions has
launched its 3D PDF
Publisher and Publish 3D
plugin for CATIA V5. Users
can now easily create
documentation containing
interactive 3D data
published directly from
native V5 data, which can
then be viewed using Adobe
Acrobat Reader
theorem.com
ROUND
UP
New member joins Altair Partner Alliance
S
eac02, developer of the real
time rendering and augmented
reality software LinceoVR,
has joined the Altair Partner
Alliance (APA) in a bid to
expand the programs simulation
oering.
LinceoVR renders 3D models in real
time and will help HyperWorks users bring
models to life with tracking for augmented
reality technologies.
LinceoVR will enable our engineering and
design customers to visualise their concepts
and products in real-world environments
and even interact with them, says James
Dagg, chief technology offcer at Altair.
This will take product design to a whole
new level and is the perfect addition to our
3D modelling and visualisation software
lineup.
altairalliance.com/seac02
With its drag-and-
drop interface, the
LinceoVR allows
for the delivery
of interesting
Microsoft Kinect
applications
D3D Workstation Survey 2014 iPad winner
E
arlier this year we asked our
readers to ll out an online
questionnaire regarding their
workstation congurations
to help us work out what is in
common use today and what we should
be reviewing in the future.
All entries were put in a prize draw to
win an Apple iPad Mini 16GB, the winner
of which is Andrew Daykin, design &
applications engineer at polymer solutions
company Trelleborg.
I look forward to exploring design and
engineering apps on the iPad as well as
reading your excellent reviews/features on
your website, says Daykin.
Integration between Evolve and KeyShot
S
olidThinking Evolve, the
Industrial design software, has
a new live link to KeyShot, the
real-time rendering application
from Luxion.
LiveLinking enables continuous updates
to KeyShot scenes directly from Evolve,
which could help users speed up their
design processes and eliminate the rework
associated with design changes.
Users can apply materials, real-world
lighting and animations to the model
through simple drag-and-drop operations
while seeing the results in real-time.
Evolve and KeyShot complement each
other beautifully, says Thomas Teger of
Luxion. Both may be used on either Mac
or PC, and both harness a design workfow
that enables faster creation of 3D visuals
from design conceptualisation through
manufacturing, including the development
of imagery for sales and marketing.
The KeyShot Integration for solidThinking
Evolve is available free of charge and is
included in solidThinking Evolve 2014.
solidThinking.com/Evolve
With this
integration,
changes to the
model in Evolve
will automatically
update the
geometry in
KeyShot

COMMENT

improved coupling means for clamping
such building bricks together in any desired
relative position thus providing for a vast
variety of combinations of the bricks for
making toy structures of many dierent kinds
and shapes. (For those whod like a more
in-depth description of this coupling visit
google.com/patents/US3005282).
Interestingly, Legos founder Ole Kirk
Christiansen, a carpenter who set up his
wooden toy company Lego, from the Danish
phrase leg godt which means play well,
in 1934 cant be credited with inventing
this building brick. He rather adapted the
Kiddicraft Self-Locking Building Brick, which
was patented by British inventor Hilary Fisher
Page years earlier. But having bought the
rights to the Kiddicraft block, discovering ABS
plastic and purchasing an injection moulding
machine (apparently the rst moulding
machine in Denmark for toy production) and
his business took a whole new turn.
So, essentially a toy empire has been built
o one little brick. And thats no exaggeration
as Lego has been named Toy of the Century
by both Fortune Magazine and the British
Toy Retailers Association. But what keeps it
so successful and makes us love it so much?
It cant just be the oldies encouraging their
kids to play with Lego because of nostalgia for
a childhood brand.
No, Lego has reinvented itself and rather
successfully at that, despite a blip in the
early 2000s when things werent looking
quite so rosy. From introducing mini gs in
1978, educational toys in the 1980s, the rst
LEGOLAND family park in 1996, online games
in 2010, girl-specic Lego Friends in 2012,
and Lego MINDSTORMS EV3 in 2013, Lego has
remained relevant to children, especially in
our digital age.
Its a company I admire too because its
built on strong brand values. I remember
interviewing one of its 180 designers for issue
three of DEVELOP3D (yes, that was six years
ago). Mike Ganderton, who at the time was
working on the Bionicle product line, said
that Lego is a rewarding product to design
because its purpose is to give kids enjoyment
and allow them to express their creativity.
P
lay-Doh, Meccano
or Lego? A question
posed to each of our
60 second interview
candidates (this issue
its on page 27). Id say
nine times out of ten
the answer is Lego.
In fact, my answer would be Lego
too. Although this is more by process of
elimination than favouritism. Ive never
played with Meccano and my mom wasnt that
keen on us playing with Play-Doh. A pliable
toy that could be squashed into crevices,
trodden into the carpet and swallowed was
a no-no, although I have swallowed a Lego
brick or two and can conrm that its no fun
standing on one when barefoot.
So, it was a big yellow box of Lego for
us, which acquired more pieces with each
birthday and Christmas. It would be tipped
out onto the carpet, providing endless hours
of play for my sister and I as we snapped
together and pulled apart these colourful
bricks immersing ourselves in imaginary
worlds.
And I think this is the appeal for most the
remembrance of the creativity it aords.
Actually, the Denmark-based company
boasts that six 2x4 pieces can be combined
915,103,765 ways.
It also doesnt matter when you bought
your set because Lego pieces of all varieties
constitute a universal system. In other words,
those made in 1958 will still interlock with
those made today.
So, why this sudden interest in Lego? Well,
I saw the original 1961 US Lego patent
popping up on the internet recently. The
reason being that a gallery in Florida
The Oliver Gal Artist Co. has sourced the
patents of a number of inventions, including
the Toy building brick 1961, and reworked
them into large framed prints. (Theyre pretty
cool actually).
A quick search on Google Patents and I
came across the original description for this
patent, which goes into quite some detail
showing just how clever it actually is. the
principal object of the invention is to provide
We all seem to love Lego but what is
it about this humble brick that has
captured the imaginations of so
many generations of kids? Inspired
by the discovery of the US 1961
patent Tanya Weaver takes a look
Tanya Weaver is the special projects editor
at Develop3D. She hasnt bought Lego in years
but that may soon change as shes got wind
of the fact that there is a beekeeping themed
Lego set. tanya@x3dmedia.com
So long may kids enjoy Lego and, of course,
adults too, as one of our previous 60 second
candidates David Fisher admitted: I still buy
Lego sets for myself and have three kids who
try to steal it from me when they nd the kits
stashed in my studio.
In fact, Lego has an acronym for such like
you AFOL (Adult Fans of Lego) and you can
admit your addiction in the LUG (Lego User
Groups) club. Find one online now. You wont
be alone.
The original Lego
US patent for a toy
building brick led
in 1958 and granted
in 1961
Better Structural Designs
Design lightweight in, instead of engineering mass out.
Inspire is easy to use structural optimization that works
with all major CAD tools
An Company

Learn more at solidThinking.com/D3D
DEVELOP3D.COM MARCH 2014 3D29
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
SPONSORED BY:
3D PRINTING FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
Resolution
x, y & z axis: 12, 12, 100
(0.0004in, 0.0004in, 0.004in)
Colour
1 million+ colours (CYMK
4 cartridges including black)
x, y & z axis: 5760 x 1440 x 508dpi
Build Size
A4 Paper: 256 x 169 x 150mm
Letter Paper: 9.39 x 6.89 x 5.9in
Build Material
A4 Standard Ofce Paper 80gsm
(160gsm ply colour only)
US Letter Standard Paper 20lb
(43lb ply colour only)
Layer Thickness
0.1 mm (0.004 in) and 0.19mm
(0.007in ply colour only)
Recyclable Parts/Materials
www.mcortechnologies.com
Orange is just one of
the million colours you
can bring to life.
lowst cost
eco-friendly
tru colour
ourabl parts
3D PRINTING FOR PROFESSIONALS.indd 29 4/3/14 17:14:07
Your DEVELOP3D
3D PRINTING FOR THE
PROFESSIONAL SUPPLEMENT
MARCH 2014
Al, congratulations on the best, and most
detailed discussion of 3D Printing that
I've seen. Too many journals, including
professional ones, seem to simply believe
the hype.
An exceptional issue. You couldn't
spare the time to do an equally excellent
discussion of the Hype vs Reality of the
Scottish Independence Issue could you, as
all us electorate are getting at the moment
is hype and emotion, with the facts hidden.
I live in hope.
Chris Gay, Fife, Scotland
TANYA WEAVER COMMENT
ON INVENTION
MARCH 2014
Your views on 3D printing for the professional, inventors and an ode to engineering
First of all, Tesla was a much greater than
Edison and I'm disappointed he didn't make
your list.
Secondly, many great inventors of the
past either went crazy or broke. That's not
a life choice many people would deem as
successful by today's standards.
Scott W
ON TWITTER
Impressed with new issue of @develop3d
shame it can't be distributed everywhere
so everyone can understand what 3d
printing is & its limits.
@eastdesign
You can get it everywhere simply register
for free and download here: develop3d.
com/downloads/
Just read @develop3d 3D Printing issue,
great info and articles #TopStuff
@LidSec
Finally blocked out an hour to read @
develop3d 's #3dprinting edition! Lots of
good stuff, but just love 1st entry in the
jargon buster ;-))
@RPES12
@develop3d I nally got a chance to sit and
read my copy. A thoroughly researched and
unbiased view of all things #3Dprinting.
Nice!
@MarkDurbin104
Oh and I forgot to say, @develop3d also
has a denition of "BRE" in #3DPrint
jargon :) @Bre
@MarkDurbin104
@develop3d's latest issue is packed with
great #3DPrinting content. I can't wait to
dive in!
@dsp39
BY POST
ODD ODE TO ENGINEERING
My mum says an architect
has drawn the plans for the extension.
I wonder who then makes the plans
for the trains and other inventions?
Who makes the electricity
for the lights to shine?
And for the kettle to work?
It comes to my mind
And who designed that lamp
and the box it came in?
Who made our car
and who thought of this zip?
Is there an invisible job
nobody can see?
My mum answers to me,
smiling, with a cheeky grin:
The people who think
of all these things,
they are called Engineers,
Engineers like me
Amaya Munoz, a design engineer and
mum of two
To read the rest of this ode visit our blog at
develop3d.com
Amaya Munoz requested at the end of her
ode that the engineer reading her ode
donate old copies of DEVELOP3D to local
schools so pupils can read interesting
stories about engineering

FEEDBACK

Got an opinion on
anything that has
(or has not) appeared
in the magazine or
online? Let us know
what you think
Greg Corke
greg@x3dmedia.com
Facebook
/develop3d
Twitter
@develop3d
Web
develop3d.com
Linked In
DEVELOP3D group
Letters may be edited
15 APRIL 2014
CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION
WARWICK ARTS CENTRE, UK
REGISTER NOW FREE
DEVELOP3DLIVE.COM
BRONZE SPONSORS SILVER SPONSORS GOLD SPONSORS PRINCIPAL SPONSORS
VISUAL DESIGN GUIDE
5TH GEN MAKERBOT
REPLICATOR
LCD SCREEN
The frst few generations of Replicators
had LED matrix displays which gave very
little in the way of input and control on the
device. The new LCD screen and associated
controls give the user greater control and
assistance with both maintenance and
print job set-up directly on the device
without squinting at a low res display
removable
bUIlD PlaTForm
MakerBot users are used to hacking their
build platform whether its trying different
industrial tapes to get better adhesion or
new materials (glass is common). The new
platforms in the Replicator are removable
but look a little more proprietary than usual,
making these hacks more diffcult
NeW eXTrUDer
Its not just a glue gun tip on a CNC
machine anymore. MakerBots new
extruder is easy to swap and replace.
Itll give you feedback about the state of
your build and when flament runs out
itll pause the print, so you dont waste
time. Itll also communicate with the
connected apps on your desktop and
your smartphone
assIsTeD
levellINg
Levelling the platform is the bane of
anyone that runs an FDM machine at the
entry-level of the market. While its not
automated (as is found in newer products
from other vendors) theres greater
feedback and more precision
al Dean dissects this desktop 3D printer
BACK TO BASICS:
3D COMPONENT
TECHNOLOGIES
11% bIgger
bUIlD sIZe
The build platform is a respectable
252 x 199 x 150mm, which can build
at 100 micron (thats 0.01mm) layers
to give high res prints. The machine
is also PLA plastic only many in
the professional space might wait it
out till a dual extruder/ABS variant
becomes available
ON BOARD
CAMERA
A built-in camera gives you
constant feed of images showing
your build in progress. Or, rather,
lets you spot when things have
gone awry. With the MakerBot
app this will also include real-time
monitoring via a smartphone
PrICe
$2,899 (inc VAT) for
delivery from the US or
via a more local reseller,
of which there are many
This is to do with the Whitworth thread
prole coming back into vogue, isnt it?
Not that sort of component. Its all about
the tools that CAD vendors use to build
their oerings to the market.
You mean, like C++ or whatever?
Not exactly. Most software in the design and
manufacturing space relies on component
technologies. This means that they license
in technology from other providers to
save them having to expend the eort to
develop it themselves, to bring in specialist
knowledge and to gain an edge over their
competitors.
Oh. Im with you. So its not something
that I would license and use per se, rather
something thats inside the tools I use?
Bang on.
So why do I care?
Thats a very good point. For the most part,
most users dont care and shouldnt need
to. The average CAD user doesnt really care
what modelling engine their CAD system
uses, what graphics or translation libraries
are used. But this is a very good reason why
its worth keeping an eye on.
Go on then, whats that reason then, clever
clogs?
If a company announces the introduction
of a whole slew of new technology, its
worth nding out what that tech is based
on. If they developed it in-house, then itll
probably remain either unique to that tool
or itll take competitors a while to catch up.
If its licensed from a third party, it could
end up in your tool at some point.
Perfect example is Polygonica. This is
the basis of SpaceClaims new 3D print
prep module. It brings a set of tools
that arent available in most mainstream
design systems for handling mesh data.
If thats useful to your workow, it makes
SpaceClaim interesting. But if you know
that its licensed, theres a chance those
same handy tools will end up in your
toolset at some point too so you dont
need to worry about it quite so much
CONNECTED DEVICE
Previous generations required an SD Card to load
the build fles. That changes with the Replicator
5th Gen. Now, youve got serious options. USB
stick, USB cable or ethernet are order of the day.
Wi-f printing will come with a software update in
the near future
FIlameNT baY
No longer do you have the flament
spool sticking out the top of the
device. Now its top loaded and
concealed directly in the unit. This
will mean that the non-branded
flament stock will need to be
respooled to the appropriate spool
PRODUCTDESIGNSHOWCASEPLANES
The windowless passenger
cabin will be covered
with thin display screens
embedded into the wall
This month Tanya Weaver takes a look
at some of the latest innovations that are
currently or will soon be taking fight
DEVELOP3D MONTH 200X 19

PROFILE

PRODUCTDESIGNSHOWCASEPLANES
SUPER
SPEEDY
F
or those who lament the loss of the
Concorde from our skies, fear not as there
is a new supersonic jet in the making.
The brainchild of Vik Kachoria, an MIT
graduate, serial entrepreneur and passionate
aviator, the S-512 will transport 12-18
passengers at a crusing speed of Mach1.6
(thats 1,100 mph) enabling them to reach
their destinations in literally half the time. So,
New York to London in three hours and LA to
Tokyo in just eight hours.
So far Spike Aerospace, the aerospace and
engineering rm Kachoria has released
renderings and a few tidbits of information but
is keeping the exact specications, development
and resources very close to its chest.
One piece of info, however, is the inclusion
of a windowless passenger cabin. Instead of
windows the interior walls will be covered with
thin display screens embedded into the wall.
There are several reasons for removing
the windows from the cabin, says Kachoria.
It has long been known that the windows
cause signicant challenges in designing
and constructing an aircraft fuselage. They
require additional structural support, add to
the parts count and add weight to the aircraft.
But until recently, it has not been possible to
do without them.
With the micro-cameras and at displays
now available, Spike Aerospace can eliminate
the structural issues with windows and
reduce the aircraft weight. In addition, the
very smooth exterior skin will reduce the
drag normally caused by having windows.
But passengers could still see whats
happening on the outside via cameras
surrounding the jet that will display the views
on the screen. Alternatively, they could dim
the screen, watch a lm or view a PowerPoint.
Spike Aerospace is currently building up its
engineering team but dont get too excited
just yet as delivery is still 5 to 7 years away.
spikeaerospace.com
20 MONTH 200X DEVELOP3D
The e-Gos very lightweight but
strong construction is achieved
using ultra-thin carbon fbre and
foam. The empty aircraft weighs
115kg, 23kg of which is an adapted
Wankel engine from Rotron
ONE OF

A KIND
S
even years ago aeronautical
engineer Giotto Castelli
entered his concept for a light
aircraft into a national aviation
competition. Having won he
co-founded e-Go Aeroplanes
in Cambridge with the aim of
bringing his design to life.
The e-Go, which undertook its
rst test ight in October 2013,
has remained true to the initial
vision of creating a design-led light
single seater aircraft that is fun to
y with low running costs.
I believe the canard design
(small front wing) can oer
great manoeuvrability and
ecient aerodynamics, explains
Castelli. The e-Go adds to that
an impressive eld of view and
a very compact airframe with
simple lines which the air likes as
much as the eye does. This also
allows the weight to be kept to an
absolute minimum.
The 50,000 planes go into
production soon and will be
delivered to customers by 2015.
e-goaeroplanes.com
The 2Seas UAV aircraft weighs
just 20kg and features 3D
printed parts central wing
box, fuel tank and engine
mountings with the wings and
tail made from carbon fbre
EYE IN

THE SKY
E
ngineers at the University
of Southamptons DECODE
group (an EPSRC-funded
project looking at Design
Environments for Complex
Designs) have been using
leading edge manufacturing
techniques, including 3D printing,
for a number of years in the
development of UAVs.
The latest UAV (unmanned
autonomous vehicle) project the
group has been working on is the
EU-funded 2Seas aircraft. The
aim is for this 20kg craft with its
four metre wingspan to carry out
surveillance of two seas the
English Channel and the North
Sea for risks to shipping, illegal
operations, search and rescue etc.
The heart of the craft is a huge
integral fuel tank. This is a very
busy multi-functional part that
was designed in SolidWorks and
could only have been made using
3D printing techniques, says
Professor Jim Scanlan, DECODEs
principal investigator.
southampton.ac.uk/~decode
IDEAS SHOULD RACE FROM
DESIGN TO TESTING.
NOT FROM ONE MACHINE TO ANOTHER.
Lenovo
recommends Windows
7 Professional.
for any editorial, photographic or typographic errors. All images are for illustration purposes only. For full Lenovo product, service and warranty specications visit www.lenovo. com The
following are trademarks or registered trademarks of Lenovo: Lenovo, the Lenovo logo, For Those Who Do and ThinkStation. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Core, Core Inside, Xeon and Xeon Inside
are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other company, product, and service names may be trademarks or service marks of others. 2012 Lenovo.
WWW.LENOVO.COM/THINKSTATION
Meet the all-powerful Lenovo ThinkStation. Unlike other
workstations, these machines are built to handle everything
from design to simulation - meaning you can get your
concepts up and running on a single machine.
www.thinklogic.co.uk/workstations
0845 4751155
Lenovo ThinkStation E32
Intel Xeon processor E3-1200v3 Product Family
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
Tower or Small Form Factor chassis
Up to 32GB RAM
Intel or NVIDIA Quadro Graphics
3 year On Site Warranty
Prices from 525 Excl VAT
Lenovo ThinkStation S30
Intel Xeon processor E5-2600v2 Family
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
Tower or Small Form Factor chassis
Up to 256GB RAM
Up to dual NVIDIA Quadro Graphics
3 year On Site Warranty
Prices from 720 Excl VAT
020 3178 6467
www.bios-it.co.uk
OUT
THIS
WORLD
The Light Cycle,
one of the vehicles
Daniel Simon
designed for the
Tron: Legacy flm
THIS
OF
WORLD
Tanya Weaver chats to DEVELOP3D Lives keynote speaker
Daniel Simon about how he goes about creating and visualising
vehicles for worlds past, present, future and imagined
s far as job titles go, Daniel Simon has
to have one of the coolest: Hollywood
concept designer and automotive
futurist. His vehicle designs have
featured in lms such as Tron: Legacy,
Captain America: The First Avenger,
Prometheus and Oblivion. But is
working in Hollywood as glamorous as its cracked up to be?
Its not glamorous at all, laughs Simon, who despite
being a native German has a denite American twang
having lived in Los Angeles for the past six years.
Its way less glamorous than car design where many wear
suits and nice shoes and work in studios that could grace the
pages of architecture magazines. Hollywood doesnt even
have design studios you often get thrown into cheap rented
spaces and you have to bring your own equipment. Also,
unlike the car design industry, there is no set workow.
Basically, its a very high prole chaos.
But how did he land in Hollywood and get bestowed the
title of one of the most in demand concept designers in the
world today?
Well, it all started at the age of three and his obsession with
drawing. This hobby continued until he was 15 when he
came across the work of a car designer in a magazine, which
triggered the realisation that he could make a living from
drawing cars.
He went on to study transportation design at the
University of Applied Science in Pforzheim, Germany
before landing a job as a concept designer at the Volkswagen
Group.
Although his day job entailed drawing conventional cars
for this world, in his spare time his imagination began to
travel to other galaxies. The inspiration came from watching
Star Wars for the rst time as an adult and being captivated
by the spaceships. He soon started sketching his own
spaceships and fantastical vehicles.
I think designers in general never really grow up. I dont
think I ever really grew up in a sense that I dont accept the
world the way it is. For instance, if you see an incredible
building or a bridge you know that someone thought of it
but someone else could have thought of it dierently.
So, I dont really accept things as they are because I know
they could have easily been dierent and with that approach
everything becomes transparent, like in the Matrix lm. A
paradigm shift where you start seeing the world dierently.
BOOK DEAL
After a few years Simon had quite a collection of vehicles
and decided to build a website, before many other artists, to
simply have his drawings accessible when visiting family
and friends. To his surprise, he attracted quite a following,
including a publisher in California who suggested he

PROFILE

1 Daniel Simon
discussing his vehicle
designs for the flm
Captain America: The
First Avenger with
production designer
Rick Heinrichs and
director Joe Johnston
1
2 Creating surfaces for the Masucci

X-7 car, featured in the The Timeless
Racer book, using 3D NURBS modelling
in Autodesk Alias
3 The BubbleShip, a unique fying

machine created for the 2013
blockbuster Oblivion
4 Daniel Simon worked closely with

a team of prototyping specialists
at Wildfactory to construct the
Bubbleship
HOW IT BEGINS
Simon starts all projects o with sketching, but the amount
of time spent on this early stage has become less and less.
In the movie world, 3D visualisations and renderings have
become so standard.
Im literally working on a car for a movie right now and
was only given one day of sketching before I went into three
weeks modelling because the director wants to see it in 3D
as soon as possible.
To enable him to create all these models and renderings,
Simon relies on some pretty hefty hardware, including a
BOXX Xtreme workstation powered by Nvidia Maximus
multi-GPU technology. His software choice includes
Autodesk Alias Automotive for 3D NURBS modelling and
Bunkspeed for rendering and animation.
Im not a rocket scientist, Im a typical end user who tries
to keep his focus on the artistic side, he says.
Nowadays with Bunkspeed you can almost handle the
software like a camera just set up the aperture, take care
about the colours and materials and use a light setting its
amazing times we live in really.
Depending on the job, Simon may also get involved in
the build process of his designs. In fact, this is a stage
he actually really enjoys being involved in, not least of all
because a lot of design can actually get lost in the making.
For instance, you can design a door on the computer
that works perfectly but then you nd out that it needs to be
much stronger in the hinge. So it has to be modied and still
look coherent with everything else in the design.
Its like an emergency room situation over months
trying to sustain pretty much the original design through all
the changes that come with real manufacturing.
SHIP SHAPE
All of this work generally happens before the cameras start
rolling or the actors arrive on set. However, sometimes it
overlaps as in his work for Oblivion. For this lm he was
reunited with director Joe Kosinski who gave him the brief
of creating a Bubbleship that blended a dragony with a
Bell 47 helicopter.
Little did he know at the time that this would grow into
one of the most complex development challenges of his
career. Between my rst drawing in 2009 and the lm
premiere in April 2013 about three and a half years had
passed, of which I spent over 300 days working on this ship,
comments Simon.
The Bubbleship is so prominent in the lm that it had to
be absolutely perfect, not just on the outside but the inside
too. Simon admits that the cockpit design was easily one of
the top ve most complicated things he has ever had to do.
It rstly involved working with Tom Cruise, the actor
whod be ying the craft, as it would be designed specically
to t him with all controls within reach.
I needed over three iterations to nd the best layout,
publish a book of his work.
He did just that and in 2007 Cosmic Motors was
published. It received worldwide attention, even from the
likes of GQ and Top Gear magazine, and was stocked in
bookshops globally. By that time Simon was working as a
senior designer for Bugatti Automobiles but his life was
soon about to change when an email from Hollywood
landed in his inbox.
The email was from Joe Kosinski, the director of the
forthcoming Tron:Legacy lm. It was short but to the point
hed seen Cosmic Motors in California and would Simon
like to join their team.
It was one of the outstanding moments of my life,
remembers Simon. It just blew my mind.
Six months later he landed in LA and was driven straight to
Disney Studios where he joined about ten designers in the
art department as a concept vehicle designer. I actually got
quite a lot of responsibility on the lm so it was a ridiculous
start. I pretty much started in lm from 0 to 100 in one day
and had to learn lots of movie insider stu pretty fast.
This paved his path to work on other Hollywood lms but
as Simon describes, project briefs are very specic and dont
always allow for much creative leeway.
Believe me, scripts often contain a terrifying amount
of detail. So whenever I do work for a movie its not really
my design, its my interpretation of what the director or
screenwriter wants.
2
3
4

Hollywood
doesnt
even have
design
studios
you often
get thrown
into cheap
rented
spaces and
you have
to bring
your own
equipment
5 Daniel Simon published his frst

book Cosmic Motors in 2007
6 In 2013 he published his second

book The TImeless Racer: Episode
1. This book, also published by
DesignStudioPress, is bigger at
30.5cm x 35.5cm
praise enough for their craftsmanship. Those are some of
the best times of my life, taking pressing design decisions
in a workshop sometimes way after midnight, he smiles.
BOY RACER
Although Simon enjoyed working on Oblivion, once the
project was complete he felt it was time to lay the lm work
aside for a couple of years and return to his own ideas.
I had worked in service for four continuous years and
there was the fantasy of doing something like Cosmic
Motors again where it is all my own ideas. Risky but truly
fullling.
So, he embarked on The Timeless Racer and this time
his imagination took him to a racing world that exists
between 1916 and 2615. His protagonist, the ctional
racing car driver Vic Cooper, time-travels back and forth
during these 699 years to compete in challenging races. His
epic tales are accompanied with stunning renderings of the
cars as well as maps of the track.
As part of his design process, and proving just what a
stickler for detail he is, before committing to 3D Simon
would create 1:4 scale models of his designs. These
polystyrene prototypes were used to check the shapes and
proportions, which he says is impossible to judge on screen.
In total, 4,500 hours elapsed from rst idea to the
complete large-scale picture book landing on his desk from
the publishers. It launched at the beginning of 2014 and by
March had reached the number one spot as the best selling
car picture book on Amazon US, a fact that Simon is very
humbled by. Its wonderful to know that there are people
out there who appreciate my work, he says.
As well as lm projects and publishing books, Simon
also works as a consultant with one of his most recent
projects being as the lead designer for the rst ever Lotus
Motorcycle the Lotus C-01. He has also just launched his
rst apparel line with a poster line coming next, he is at the
early stages of developing an augmented reality app for The
Timeless Racer vehicles, hes in the middle of a new lm
project and not to mention jetting out to the UK to speak at
DEVELOP3D Live on 15 April.
But the big question is, what does a famed vehicle
designer such as himself drive around in? Somewhat
surprisingly, although he loves ash fast cars, he doesnt
own one. At the moment the paychecks ow back into
my ideas.
We all make choices, so I rather invest in my fantasy
machines than putting gas into a real car that somebody
else has designed. But one day I will join the club of cool car
guys, and I cant wait, smiles Simon.
danielsimon.com
Daniel Simon is the keynote speaker at DEVELOP3D Live taking place
at Warwick Arts Centre on 15 April. For more info on the speaker line
up and how to register for free visit page 32 or go to develop3dlive.com
admits Simon. The seating position also heavily
inuenced the cockpit layout, since the seats can rotate 360
degrees and needed complex clearance with the cockpit
frame and doors.
Other design considerations included ensuring it was
structurally robust to withstand the harsh conditions of
Iceland, where a lot of the lming was going to take place,
as well as disassembly for easy transportation.
The part lines on the engine pod arms are in the precise
location to t the fuselage into the only commercial plane
ying to Iceland from California, he explains.
Following eight hectic months of 3D modelling and a
multitude of tweaks and alterations, the nal Alias model
was ready to come o the computer screen and be brought
to life.
During this build process Simon worked very closely with
the LA-based prototyping house Wildfactory, who he cant
5
6

I had
worked
in service
for four
continuous
years and
there was
the fantasy
of doing
something
like Cosmic
Motors
again
where it is
all my own
ideas. Risky
but truly
fullling

PROFILE

60 SECOND
INTERVIEW:
MARK SHAYLER
In honour of DEVELOP3D LIVE on 15 April weve brought the 60 second
interview out from its regular slot on the letters page and posed the questions
(and a few more) to one of this years speakers Mark Shayler, eco-designer
and founder of environmental consultancy Tickety Boo
Why did you become a designer?
I didnt have any choice. I wanted to
change things and therefore had to
become a designer.
I graduated in environmental
science but soon realised that the
thing that interested me was the way
people use products and services,
the way they behave, and the way
that society has become obsessed
with owning things at the detriment
to doing things. So, I learnt about
design.
Which designer or company do you
most admire and why?
I genuinely dont have heroes. Well,
apart from Daley Thompson. I admire
many companies for many different
reasons: Lamy for the design of the
Safari pen; Black and White (makers
of a hair pomade) for the fragrance
they add to their product; Dr Martens
for being my friend since I was six;
Braun for having the confdence to
launch subtle and beautifully design
products; Hiut Denim for making the
best jeans in the world (the SlimR)
and aiming to get a town making
jeans again; Vivienne Westwood for
ruffing feathers and setting tartan
free; Opinel for making a knife that
feels as good in the pocket as it does
in the hand; Apple for their OS and
iOS design (not the products), and
Pilot for the fneliner pen.
What product couldnt you live
without?
There is no product that I couldnt
live without. Need and want are very
different things and if we have food,
shelter, warmth and love then thats
enough surely? That said I would be
lost without a bike and good knife
no particular brand.
What design would you have loved
to have designed and why?
Id love to have designed the safety
bike (the frst real bicycle). It stopped
interbreeding, allowed people to
travel further than 20 miles in a day,
and still flls me with delight aged 45.
Play-Doh, Meccano or Lego?
Im a child of the 70s so all three. In
the days before four TV channels let
alone the internet, making things
and imagining was all we could do
with our time. Boredom is a good
motivator to get off your arse and
do something. If youve got Lego (or
Meccano or Play-Doh) then youve got
every toy in the world.
What are your weapons of choice?
My eyes, a pilot fneliner, Keynote, a
laptop, and my brain. But you never
do your best work at your desk so Id
also say my feet.
What is missing from your toolset?
Too many to mention. Always be
learning.
Is there anything that would make
your design and development
process run smoother?
Yes, having a process would help. I
tried to map my process in my book
Do Disrupt: Change the Status Quo
or Become it and in so doing realised
that I help other people apply the
process but often forget to apply it in
my own work.
Whats the most annoying thing
youve discovered about a product
youve dissected?
Most products I take apart have been
designed by an accountant rather
than a designer. Cost and value have
been confused. We know the price of
everything and the value of nothing
and accountants rule the world. Its
bloody depressing. I see the inside
of things. I see the end of things.
I see products that are less than a
year old failing. How must that make
designers feel?
How did you fnd sustainability as
a passion?
It found me. As soon as I understood
that the word eco is shared with
economy and that it comes from the
Greek Oikos for home I realised that
its not about the environment, rather
that we are the environment. This
isnt about being a hippy, its about
being happy without being selfsh.
What would you say is the biggest
challenge facing designers?
Where to begin? There are so many
problems and challenges, which all
bring their own opportunities too.
The predicted move of three
billion people from working to
middle-class by 2030 will create
signifcant resource, economic and
environmental challenges. The
bourgeoisifcation of society will
mean that we need to do more with
less, will need to design products
better so that they use less resources,
last longer and are driven by different
ways of making money.
The future is in the East. China and
Africa wont just make things they will
design them too and so there is an
impending crisis in the design world
as the centre of gravity of design
innovation moves East.
Then we have the shift from product
to service. This is a good challenge;
we need to redesign user experiences.
It will be less about products and
more about the way we use them.
Less about ownership and more about
membership. Less about thoughtless
consumption and more about
thoughtful consumption. This requires
a different set of design skills that we
need to develop super-quickly.
Can you predict any future trends?
We will see a return of manufacturing
to Europe and the US but it will take
the near economic collapse of the
consumer society frst. We own twice
as much stuff as we did in the 70s but
are no happier. This is scary stuff.
We will also see a return of practical
skills, of apprenticeships, of making.
This will be a beautiful blend of the
traditional and the modern.
If you were hosting a dinner party
who would you invite and why?
My old mate Steve Manifold who is
one of the funniest people Ive ever
met. Banksy so he could doodle on
some napkins. James Victore because
he is a great and inspirational guy.
Elvis circa 1960 so I could introduce
him to the paleo diet. Daley
Thompson no explanation required.
Jesse Owens because he humiliated
Hitler at the 1936 Olympic Games.
Nelson Mandela because he didnt just
show racism was wrong, he showed it
was irrelevant. Dick Fosbury because
he created a new way to jump. My
wife Nicola who makes my heart
beat faster with just a look. David
Attenborough because he knows
things. My nan because shes 90 and
doesnt get out very often.
Do you want gravy with your
burger?
After a visit to Speedys cafe in
Euston with Al Dean I dont ever want
gravy with my burger again. When
I see burger on the menu I expect a
bun. That was a funny lunch. Funny
because the food was odd and funny
because we didnt stop laughing
from when we met to when we said
goodbye. But we should have gone to
Diwana on Drummond Street.
Lets talk about the shoe problem
Life is too short for boring shoes. I
stand on the platform at Tamworth
train station and see a sea of boring
shoes. I look down at my own and
see leopard skin creepers or gold
pumas or pastel blue kickers or
handmade Northampton brogues or
white docs and I know itll be a great
day. My friend Steve Edge says dress
every day for a party and the party
comes to you. Hes right. Wear great
shoes, be nice to people, work hard,
remember to play, live well, ride your
bike, do yoga, talk to people and life
will be sweet.
In his DEVELOP3D LIVE presentation
Design is a super-power Mark
Shayler will be discussing how we need
to be concerned with answering the
right brief, with doing better things
rather than doing bad things better.
Mark Shayler hasnt
decided what he
wants to do when
he grows up but he
has been working
on developing
better products and
improving business
since 1989. He also
thinks life is too short
for boring shoes
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
All of this was literally doodled and discussed one weekend
during Christmas 2002 when Fintan was home for the
holidays. Although, thousands of miles apart when he ew
back to Philadelphia, they were still very much working on
their technical challenge.
I had a young child at the time and Id come back from
my regular job, put my child to bed and then start working.
Fintan was ve hours behind me and we would literally just
work into the early hours, remembers Conor.
We used three to four dierent packages one to do voice
(this was pre-Skype of course), one to share a desktop and
another to share a screen. So we could sketch on the screen
and talk ideas through.
Whilst Conor was working away on the mechanical design
M
any a successful company has sprung
from an idea doodled on a napkin or piece
of paper. Compaq Computer Corporation
(Hewlett-Packard), Apple and Ford, for
instance. Now Mcor Technologies can be
added to that list as twelve years ago a doodle by two Irish
brothers led to the creation of a paper-based 3D printer.
To be honest, Fintan and myself are rst class geeks,
laughs Dr. Conor MacCormack, the younger of the two.
We used to, over the summers when we were younger
and then in our spare time when we got older, keep
notebooks and do brainstorming sessions together. Wed
pick a problem and then wed challenge ourselves to come
up with a solution to x it.
Twelve years ago Fintan MacCormack was living in
Philadelphia. A qualied aircraft mechanic he had moved
there to study electrical engineering at Temple University.
Having remained after his studies he was working at
Kulicke and Soa Industries, a wire bonding specialist in
the semi-conductor industry.
Whereas Conor MacCormack had remained in Dublin
where he gained a PhD in mechanical engineering from
Trinity College. He was working at Airbus at the time on an
A380 development programme.
OUT OF REACH
Conor had come across 3D printing technology rst at
college and then at Airbus but realised that it was out
of reach for many, not only because the machines were
extortionately priced, but the running costs were through
the roof. So, the challenge the brothers set themselves was
to come up with an accessible and aordable 3D printer.
We asked ourselves what if we could build a machine
where the running costs were zero? And that became the
goal, says Conor.
To add to this technical challenge, they threw eco-
friendliness into the mix too. What we really wanted to
do was upset the status quo by inventing a machine that
everybody wanted to use, he chuckles.
While most 3D printing technologies build models
from expensive plastic or chemically infused powder, the
brothers wanted to use ubiquitous A4 and letter oce
paper as the build material. For us it was very important
for people to lean over, pull a couple of reams of paper out of
the photocopier or printer and stick it into a 3D printer.
Also, my gut feeling of the industry at that time was
that the majority of people were using 3D printing for
prototyping. So early stage design review, form and t, etc.
If that is the case, material wasnt really important.
BROTHER TO
BROTHER
Mcor Technologies invented
the worlds only current paper-
based 3D printer. Tanya Weaver
reports on how the companys
co-founders, two Irish brothers,
went about it

PROFILE

The two brothers
behind Mcor
Technologies Fintan
(left) and Dr. Conor
MacCormack (right)
YEAR ON YEAR
Christmas 2003 and Fintan was back in Ireland where the
two set about debugging the machine before he ew back
to Philadelphia to continue their long distance (inventing)
relationship.
By Christmas 2004 they had a machine that could print
but it was half manual and half automatic with some
components having to be moved by hand. It was a real
Frankenstein of a machine, smiles Conor.
Essentially what they had invented was selective
deposition lamination (SDL). The SliceIT software would
read the digital data, or STL, from the users PC and slice
the computer model into printable layers equivalent in
thickness to the paper. Meanwhile, a page is placed inside
the machines build chamber, which acts as a base layer.
side, Fintan was occupied with the electrical and software
side of their invention. We got a board here and chips there
to allow Fintan to solder and make the electronics in his
apartment. We then shipped this o to Dublin and I did all
the mechanical stu, explains Conor.
I got the rst prototype machine built in that rst year.
When people talk about in-house machines, it was in the
front room of my house so quite literally in-house.
As Conor puts it, they really dragged this machine into
existence on their own as they went about solving all the
various technical challenges. There was no open source
community like you have today, we basically had to build
everything in the machine from scratch, which was hard at
the start but its great now as we have this fully integrated
solution that isnt dependent on other technologies, he says.
We asked ourselves what if we could

build a machine where the running costs
were zero? And that became the goal
Dr. Conor MacCormack
When print is pressed, drops of water-based adhesive

are applied selectively. In other words, a higher density is
applied in the area that will become the part. A new sheet
of paper is fed in and pressed down on the adhesive to bond
the pages together. The Tungsten carbide blade then cuts
one sheet of paper at a time, tracing the object outline to
create the edges of the part. The whole process starts again -
new sheet fed in, adhesive applied, pressed together and cut
(see diagram opposite).
Once complete, the part can literally be excavated or
weeded from the surrounding support structure using
nothing more sophisticated than common tweezers. No
dipping is required and the support structure, being paper,
can be put straight into the recycle bin. Though made of
paper, the nished models are essentially laminated wood.
The brothers realised that they had something here
but needed to know whether those in industry thought
so too. So Conors wife, Deirdre MacCormack, with her
background in marketing and advertising, carried out some
market research in Ireland, UK and the US. The feedback
was resoundingly positive.
Realising it wasnt going to happen on a part time basis, in
2005 the brothers gave up their jobs and Fintan moved back
to Dublin where they set up Mcor Technologies. They put
all the money they managed to get, including investment
from Enterprise Ireland, into one pool before locking
themselves away in a small garage to work on developing
their intellectual property.
Fintan and I maybe its because of all the years doing
this brainstorming thing we always have this belief in
what we can do technically. So we knew we could solve
the technical challenge but we never thought about the
business side. For those two years we were purely looking at
the technical challenge and that is what drove us.
By 2007, however, they had run out of money and needed
to get an investor onboard. By this time Deirdre began
working for the company on a full time basis as chief
marketing ocer. In order to get the investment they
needed, she let the cat out of the bag and wrote a few press
releases that not only led to column inches in various
publications but also an interview slot on Irish TV.
It just went crazy. Ill never forget the three of us in the
oce hearing the bing bing bing bing of emails as they
were landing in our inbox. We had two million hits on our
website in ten days and 1,800 sales enquiries globally.
We were also approached by a private investor who said
hed rather lose his money to a business than lose it to the
banks. Enterprise Ireland then came along at that point and
they gave us some additional investment, says Conor.
FINAL STRETCH
Now it was full steam ahead because although Mcor had
market interest they needed to get the production machine
nalised. But Conor realised that, as much as it needed to
be a feat of engineering on the inside, it also had to be well
designed and user friendly on the outside.
I remember having a debate with Fintan about having
tinted lexan in the windows when he thought regular clear
perspex would work just as well. But I knew the lexan would
look better and add value to the machine so went with that.
In 2010 Mcors production machine Matrix began to roll
out. By this time an investor in Silicon Valley had got wind
of what they were working away at and provided further
investment.

PROFILE

1 2
Sydney-based 3D printing
service bureau Williams
3D recently invested in an
Mcor IRIS 3D printer. The
initial appeal for Wojciech
Wawrzyniak, Williams 3D
general manager, was cost
as it enabled them to create
more physical prototypes
for clients early on in their
product development
processes.
Multiple prototype drafts
are especially valuable for
models where form and
feel are important, as in the
shape of a kettle handle.
Clients need to grip the
design in their hand before
they can approve it, notes
Wawrzyniak.
Multiple 3D printed
prototypes on the Mcor
IRIS make perfect sense for
applications like these.
He was also attracted
by the machines colour
capabilities the ability to
print more than one million
hues simultaneously.
Since theyre made of
paper, Mcor IRIS full-colour
models are easy to mark
up with a pen or pencil
as theyre passed around
a table during design
reviews, adds Wawrzyniak.
The paper-based 3D
printers environmental
credentials, in that no
fumes or high heat levels
are emitted, also means
that its the only 3D printer
in Williams 3Ds feet
that operates in its offce
environment. The others
are on the 3D printing
manufacturing foor in a
climate-controlled, dust-
free environment.
The fact that were
generous with early drafts
is a clear differentiator for
us and delights our clients
who like to get their hands
on models early and often,
says Wawrzyniak.
The Mcor IRIS is the
only machine that makes
this possible. Given its
affordability, colour
capabilities and green
technology, its probably
the best in our canon.
williams3d.com.au
IRIS IN
ACTION
2 Mcors paper-
based 3D printer can
be used for a wide
variety of 3D printing
and rapid prototyping
aplications including
the printing of
durable, full colour
head models

Ill never
forget the
three of us
in the oce
hearing the
bing bing
bing bing
of emails as
they were
landing in
our inbox.
We had
two million
hits on our
website in
ten days
and 1,800
sales
enquiries
globally
3 3D printing service bureau Williams

3D has been using the IRIS to print
a range of affordable, full colour
prototypes for clients
4 The Mcor IRIS pre-prints the colour

outline of the part on each page using
a modifed 2D colour inkjet printer that
sits in the IRIS stand
This enabled the pair to work on their next invention a
full colour 3D printer called IRIS. This machine requires
an extra step from the monochrome one pre-printing the
colour outline of the part on each page using a modied 2D
colour inkjet printer before theyre fed into the 3D printer.
Conor is quick to point out that IRIS delivers true colour,
printing in more than one million colours simultaneously
(CMYK, including black). The printed colour is also
consistent with the colour on the users computer screen.
Lots of machines claim to oer true colour but its really
a blend. True full colour means that at any point and at any
time during the build you need to be able to change from
one colour to another.
MORE IN THE PIPELINE
Shipping for just over one year now, the IRIS machine has
made its home in many design studios (see box piece),
educational establishments and medical labs. In fact, this
colour printer now accounts for 95 per cent of Mcors sales.
But ultimately 3D printers are one of the tools in a tool
box there is not one 3D printer that can do everything
even though the big companies will tell you that. But if
low cost operation, high colour and eco-friendliness is
important then our technology is for you, says Conor.
Although its no longer just the two of them, the brothers
are still doodling and are very much involved in coming up
with new challenges to solve.
Even though we are in full production, we see ourselves
internally as an R&D company developing the next product.
We currently have some really innovative groundbreaking
stu in the pipeline, says Conor.
Watch this space.
mcortechnologies.com
3
4
hOW IT
WORkS
4
The frst sheet is
attached to the build
plate
The machine deposits
drops of adhesive on
the frst sheet of paper,
more in the area of
the part and less in
the surrounding area
that will become the
supporting material
A new sheet of paper
slides in, and the
machine applies
pressure to bond the
frst and second sheets
together
An adjustable Tungsten
carbide blade cuts one
sheet of paper at a
time, tracing the object
outline to create the
edges of the part
The process continues
for each layer until
the model is fnished
After the last layer is
complete, the part can
be removed from the
build chamber

EVENT PREVIEW

D
EVELOP3D LIVE, our FREE
one day conference and
exhibition, is just a step
away. This year we have a
fantastic line up of industry
speakers, designers, engineers, and software
developer CEOs and CTOs to look at what is
cutting edge now and what is coming in the
not too distant future.
To help you plan your day, we have grouped
sessions into specic themes. Due to the
simultaneous nature of the conference we
strongly recommend you bring a number of
colleagues to ensure that your rm gets the
maximum benet.
Leading designers talk about innovative
approaches to product design and
engineering: including Daniel Simon,
Hollywood concept designer and
automotive futurist and Al Peasland,
Inniti Red Bull Racing;
Dedicated sessions for: 3D printing /
make; product design and engineering,
workstation technology; and design
visualisation.
Find out about the future of product
development from: Bertrand Sicot,
CEO SolidWorks; Robert Buzz
Kross, Senior vice president of design,
lifecycle & simulation, Autodesk;
Karsten Newbury, SVP, mainstream
engineering, Siemens PLM Software;
Chris Randles, SpaceClaim; Andy
Rhodes, Dell Precision Workstations
and many more.
Expanded exhibition with over 60
exhibitors (see page 37 for more info)
Tour the Warwick Manufacturing
Group to see cross-site immersive
design reviews, 3D visualisation, virtual
prototyping, laser scanners, lighting
simulation and much more.
BRONZE SPONSORS SILVER SPONSORS GOLD SPONSORS PRINCIPAL SPONSORS
L
A
S
T

C
H
A
N
C
E

T
O
r
E
g
i
S
T
E
r

d
E
v
E
L
O
p
3
d
L
iv
E
.C
O
m
F
r
E
E
Tuesday April 15 2014
8:00am registration & exhibition
opens. FREE tea / coffee.
9:30am conference starts.

Pre-registered attendees receive:
goody bag, FREE coffee and lunch.
A chance to win a VIP trip to the Formula 1
Italian Grand Prix, courtesy of Dell.
We expect big queues to process
pre-registrations so please arrive early.
Latest info dEvELOp3dLivE.com
ON THE dAy
AT A gLANCE
Immerse yourself
in million-part CAD
datasets in our
Virtual Reality room
for designers and
engineers, courtesy
of Virtalis.
The team from Fuel3D
will quickly capture
your face in 3D, then
send you the resulting
data that can be 3D
printed or modelled
in CAD.
viSiT THE vr rOOm
Take a tour of the
Warwick Manufacturing
Groups world leading
facilities. Go to the
DEVELOP3D LIVE
registration desk to
secure your place.
Learn from your peers in
our bespoke 3D printing
conference stream.
See the Stratasys Objet
Connex3 colour 3D
printer for the frst time
at its UK launch.
FuTurE mANuFACTuriNg
gET A FrEE 3d FACE SCAN 3d priNTiNg ExCLuSivE
Keynote speaker: Hollywood concept designer daniel Simon
CONFErENCE AgENdA
8:00am Tuesday April 15 2014 - registration, Coffee and Exhibition
Butterworth Hall Theatre Cinema Woods-Scawen
9:30am
Conference
starts
Keynote session 1
Welcome
dream machines for flm & life:
Tron, Oblivion & The Timeless racer
Daniel Simon
F1 Champions the digital
backbone of success
Al Peasland
11:00am Coffee and Exhibition (11:00am - 11:30am)
11:30am
Keynote session 2
3d printing / make
session 1
design visualisation
and rendering
product design
and engineering
innovation The Secret
Art of Engineering
Bertrand Sicot, SolidWorks
How 3d printing isnt going
towards the revolution we all need
Saint H
using Alias to develop super
yachts, cars and packaging
Paul Siodmok, Integer Solutions
design is a super-power
Mark Shayler, Tickety Boo
Why yesterdays solutions fail
our future engineers
Robert Buzz Kross, Autodesk
designing the ridiculous
Mike Kelt, Artem
model for Advertising
virtual photography
Keith Jeffery, Taylor James
digital artistry into
physical sculpture
Jon Reilly, Inner Freak
The mission critical
workstation of the future
Andy Rhodes, Dell Precision
presentation Title TBC
Paul Duggan, TechShop International
Too good to be true the blurring
of rendering and reality
Dave Forrester, Lightwork Design
The dyson Way
Dr Caroline J Simcock, Dyson
panel Q & A
Future of design Applications
Thiago da costa, Lagoa
Computational design meets
digital fabrication
Arthur Mamou-Mani
12:45pm
Lunch (12:45pm - 1:45pm)
panel Q & A panel Q & A
1:15pm
Lunch (1:15pm - 2:15pm)
1:45pm
Keynote session 3
3d printing / make
session 2
Workstation
technology
product design
and engineering
Take the red pill See The Truth
About 3d geometry
Chris Randles, Spaceclaim
1,000 ways to break the law with
a 3d printer and a scanner
Dr Phil Reeves, Econolyst
roboFold: parametric manufacture
Gregory Epps, Robofold powering Our Future with 3d
design & Engineering
Karsten Newbury, Siemens
rendering, compute, workstation
tuning and design
Rob Jamieson, AMD FirePro
How i became a design
entrepreneur
Jason Iftakhar, Swifty Scooters
user informed objects
A shift in the order of use
Assa Ashuach, Digital Forming
delivering performance your
software deserves
Rik Thwaites, Dell Precision
Simulation: right Tool,
right Time, right person
Derrek Cooper, Autodesk
The hardware renaissance and
how anyone can get a product
concept manufactured
Hardi Meybaum, GrabCAD
Wearables and desk draws
Steve Hughes and
Luke Guttery, Zero360
interactive CAd/CAm/CAE
workstation
technology clinic
Practical advice on buying,
upgrading and
tuning workstations
presentation Title TBC
Peter Knibbs, Jaguar Landrover
Technology driven design:
inspiring the Future
Jim Hassberger, solidThinking
panel Q & A panel Q & A
3:30pm Coffee and Exhibition (3:30pm - 4:00pm)
4:00pm
presentation TBC
Competition prize draw
5:00pm Conference ends
KEyNOTE SESSiONS BuTTErWOrTH HALL 9:30AM - 5.00PM
dream machines for flm &
life: Tron, Oblivion & The
Timeless racer
daniel Simon
Hollywood concept designer
and automotive futurist
Simon will share his thought
process and tools when
creating some of the most
detailed and believable
concepts in transportation
and entertainment.
F1 Champions the digital
backbone of success
Al peasland
Head of Technical
Partnerships, Infniti
Red Bull Racing
Al will share how Infniti Red
Bull racing uses CAD and
PLM technology to ensure
continuous development of
its cars and improve on-track
performance.
innovation The Secret
Art of Engineering
Bertrand Sicot
Chief Executive Offcer,
SolidWorks
The need for innovation and
how SolidWorks is using
emerging technologies to
deliver on its commitment to
solve users engineering and
design challenges.
Why yesterdays solutions
fail our future engineers
robert Buzz Kross
Senior vice president
of design, lifecycle and
simulation, Autodesk
Buzz will share his view of
the radical change going on
in the world of engineering
and what it means to product
development, engineers and
the tools they use.
The mission critical
workstation of the future
Andy rhodes
Executive director and
general manager, Dell
Precision workstations.
Exploring new technology
that will help users address
the requirements of more
collaboration, security, lower
cost, performance and rock
solid reliabiity.
The hardware renaissance
and how anyone can
get a product concept
manufactured
Hardi meybaum
CEO, GrabCAD
A look at crowdsourcing,
crowdfunding and the move
towards Open Engineering,
taking advantage of web
communities to accelerate
design and manufacturing
powering Our Future with
3d design & Engineering
Karsten Newbury
Senior VP for Siemens PLM
Softwares Solid Edge and
mainstream engineering
Exciting possibilities
of todays design to
manufacturing technology
and future possibilities for
engineers that Siemens is
working on.
Take the red pill See The
Truth About 3d geometry
Chris randles
President and CEO,
SpaceClaim
How SpaceClaim is taking
3D geometry from a select
few to anyone who needs
it: in design, simulation, 3D
printing, manufacturing
even sales and marketing.
Technology driven design:
inspiring the Future
Jim Hassberger
President, solidThinking
Presentation content TBC
CONFErENCE SESSiONS
3d priNTiNg / mAKE THEATrE 11:30AM - 3.30PM
How 3d printing isnt
going towards the
revolution we all need
Nicholas Odonnell-Hoare
and matt mulhern
Saint H
Why is it taking so long for 3D
printing to go anywhere good
and what are the steps to
rectify this problem so we
dont keep printing little toys
that actively go in the bin
designing the ridiculous
mike Kelt
CEO, Artem
Designing and making
products and solutions for
Special Effects, where the
deadlines are extreme, but
everything has to work and
look great!
A modern playground
for creativity
paul duggan
Managing Director,
TechShop International
TechShop is part fabrication
studio, part hackerspace
and part learning centre.
Members gains access to $1m
of pro equipment. What can
you imagine building?
1,000 ways to break the
law with a 3d printer,
scanner and a web
connection
dr phil reeves
Econolyst
In this slightly anarchic
rant, Dr Phil Reeves from
Econolyst will share some
recent thinking on the
future of 3D printing in
industry and society.
roboFold: parametric
manufacture
gregory Epps
Founder of RoboFold
How do you manufacture
a design that has 1,000s
of unique geometries?
RoboFold uses industrial
robots to shape sheet metal
without tooling.
user informed objects
A shift in the order of use
Assa Ashuach
Digital Forming

Using 3D algorithms and
sensor technology, we can
capture behaviour and
ergonomic characteristics so
the user can be at the centre
of the design process.
Wearables and desk draws
Steve Hughes
and Luke guttery
Senior VP of design and
director of product design,
Zero360
Creator of wearable
technology, Zero360, will
present its process of
creating prototypes with
the Stratasys Objet Connex3
colour 3D printer
KEyNOTE SESSiONS dESigN viSuALiSATiON ANd rENdEriNg CiNEmA 11:30AM - 1.15PM
KEyNOTE SESSiONS WOrKSTATiON TECHNOLOgy CiNEmA 2.15PM - 3.30PM
using Alias to develop
super yachts, cars and
packaging
paul Siodmok
Integer Solutions
Development of superyachts
in 3D CAD as well as examples
from Aston Martin, Infnity,
Bentley plus some complex
structural packaging and
product work
model for Advertising
virtual photography
Keith Jeffery
Taylor James
How companies can re-
purpose design assets for use
in marketing and advertising,
including the differences
between As Designed and
As Manufactured data.
Too good to be true
the blurring of rendering
and reality
dave Forrester
Lightwork Design
Software and hardware
advances mean the holy grail
of interacting with 3D models
in a truly photorealistic
environment is now within
touching distance.
design, rendering,
compute, and
workstation tuning
rob Jamieson
ISV Manager, AMD FirePro
How to choose the best CAD
workstation, how to get more
performance out of your
machine for free and how to
use your GPU to accelerate
simulation and rendering.
delivering performance
your software deserves
and your company relies on
rik Thwaites
Senior Consultant, Dell
Precision Workstation
An insight into the latest
workstation technology
for 3D CAD/CAM/CAE and
rendering, whatever your
budget, whether tower,
mobile, remote or virtualised.
CAd/CAm/CAE
workstation
technology clinic
Interactive Q & A offering
practical advice on buying
workstation technology
for CAD, CAM, CAE and
design visualisation,
upgrading workstations,
tuning workstations, and
benchmarking
prOduCT dESigN ANd ENgiNEEriNg WOOdS-SCAWEN 11:30AM - 3.30PM
design is a super-power
mark Shayler
Tickety Boo
Designers are super-heroes,
but need to do better things
rather than doing bad things
better. This presentation will
cover why design has been
hijacked, why we need to free
it, and how you can save the
world and get the girl/boy*.
digital artistry into
physical sculpture
Jon reilly
Inner Freak
The latest sculpting
techniques applied to concept
design and other industries,
plus how 3D printing can be
used to produce amazing
physical sculptures
The dyson Way
dr Caroline J Simcock,
Motors and Power Systems
Programme Manager, Dyson
A brief history of Dyson,
James story and the Dyson
design process, which starts
with frustration; looking at
something and knowing that
it can be improved.
Computational design
meets digital fabrication
Arthur mamou-mani
Principal, Mamou-Mani
Exploring the links between
computational design,
material behaviour, and
digital fabrication using V-ray,
Rhino, Grasshopper and
SolidWorks.
How i became a design
entrepreneur
Jason iftakhar
CEO and co-founder,
Swifty Scooters
Jason will introduce the
Swifty Scooters brand, their
new exciting 2014 product
range and some interesting
tips on becoming a design
entrepreneur.
Simulation: right Tool,
right Time, right person
derrek Cooper
Sr. Product Line Manager,
Simulation Products,
Autodesk
Derrek will explore new
technologies in cloud, mobile
and traditional desktop
tools that make simulation
more accessible to a wider
audience.
presentation title TBC
peter Knibbs
Jaguar Landrover
Future of design
Applications
Thiago da Costa
Co-founder and CEO of LAGOA
036 D3D Ads.indd 1 02/04/2014 09:50
AMD FIREPRO
STAND 26
The latest AMD FirePro professional graphics
cards are designed for advanced CAD/
CAM/CAE workows and simultaneous
engineering, combining complex modelling
with sophisticated rendering and simulation.
With local and remote workstation graphics,
AMD FirePro oers a range of solutions.
The AMD FirePro professional graphics
drivers are thoroughly tested, optimised and
certied for all major ISVs providing a stable
and reliable platform for engineers; so they
can work faster without the worry of constant
crashes and hardware failures.
With key benchmark wins with
SPECviewperf 12, an industry standard
workstation graphics benchmark, AMD
FirePro graphics are designed to perform
where it matters most.
www.freprographics.com
ANSYS
STAND 47
Ansys brings clarity and insight to customers
most complex design challenges through fast,
accurate and reliable engineering simulation.
The company focuses on simulating
the complete product to help customers
accurately model and condently predict real-
world performance.
Founded in 1970, Ansys employs more than
2,400 professionals, many of them experts
in engineering elds such as nite element
analysis, computational uid dynamics,
electronics and electromagnetics, embedded
software and design optimisation.
www.ansys.com/en_uk
AUTODESK
STANDS 28 + 30
Autodesk is a leader in 3D design,
engineering and entertainment software.
Customers across the manufacturing,
architecture, building, construction, and
media and entertainment industries
including the last 15 Academy Award
winners for Best Visual Eects use
Autodesk software to design, visualise, and
simulate their ideas.
Since its introduction of AutoCAD
software in 1982, Autodesk continues to
develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-
art software for global markets.
www.autodesk.co.uk
BLUEPRINTER
STAND 63
Blueprinter Aps is claimed to be the worlds
rst desktop sintering 3D printer with
patented SHS technology.
This brand new machine features a
groundbreaking technology that, according
to the company, allows customers to sinter
parts in the oce at lower temperatures,
using o-the-shelf commercial thermal print
heads. It is designed to allow end users to
print in a natural environment, with much
lower investment, producing functional parts
at very low cost.
www.blueprinter.dk
CENTRAL SCANNING
STAND 23
Now in its eighth year of trading, Central
Scanning prides itself on having developed
close working relationships with its clients
by oering an attentive, professional and
ecient service.
From teeth sized objects to complete cars
and more, Central Scanning is able to provide
a full service for 3D Scanning, digitisation,
reverse engineering or inspection as required
and has recently added the sub millimetre
Surphaser large volume engineering scanner
to its range of equipment for bureau services.
3D Scanning and digitisation can either be
undertaken in the companys temperature
controlled lab conditions, or out on site if
required by its experienced engineers.
www.central-scanning.co.uk
CGTECH
STAND 12
CGTech specialises in numerical control (NC/
CNC) simulation, verication, optimisation,
and analysis software technology for
manufacturing.
The company will feature the latest versions
of its Vericut software for both Machine Tool
Simulation and Automated Fibre Placement
(AFP) programming and simulation.
Vericut 7.3 CNC machine simulation
and optimisation software simulates all
types of CNC machining, including multi
axis milling, machining centers, mill/turn
centres, drilling and trimming, water jet
cutting and robotic machining.
Vericut is driven from post processed CNC
Code and runs standalone, but can also be
integrated with leading CAD/CAM/PLM
systems including DS Catia, Siemens PLM
NX, Delcam PowerMill, Vero EdgeCAM,
CNC Software MasterCAM, Open Mind
Hypermill and SolidCAM.
www.cgtech.com/uk
CHAOS GROUP
STAND 17
Chaos Group creates physically-based
rendering and simulation software for artists
and designers. Founded in 1997, Chaos
Group has devoted the last 16 years to helping
artists advance the speed and quality of one of
their most important tools.
Today, Chaos Groups photorealistic
rendering software, V-Ray, has become the
rendering engine of choice for many high-
prole companies and innovators in the visual
eects and design industries.
www.chaosgroup.com
CONCURRENT DESIGN GROUP
STAND 40
See the very latest 3D printing and 3D
scanning technologies on CDGs stand. The
products include the NEW Sense 3D Scanner
at, what CDG describes as, an amazing price;
the new Geomagic Capture 3D scanner
& software for professional engineering
scanning, modelling and inspection; and the
latest CubeX & ProJet 3D Printers. Plus the
new Cubify 3D CAD software tools Invent,
Design & Sculpt.
CDG can now supply seven dierent
3D printing technologies including PJP,
FTI, CJP, MJP, SLA, SLS & DMS catering
for small and large parts, and parts with
ne detail in a variety of materials. For
3D scanning, it oers four technologies
including Sense, Geomagic & Breuckmann
high-end 3D Scanners and Aicon
Photogrammetry.
www.cdg.uk.com/3d
GOLD

SPONSOR
SILVER
SPONSOR
ExHiBiTiON HigHLigHTS
SILVER
SPONSOR
PRINCIPaL SPONSOR
CONCURRENT ENGINEERING
STAND 9
Concurrent Engineering is a leading provider
of product development solutions. It helps
manufacturers optimise their globalisation,
time-to-market and operational eciency
through an integrated suite of solutions across
the product lifecycle.
Concurrent Engineering is trained and
certied in PTC solutions and can provide a
complete product development solution for
clients, comprising of products, services,
training and support. It is a Platinum-level
PTC Partner for PTC Creo, PTC Mathcad, and
PTC Windchill.
www.concurrent-engineering.co.uk
CONCURRENT SYSTEMS INC
STAND 10
CSI will be showcasing DesignDataManager,
its CAD, BOM, Document, Business Process
and Supply Chain Management tool. The
company will show how PDM/PLM can help
you to reduce engineering cost, reduce waste,
increase design productivity and take your
product to market faster.
CSI is a team of technical and business
professionals dedicated to providing
industry-leading PDM and PLM solutions
to enterprise and small business customers
since the late 1980s.
www.csi-europe.com
DELCAM
STAND 19
Delcam is one of the worlds largest specialist
suppliers of computer-aided machining
software, with its PowerMill, FeatureCAM,
PartMaker and ArtCAM programs making up
a comprehensive range of CAM systems.
Delcam also develops product design,
tooling design and quality control programs.
The companys unique approach to design
incorporates solid modelling, surface
modelling and triangle modelling in a
single program, enabling complete design
and reverse engineering projects to be
undertaken without transferring data
between software.
Delcams PowerInspect oers comparison
of parts, prototypes and tooling against CAD
data on all types of inspection equipment and
even on machine tools.
www.delcam.com
DELL PRECISION
STAND 27
Dell Precision is a leading workstation brand
in the UK. Its workstations help you reduce
prototyping costs, increase product iterations,
and achieve more accurate simulations.
AMD FirePro professional graphics
cards are constantly tested using the latest
benchmarking standards to ensure superior
price-performance for use with CAD/CAM/
CAE, Media & Entertainment, Medical and
many other workstation applications.
According to Dell its technology is:
Ready for your software, ISV certied &
optimised.
Dependable, having serviceable designs
featuring easy-access panels and optimal
air-ow chassis.
Able to continually adjust to maximise
speed and power eciency.
Ahead of the curve with unique
advantages such as performance
enhancing CacheAcceleration Software,
Dell Precision Performance Optimiser
and Dell Reliable Memory Technology.
Ready to deliver exceptional value and
performance when congured with AMD
FirePro professional graphics cards.
www.dell.co.uk/workstation
DRIVEWORKS
STAND 34
DriveWorks software is used by engineers,
sales teams, distributors and customers to
design, engineer and congure to order. It is
said to be ideal for anyone where designs (or
contracts) are the same but dierent for each
quote or each customer order.
Use DriveWorks congurator software to
respond to more enquiries, generate more
custom orders and win more business.
According to the company it will help you:
Reduce the cost of custom designs
Respond quickly to sales enquiries
Enhance product quality
Reduce repetitive tasks
And provides a scalable solution all the
way to the web with software licenses to
match your needs.
DriveWorks lets you automatically generate,
manufacturing drawings, 3D Models, and
sales documents (Including quotes) and
is used by companies worldwide from all
industries to congure and automate.
DriveWorksXpress is included in
SolidWorks 3D CAD Design Software.
www.driveworks.co.uk
DUTTON SIMULATION
STAND 43
Dutton Simulation is a UK reseller and
specialist support agent for forming
simulation, FEA stress analysis,
computational uid dynamics and
collaborative visualisation software packages.
VCollab visual collaboration software
technology is designed to reduce large CAE le
sizes dramatically for easy collaboration and
reporting locally from HPC resource located
anywhere on the planet. 3D geometry from
CAD systems including CATIA, NX and Pro/E
can be converted into VCollabs CAX les.
Other software on oer includes: NEi
Nastran, a cost eective alternative NASTRAN
solver; XFlow CFD code from Next Limit
Technologies, a new generation CFD tool;
FTI FormingSuite, which oers upfront
feasibility analysis as well as cost estimation
and optimisation for sheet metal parts; and
DYNAFORM from ETA for analysing a wide
variety of metal forming processes.
www.duttonsimulation.com
EMCO EDUCATION LTD
STAND 50
Emco oers a complete solution for 3D
printers, 3D scanners, manual/CNC and
laser cutting machines to the education and
industrial sectors.
Emco oers dierent 3D printing
technologies from 3D Systems range of
personal, professional and production 3D
printers. These include the Projet x60 series
CJP range printing full colour models and
ProJet 3500 MJM series printing hard plastic
models which, according to Emco, are tough
and accurate real parts.
Emco will be exhibiting the Projet 460Plus
colour 3D Printer and the Go!SCAN 3D which
is said to oer the easiest portable 3D scanning
experience, providing truly fast and reliable
measurements and real time STL scan data.
www.emco.co.uk
ENVISIONTEC
STAND 58
EnvisionTEC is a global provider of 3D
printing solutions for the rapid manufacture of
customised products utilising its proprietary
consumables across a variety of end markets.
The companys platform provides
organisations of any size the capability to
SILVER
SPONSOR
PRINCIPaL SPONSOR
SILVER
SPONSOR
SILVER
SPONSOR
Real parts. Really fast.
A product development team needs parts
to meet its rapidly approaching deadline.
. . . . . . . . . . .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
How
Many Parts?
2510,000+
parts
125
parts
Receive a
ProtoQuote
interactive
quote.
Finalise
quote and
submit P.O.
Receive
order
conrmation
with gate
and ejector
layout.
Approve.
Mould
design
and
milling.
Part
production.
Parts
ready
for
shipping.
From 995
Parts
ready
for
shipping.
From 50
Machining
begins.
Finalise
options,
order.
Receive
FirstQuote
interactive
quote.
Its easy to work with Proto Labs. Just upload your
3D CAD model and choose the best process for your project:
CNC machining in 13 days or injection moulding in 115 days.
Real parts in real materials, in daysnot weeks. And thats the
real story. Call +44 (0) 1952 683047 or visit www.protolabs.co.uk
Check out our
video design tips!
Visit www.protolabs.co.uk/parts today to receive your FREE
copy of our comprehensive comparison of rapid prototyping
technologies. Enter source code EUD314
Upload
3D CAD le.
Rapid Prototyping Technologies
Proto Labs 2014 ISO 9001:2008 Certied
D3D 297 x 210_new_Layout 1 14/01/2014 14:28 Page 1
rapidly manufacture true to life and functional
duplication of any CAD rendering. With
nearly 18 U.S. and 91 international patents,
EnvisionTEC works with a strong customer
and partner base in jewellery, automotive,
dental, medical, sporting goods, aerospace
and consumer packaged goods.
www.envisiontec.com
EPITOMY SOLUTIONS LTD
STAND 13
Epitomy provides software solutions to UK
manufacturers and distributors of complex
capital goods. The company helps its
customers make the most of their product
data by providing a range of modular
solutions from electronic parts catalogues and
product data management to email marketing
and customer-facing commerce sites.
Epitomy will be demonstrating its solutions
for 3D visualisation and downstream CAD
re-use, including the use of 3D PDF and XVL
as lightweight intermediate formats for supply
chain collaboration and design review.
Epitomy partners with Tetra4D and
Lattice Technology, who provide tools for
3D visualisation and digital collaboration.
Epitomy incorporates these tools into its main
solutions and, as a value-added reseller, also
oers them to the UK market.
www.epitomy.com
EPLAN
STANDS 14 + 15
EPLAN is an electrical engineering design
program, oering options for the planning
and documentation of electrical design
projects. The EPLAN platform supports
interdisciplinary work, from uid and process
engineering to harness and enclosure design.
EPLAN is designed to automate time
consuming tasks such as wire numbering,
device tagging, cross referencing and error
checking. Furthermore, users are given access
to the EPLAN Data Portal, for the import of
over 340,000 schematic drawings and parts
documentation managed by 51 leading
manufacturers including Siemens and
Rockwell Automation.
The company will be demonstrating EPLAN
Harness proD, a 3D tool for the construction
of wire harnesses. It includes automated
tool that calculate bundle diameters and
wire lengths, route wires, perform collision
checks, generate documentation and create
2D nailboard drawings. The application can
also synchronise data from mechanical and
electrical construction systems.
www.eplan.co.uk
ES TECHNOLOGY
STAND 53
ES Technology is the UK distributor for
Concept Laser a metals technology for Additive
Manufacture. The company will showcase
parts built using this 3D print technology
from a range of machines supplied by Concept
Laser, for industries including: Jewellery,
Dental, Aerospace, Automotive, all in a range
of metals including Bronze, Silver, Stainless
Steel, Titanium and Aluminium.
www.estechnology.co.uk
EUROPAC 3DIMENSIONAL
STANDS 48 + 49
With over 20 years experience in 3D scanning
and printing, Europac3D has an install base
of more than 200 systems throughout the UK,
providing equipment and software training.
The company also oers a bespoke scanning
service to capture in 3D almost any object
for: reverse engineering, prototyping, 3D
inspection, 3D printing, rotatable web
imagery, rigging for animation, and archiving
Europac3D operate a full 3D printing service
and is a reseller for the complete range of 3D
Systems 3D printers. New models include the
ProJet 4500 Full Colour Plastic Printer and the
ProJet 5500X Multi-Material 3D Printer.
Europac3D will also be showcasing blue
light laser scanners new to the company.
www.europac3d.com
FARO
STAND 6
FARO develops and markets computer-
aided coordinate measurement devices and
software. Portable equipment permits high-
precision 3D measurements and comparisons
of parts and compound structures within
production and quality assurance processes.
The devices are used for inspecting
components and assemblies, production
planning, and inventory documentation,
among other uses.
FARO provides a range of measurement
arms, CAD-based measurement and
reporting software as well as the software
SCENE for 3D documentation.
At DEVELOP3D LIVE FARO will exhibit its
latest portable FARO Arm Edge with LLP and
its recently launched FARO Focus3D X330
Laser Scanner for 3D measurement and 3D
image documentation.
www.faro.com
FUEL3D
STAND 57
The Fuel3D handheld scanner is a point-
and-shoot 3D imaging system that captures
extremely high resolution mesh and colour
information of objects. It is said to be the rst
3D scanner to combine pre-calibrated stereo
cameras with photometric imaging to capture
and process les in seconds.
At DEVELOP3D LIVE, Fuel3D will be
oering free head scans for all delegates. The
resulting data can be used for 3D printing or
use in 3D modelling software.
www.fuel-3d.com
GOM UK LIMITED
STAND 31
The GOM ATOS 3D scanner is developed
for the reverse engineering and dimensional
control of components. According to the
company, fast, accurate, GOM scans are
now an established way of reducing product
development times and ensuring highest
quality components.
Applications include, producing accurate
STL les for reverse engineering; rendering
GOM scans directly in visualisation software
to remove the need to create CAD models;
inspection of parts to verify geometry for
prototype, production or RP parts.
www.gom.com
HDR LIGHT STUDIO
STAND 20
CAD renders deserve the best custom lighting
to perfectly reveal the form and materials of
your designs. HDR Light Studio is designed to
provide an easy and fast route to the perfectly
lit shot be it for a design review or the
highest quality images for marketing.
bRONzE
SPONSOR
GOLD

SPONSOR
bRONzE
SPONSOR
Until now, using a CAD system to design wire harnesses was
no easy task. Calculating wire lengths, manually producing
production documentation and performing endless alterations
to prototypes can be time and labour intensive. With Harness
proD this is a thing of the past. Automation is integral to
the software, from calculating bundle diameters and wire
lengths, routing wires, performing collision checks, generating
documentation and creating 2D nailboard drawings.
The software aids the 3D confguration of control cabinets,
virtual 3D wiring, NC data for wire assembly and copper rail
confguration.
The EPLAN platform connects control confguration and
3D control cabinet assembly facilitating a consistent data
exchange, increasing project quality and accelerating the entire
engineering process.
Tel: 01709 704-100
www.eplan.co.uk | info@eplan.co.uk
Intuitive defnition of cable and wire harness routes within the
3-dimensional space
Simple adoption of wiring lists and connection information from
EPLAN
Fully automated routing of wires and cables on previously
defned paths
Tracking of all wire harness elements which belong together,
such as wires, cable shoes, connectors
Automatic placement of plugs and seals
Checks on minimum bending radii, cross sections and wire
harness collisions and checks on bundle
Automatic generation of delivery date and material
calculations, weight calculations and wiring and parts lists
Gold Sponsor of
Develop 3D Live 2014
Visit us at Stand 14 / 15
An innovative 3D tool for the development
of wire harnesses.
A CAE solution for the 3D engineering of
control cabinets and switchgear systems.
HDR Light Studio connects live with all
leading design viz software: V-Ray for Rhino,
Bunkspeed, KeyShot, Maxwell Studio,
Showcase Pro, VRED, 3ds Max, MODO, Maya
and many more!
www.hdrlightstudio.com
INNEO
STAND 32
INNEO, a leading PTC reseller and
implementation partner it delivers software
solutions and services for product design,
PDM and PLM as well as rendering solutions
to more than 3,800 customers in the UK,
Germany and Switzerland.
INNEO oers a complete solution
comprising software and consultancy services
together with PTC certied training and
dedicated hotline for support. .
INNEO will showcase the latest in CAD/
CAM/PDM/PLM and IT solutions. Its expert
team will be presenting: PTC Creo 2.0 for
3D design; PTC Windchill PDMLink: for
Product Lifecycle Management and CAD Data
Management; and KeyShot for rendering
and animation. In addition INNEO will show
Startup TOOLS and GENIUS TOOLS Model
Processor which are designed to help improve
workow and administration of your systems.
www.inneo.co.uk
ITI TRANSCENDATA
STAND 7
ITI TranscenData is a central source for
CAD Data Exchange and PLM Integration
Solutions. Since 1985 it has partnered with
leading CAD/CAM/CAE/PLM vendors to
assemble a suite of software products and
related services all aimed at eliminating
non-value-added time and costs associated
with reusing product data, and maintaining
data integrity and value.
ITI TranscenDatas interoperability
solutions include: Prociency for intelligent
3D feature based translation and automated
re-mastering of parametric CAD data from
one CAD system into another; CADx:
for 3D CAD model translation, repair and
simplication; DrawtoPMI for automatic
conversion of legacy associated 2D and
3D les to 3D models containing Product
Manufacturing Information; and CADIQ, for
the comparison of 3D CAD model data and
the validation of engineering processes.
www.transcendata.com
LAGOA
STAND 54
Lagoa is claimed to be the worlds rst web-
based platform for photoreal 3D visualisation
and collaboration. Its proprietary rendering
engine harnesses the power of the cloud
to deliver a stack of sophisticated tools like
real-world materials, advanced lighting
and physically accurate cameras at what the
company describes as blistering speeds.
The browser-based interface allows teams to
collaborate in real time.
home.lagoa.com
LASER LINES
STAND 1
Despite what you read daily in the press, not
everything in life can be 3D printed! However
the possibilities of what can be achieved is
ever expanding. Laser Lines says it takes a
no-nonsense approach to addressing your 3D
printing and Direct Digital Manufacturing
requirements oering up-to-date, real world
advice and guidance.
With a portfolio containing the full range
of Stratasys 3D printer solutions, Laser Lines
oers a tailored solution to meet the needs of
its customers, whether it be functional models
in real engineering grade thermoplastics or
ne detail parts for product evaluation.
www.laserlines.co.uk
LIGHTWORKS
STAND 33
Lightworks Iray+ provides customers
requiring photographic quality visualisation
with integrated rendering for their application
or workow. The company will be showcasing
how it can enable highest quality, physically
accurate ray trace visualisation, for use in
Online Conguration, Virtual Showrooms
and with your CAD applications.
www.lightworkdesign.com
LUXION
STAND 29
Luxion is a leading developer of advanced 3D
rendering, animation and lighting technology
and the maker of KeyShot. The real time
ray tracing application uses a physically
correct render engine based on scientically
accurate material representation and global
illumination, KeyShot is designed to break
down the complexity barriers of creating
photographic images from 3D models.
www.keyshot.com
MALCOLM NICHOLLS LIMITED
STAND 51
Rapid prototyping company Malcolm Nicholls
Limited (MNL) oers concept models through
to fully operational working prototypes, for all
market sectors.
Hi-tech rapid prototyping methods include
Stereolithography (large frame through to
Hi- res), Selective Laser Sintering, Fused
Deposition Modelling, & 3D Colour Printing.
The company also boasts traditional model-
making skills, vacuum casting and integrated
project management.
www.mnl.co.uk
OR3D
STAND 5
OR3D specialises in providing on and o
site laser scanning for part inspection and
CAD reverse engineering projects with a
range of laser scanning equipment that
covers building and interior scanning,
through to sub millimetre accurate
scanners, for high precision manufacturing
and engineering.
OR3D claims to provide a complete solution
from scan data acquisition through to
processing the data to generate native CAD
models in SolidWorks, Inventor, NX, Creo
and CATIA. The company is also a sales
and training partner of Geomagic software
and hardware and will be demonstrating
scan based design, inspection and freeform
modelling applications.
www.or3d.co.uk
PHYSICAL DIGITAL
STAND 11
Physical Digital handles 3D scanning of
products or components. The company
says customers will benet from the latest
non-contact 3D scanning equipment, exible
software that produces data in whatever
format you need, and a friendly, approachable
team who work hard to help you keep to
budgeted costs and delivery schedules.
Services include: reverse engineering,
quality control, 3D design, Computer Aided
Engineering and Digital Archives
www.physicaldigital.com
bRONzE
SPONSOR
bRONzE
SPONSOR
bRONzE
SPONSOR
POLYGONICA
STAND 42
Polygonica is a solid modelling software toolkit
for processing polygon meshes on STL models.
The software features an automatic solid
healing algorithm, which allows solids with
gaps to be closed and self-intersections
to be xed without the need for manual
intervention.It also includes a Boolean
engine and other algorithms that allow solid
simplication, slicing, sectioning and spun
prole calculation.
Polygonica has a wide range of applications,
particularly in additive manufacturing and 3D
printing, but also in CAD/CAM/CAE, reverse
engineering and other 3D digital applications.
www.polygonica.com
PROTO LABS
STAND 35
Proto Labs delivers functional prototypes in
production intent materials with a view to
dramatically cutting the cost and time normally
associated with product development.
Protomold delivers injection moulded
parts from moulds manufactured utilising
state-of-the-art high-speed CNC machining
technologies.
Firstcut satises the need for functional
prototypes much earlier in the development
cycle for quantities of 1-10+, delivering
functional prototypes in engineering grade
resins, aluminium, copper and stainless steel.
www.protolabs.co.uk
ROLAND DG
STAND 3
Roland will be showing the latest in desktop
fabrication machines, including new products
for 2014. The company will aim to show how
CNC milling is the most versatile and cost
eective prototyping option you can invest in.
Roland DG Corporation is a worldwide
manufacturer of milling and engraving
machines, 3D scanners, photo impact
printers, jewellery wax model makers, wide-
format digital ink-jet print, print-and-cut
devices and computerised vinyl cutters.
www.rolanddg.co.uk
SAMSUNG SSD
STAND 22
The Samsung SSD 840 EVO was designed to
deliver more speed and reliability. With the
new Samsung Data Migration Tool 2.0, it is
also much easier to setup and install.
According to Samsung, with upgrades to
NAND, a new controller and rmware, the
840 EVO has superfast responsiveness under
everyday workloads. The Solid State Drive also
features Samsungs TurboWrite technology
for faster sequential write performance.
www.samsung.com/uk/ssd
SIEMENS PLM SOFTWARE
STAND 24
Siemens PLM Software is a world-leading
provider of product lifecycle management
(PLM) software. The company helps
companies optimise their lifecycle processes,
from planning and development through
manufacturing and support.
Siemens PLM Software understands how
products are getting more complex, as are
the processes to build them and sees how
this is aecting its customers. It sees how
the pace of product decision-making is
increasing faster than the capacity to absorb
information. And it has been actively working
to address these challenges. Thats why, two
years ago, it embarked on a new vision called
High-Denition PLM.
At the event the company will be
highlighting the products from the NX, Solid
Edge, Teamcenter and Tecnomatix portfolios.
www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_gb/
SOLID PEOPLE LTD
STAND 45
Solid People is a specialist CAD recruitment
company. Its sta have worked with design
tools, helping them understand clients needs
and match candidates quickly and accurately,
without sending a bin full of CVs.
Solid People would like to meet both
companies looking for their next designer, and
designers looking for their next career move.
www.solidpeople.co.uk
SOLIDTHINKING
STAND 8
solidThinking Inspire enables design
engineers, product designers, and architects
to create and investigate structurally ecient
concepts quickly and easily.
solidThinking Evolve allows industrial
designers to develop forms faster, using either
Windows or OSX. It enables users to capture
an initial sketch, explore styling alternatives,
and visualise products with realistic
renderings generated in real time.
solidThinking software is also available as
part of the Altair HyperWorks suite.
www.solidthinking.com
SOLIDWORKS
STAND 21
Software from SolidWorks, a Dassault
Systmes brand, is said to deliver an intuitive
experience in product design, simulation,
publishing, data management, and
environmental impact assessment.
SolidWorks focuses on ease-of-use with a
view to allowing more engineers, designers
and other technology professionals than ever
before to take advantage of 3D. More than
two million product designers and engineers
worldwide use SolidWorks to bring their
designs to life.
www.solidworks.co.uk
SOLUTIONIX
STAND 41
Solutionix, the developer of structured-light
3D scanning systems, will preview the latest in
its comprehensive range of 3D scanners.
The compact and portable Crossover
Scanner, the RexcanCS+ represents the very
latest in the eld of high-accuracy, aordable,
structured-light scanning.
Scanning demonstrations will also feature
the high-resolution Rexcan 4 (including
the new LED projection systems) plus the
Rexcan-DS2 and Medit Identica Blue high
performance desktop scanners, which have
been developed specically for small-objects.
www.solutionix.com
SPACECLAIM
STAND 2
SpaceClaim claims to develop the best direct
modelling solution for engineering and
manufacturing.
According to the company, the software
is easy to learn and use and is completely
CAD-neutral. It enables engineers and
other professionals to rapidly create new
designs or manipulate and edit existing 2D
and 3D geometry, without the complexity of
traditional CAD.
www.spaceclaim.com
bRONzE
SPONSOR
GOLD

SPONSOR
bRONzE
SPONSOR
GOLD

SPONSOR
6 EDITIONS
200 ATTENDEES
50 SPEAKERS
from leading international
companies including BMW,
Airbus, Fujitsu and JLR.
MODULARITY MASTERING COMPLEXITY
INTERNATIONAL USERS MEETING
12
th
> 13
th
MAY 2014 | TRIESTE, (ITALY)
um14.esteco.com A UNIQUE FORUM FOR DISCOVERING THE MOST INNOVATIVE DESIGN OPTIMIZATION STORIES
Comet L3D 1MP 8MP
Blue Light Fringe Projection
High Accuracy
LED Light Technology
Outstanding Accuracy &
Repeatability
Fast Measurement Speed

Hand-Held Laser Scanner
High Measurement Accuracy
Large Measurement Volume
Tactile Probing

Portable Surface Defect Inspection.
Can be automated.
Extremely fast measurement
cycle Times.
Highly precise

Comet 6 16MP
T-Scan CS Hand Held Laser System
with T-Track and Touch Probe
Meet Steinbichler UK Ltd at Develop 3D Live 2014 on the 15
th

of April, Warwick University Arts Centre. Find us on Stand 38.
www.steinbichler.co.uk
Tel: +44(0)1527 837283
Abis Optimiser
Surface inspection System
Comet L3D 1MP
8MP
Steinbichler UK Ltd
The latest technologies
in 3D Digitising

Fast Reliable Efficient
45 D3D Ads.indd 1 02/04/2014 10:18
STEINBICHLER
STAND 38
Steinbichler GmbH is a specialist in
non-contact measurement technology.
Steinbichler UK Ltd oers optical and laser-
based systems for Surface Inspection, 3D
Scanning and Digitisation, Automation and
NDT technology for a variety of applications
such as metrology, quality control, inspection,
reverse engineering and prototyping.
The companys references include major
companies within the Aerospace, Automotive,
Research, Electronics, Medical and
Engineering sectors.
At DEVELOP3D LIVE Steinbichler UK will
be exhibiting the Comet L3D 8MP system.
www.steinbichler.co.uk
STRATASYS
STANDS 55 + 56
Stratasys is a manufacturer of 3D printers and
materials. Formed in 2012 by the merger of
3D printing companies, Stratasys and Objet,
the companys patented Fused Deposition
Modelling (FDM) and PolyJet 3D printing
technologies produce professional-grade
prototypes and manufactured goods directly
from 3D CAD les or other 3D content.
Stratasys recently launched a colour, multi-
material 3D printer the Objet500 Connex3.
Set for its UK debut at DEVELOP3D Live, it
features a triple-jetting technology, enabling
users to mix three base materials to print
up to 46 dierent material properties and
colours in one part, all in a single print job.
www.stratasys.com
STRATEGIC SIMULATION
& ANALYSIS (SSA)
STAND 4
SSA provides software, training and consulting
services in Computer Aided Engineering and
carries out product simulation using Finite
Element Analysis and multiphysics.
The company is a reseller for the DS Simulia
product range which includes Abaqus.
Abaqus provides a solution for many analysis
types using implicit and explicit solver
technologies, including linear, non-linear,
buckling, thermal and CFD.
www.ssanalysis.co.uk
SYS SYSTEMS LIMITED
STAND 39
SYS Systems supplies and supports Stratasys
3D printers across the UK and Ireland Stratasys
is the brand-of-choice for BAE Systems,
Bentley, the University of Oxford and others.
Desktop rapid prototyping capabilities
will be demonstrated with an Objet30 Pro,
which can print in a choice of seven dierent
materials for form, t and functional testing.
Additive manufacturing will be
demonstrated with a Stratasys Fortus 250mc
system, capable of rapid manufacturing in
production-grade materials.
www.sys-uk.com
TATA TECHNOLOGIES
STAND 18
Tata Technologies, founded in 1989, is a global
leader in Engineering Services Outsourcing
and Product Development IT services to the
global manufacturing industry.
According to the company, eective PLM is
about implementing the right combination
of people, data, processes, technology and
infrastructure to optimise the product lifecycle.
www.tatatechnologies.com
TEBIS
STAND 46
Tebis develops CAD/CAM solutions for the
automobile and aircraft industry as well as their
subcontractors from the styling, model making,
tool and mould manufacturing sectors.
More than 8,200 systems have been
installed at more than 1,950 sites world-
wide, including automobile manufacturers
such as Audi, Daimler, BMW, VW, Opel,
Ford, Seat, Volvo, Jaguar Land Rover, Honda,
Toyota & Hyundai.
Tebis philosophy of software products covers
CAD and CAM, featuring especially eective
functions to the manufacturing related
aspects of design.
www.tebis.com
THE FOUNDRY
STAND 25
From product design and engineering to
visualisation, art and imagery for marketing
and advertising, The Foundry has customers
using its software to create amazing
illustrations and objects all around the world.
MODO is used extensively for all kinds of
design and visualisation work while MARI
and NUKE are also popular choices for large
scale texturing and image manipulation.
www.thefoundry.co.uk
TRI-TECH 3D
STANDS 36 + 37
Tri-Tech 3D is a leading provider of Stratasys
3D printing systems within the UK and
Ireland, oering both Objet PolyJet and
Stratasys FDM 3D printing technologies.
The company oers the complete range of
Objet Desktop, Objet Eden and Objet Connex
multi-material 3D printers, including the
complete line-up of Stratasys Mojo, Stratasys
Dimension and Fortus Direct Digital
Manufacturing systems.
VIRTALIS
STAND 60
Virtalis says it can help you develop an
innovative way to market, demonstrate and
sell your product, process or service using
Stereoscopic 3D VR in a wholly immersive
and interactive environment.
The company can wrap your products in
feature-rich virtual worlds, allowing you
to view them in context and demonstrate
operability and construction at 1:1 scale.
As well as oering VR across the full
product lifecycle, the company also focuses
on elements beyond the initial design and
prototyping of a product into manufacturing,
marketing and training.
www.virtalis.com

VISUALIZER
STAND 16
The Visualizer plugin is designed to provide a
fast, uid, & easy way to create a photographic
version of your 3D conceptual designs.
The software is said to emphasise simplicity,
so you dont have to be a rendering expert to
create vividly-real results. According to the
developers, if you can move a 3D object or
camera in the viewport, then you already know
how to use Visualizer. You also dont need
to run it on an expensive workstation says
the developer, as the plugin is optimised to
perform well even on low-end PCs and laptops
Visualizer currently supports Autodesk
Maya and Neon for McNeel Rhino, with more
applications in the works.
www.getvisualizer.com
VOXELJET
STAND 52
voxeljet is a leading manufacturer of industrial
3D printing systems and operates what it
believes to be one of Europes largest service
centres for the on-demand production of
molds and models for metal casting.
voxeljet SYSTEMS business division
focuses on the development, production
and distribution of 3D printing systems
from smaller entry models to large-format
machines.
voxeljet SERVICES custom parts service
centre creates sand moulds and plastic models
based on CAD data on demand.
www.voxeljet.com
bRONzE
SPONSOR
bRONzE
SPONSOR
More about the FARO Focus
3D
X 130 at: www.faro.com/focus
The new powerful high-speed FARO Laser Scanner Focus
3D
X130 offers photo-realistic
imaging and high-quality, reliable scan data.
It is ideal for indoor and outdoor applications up to 130m. Its light weight, small size,
the 4.5 h battery runtime and integrated GPS make the laser scanner truly mobile.
Call us at 00 800 3276 7253 for a free demo today or visit us at Develop 3D Live, Warwick,
Stand No. 6.
THE MULTIPURPOSE MASTERPIECE: FARO FOCUS
3D
X130
Comet L3D 1MP
8MP
Central Scanning, established in 2006, use their team of experts in the
3D Scanning field to provide high quality scanning related services.
Artec 3D Uk Reseller (all systems)
3D Scanning (Steinbichler & Artec 3D)
Surphaser Large Volume Scanner
Photogrammetry
Reverse Engineering
Inspection (part-to-part, part-to-CAD)
In House 3D Printing

3D Modelling and Rendering
CNC Machining
CNC programmable large volume CMM
ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 accredited
Temperature Controlled Environment
On-site Scanning Services available
Competitively Priced, High Quality Service

@CentralScanLtd
Like us on Facebook
facebook.com/centralscanning
Meet us at Develop 3D Live 2014 on the 15
th
of April
Warwick University Arts Centre. Find us on Stand 23
01527 558 2822
Info@central-scanning.co.uk
www.central-scanning.co.uk
47_D3D Ads.indd 1 02/04/2014 10:20
UK
CONFERENCE
Oxford, UK 10-11 June
2014
NAFEMS
The UK's most Respected
Independent Conference
on CAE, FEA, CFD and
Associated Technologies
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED
Joe Duran
Director HPC Systems, Fujitsu
John Roberts
A380 UK Chief Engineer, Airbus
View the packed two-day agenda and register at
www.nafems.org/uk2014
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
NAF_AD_ENG_MAG_v2.pdf 1 24/03/2014 13:07
Accelerating the Future of CAE
Nafems Ad.indd 1 02/04/2014 15:08
DEVELOP3D.COM APRIL 2014 CNC1
SPECIAL REPORT: CAM & CNC
SPONSORED BY: CAM.AUTODESK.COM SPONSORED BY: CAM.AUTODESK.COM
SPECIAL
REPORT:
CAM & CNC
Reviews LATEST
FROM EdgECAM,
POWERMILL &
AuTOdESk CAM
ROBOFOLD uSINg
INduSTRIAL ROBOTS
TO CREATE METAL
ORIgAMI
sHANGHAi AUTO
WHY THE uk dESIgN
TEAM BROugHT
BACk CNC
BUCKiNG A TReND
IS THE RETuRN OF
CNC & CAM
FOR YOu?
iNCLUDiNG:
I
M
A
G
E

C
O
U
R
T
E
S
Y

O
F

G
R
O
V
E
M
A
D
E
.
C
O
M
SPONSORED BY:
CNC2 APRIL 2014 DEVELOP3D.COM
SPONSORED BY: CAM.AUTODESK.COM
Producedby
DEVELOP3DMagazine
Technologyfor the
product lifecycle
DEVELOP3D, Rooms 108-109
4thFloor, 65 LondonWall
London, EC2M5TUK
+44(0)203355 7310
production@x3dmedia.com
FREESUBSCRIPTIONS
inprint andPDF@
www.develop3d.com
AlsoavailableontheiPhone,
iPadandKindle
2014X3DMediaLtd
All rights reserved.
Reproductioninwholeor part
without prior permissionfrom
thepublisher is prohibited. All
trademarks acknowledged
Al Dean
Editor-in-Chief
DEVELOP3D Magazine
@alistardean
I
ve a theory about why theres a sudden resurgence of interest
in all things machining CNC and CAM. It essentially
boils down to two things: rstly, oshoring is becoming less
attractive because of delivery, quality and control issues and
secondly more people are generally interested in making
(either professionally or as a hobby).
So lets look at these two things in more detail. The economics of
oshoring production machining are starting to swing back in the favour
of local is best. Costs in the East are rising, delivery times arent cutting
the mustard and quality and process control are always an issue.
Theres also the fact that more younger people are becoming familiar with
the mechanics of manufacturing. Yes, 3D printers are helping. Once youve
got the bug of how you make things yourself, then you want to know more.
That inevitably leads to making things from metal, rather than crappy bits
of plastic. To paraphrase Mark Hatch, CEO of Tech Shop from his Maker
Manifesto book, 3D printing is the gateway drug for CNCs.
In this 38 page report, we look at some of the challenges that lay ahead
for the CAM and CNC industry, look at companies doing interesting, novel
and innovative things with their products and processes. From industrial
robots folding complex shapes from sheet metal, through turbine blades
and mould manufacture into things that undoubtedly go vroom!
We also take a look at three new software releases from Autodesk, Vero
Software and Delcam.
Enjoy!
NEWS 03
[RE]BIRTH OF THE COOLANT
CHALLENGES OF BRINGING BACK CNC
Theres a growing trend for organisations to bring machining
facilities back in house. Al Dean explores why and the challenges
that lie ahead
08
ROBOFOLD
Imagine being able to design a shape using folded paper, then
have that scaled up to produce that same shape, repeatedly and
reliably. Robofold has mastered the process with ABB robots.
12
CNC AT SAIC EUROPEAN DESIGN CENTRE
Alongside continued investment in a world class concept styling
and engineering team at its European Design Centre, SAIC is
investing in in-house prototyping to help bring MG cars back to life
16
ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Detroit-based Hi-Tech Mold & Engineering re-examined its mould
and die design and production processes and stripped both time
and cost using Tebiss range of products
18
BLOODHOUND SSC + EDGECAM
If youre driving a vehicle at 1,000 miles per hour, you need to
make sure your components are just right. NAMRC in Sheffeld is
using Edgecam to help bring Bloodhound to a reality
20
STORK TURBO BLADING
Stork Turbo Blading produces, repairs and remanufactures
turbine blades for a wide range of industrial customers. It chose
NX CAM to revitalise its process and capability
22
POCKET ROCKETS
We learn how the Gilberti Brothers decided to diversify and start
to produce 49cc, 25kg scale motorcycles that will easily reach
120km per hour on the track with HAAS machine tools
24
REVIEW: AUTODESK CAM 2015
Whether within SolidWorks, Inventor or on the cloud with Fusion
360, Autodesks HSM products have something to offer. From free
up to simultaneous 5-axis machining
27
REVIEW: EDGECAM 2014
Automation has been the key focus for this Edgecam release.
Bringing together intelligent tools to assist with knowledge
capture and effcient reuse with Edgecam Workfow
30
REVIEW: DELCAM POWERMILL 2014
The venerable system for complex machining, PowerMill gets a
couple of key upgrades that brings better support for the full-
fute machining crowd
32
THE CASE FOR MACHINE SIMULATION
CGtechs managing director, John Reed, explores the case for
independent machine verifcation and simulation and discusses
the key focus points that its customers have identifed
34
TALKING HEADS: CAM FOR BEGINNERS
We talk to three CAM industry veterans about how the industry
needs to change to better support those introducing CNC into
their workfows for the frst time
36
I
f theres one thing that the
CAD/CAM industry loves its
an acquisition and the last
few years have seen much
consolidation within the CAM
sector in particular. Many of the
acquisitions have been made possible
by founders of companies closing in on
retirement and looking to cash out and
buy a yacht.
While much of this consolidation has
been internal to the CAM industry,
Autodesks recent acquisition of delcam
is different in that it was conducted in
the wider design and manufacturing
technology sector.
until Autodesk acquired HSMworks a
few years ago, it had steered clear of the
nuts and bolts of production. And while
it has been obvious that the company
has had much larger ambitions outside
of design and engineering for some time,
few predicted either the scale of those
ambitions or its desire to invest in those
ambitions. In the end, that willingness
amounted to a cool 172.5 million.
In years gone by, Autodesk has had a habit
of strange manoeuvres once acquisitions
were complete. So, with such a great deal
at stake, for both the existing delcam
team and its customers, it was with some
anticipation that we awaited the fnalisation
of the deal and more clarity on the plans for
the future.
The end result was that the delcam
shareholders (much of the shares are held
by the staff as well as founding partners)
voted resolutely to proceed with the venture
and news started to emerge.
delcam will continue to be operated as
a wholly owned, but independently run
subsidiary of Autodesk. This will allow it to
maintain its product line and be accountable
for its own sales channel (which is extensive
in emerging markets in particular, as well
as the usual manufacturing strongholds in
North America and Europe).
For the time being the Autodesk CAM
channel (with HSMworks) will compete
directly with delcams offerings, including
FeatureCAM, PartMaker.
But looking to the future, Autodesk
and delcam will look to co-operate in a
number of areas. One quoted example
is in the automotive styling studios,
where Autodesk has a big presence with
its Alias range of surface development
tools. These dovetail nicely with delcams
PowerInspect and PowerShape tools
to assist with the measurement and
machining of clay models.
In terms of infuence of the greater
market, its too early to make concrete
predictions. Personally speaking, I fnd
this one of the most intriguing moves
in a couple of decades. Autodesk has a
large customer base across a wide spread
of the manufacturing industry, while
delcam has some of the most impressive
technology stacks and serious customers in
manufacturing.
Whether other major vendors will step
up their games with acquisitions or cross-
pollination of their own manufacturing
technologies remains to be seen. Both
Siemens and dassault have machining
expertise in-house, but have yet to
introduce these into their mainstream
offerings in any meaningful way. Will they,
after this? Who knows?
The good news is that delcams
Birmingham, uk headquarters has yet to
see much of an effect from the acquisition.
The staff canteen still has curry on a
Thursday and if youre there, you can grab a
cup of tea in a polystyrene cup from the tea
trolley that passes around the offces and
extensive tool-room. After all, some things
just dont need to change, do they?
autodesk.com delcam.com
NEWS

DELCAM TO REMAIN INDEPENDENT
FOLLOWINg AuTODESk ACquISITION
Above: (left to
right) Glen McMinn,
president, Delcam
North America, Clive
Martell, president,
Delcam, Carl Bass,
President and CeO
of Autodesk, steve
Hobbs, development
director, Delcam,
and Bart simpson,
commercial director,
Delcam
Ever since the news broke that Autodesk was to acquire Delcam, the industry has
been buzzing with speculation about the future. Al Dean explores what it all means
Z
W3D CAD/CAM 2014, the
latest version of the Chinese-
developed all-in-one CAD/CAM
software, features upgraded
CAD functionality, an optimised
mould module and what is described as
Smarter CAM.
For CAD, the software features an
integrated fle translator supporting various
formats, like Parasolid, SolidWorks, Solid
Edge, UG NX, Creo and Catia etc and a
simplifed feature manager providing faster
history regeneration.
For CAM, there is a newly-developed Tool
Path Editor, which allows intuitive control
and adjustment of the entire or partial
tool-path. With calculation of tool paths
becoming more accurate and smarter,
ZW3D claims the software can ensure
machining reliability, prolong tool life and
improve CNC effciency.
Other new CAM features include corner
fnish, a specialist operation for rest
fnishing that will help clear up the corner
smartly. Roughing has also been improved
with region priority of roughing becoming
more accurate, with a view to reducing tool
lifting and improving machining effciency.
The optimised mould module is designed
to simplify the mould design process by
improving the speed of layout generation,
fexibly splitting and other practical
improvements.
cgtech.com/ipad
G
eometric, the developer of
CAMWorks, the integrated
NC programming product,
has been recognised as
the fastest growing CAM
company in CIMdatas 2013 NC Market
Analysis Report. The feature-based
CAM software is available standalone
or embedded within SolidWorks and
Solid Edge.
Geometric was also identifed as one of
the fve fastest growing CAM companies
consecutively for the past four years.
CAMWorks has a strong offering for
generative knowledge-based machining, a
segment that is poised for mass adoption,
said Stan Przybylinski, vice president of
research, CIMdata. CAMWorks revenues
have grown rapidly in the last few years and
are expected to sustain this momentum.
Published every year, CIMdatas NC Market
Report has become the bible for those
looking at where the NC market is heading
and what the expected areas of growth will
be for the coming years ahead.
camworks.com cimdata.com
CIMdata NC market report recognises
CAMWorks as fastest growing CAM vendor Topsolid CAM from Missler
software will feature spring
Technologies NCsiMUL
machine code simulation
technology in its next major
release. This new package,
TopsolidNCsiMUL, will be
available later this year
within TopsolidCam 7.8.
The integration will be
completely transparent.
topsolid.com | ncsimul.com
The CAMworks Handbook
offers concise, step-by-step
instructions on creating
toolpaths using best in
class machining strategies.
The 14 lessons illustrate a
variety of useful CAMworks
commands. Topics covered
include 2.5-axis, 3-axis,
4-axis and 5-axis milling
camworksguide.com
hyperMiLL, the CAM
solution from Open Mind
Technologies, is fully
compatible with Autodesk
inventor 2014. The
integration of includes data
associativity and allows
continuous workfows all
the way from design to CNC
manufacturing.
openmind-tech.com
Delcam has released
the 2014 R2 version of
FeatureCAM. This release
brings support for milling
and drilling with right-
angle heads and one-stop
programming of multiple
roughing operations.
Other enhancements
include better control
of Z-level roughing, and
improvements to wire eDM
and chamfering
featurecam.com
Type3 has released Type
eDit v12, the latest version
of its software for industrial
and artistic modelling,
design, engraving and
cutting, dedicated to NC
machines. version 12 brings
a refreshed user interface
as well as new features in
2D, 3D and machining, new
import options and easier
scripting for automation
and customisation
type3.com
ROUND
UP
ZW3D CAD/CAM 2014 boasts smarter CAM
CAMworks for
solid edge is a
feature-based CAM
tool that works
with synchronous
Technology
C
Gtech, the developer of VeriCut,
has launched a Reviewer app,
one of the few iPad tools
focussed on the CAM market.
The software is designed to
allow those on the move or away from
the shopoor to interact with machine
and toolpath simulations being worked
on in the oce.
CGTechs app links to a desktop bound
license of Vericut. Users can output VeriCut
report fles which contain information
about cutting tools, job setup, machining
instructions and other information. These
can be automatically created and packaged
up to be delivered to those that need them.
The NC programmer saves a Reviewer
fle which can be saved at any point in a
simulation session. It is then transferred
to the Vericut Reviewer iPad App through
iTunes or, perhaps more usefully, using
Dropbox integrated or via email.
The Reviewer app is now available through
the Apple App Store and is free of charge.
More information and sample Reviewer
fles can be downloaded from:
cgtech.com/ipad
CGTechs new iPad app for shop documents
CGTechs Reviewer
iPad app gives
mobile access to
vericut report fles
T
raditional manufacturing can mean
many things: traditional in terms of
its geographic heartland, but also the
method by which the end product is
made. Based in Willenhall in the Black
Country, B&G Lock & Tool Co complies with both,
being one of the few remaining lockmakers in
an area that was once synonymous with the
industry.
B&G Locks business was built on the manufacture of
high quality brass padlocks under its STA-LOK and STA-
SECURE brand names, which are still manufactured in
relatively high volumes.
However, manufacturing methods remained the
same, with traditional fowline techniques being
employed to produce the lock bodies. Traditionally,
we manufactured the lock bodies on a line of 16
pedestal drills, with individual fxtures, and the
operator walking each lock body down the line, says
Jim Plimmer Production Manager B&G Lock & Tool
Co. This is a very ineffcient method, but with the
growth in more niche products we needed to look at
our machining process and make investment in the
right areas.
Demand for more bespoke products led the company
to small to medium size batch manufacture and a
review of its process brought B&G Lock & Tool Co
into contact with XYZ Machine Tools resulting in the
purchase of an XYZ 710 VMC machining centre.
B&G Lock now fully utilises the machines 760 by
430mm table size through use of a multi-part fxture
that holds three rows of 16 lock bodies, each presenting
the part to complete a single operation, with each cycle
creating 16 fnished machined lock bodies.
The old method of working severely restricted our
ability to respond to design changes and meet short
run orders due to the time required to manufacture
jigs, says Jim Plimmer. With the XYZ 710 VMC we
have dramatically reduced set-up and cycle times
and it has also allowed us to develop new products,
such as our HS650 hardened steel padlocks, which
we simply couldnt have manufactured using the
pillar drills.
xyzmachinetools.com bgpadlocks.co.uk
LOCk MAkER REDEFINES
ITS PRODuCTION PROCESS
NCG CAM V13
unveiled
N
CG CAM Solutions has
ocially launched NCG
CAM V13. This latest release
includes a large number
of new features and
enhancements to existing tools.
Features include helical machining, the
ability to cap holes, shaft profle export,
optional origins, and the ability to save
values in the edit transform dialogue.
Also new is the ability to pick a surfaces
colour and make other surfaces the
same colour, tapping with chip break, the
ability to use lollipop and dovetail cutters
for 5-axis surface machining, as well as
many other enhancements including
improvements to the rest machining and
waterline linking strategies.
ncgcam.com
NX CAM: Smarter decisions, better products.
Great decisions in part
manufacturing #481.
An NC programmer saves a revision to his code...
and saves the company $550,000 in rework costs.
siemens.com/plm/nxcam
NX CAM and Teamcenter ensure that you use the right data from NC
programming through to machining.
Sometimes, the smallest decision in part manufacturing
has the greatest impact on a companys success.
NX part manufacturing solutions from Siemens PLM
Software give everyone involved in your CAD/CAM/CNC
process chain the information they need, right when they
need it and in the right context to do their job. The result:
your company takes full advantage of its manufacturing
resources, makes smarter decisionsand produces
better parts.
Find out how NX part manufacturing solutions can help
you make the decisions that make your part manufactur-
ing business better.

2
0
1
4

S
i
e
m
e
n
s

P
r
o
d
u
c
t

L
i
f
e
c
y
c
l
e

M
a
n
a
g
e
m
e
n
t

S
o
f
t
w
a
r
e

I
n
c
.

A
l
l

r
i
g
h
t
s

r
e
s
e
r
v
e
d
.

S
i
e
m
e
n
s

a
n
d

t
h
e

S
i
e
m
e
n
s

l
o
g
o

a
r
e

r
e
g
i
s
t
e
r
e
d

t
r
a
d
e
m
a
r
k
s

o
f

S
i
e
m
e
n
s

A
G
.

A
l
l

o
t
h
e
r

l
o
g
o
s
,

t
r
a
d
e
m
a
r
k
s

o
r

s
e
r
v
i
c
e

m
a
r
k
s

u
s
e
d

h
e
r
e
i
n

a
r
e

t
h
e

p
r
o
p
e
r
t
y

o
f

t
h
e
i
r

r
e
s
p
e
c
t
i
v
e

o
w
n
e
r
s
.
NX CAM
for faster
machining
2012_Siemens_NXCAM_ad_A4.indd 1 2/4/14 06:09:44
W
eve all heard how CNC
manufacturing was
abandoned in the late
1980s and 1990s for
cheaper, outsourced
and oshored services.
But the truth is some of it never went
away. And now, for those engaged in the
business end of the process, that of actually
designing, developing and producing these
products, there are multiple reasons that
CNC manufacturing is becoming more
attractive than ever.
From idea to prototype to renement to
production we look at some of the dierent
areas driving this trend and consider how
rms can embrace the challenges of the
changing manufacturing landscape.
AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL
Manufacturing technologies
have now reached a point of
aordability, both in terms
of capital cost and the time
required to learn their foibles.
Im not just talking about
3D printers here though:
laser cutters, CNC routers,
CNC mills and lathes have all
massively come down in price.
The knock on eect is young people
now have access to a much wider range
of manufacturing technologies than ever
before in schools, university, techshops,
hackerspaces, even at home. They can
experiment and learn and develop a much
greater understanding of production and
manufacturing with numerically controlled
methods than ever before.
We are already seeing the fruits of this
shift with new design and manufacturing
endeavours popping up all over the place.
The routes may be less traditional gaining
funding for an idea and taking it into
production but there are many solid
foundations for building successful businesses.
IN PROTOTYPING
While many rms continue to outsource
prototype components, some of the most
innovative organisations have brought
prototyping in house. And theres a number
of tools in use, from 3D printers to CNC
mills and lathes and laser cutters.
But why such a mix? While a 3D print
might give you shape or form or basic
functionality, you simply cant beat the use
of production intent materials to build, test,
rene and develop your products in that
formative stage. With CNC, parts are more
resilient and there can even be support for
early stage production.
Every time I visit a company that has
facilities in house, the message is consistent.
There are huge benets in time and cost. If a
design or engineering team can quickly turn
around prototypes, test, evaluate and rene
those early stage concepts, they can ne-tune
the product more readily.
And, taking a long term view, if this
can be done without sending out for
manufacturing, it will be cheaper as well.
If that cost is reduced, more prototypes and
ideas can be explored and everything feeds
into the process in a highly benecial way.
IN PRODUCTION
CNCs greatest impact comes in the
manufacturing and production process
and its in this area where theres some
incredible movement in terms of bringing
manufacturing back in house.
A recent report, entitled Backing Britain, by
the EEF (eef.org.uk) surveyed companies that
are reshoring manufacturing from overseas
to discover whats driving that shift.
As you can see from the chart over the
page, the key reasons are split between those
associated with delivery (both in terms of
logistics costs and time) and cost of those
overseas activities (the reports respondents
work in China and Eastern Europe, with India
being in third place). But the overriding factor
is quality especially in the SME sector.
While machining only covers a portion
of the production process, it can have a
dramatic eect on the quality of a product.
Whether thats relating to the absolute
quality that can be measured (in terms
of tolerances in individual
components or t between
assembled components) or
perceived quality (in terms of
how a product appears).
Interestingly, neither quality
or timescale issues are the
leading factor in reshoring, but
the combination of the two is
whats really driving the trend.
The following extract from
the EFF report sums this
up quite nicely A guarantee of quality is
critical for a large minority of companies
who report this as contributing to their
competitive advantage in the market. Almost
half of manufacturers believe that the quality
of goods sourced from lower-labour-cost
economies is getting better, with larger
companies seemingly better able to secure
quality improvements, but condence that
overseas operators will supply to the required
specications is not sucient for many.
CHALLENGES FOR THE TECH INDUSTRY
Whether for prototype or production
purposes, organisations looking to bring
CNC in-house face a fair few challenges.
Theres a growing trend for organisations to bring machining facilities back in
house. Al Dean explores why and the challenges that lie ahead
Organisations need to look at their CAM

programming best practice to ensure that
these highly ecient and highly complex
machines are used to their full capability -
otherwise any competitive advantage is lost
THE CHALLENgE OF
BRINgINg BACk CNC
I
M
A
G
E

C
R
E
D
I
T
:

G
R
O
V
E

(
w
w
w
.
g
r
o
v
e
m
a
d
e
.
c
o
m
)
Grovemade runs a HAAs CNC
mill with Mastercam and
solidworks providing the
CAD/CAM back up
Were not just talking about the machines;
also the inherent technologies for creating
G-code that drive the machines, and the
equipment needed for inspection.
Alongside the age-old challenges of capital
investment, nancing and facilities rms
need sta and knowledge to make the most
ecient use of the new tools.
Were all familiar with the so-called skills
gap in manufacturing and this is never
more true than when it comes to nding
sta experienced with ecient machining
strategies and machine set-up and
optimisation.
Firms need to invest in training and make
the most of older, knowledgeable sta, to help
skill-up newer, younger, team members.
For those outside of this, it presents both
a problem and an opportunity for the CAM
software industry to sharpen its tools and
gain new customers.
Where this rich vein of potential exists is in
the provision of tools that allow the capture
of knowledge and the ability to not only
formalise that in terms of best practice, but
also to help with establishing knowledge-
based execution of machining strategies.
Many of the last few releases from the major
CAM software vendors have seen more and
more knowledge capture tools introduced as
well as tools that allow that knowledge to be
used intelligently where needed.
Using previously established routines,
decisions and standards, standardised
operation parameters for machine tools,
cutter lists and material- or task-specic
strategies can help ensure that toolpaths
are run that are not only safe, but take
advantage of the latest capabilities in the
machines in-house.
One such example is the recent wealth of
interest in using the full ute of a cutter to
rough out material stock. While this might
have been avoided in years gone by, advances
in cutter technology (in particular, chip
splitting cutters) and the software available
to optimise the tool-paths for this type of
work (constant cutter engagement is the key
word du jour here), means that its possible
to remove material at a much faster rate
than has ever been possible before. But to
do that, the operations need to be ne tuned
by machine, by cutter type and for each
material.
Elsewhere, the cost of mill/turn machines
is reducing with each year and more
are being sold than ever before. Again,
organisations need to look at their CAM
programming best practice to ensure that
these highly ecient and highly complex
machines are used to their full capability -
otherwise any competitive advantage is lost.
Percentage of companies citing reason behind reshoring decision - (Backing Britain, 2014)
The iPhone and iPad accessory
market is cut throat. Cheap Chinese
imports are rampant and its hard to
distinguish between the offerings from
the different brands. One that stands
out is Portland-based, Grovemade.
Founded in 2009 by two friends
with divergent backgrounds,
Grovemade has built its business
around a combination of unique
products, customisation (using laser
engraving) and sustainable materials.
The company has mastered its
production processes with in-house
manufacturing, so we asked co-
founder, Ken Tomita, to share some of
his experiences.
Al Dean: what lead to the decision
to manufacture in house, rather
than to outsource?
Ken Tomita: My background was
originally in carpentry and then custom
furniture design and fabrication. Joe
[Mansfeld, co-founder at Grovemade]
had a custom laser engraving shop.
We were both comfortable with and
completely accustomed to taking
control and making things ourselves.
It was more natural for us to do it
ourselves if we wanted it done right and
we wanted to do something diffcult.
I personally held a belief that
products were better if designer and
maker were the same person with my
old business. Both processes can feed
off of each other and you can more
freely experiment. That philosophy just
carried onto Grovemade.

AD: what are the key factors to
consider for start-ups looking to
manufacture their own products
rather than outsourcing?
KT: Making things is hard. That is
a catch phrase of mine. If you arent
willing to do it the hard way, dont
even bother. I dont recommend it for
most people. We started out with zero
knowledge of machine tools or CAD/
CAM. We learned from a consultant and
taught ourselves with DIY brute force.
You need people that can, and are
willing to, do that OR you need to
hire seasoned pros to begin with.
If you are starting out, dont forget
to consider not just the cost of the
machine but expensive CAM and CAD
software and the expensive people
that can do the programming.
AD: You run a Haas machine. How
did you end up choosing that
particular machine?
KT: Our CNC consultant basically told
us what to buy. His background was
making aluminium motorcycle parts.
Now that I have a better
understanding of the industry, I know
that HAAS machines are relatively
inexpensive and provide good value,
dollar for dollar.
There are Japanese machines that
do the same thing that cost three
times as much. Are they better? Yes.
Are they worth paying three times
as much? Thats a question for the
individual to answer since it depends
on the application.
AD: if you had to share one tip for a
small organisation looking to move
into CNC based manufacturing,
what would it be?
KT: Dont do it! Haha... Besides
that I would say make sure you
have the right people who have a
knack for both programming, CAD,
and actually making stuff.
grovemade.com
GROveMADe: LeARNiNG FROM HARDwARe sTART-UPs
Visit Birmingham
- the home of Delcam
See our latest developments in:-
5-axis machining
High-speed area clearance
Turn-mill programming
Reverse engineering
Inspection
On-machine verifcation
Delcam UK
Small Heath Business Park | Talbot Way | Birmingham | B10 0HJ
Tel: +44 (0)121 766 5544 | Email: marketing@delcam.com
www.delcam.co.uk
Complete CADCAM Solutions
Visit us at Stand 4011
Delcam employs more than
200 CAM developers
thats more than any
other supplier.
The worlds leading specialist in CAM Software
Delcam_MACH2014_A4.indd 1 17/01/2014 15:44
Robofolds process allows for
elaborate metal sheet work
to be designed, simulated and
manufactured by robots making
changes to patterns or parts
simple and low cost
A
pproaching a pair of
stationary assembly
robots is an odd
sensation; even
when switched o
they have character
unlike any other machinery youve
come across. So it seems tting that
they have been given names, but
R2D2 and C3PO wont be saving the
galaxy anytime soon; these orange
giants are strictly business.
Their business is folding sheet
metal, an innovative form of CAM
being pioneered by UK rm Robofold.
The process enables incredible
forms, metres in size, to be designed,
simulated and manufactured for use
in architecture, aerospace automotive
and other sectors. And since 2011, our
robotic friends have been very busy.
DYNAMIC DUO
When R2D2 and C3PO begin to move
in tandem they are at once the most
hypnotic things in the room, gliding
into their pre-programmed positions,
suction cups attaching to a sheet of
pre-cut aluminium before them.
From there they arch and twist
till the metal is bent and formed
accurately into a giant petal, a replica
of the one the screen on the nearby
controlling laptop.
This process happens over a dozen
times during our visit to Robofolds
headquarters in Brixton, London,
and each and every time we stop dead
in our tracks to watch.
Its not just us, as theres nearly
30 students from Leeds University
crammed into the space, all having
been part of the three-day workshop
to learn to design using Robofolds
software plug-ins for Rhino.
Theyre studying, not mechanical
engineering or robotics, but
architecture, and nearly all of them
pause to snap photos, record a video
on their phone, or simply gawp at the
two orange beasts.
For architects, these tools are
helping liberate designs Zaha Hadid
has already used it to great eect for
creating the Arum sculpture for the
Venice Biennale in 2012.
Elsewhere, both the automotive
and aerospace industries are
experimenting with the possibilities
that this robotic forming oers them.
Back at base, the robots are
forming an interlocking pattern of
aluminium petals as a cladding that
the university class have designed for
an 8-foot tall, curved dummy wall.
In a separate room the metal
sheeting is cut to size, and drilled for
mounting before being oered up on
a table in front of the giant arms that
drift into action at the press of a large
industrial button once the area is
clear of squidgy humans.
The only person in the room not
entranced is Gregory Epps, founder
of Robofold, who has seen this all
before.
Epps has spent nearly half his life
researching and building the Robofold
Using robots to bend, shape and fold sheet metal is bringing freedom to design.
Stephen Holmes visits Robofold and becomes transxed by its robotic origami
INTO THE FOLD
R2D2 and C3PO:
RoboFold dedicated
ABB robots in action
DEVELOP3D.COM APRIL 2014 CNC13 SPECIAL REPORT: CAM & CNC
system, starting in his late teens with
visions of origami-style folds in metal.
At the age of 17 I didnt have any
money for tooling as you do when
youre 17! laughs Epps. But why
would you want to spend that money
anyway?
You can fold this stu by hand,
but if I could industrialise it I could
make high quality items that I could
use wherever I wanted to.
I didnt even know what Id use at
the time, I didnt know about robots
and they came along later. I knew
I had to do the software and know
how to model it, because if I couldnt
model it I couldnt make it.
The rst steps involved him having
to learn both about computers and
CAD, while switching between
various university courses and jobs.
Finally Epps graduated with in
an Industrial Design Engineering
dual Masters at the Royal College of
Art and Imperial College London in
2007, before deciding on robots as the
means of folding metals.
We bought them secondhand,
explains Epps as the pair dock from
having completed another sheet
metal fold. Theres a company
that does secondhand robots and
in the recession they were going to
Detroit and buying thousands of
robots they had a football eld full
of robots.
HEAVY METAL?
Metal is best for bending, typically
using 1.5mm aluminium, cut with
the CNC router in the factory. It can
also use laser cut steel or stainless
steel up to 1.5mm.
The steel can be nished with
paint or dipped in zinc, while the
aluminium should be anodised,
giving a range of nishes.
Normally in architecture we get
requests like, can you make it 3mm?
as theyre used to a at faade panel,
but once you put the curvature in
it and the fold in it youve added so
much rigidity that you dont need
all that material - you can halve the
amount of material that you need.
The main process people compare
it to is pressing, yet as theres no
tooling it immediately reduces the
time and nancial cost, as well as
other benets.
If you want variation it becomes
2 From its factory in

London, the company
can produce exciting
shapes without the
need for tooling
3 RoboFolds
delightful desktop
folding machine
allows prototyping
to be conducted at
scale - perfect for
experimentation and
optimisation
2
3
MeTAL ORiGAMi THe ROBOFOLD PROCess
DesiGN FOLDeD sURFACes
iNTUiTiveLY BY HAND
1 Fold paper along curved crease lines and

watch as new types of surfaces are formed.
2 Quickly build an intuitive understanding of

folding geometry and apply it to your design.
3 Shapes that you fold in paper can scale up

to metal panels.
really valuable, says Epps. You can
program that in up-front and say what are
the parameters that you want to vary.
If you want to tweak the design a little bit
you dont even have to reprogram the CAM
software and the robot software if you had
to make a new mould then it would be crazy
so this is super ecient.
You can prototype in production
materials and then manufacture using the
same equipment, so you know what youre
going to get.
CUTTING EDGE
All the accuracy is pushed into the cutting
of the at panel, and because the process
is not stretching the material like a press
would, holes can be pre-drilled and
trimming is not needed.
Local stretch can be calculated as you would
normally with sheet material around the fold,
so the designer knows that it is going to t to
whatever substructure its going to x to.
The speed of the process is slower than
pressing, but oers labour-saving benets
this is a single stage process, whereas
pressing could involve several stages before
needing to be drilled and trimmed by a
5-axis laser-cutter.
Normally you would say that you have to
make the forming part to be perfect, but in
this case its not too critical about the forming,
its more critical about cutting it right rst.
You can fold something in paper and go
and make it its the ultimate goal.
The students in the workshop have all
worked with small desktop paper printers
to verify and tweak their designs, the
emphasis being that if you can fold a mini
version to make your design, you can scale
up the same design in metal.
If in the future we become more
dependent on mobile, localised factories,
then methods of manufacture like this are
destined to lead the way.
With the detail in the initial cutting,
which can be done in a factory elsewhere if
necessary and at-packed at low cost to the
assembly location, the robots forming on site
are going to be as accurate as the designers
3D models.
robofold.com
Gregory Epps, founder of Robofold, will be
speaking at DEVELOP3D LIVE on April 15
2014. Register free at develop3dlive.com
You can prototype in

production materials and then
manufacture using the same
equipment, so you know what
youre going to get
ANiMATe COMPLeX FOLDs

FORM ONLY A 2D PATTeRN
1 Folding simulations only require 2d patterns

to create 3d shapes.
2 Scan your design, trace it in CAd and use the

folding software to bring it to life.
3 Test the manufacturing process using

godzilla software
DesiGN DATA AUTOMATiCALLY
UPDATes PRODUCTiON DATA
1 The Robofold approach is to link all

parametric design data to the manufacturing
data any updates in the design automatically
generates new code for machine operation.
2 The designer should consider the parametric

design and the Design-for-Manufacture-and-
Assembly
3 The KingKong software demonstrates how

parametric folded panels can be used as a
faade design and production.
DeveLOPMeNT OF THe
DesiGN FOR PRODUCTiON
1 An in-house CNC router and two ABB 6400

industrial robots allow Robofold to develop a
design by prototyping multiple iterations.
2 Prototypes are built at 1:1 in production

intent materials and fnishes. This gives the
opportunity to get it right frst time when
production begins.
3 The equipment is controlled directly from

the suite of production software Unicorn for
the router and Godzilla for the robots.
LiCeNse THe sYsTeM OR
OUTsOURCe PRODUCTiON
1 For Manufacturers: license the Robofold

system and get a full turnkey solution for
sheet metal forming.
2 For Architects: get RoboFold on board as

a specialist fabricator, or commission us to
install short term RoboFold system with your
selected faade contractor.
3 For Designers: contract production

capabilities allows Robofold to manufacture
on demand no stock means you only pay
when orders are made.
#1 FOLDiNG
#2 siMULATiON
#5 MANUFACTURe
#4 PROTOTYPe
#3 DATAFLOw
British automotive marque MG has been brought back to life by Chinese
manufacturer SAIC, where investment has put CNC at the heart of its new designs
SAIC BRINgS CNC BACk TO
EuROPEAN DESIgN CENTRE
A
t the time of its demise
MG was a name that
encapsulated the British
motor industry; a cherished
brand, yet with products
that failed to meet the
expectations of new generations.
Falling into administration in 2005
the company has since been acquired by
SAIC, one of Chinas largest automotive
companies, giving hope to the resurrection
of the Birmingham-based brand. At the
forefront of automotive development in the
Far East, SAIC produced nearly 4.5 million
vehicles in 2012 alone, and operates joint
ventures in China with General Motors and
Volkswagen.
NEW DAWN
Both MGs styling and engineering have
continued to be developed at the companys
historic Longbridge site, where SAIC has
invested heavily into its European Design
Centre, providing chief designer Tony
Williams-Kenny and his team with the latest
in design tools.
This major expansion has included
the addition of its rst machining shop,
doubling the size of the design facilities and
making it one of the largest in the UK.
A Kolb StudioLine M ve-axis milling
machine was installed earlier this year, being
used to produce scale and full-size models of
new designs, as well as concept vehicles and
show cars for international exhibitions.
Prior to this investment, all machining
of this type was subcontracted to a number
of UK suppliers. The main reason for
bringing the work in-house was to give
us a faster turn-around of new designs,
explained SAIC design operations
programme manager, Darren Redhead.
While computer visualisations have become
more realistic, we still need to physically make
styling models in clay as part of our design
process. We can now produce models in days
instead of the weeks that it was taking when
we were outsourcing our designs.
SCALING UP USE
With a typical design project requiring four
scale models and two full-size models for
both the exterior and interior, these savings
make a signicant contribution to cutting the
overall development times.
Taking the digital design teams models
from tools such as Autodesk Alias and
Maya, the model making team use Delcam
PowerMill CAM software to program the
machines for physical model building.
We spoke to modelling teams in Germany
that were using the StudioLine M, they
said that they preferred to use the Delcam
software, states Redhead. They told us
that PowerMill was more intuitive to use for
modellers, as well as being able to take full
advantage of the ve-axis capabilities of the
machine.
We wanted to have an experienced user
to program the machine but also to train
two of our modellers to be able to use the
software if he was busy. Ease of use was
essential for these part-time users.
Weve been running the machine ve
days a week since it was installed and
have machined hundreds of products
with consistently excellent results. With
the savings in external costs that we are
achieving, I expect to have a payback time
of less than eighteen months for the Kolb
machine and the Delcam software.
With the second model in the new
generation of MG vehicles released recently
the MG3 the team at Longridge have
produced a stylish small car entirely the work
of the SAIC European Design Centre.
delcam.com mg.co.uk
Physical styling models in
clay play an essential role
in sAiCs design process
with CNC sAiC can now produce
models in days instead
the weeks it used to take
outsourcing designs
The frst projects using
Delcam software at sAiC were
part of the fnal development
stages of the MG3
H
i-Tech Mold & Eng. was
set up as a small family
rm by Siegfried Schulte
near Detroit, US, in
1982. Today, Schulte is
chairman of a 450-strong
global company that supplies tools, xtures
and gauges to customers in the plastics
processing sector in the US, Mexico, Brazil,
and Germany.
In 2001 Hi-Tech Mold & Eng. invested in
a single Tebis CAD/CAM workstation, and
today has approximately 22. The software is
used throughout the mould manufacturing
process, from job preparation to the nished
part in the workshop. Various other modules
of the Tebis family such as Organisers,
Simulators and Electrode manufacturing are
also utilised at the company.
As Hi-Tech Mold & Eng. has grown,
the need for innovative process solutions
has grown too. For instance, allowing
increasingly more employees access to the
same information and co-ordinating the
work steps between individual departments.
So, in late 2011, Hi-Tech Mold & Eng. and
Tebis America undertook a process analysis.
At the end, two results became apparent:
Tebis BREP modules should be utilised as
part of job preparation, and the NC libraries
and template technology were identied as a
major opportunity to optimise processes and
better utilise potential.
MILLING PREPARATION
Components are optimally prepared with
the Tebis Surfacer, a module of the BREP
product family, before milling takes place.
This enables surfaces to be combined and
signicantly reduces segments. During
the trials at Hi-Tech Mold & Eng. it was
found that the milling processes could be
shortened by an average of 20 per cent thanks
to Surfacer. These results are continuously
conrmed and the Surfacer tool is now
an essential element of the companys
machining process.
NC AUTOMATION
During 2012, the departments handling
2.5D, deep-bore, and electrode machining
were further expanded. This proved to be
a good time to implement the suggested
improvements obtained from the second part
of the process analysis: NC automation.
The decision to structure our processes
according to the Tebis standardisation
concept has revolutionised our work
processes in design and manufacturing,
says Tim Cheyne, an application specialist.
He summarises the benets: By using NC
templates including feature recognition and
machine-specic tool libraries, we achieve
a signicantly higher quality with shorter
throughput times. We harness the unleashed
potential to develop new ideas, to rene
processes, and to advance our employees.
Thanks to the template technology, even
new employees without programming
experience are able to create simple NC
programs after only one week of training.
In short: We save time, have become much
more eective, and achieve faster and better
results with fewer personnel, he says.
TEBIS SIMULATOR
The Tebis Simulator has also become rmly
established in the process chain.
We would not want to do without the
Simulator for the collision control. All
components including machine, tools,
and all retracts are taken into account,
explains Cheyne. Moreover, we also use the
Simulator as a planning tool for conguring
the workpiece xture and positioning. Thus,
we can machine every component with the
smallest possible machine.
Hi-tech is continuously improving its
processes and procedures, which shows, since
the company is now ranked as Number 4 of
all North American Mould & Tool Makers, as
displayed by Plastics News, the information
platform for the plastics industry.
tebis.com hitechmold.com
ON THE RIgHT TRACk
North American mould manufacturer Hi-Tech Mold & Eng re-examined its mould
and die design and production processes and stripped back time and cost
UK-A4-Relax-2014.indd 1 2/3/2014 11:38:01 AM
A
n essential part of the
assembly holding the rocket
motor in place when the
Bloodhound supersonic car
travels at over 1,000 mph
during its bid to break the
World Land Speed Record in 2016, has been
made using Edgecam CNC software.
The accuracy of Edgecams toolpaths was
vital in allowing us to achieve the extremely
tight tolerances required, says Andrew
Wright, production engineer at the Sheeld-
based Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing
Research Centre, which manufactured the
rear sub-frame for the car, a large complex
assembly which sits inside the exterior
Titanium skin.
The Bloodhound Project is led by Richard
Noble, who took the record in 1983 with
Thrust 2. As well as breaking the existing
record and topping 1,000 mph, Bloodhound
also aims to excite young people about
manufacturing and engineering. The
car is a mix of automotive and aircraft
technology, powered by the engine used in
the Euroghter Typhoon aircraft, along with
a hybrid rocket.
STRAIGHT DOWN THE LINE
The body and chassis are relying on a range
of advanced design and manufacturing
techniques, including a specic production
engineering solution with Edgecam that
prevented distortion of the rear subframe side
wall structural panels.
The 1.6m x 1m panels were produced by the
Nuclear AMRC on its Starragheckert HEC
1800 large format horizontal boring machine.
They have to mate up with other parts in
the rear assembly which are vital in keeping
the rocket pointing perfectly backwards and
providing downward thrust when RAF ghter
pilot Andrew Green drives into the history
books in South Africa in 2015 and 2016.
NO ROOM FOR ERROR
While the typical machining tolerance for
milling was + or 0.1 of a millimetre, some
of the wall thickness tolerances were + or
0.05, and hole diameters down to + or
0.025. Also, the original billet of aerospace
grade 7075 aluminium was 80mm thick,
and the nished component is 20mm, with
some minimum wall thicknesses just 6mm.
Removing such a large amount of material
while maintaining the atness and shape of
the component over that size and envelope of
machining, was quite a challenge.
Couple that to the fact that the billet was
only around 30 mm longer and wider than
the nished part, and it is easy to see why
Andrew Wrights experience in nding
correct production engineering
solutions across a variety of
projects, was essential.
My main concern when I started
programming was that the part would distort
and wed struggle to maintain wall thicknesses.
If some of the walls became too thin, the
component may not have been strong enough.
But he says Edgecams roughing strategy and
proling cycles were perfect for his solution.
We used a three-side machining strategy
of roughing one side out, rotating the
component and roughing the opposite side,
then we released it and reclamped it to nish
machining that side. We turned it back round
again to nish the side wed started cutting
originally. That way we minimised distortion
and any chance of having the walls too thin.
I built the machine setup in a 3D design
package and Edgecam allowed me to import
this directly into the system. This included the
part model originally supplied by Bloodhound
in NX format, the modied stock model and
all clamps and xture elements. Edgecams
ability to read a wide range of model formats
and to handle assemblies was invaluable, with
multiple setups of the part required.
While utilising some 3 + 2 operations,
much of the work was 3-axis milling, contour
and prole milling, with 4th axis rotation
to reach additional features. Edgecam was
absolutely perfect for that we set multiple
datums, and indexed between those datums
all within the same set-up. I built as much of
the manufacturing process as possible into
the Edgecam part les before taking it to the
nal simulation.
Edgecam tailored the toolpaths exactly to the
features they needed to machine, particularly
when it came to leaving extra material for
clamping. With scant excess material on the
THE NEED FOR SPEED
RAF ghter pilot Andrew Green will be relying on precise manufacturing when
he drives the 1,000mph Bloodhound supersonic car into the history books
I
M
A
G
E

C
R
E
D
I
T
:

S
I
E
M
E
N
S

N
X
length or width of the billet, clamp areas
were required which were removed later. The
toolpaths were customised around the clamp
areas and extra geometry added. Edgecam
gave us perfect toolpaths which allowed us to
cut very accurate proles.
With the dicult shape of the component
and small amount of stock material, Edgecams
ability to tightly control the link moves and feed
in / out moves between sections, enabled us to
produce smooth and safe transitions between
machined features and areas.
CUT AND DRY
For the main machining he kept the cutting
tools, all of which were supplied by Sandvik,
down to a minimum. As we were looking for a
secure and accurate process rather than a high
productivity operation I only used three cutting
tools to do most of the milling a solid carbide
end mill, a solid carbide ball nose end mill to
nish the proles, and a chamfer mill to deburr
as much of the component as possible in the
machine, which reduced manual handling.
Edgecams Code Wizard was another big
plus for Andrew Wright, so much so, that
he says they could not have produced the
components in the allotted time, without it.
As we were using a brand new machine we
only had a simulation post processor for its
predecessor, the Starrag 1600. But Edgecam
made it very easy to create, in eect, a
daughter post processor for the new 1800.
He created the code using the 1600 post
processor, ran a simulation and then re-
processed the le for the 1800 with minimal
changes. This gave me absolute condence
in the toolpaths going down to the shop
oor without having to do too much on
machine prove-out, knowing that the X Y
G-code wasnt aected between the two
simulations.
The Nuclear AMRC was asked to undertake
the machining work following successful
testing by the AMRC Advanced Structural
Testing Centre. Our speciality is assisting
manufacturers to produce complex, high
precision parts to the highest quality standards
which is exactly what Bloodhound wanted.
verosoftware.com
Edgecam gave us perfect
toolpaths which allowed us to
cut very accurate proles
Andrew Wright, production

engineer Nuclear AMRC
(Above) Part of cars rear sub-
frame, vital in keeping the rocket
pointing perfectly backwards
and providing downward thrust
(Below) The accuracy of
edgecams toolpaths was vital
in achieving the extremely tight
tolerances required
T
urbines for energy generation
are precision machines whatever
their scale. The blades wear out
while in use and must be replaced
as quickly as possible. Down
time is expensive. Stork Turbo
Blading BV specialises in producing turbine
blades for which high precision, quality and
short delivery times determine the success of
an order. Based in Sneek, Netherlands, Turbo
Blading is part of the Stork Power Services
division of the industrial Stork Group. The
company caters to a worldwide blade market,
supplying OEMs as well as the service and
aftermarket sectors.
Turbines that are used in energy generation
can be applied in multiple venues, including
coal-red power plants, small installations that
generate electricity on a ship or even in heat
recovery facilities. The broad range of turbine
dimensions, from 50 to 1,200 mm, illustrates
how exible Stork Turbo Blading has to be to
meet its clients needs.
The other business units in the Stork Power
Services Group include Stork Thermeq,
which specialises in boilers and burners;
Stork Turbo Service, which installs and
maintains turbines; and Stork Gears and
Services, which supplies and maintains
gear boxes. As a group, Stork Power Services
provides operators of energy generation
installations with a full range of services.
Turbine blades wear during their service
life, explains Gerrit Mulder, engineering
manager at Stork Turbo Blading. Wear
is determined by how they are used. Even
water has a destructive eect. The blades
of both the stationary and the rotor steps of
the turbine sustain damage. This leads to a
drop in eciency while posing a risk that can
cause a possible imbalance.
The fatigue and wear of bearings and seals
are other reasons to service a turbine.The
Stork Power Services Group overhauls aircraft
engines and other systems in addition to
overhauling steam and gas turbines.
DIFFERENTIATION THROUGH QUALITY
Large numbers of blades often are involved
when carrying out revisions. An installation
in a power plant with two turbines of 15
steps, each with 120 blades per step, requires
3,600 blades. Each diers from step to step.
On a yearly basis we produce 80,000 blades
that can vary a lot in dimension, explains
Mulder. We do that with 11 engineers,
six quality assurance specialists and 40
production sta, who generally work in two
shifts and even three at times. But in spite of
our signicant manpower, we never would
have been able to reach this production and
the level of quality if we had not gured out
better working methods for engineering,
work preparation, production and the
associated tooling.
By tooling, Mulder is not just referring to
the 4-axis and 5-axis milling machines owned
by Stork Turbo Blading. The real advantage
lies in the eciency of the process before
the data goes to the machines, Mulder says.
And this process can only be achieved with
the right software.
An order usually starts by recording
blade damage. This is done to determine
which steps in the turbine blades need to
be replaced. In three-quarters of the cases,
once this has been established, scanning
technology is used to determine the exact
shape of the blades. In these instances, no
drawings of the blades are available, says
Mulder. The blades are scanned in on-site
by a designated partner. Operating on a
worldwide basis, this partner also converts
the point cloud resulting from the scan
to STEP geometry. We compare this data
with the data of blades that we have already
produced. It is quite possible that we have
produced the blade before. Our database
contains drawings showing cross-sections
with measurements and shape tolerances.
SOFTWARE INTEGRATION
Stork Turbo Blading uses NX software,
including NX CAM, to engineer the blade
and generate NC paths. We have been using
NX for seven years now, Mulder says. In
2002, we compared the most important
players in a pilot project. NX came out of it
unquestionably as the best product. It ts
within our organisation. The functionality
is what we want. And the applicability to our
products is very good.
Mulder notes that it is important that
multiple engineers be able work on a design
simultaneously. Based on the STEP model,
the base and blade are developed separately
because they are two distinct parts of the
product. According to Mulder, We also nd
it important to be able to develop the xtures
in parallel. This is possible thanks to the NX
working method based on a master model.
In addition, the perfect integration between
CAD and CAM ensures that modication
BLADE RuNNER
With the help of a streamlined NX CAM workow a turbine blade manufacturer
has improved production eciency, reduced lead times and increased quality
stork Turbo Blading
manufactures a broad
range of turbines from
50 to 1,200 mm
cycles become extremely short.
For the companys engineers, the scan is
the absolute reference when developing the
NX model. In this process, the locations
where the milled product must be measured
are indicated with precision. Step-by-step
instructions are issued for production.
Mulder explains the positive impact of
NX on the process: Where we used to have
12 steps in the production process, there
are now only ve cutting, base milling,
blade rough-milling, blade nish-milling
and sometimes blade cutting o. The 4-axis
milling machines, which are widely auto-
mated with pallet systems, mainly mill
the base and rough-mill the blade leaf. All
four axes are used simultaneously in these
processes. Finish-milling takes place in a
5-axis simultaneous milling process.
FROM 3 DAYS TO 30 MINUTES
Mulder quanties the value of NX on the
CAD and CAM integration: Before NX,
we would spend on average three days
generating NC paths after an adaptation of
the design. Thanks to the integration of NX,
this is now done in half an hour. However,
time saving is not the only benet. The risk
of errors is lower because the generation of
NC paths is almost an automatic process.
Before the blades can be shipped and
assembled, each blade undergoes a quality
check. Among its various aspects, the
quality plan includes geometrical control
and a crack-detection test.
The denition of the performance
indicators in NX is transmitted to the
measuring device to ensure that measuring
the blades takes place automatically for
the most part. All of the blades are also
subjected to a magnetic test to detect
potential cracks in the material. Each step
in the turbine gets its own report and
material certicates. Some turbine blades
are also weighed.
We use a special program to distribute
the sections of the blades on the turbine
disc, Mulder explains. Minimum
weight dierences between the blades are
inevitable and can create an imbalance,
which needs to be rectied during
installation by balancing the turbine disc.
Calculating the distribution of the blades
based on their weight results in considerably
less work during the balancing stage.
After seven years, Mulder remains
convinced that the company made the
right choice. Without NX, we would not
have been able to oer our current level of
service and, as a result, todays business
would not be possible. The simplied
production process and the fast processing
of modications have led to a faster overall
process and higher quality. In short, NX
has played a major part in our companys
success and will continue to do so.
siemens.com/nx he-machinery.com
On a yearly basis stork Turbo
Blading produces 80,000 blades
that can vary a lot in dimension
O
n one side of a narrow,
dusty road in an
anonymous industrial
zone near Brescia,
Lombardy, at the foot of
the Alps, is a hangar-sized
building housing 16-Haas CNC machine
tools. On the other side of the road, adjoined
to another, smaller factory building, is a
family home which acts as the mother-ship
for four brothers, their wives, children and
two dogs, and the retired grandparents who
started Il Gruppo Gilberti S.p.A, more than
30-years ago.
A REGION RICH IN MOTORSPORT
Brescia is well known for its connections to
motor sport; the famous Mille Miglia (1,000
mile) road-race is held annually, starting
from the centre of the historic city. Nearby,
world-renowned engineering company
Brembo S.p.A designs and makes braking
systems for the worlds most powerful cars
and motor cycles.
For enthusiasts of two and four wheeled fun
whose budgets wont quite allow them to race
1,000 miles in a classic sports car, or invest in
the latest Brembo-shod Ferrari, theres a locally
made alternative that promises just as much
entertainment, but on a Lilliputian scale.
OK, so this is our mini-moto, says Marco,
39, youngest of the four Gilberti brothers.
We build the whole thing entirely ourselves
using our Haas CNC machine tools, except
the motor, which we buy.
The initial project to design and create a
mini-moto was born 3-years ago. We started
with just a line of spare parts such as hubs,
rims, etc. Now we have an online store where
we sell them to customers all over the world.
As well as parts for the automotive sector
and general industry, the Gilberti business
makes and supplies components for the Go-
Kart racing community.
RECOVERING FROM THE DOWNTURN
Business took a sharp downturn in
2009, recalls Marco. Go-Kart racing was
particularly hard hit. A little while later, we
began developing the GR1RR mini-moto,
which is currently our show bike.
We make almost everything on it using
our Haas SL-20 lathes and two Haas VF-2
machines. We dont make parts in large
quantities, but we do make a very wide
variety. We use the Haas lathes to make the
front forks, for example. We use the mills to
make the brake calipers, from solid billets,
the pistons, screws, all the frame supports,
and the steering yoke.
DIFFERENTIATION THROUGH QUALITY
There is no shortage of similar mini bikes
and quads available to buy both online and
also o. Needless to say, many of them come
from countries where price is the most
important component, and longevity and
safety come low down on the list of priorities.
We have some examples of Chinese-
made mini-motos, says Marco. To make
something with a much better quality but
that is still aordable, we needed to nd CNC
POCkET ROCkETS
In an Italian region renowned for autosport excellence, a family owned business
is building scale motorcycles that perform just like their full size cousins
machine tools which were reliable, accurate
and not too expensive.
We chose Haas machines because
they have all of these characteristics. We
bought the rst one around 10-years ago
and we liked it straight away. It was easy to
programme, robust and fast. So, as we built
our business, we decided to stay with Haas.
In fact, we dont have any other make of
machine and were pretty happy with that
arrangement.
We have a very good relationship with the
sales company they are attentive, including
on the phone, and if we have a problem or
a question, they are here immediately. The
truth is, weve never had any signicant
problems!
PREMIUM PRODUCTS ON THE TRACK
On the track, with the right rider on-aboard,
a 49cc mini-moto like the GR1RR, weighing
just 25kg, will easily reach 120km/h. It may
not be very far to fall if something goes
wrong, but at those sorts of speeds, the
tarmac is plenty hard enough.
There are many cheap alternatives
around, but theres a good market for well-
designed and well-made mini-motos like
ours, says Marco.
People can see immediately that the parts
are beautifully engineered and nished.
As well as the sheer fun of riding a Gilberti
mini-moto, anyone with a love of ne
machining will get a lot of pleasure from just
owning one.
haas.co.uk gruppogilberti.it
Workstation
Specialists
+44 (0) 800 180 4801 sales@wksmail.com www.workstationspecialists.com
(C) Copyright Workstation Specialists Acecad Software Ltd. E & OE - Prices exc. VAT + Delivery and are subject to change without notice. All rights reserved. Logos, images &
company/product names are trademarks of their
Release your True Potential
@WSpecialists
c
e
r
t
i
f
i
e
d

c
a
d
/
C
A
M
/
C
A
E

w
o
r
k
s
t
a
t
i
o
n
s
o
l
u
t
i
o
n
s
!
REVIEW: AuTODESk
CAM PRODuCTS 2015
Autodesks acquisition of HSMWorks in 2012 took many by surprise. Al Dean
explores how the CAD -integrated product range looks now, two years on
I
f youre not familiar with
HSMWorks, it was a relatively
recent entrant into the well
established CAM industry
back in 2008. Founded in
Denmark with a veteran team
of programmers, the intent was (and
still is) to focus on CAD-integrated
generation of NC code and to do so
using the latest advances in computing
technologies that were beginning to
take o in the mainstream.
From its adoption of the CAD
integrated approach (where the CAM
tools reside inside the CAD system)
to its ground up support for parallel
processing on the increasingly
common multi-core workstations and
64-bit operating systems, HSMWorks
launched to the market with a
SolidWorks integrated oering
HSMWorks.
The company also took the decision
to help build its prole by doing
something that few had tried before
giving away the 2D machining portion
of its technology for free. And hence,
HSMWorks Xpress was launched.
Fast forward to 2012 and Autodesk
acquires the company. When you
consider that, at this time, HSMWorks
didnt even have an Inventor integrated
version this took many by surprise .
Now, as Autodesk unveils its 2015
products, we have a much clearer
picture of where Autodesks integrated
CAM solutions are heading.
Essentially, Autodesk now has a
three pronged attack for the market;
HSMWorks for SolidWorks, HSM for
Inventor and CAM for Fusion 360,
which is still in beta test. The latter is
part of Autodesks plans for cloud-
based design and manufacturing tools.
SINGLE CORE PLATFORM
So what does this product range look
like? The development team take the
95/5 approach. Essentially this means
that 95 per cent of the development
work is done on the core underlying
technology thats shared across all
three streams of products.
The remaining 5 per cent is dedicated
to integration to the host applications
user interface and making sure that
it follows each products conventions,
user interface guidelines and expected
user experience.
In a couple of months time,
both the SolidWorks and Inventor
versions of the CAM tools will have
reached parity. What I mean by
that is that, at present, the Inventor
version is slightly lagging behind the
SolidWorks variant specically in
the elds of Mill/Turn and Turning.
Its worth noting that CAM for
Fusion 360 is following later (in terms
of capability) as the oering moves
closer to becoming a shipping product
intended for commercial work.
1 New to the market

for the 2015 release
cycle, inventor
HsM offers a fully
integrated CAM
solution for inventor
1
Liquid Trucks are innovative designs that combine high
performance precision parts for the next generation of
skaters. In addition to a wide range of cast skateboard
trucks, Liquid Trucks has sought to machine the most
comprehensive collection of compatible precision baseplate
geometries and hanger widths. Simply put, Liquid Trucks
will give skaters more and better choices than ever before.
Liquid Trucks started out sourcing production to
machine shops but got tired of the cost of prototypes
and being held hostage by the machine shop schedule.
So the company decided to buy its own CNC machines to
take control of the process. We started to use HSMWorks
and couldnt believe how easy it was to create the
professional results we were looking for. The clean UI
and seamless integration with SolidWorks allowed us to
signifcantly increase our ability to revise our design and
produce the best possible trucks for skaters, commented
Chris Chaput, owner and designer at Liquid.
cam.autodesk.com facebook.com/liquidtrucks
Inventor, iParts provides much the
same capability
Next its time to dene set-ups. CAD
geometry isnt always in the correct
orientation for machining, where the
Z axis needs to be pointing upwards,
so the HSM products allow you to have
multiple set-ups in a part, then each
operation is calculated to the particular
assignment.
OPERATION PROGRAMING
Once done, you start to add in the
operations that machine the part. At
this point its worth discussing the
variants of each system integration.
Inventor HSM Express and HSM
Xpress for SolidWorks are the free
versions, which bring you 2.5 axis
milling and hole drilling.
Whats interesting is that while this
might typically just include primsatic
pocket and boss machining, there
is also a little bit of 3D machining
included so basic 3D forms (for
example, pockets or bosses with
draft) can be machined.
Then, as you step up into the paid
for options, there are essentially two
levels. HSMWorks and Inventor HSM
gives you 3D milling, 3+2 machining
(for positional work), turning and then
support for mill/turn machines which
combine all the tools.
Then at the high-end, you can add
in support for true simultaneous
machining with the HSMWorks
Premium and Inventor HSM
Professional.
Whichever avour youre working
with, the process is the same. Create
the operation, choose the set-up, select
the tool (from a pretty extensive tool
library), add in the parameters and
have the system calculate it.
The HSM products are pretty nifty,
particularly on todays multi-core
workstations and you get the results
back in a short amount of time (as
ever, dependent on the operation and
COMMON WORKFLOW
All of the HSM products work in
the same way. They dont rely on
feature-based machining per se, (as is
common in CAD-integrated avours
of CAM), but rather create toolpaths
based on pure geometry, restricted
where necessary by boundaries and
edge loops. Thats not to say that the
tools dont take advantage of features
found in CAD models, but they do so
where it makes sense hole drilling
for instance.
Whichever avour youre looking at,
the workow is pretty standardised
and both follow the same conventions.
Both have a dedicated toolbar showing
all of your options and operations.
Where they dier in look and feel is
where the system stores its parameters.
In SolidWorks, these are found in a
special purpose PropertyManager.
Inventor has panels to the left of the UI
by default.
JOB SET-UP
You begin with importing the part and
adding in jigs and xtures. As theyre
CAD-integrated, the reliance is on the
host systems import capabilities. Its
also worth noting that you can bring
in jigs and xtures (clamps, vices and
the like) and the set-up process allows
these to be quickly identied as such
(to be avoided during machining
operations).
You also need to dene the stock
for the parts. This is pretty simple
using a bounding box with osets if
youre working on a rectangular billet.
If youre working with casting, then
you can also use a separate CAD le as
the cast form from which the part is
machined.
In SolidWorks, a good approach
is to use congurations to hold
this alongside the actual part. In
HsMwORKs KeePs PRODUCTiON ROLLiNG AT LiQUiD
2 All of the paid for

versions of the HsM
products include full
machine simulation
tools particularly
critical when
dealing with 3+2 and
simultaneous 5-axis
2
how much compute time is needed).
The parameters are dened in either
the Panels or Property Managers
of the host systems and are broken
down by Tool, Geometry (for adding
in boundaries and such), Heights
(for your retraction and safe heights),
Passes (for step-downs and such) and
Linking (for how the cutter transitions
between each pass). Hit OK and
they calculate immediately, showing
feedback as they go.
SIMULATION
Once the operations are in place,
simulation tools allow you to run
through the result of each. The
advanced variants include full machine
simulation, so you can not only check
against gouges and collisions between
the workpiece, the cutter and the
toolholder, but also the full machine.
This is critical if youre looking at
running 3+2 or 5 axis simultaneous
machine tools.
EDITING & POST PROCESSING
So far we should have given you a
feel for how the workow runs. Its
pretty standard for any CAM system
and a little time spent exploring each
operation youre using will pay massive
dividends.
One area that is worth talking about
is how the system works in terms
of standardising your operations -
something that many shops look to do.
Theres no formalised method of
dening the standard presets for each
operation. Instead, as you play with
the parameters for each operations
and cutter combination, you nd
what works then set those values as
the defaults.
Those are then available next time
you use the operation. For those
used to doing the work up front, this
might be a little strange, but HSM
has been built for those that want to
crack on and get cutting, rather than
setting up parameters and such. This
Autodesk is leading the charge into the cloud when it comes
to 3D design and production tools. Its release of Fusion 360
for modelling solids, surfaces and organic forms with t-splines
has shown the future of these types of tools is real.
The 360 platform brings together all of the companys
cloud offerings and will soon become a fully integrated
platform for conducting design and documentation with
a heavy smattering of on-line collaboration and project
management.
To go alongside this, over the few months, it has also been
trialing a similarly cloud-integrated version of the HSM
products that allow you to take your Fusion 360 models and
start to prepare them for manufacturing.
As anyone thats trialled Fusion 360 will know, the
workfow is different to standard CAD (and CAM) tools, in that
everything relating to your project is stored on the cloud.
While for many this might be a no-no, of course, there are
some benefts to this approach.
The frst (but often relegated to last) is that youre buying
access to the tools, not specifc and node locked licenses.
This means that on whatever machine you want to run the
tools, you can. It also means that all of your data is available,
wherever you are.
There are mechanisms in place to work off line and any
changes or work when your internet connection drops out or
in unavailable, are synced when it comes back on-line.
This means that you can work on your projects when you
need to, rather than being tied to a specifc machine. Whether
youre prepping a model for casting on a train or in an airport
lounge, or calculating toolpaths live with on-site with a
customer to work up a quote, the tools and the data are there
to use then also available when youre back in the offce or
on the shopfoor.
It also means that you can share data with other users
and track collaboration where needed, store all of your
documentation online and centralise everything without the
need for heavy IT infrastructure and associated costs.
Cost is also something that changes with the 360 services.
The costs for 2.5D, 3D and 3+2 milling starts at $115 per
month (or $900 per year if paid up front - thats $75 a month)
all in. Compared to the costs of purchasing CAM in a more
traditional manner, that makes getting up and running much
more affordable than has been the case before.

cam.autodesk.com
CAM FOR FUsiON 360: CLOUD FOR THe sHOPFLOOR
3 The HsM products

eschew feature-based
machining, instead
adding in clean,
effcient toolpaths
for cutting geometry
directly, then
trimming it back to
specifc boundaries
3
approach is also evident in how the
system works in terms of editing
toolpaths, operations and such
much of which is multi-threaded in
terms of calculation.
Edits are very quick to make and
the calculation happens very quickly.
Also the structure of your job and the
relationships between set-ups and
operations isnt locked down once
dened. Its possible to drag and drop
operations between set-ups, so edits to
the machining process can be made
pretty quickly and uidly.
The system is also supplied with
a pretty extensive range of post
processors for outputting your g-code
but, as youd expect, these can be
tweaked, adapted and rewritten to
bring in the requirements for your
machine tools and preferences for how
things are done.
CONCLUSION
The release of the two streams of the
HSM products shows that Autodesk
has a commitment to the CAM market
in a big way. Its maintaining the
SolidWorks tools while extending the
integration with Inventor.
They all look clean, modern and
reuse your CAD system knowledge.
If youre looking at bringing CNC
in house, this gives you options
particularly when you consider that
the paid for versions of Inventor
HSM products also include a seat of
Inventor.
Many are looking at CNC driven
machine tools for both prototyping
and production purposes. The
HSM product range gives you a very
low-cost (i.e; free) place to start with
professional, modern CAM then
room to move up the complexity scale
as your needs grow and mature.
cam.autodesk.com
REVIEW:
EDgECAM 2014
With its reputation built as a standalone application that has close links with CAD
systems, Edgecam is expanding into new areas. Al Dean explores whats new
T
here are a couple of
reasons why Edgecam has
gained a solid reputation
in the machining market
in the last ten years. The
rst is that, while other
systems looked to full integration
within host 3D design tools, Edgecam
integrated tightly with the data formats
using a standalone application.
The second is it concentrated on
production machining of, typically,
prismatic parts.
In the intervening years, the system
has expanded its coverage, not only
to enhance and improve those core
tools, but also to extend the types of
machining strategy that it supported.
Looking at Edgecam today, now under
the Vero Software groups ownership,
the system covers the full spectrum of
machining tasks.
From its roots in 3-axis, high-speed
machining, it has now moved into the
realms of 4- and 5-axis, turning, mill/
turn and wire EDM (thanks, in part,
to the knowledge available in the Vero
product range which includes PEPS for
wire EDM).
EDGECAM WORKFLOW
The latest release introduces the usual
slew of new operations and options
but has also focussed on a new set
of tools collected under the name
Edgecam Workow.
As weve discussed elsewhere, there
are big issues in the manufacturing
industry that range from the shortage
of knowledge and experienced
machinists to the need for even
the smallest of job shops to ensure
that they get projects underway in
the quickest time possible but
at the same time, ensuring that the
machining operations are using best
practice and are optimised to reduce
cycle time.
Edgecam Workow introduces an
environment in which much of the
routine tasks associated with part
preparation and operation denition
are automated where possible. It does
this in a logical sequence that follows
the familiar process, beginning with
part set-up.
As were all aware, geometry from
the CAD system isnt usually aligned
(in terms of 3D co-ordinate space) in a
manner thats suitable for machining.
Workow includes tools that allow the
user to quickly import the geometry
and dene the correct datum. This can
either be selected automatically based
on part geometry or tweaked manually
if theres ambiguity.
It also steps you through the
denition of any jigs, xtures, vices
and clamps from predened libraries.
As with all knowledge-based systems,
time spent setting these items up
to match your best practices and
available items, is time well spent.
Once done, the process of extracting
the machinable features from the part
geometry begins. Again, Workow is
designed to run o the back of your
own internal best practices, whether
thats by machine set-up (its perfectly
suited to organisations running
multiple, dierent machine tools), by
geometry or by material.
It begins by using Edgecams feature
recognition tools to nd machinable
features using geometry analysis,
rather than extracting features from
1 edgecam easily
positions fxtures,
with automatic
toolpath avoidance
3 Full machine
simulation allows
edgecam users
to review the
manufacturing
process before it is
sent to the machine
1
2
the CAD part allowing it to work
with dumb geometry just as well as it
does with native CAD parts.
It looks for pockets, bosses (both
open and closed), holes, at faces and
such. It then uses its intelligence
(again, based on your input to guide
best practice) and creates a Planning
Board of machining operations
(found in the left hand panel of
the UI). This selects the most
appropriate cutter and operation for
each set of features found based on
the size of the part, the geometry and
your settings.
As you can see from both gures
1 and 3, this is displayed in a colour
co-ordinated manner, splitting out
each operation type (here, roughing
is followed by proling/nishing and
then drilling cycles). On the Planning
Board , operations can be reordered
eDGeCAM wORKFLOw CAPTURiNG AND ReUsiNG iNTeLLiGeNCe
1 Import the geometry for the part as well as aligning

the datum to get it in the most appropriate orientation for
machining
2 Dene the stock more (from standard forms, from osets

from the component or import geometry) and any xtures,
clamps and other ttings
3 Find the machining features. Its worth noting this uses a

geometry analysis, rather than CAD features enabling it to
also work with import geometry
4 Categorise each feature or group of features using the

Planning Board. This allows you to organise the feature, then
apply preset operations
5 Full machine simulation can be used to ensure that each

set-up and operation is gouge free as a rst pass. The trick is
then to use this as the basis for ne tuning
6 Once the back of the job has been broken quickly, time
can be spent ne tuning each operation to ensure that the
machine is running as optimally as possible
3
prior to calculation, so things are as
close to the nal intent way before
calculation takes place. Once in a t
state, the toolpaths are calculated.
Then its a case of ne tuning things,
ensuring there are no collision or
gouging issues.
FULL FLUTE WITH WAVEFORM
Edgecam has its own take on the use
of full ute machining techniques. As
is now rampant across the industry,
many are looking at this area to cut
large chunks (metaphorically and
literally) out of the machining cycle
time by using the combination of
cutting with the full (or near the
full length) of the cutter with clever
toolpaths to ensure that the cutter
engages in a consistent manner with
the material.
This means that large depths
can be removed. How each vendor
approaches this diers but the end
result is the same. Loading on not
only the cutter, but the whole spindle,
is consistent and without those
gut wrenching moves. That means
quicker cuts, removing more material,
but just as critically, less wear on both
the cutter and the machine.
Edgecam has built its own take on
this technology (named Waveform)
and built it into every appropriate
strategy, so its a case of using them,
once the feeds and speeds and other
settings for your machine tools are
dialled into the system.
Rather than adjust speeds and feeds,
Waveform automatically manages the
width of cut of the tool, so the feed/
speed remain the same.
CONCLUSION
In terms of ease of use Edgecam has
been a leader in the standalone, yet
CAD integrated, CAM market for
a fair old while. The latest updates
show that its using its knowledge to
automate the routine jobs, leaving the
expert time to ne tune, optimise an
validate tool-paths.
Edgecam Workow makes
great sense for those machining
departments where multiple
machines are running, perhaps with
similar, yet dierent components and
the company has a need to increase
throughput from the programming
oce, onto the shopoor. Its also key,
as with any knowledge-based system,
that the time is invested to dene the
parameters in which that automation
can operate.
Without that eort upfront, the
benets can be hampered. Elsewhere,
Edgecam is keeping pace with the
current trends. While weve not
covered mill/turn much in this article,
the tools are already in the system and
improving with each release, enabling
those investing in that type of machine
tool to take advantage of its benets,
using a familiar programming system.
Waveform also brings high-speed
machining up to date with the current
state of the art that many rms are
exploring.
edgecam.com
3 edgecam
workfow allows the
user to manually
create toolpaths
complimenting
automatic toolpath
generation
REVIEW: DELCAM
POWERMILL 2014
PowerMill is a legend amongst those machining at the bleeding edge.
Al Dean explores the highlights of the latest release
A
nyone thats been
involved in the more
complex end of the
machining spectrum
will know about
Delcams PowerMill.
Whether youre a user or not, its
reputation as one of the go-to systems
for machining complex forms, is
undeniable.
While its background is in the mould
and die market, the last few years have
seen PowerMill expand its reach. That
reach has grown not only in terms of
the types of machine tool activities that
it supports, but also the industry tasks
and activities it encompasses.
In addition to mould and die, youll
now nd PowerMill working to help
control all manner of complex machine
tools whether thats gantry mounted
CNC routers, or robots grinding to
remanufacture turbine blades or
driving the trimming of complex
composite structures.
What links all of these activities is the
inherent complexity that comes with
those machines and absolute control
required over their movements.
USER EXPERIENCE
As with all the other Delcam systems,
PowerMill has been through a pretty
major overhaul of the user interface
in the last few years. But if youre
expecting an experience that follows
Microsofts current UI guidelines,
then youre out of luck.
Instead, what youll nd is an
interface thats suited to the complex
business of part programming.
Everything is laid out logically, icons
are clear, clean and communicate
the operation involved. What has
changed, however, is the scope for
customisation. In previous releases,
you had a maximum of four toolbars
for collecting users most-used
operations, linking to macros and
the like. Thats now been expanded
to give you a whopping 32. That
should just about cover everything
you need for dierent types of part,
dierent materials etc. Its also worth
noting that these are now stored
in XML format, so theyre much
more shareable between users and
PCs which aids both back up and
standardisation. And the latter is
particularly key when getting new
team members up to speed.
DYNAMIC TOOL CONTROL
Moving onto the programming of
complex machines, perhaps the
biggest highlight for this release
relates to tracking and simulation of
the motion characteristics of complex
4- and 5-axis machine tools.
Now, unless youve worked with one
of these machines, the subtleties of
the importance of these tools might
be missed. These multi axis machines
are dicult to program because
alongside the movement of the cutter
and holder around the part, the user
also needs to factor in the rotation and
tilting of the machine bed and/or the
movement of the machine head.
The new tools allow the user to not
only visualise the exact movements of
all aspects of the machine with a new
Machine Tool Position dialog (which
shows the XYZ translation and A/C
axis rotations), but also to grab the
1 PowerMills new
composite curve
creation tools give
automation where
needed, then prompt
for user input. For
example, where
tangency cant be
tracked
1
geometry of the head and manoeuvre
it into position.
This allows experimentation to nd
the optimal combination of head
position, part rotation, cutter length to
reach those hard to reach places. Once
its found, a new work-plane can be
quickly created, a very useful addition
for those using 3 + 2 machines.
While PowerMill, along with
similar programs, has included
collision detection for some time,
the new version also allows users
to detect less serious, but still
important, problems like sudden
changes in direction or axis reversals
that can leave marks on the parts
surface. Often, it is simply a case of
changing the position of the part on
the bed to solve the problem.
VORTEX MACHINING
The next headline update for this
PowerMill release cycle is Vortex
machining. This is Delcams take on
full ute roughing with solid carbide
tools and takes its mastery of the
complex machining strategy and
applies some smart thinking to the
process. While we should be aware
of this movement towards deeper
roughing operations, Delcams take
2 PowerMills vortex
machining operations
allows full fute
length cuts to remove
material at higher rate
using the full fute
length of solid carbide
cutters
MACHiNe CONTROL: ReiGNiNG iN THe COMPLeXiTY OF Five AXis
1 Simulating the tool-path. PowerMill will detect any

collisions that occur between the machine tool and the
model during the simulation
2 Open up the new Dynamic Machine Control toolbar

allowing you to re-orientate the machine to be collision free
3 Interactive grab handles allow you to move and rotate the

machine to any desired orientation. The information dialog
tracks movements and warns if an axial limit has been met
4 Grab the machine tool and drag it around the remainder

of the toolpath checking for further collisions, dynamically
and with real time feedback
5 Update your existing tool-path with one click (if using

spherical tooling) or create a new workplane aligned to the
tool for use on additional toolpaths
6 Accept the changes made using PowerMills Dynamic

Machine Control and run a new simulation of the new, now
collision free, tool-path
diers from others on the market in
that its based on tool-paths with a
controlled engagement angle between
cutter and material.
Other oerings tend to focus on
maintaining the material removal rate
and varying the feed-rate. What Vortex
does is look to ensure that the feed-
rate is maintained as close to constant
as possible, with the tool-path varying
to the engagement angle that gives
you a much more constant load on the
cutter, which in turn reduces the wear
on the machine and cutter as a whole.
While metrics are always dicult
to verify (as usage scenarios dier
dramatically), customers that have
been trialing this approach have
found that in addition to reducing
the cycle time for specic operations,
the costs associated with cutter
stock has also shifted in their favour,
whether enabling lower cost cutters
to be used or needing fewer cutters
for a run of parts.
At present, Vortex machining can be
used in a select number of operations
including 2- and 3-axis roughing,
three plus axis area clearance and for
rest machining, though Id expect
these to be expanded in coming
releases. Of course, given the correct
parameters, these options can be
used to machine almost all materials,
titanium, tool steel and more exotic
alloys such as Inconel.
Finally, although not directly related
to PowerMill, its also being integrated
into some of the other CAM systems
in Delcams portfolio, including
PartMaker, FeatureCAM and Delcam
for SolidWorks.
COMPOSITE CURVES
Moving onto more functional matters,
a generally applicable update for this
release is on the creation of composite
curves, one of a number of CAD tools
included in PowerMill. While these
have always been a mainstay of mould
and die applications, those used to
mainstream modelling tools might
not be an familiar term. Essentially,
composite curves (or comp curves for
short) are a series of connected edges,
extracted from your geometric model.
Whereas mainstream tool users
might be familiar with the process
of selecting edges around a set
of geometry (for example, as you
would for lleting or chamfering
operations), theyre typically selected
as part of the feature creation process
and not retained.
In the CAM world, comp curves
allow you to do the same (selecting
either manually or tracking tangency
automatically), but the result is
formalised as a single curve thats
stored as part of the model.
These can then be used for a variety
of purposes. The most common
is to dene parting lines in mould
design but, in the CAM world, they
serve additional purposes, such as
restricting the creation of toolpaths,
dening proling operations, or the
trimming of composites.
The new tools in PowerMill give
you a mix of automated tools (where
the tool follows lines, circles and arcs
by tangency connections) as well
as manual input where needed (for
example, where tangency breaks or
three edges meet).
IN CONCLUSION
PowerMill is always pushing the limits
of what can be achieved with state of
the art machine tools, but also, and
arguably more importantly, allows
machinists to work with their existing
tools more eciently.
Theres plenty more else to dig into
but the key updates in this release,
in particular the introduction of the
new ve-axis tools and the Vortex area
clearance strategy, show that Delcam
is nding ways to do things dierently
and to add intelligence to the
machining process to create higher
quality, more consistent tool-paths for
all manner of machine tools.
delcam.com
2
MAkINg THE CASE FOR
MACHINE SIMuLATION
CGTech Managing Director, John Reed explores the benets of having
independent machine simulation tools as part of your machining workow
Y
ou would be forgiven for
thinking that NC simulation
software was a mature market.
CGTechs own VeriCut
software, which accurately
models CNC machine tools
in order to independently simulate the post-
processed version of an NC program, has
been available for many years.
However, new business continues to
surge as manufacturing and engineering
businesses that have never considered
simulation software before are opting to
invest in the technology.
Machine simulation, verication and
optimisation software enables users to totally
eliminate the process of manually proving-
out NC programs. It reduces scrap loss and
rework. It can also optimise NC programs in
order to both save time and produce higher
quality surface nish.
So why are so few organisations adopting
NC machine tool simulation outside of the
tools provided with their CAM software? Or
to put it another way, what are the reasons that
our customers are evaluating our solutions?
At CG Tech, weve identied several key
reasons for this continued interest from new
customers, as well as ongoing appeal among
existing users.
Solid models. During the past few decades,
many machine shops were programming
without solid models; relying on paper-based
designs and, at best, wire-frame models.
Today, however, with the development of
PC-based CAD/CAM software the use of
solid models is commonplace. The broader
availability of solid models for workpieces,
cutting tools and machine tools makes
program simulation far easier to implement.
Higher value work. Particularly for Western
manufacturing businesses, some of the most
lucrative machining opportunities involve
parts that are geometrically challenging,
often produced from dicult to machine
materials and to increasingly tight tolerances.
Where the part value is higher, the
importance of avoiding an error or collision
that could damage the raw material or the
machined component becomes that much
more signicant.
Capacity constraints. Many machine shops
have sucient work; the challenge being
scheduling it with nite capacity. Performing
prove-outs on the machine, therefore,
becomes a costly use of machine capacity.
Far better to do it in a virtual environment,
allowing independent software to provide
the condence in the tool path and machine
set-up. Some can also optimises the NC
program, allowing it to run faster, increasing
the capacity of the shop.
Complex 5-axis machining. Many
machine shops installing their rst 5-axis
machine tool are justiably cautious about
the complexity of this machines axes
movements. Simulating the 5-axis job
before it runs oers a way to safeguard this
sophisticated machine technology, often
sophisticated can also be considered as
high-priced.
Cost considerations. A machine crash is very
expensive, potentially ruining the machine
tool, and delaying your entire manufacturing
schedule. However, with simulation
software, you can dramatically reduce the
chance of any error.
Machine simulation detects collisions
and near-misses between all machine tool
components such as axis slides, heads,
turrets, spindles, tool changers, xtures,
workpieces, cutting tools, and other user-
dened objects.
Near-miss zones can be set up around the
components to check for close calls, and even
machine over-travel errors can be detected.
Once the risk of crashing the machine
has been removed, simulation software
then provides ongoing savings by removing
the wasted production time lost during
the proving-out of new programs on the
machine.
Every machine shop has to introduce and
prove new NC programs at some point. For
most engineering companies around 15 to
20 per cent of a machine tools spindle time
is allocated to this.
On a single shift, this equates to one lost
day per week per machine. Assuming the
machine is charged out at 70 per hour,
thats 560 worth of lost production time
for each machine. So, a shop with 10
CNC machine tools manually proving-out
programs is losing around 263,000 per year.
A paperless working environment. For
management and supervisors, having access,
on demand, to all their critical les provides
conrmation of the safe machining of any
production parts, and for the operator it
provides additional set-up information and
subsequent op sequences.
Supply chain security. This is a vital
consideration for any company operating in
the aerospace or other high-tech industry
supply chain, where key performance
business indicators measure both quality
and OTIF (On Time, In Full) delivery. NC
code verication ensures the safety of the
component; it allows the programmed
cut part model to be measured against the
design CAD model and also safeguards the
machine tool from collision damage.
Sta stress. Companies have a duty of care
towards their employees health and safety;
stress is known to be one of the major causes
of lost time for sta work attendance.
Machine simulation provides the comfort
of checking any tool-paths before they
are released to the shopoor, giving the
opportunity to programmers and engineers
to identify and rectify any errors beforehand.
This improves health and safety by
reducing the stress levels for everyone
involved, especially the machine operators
that will be ultimately responsible for the safe
operation of the machine tool.
IN CONCLUSION
As well as protecting the machine tool from
programming errors and optimising the
NC cutting tool path, machine simulations
ability to move the prove-out process from the
shopoor into a virtual environment makes a
sound investment argument.
When you consider all the advantages,
the investment in machine simulation by
new customers discovering all the benets
available, it becomes easier to understand
why they choose to use the software. Today,
the question is likely to be why wouldnt you
use it?
cgtech.co.uk
Real parts. Really fast.
A product development team needs parts
to meet its rapidly approaching deadline.
. . . . . . . . . . .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
How
Many Parts?
2510,000+
parts
125
parts
Receive a
ProtoQuote
interactive
quote.
Finalise
quote and
submit P.O.
Receive
order
conrmation
with gate
and ejector
layout.
Approve.
Mould
design
and
milling.
Part
production.
Parts
ready
for
shipping.
From 995
Parts
ready
for
shipping.
From 50
Machining
begins.
Finalise
options,
order.
Receive
FirstQuote
interactive
quote.
Its easy to work with Proto Labs. Just upload your
3D CAD model and choose the best process for your project:
CNC machining in 13 days or injection moulding in 115 days.
Real parts in real materials, in daysnot weeks. And thats the
real story. Call +44 (0) 1952 683047 or visit www.protolabs.co.uk
Check out our
video design tips!
Visit www.protolabs.co.uk/parts today to receive your FREE
copy of our comprehensive comparison of rapid prototyping
technologies. Enter source code EUD314
Upload
3D CAD le.
Rapid Prototyping Technologies
Proto Labs 2014 ISO 9001:2008 Certied
D3D 297 x 210_new_Layout 1 14/01/2014 14:28 Page 1
CAM FOR BEgINNERS
I
t is important for the CAM
industry to recognise
that many of companies
involved in the manufacturing
process are typically not the same
company involved in the design
of the original component.
Therefore, regardless of the
CAD/CAM system, the tool set
provided must be as unobtrusive
as possible; ensuring that the
engineer is able to concentrate
on the job-in-hand, rather than
the working constraints of the
CAD/CAM system.
Before the CAM process
begins, a major factor is the
ability to accurately read data
from a wide range of suppliers.
Globalisation has increased the
need for cross-platform systems.
Due to the nature of iteration
in product engineering, the
data must be transferable from
one team (and one product) to
another.
CAM systems are addressing
the skill shortage by reducing
the reliance of CAM experts.
This can be achieved by using
software intelligence and a
knowledge-based database,
which adapts over time and can
be used by anyone to achieve the
same results, following proven
and tested rules and conventions.
By establishing plant-wide
database defaults that represent
company standards, this ensures
that from user to user, job to job,
you are producing consistent
results and high quality
toolpaths.
Intelligence can be added
to the CAM software so the
best strategy or machining
parameters based on remaining
stock or geometrical attributes
is selected. One example of this
is the ability to take a standard
3-axis toolpath and convert it for
use as a 5-axis toolpath, rather
than having to rework it from
scratch.
Feature recognition is key as
this ensures that data can be
successfully passed from CAD
to CAM. Those same design
features, diameters, hole depth,
etc. can be automatically read
by the system and passed to
the CAM engine. Once the
machining parameters of a
feature are known this feature
can be assigned the relevant
machining process to eciency
cut at the machine.
Lots of development over
the last few years has seen
automation of machining at
the forefront of development.
The choice of strategies and
tooling used, based on the
component and what tools are
available to the user will allow the
CAM system to choose the best
machining methods including
the number of setups to keep
machining time and setups
down to a minimum.
The future of CAM will
be based on the continual
development of design
intelligence and maximising
the use of industry innovations
and cutting edge technologies.
Advances in PC hardware,
design/engineering, machining
methods and cutting tools will
result in CAD/CAM suppliers
optimising their oerings. The
harmony between software,
CNC machine and tooling
performance is fundamental to
manufacturing quality.
MARC FReeBReY MARKeTiNG
DiReCTOR veRO GROUP
D
espite the constant
improvements in digital
prototyping, there is still
no substitute for being able to
touch, feel and play around with
a physical model of a new design.
While many of these models
are now produced by additive
manufacturing, there is a
growing trend for design
agencies to also invest in
subtractive manufacturing or
machining as it is known to
traditionalists like me.
The main driver for this change
is not, as might be expected,
to save money as investing
in a machine tool, together
with the associated software
and accessories is not a cheap
exercise. The real benet is
the ability to save time an
increasing precious commodity
as there are constant pressures to
reduce the development time for
new products.
Selecting the most suitable
machine tool depends on a huge
variety of factors, not least the
size of the models being made
and the materials to be used.
Fortunately, it is much simpler
to choose the most appropriate
CAM software since only one
factor is really important ease
of use.
Even though CAM software
is generally easier to learn than
CAD software, it can still be a
challenge for casual users to
maintain the level of knowledge
needed to operate a CAM
system. After all, having a variety
of sophisticated machining
strategies available is of little
use if the operator doesnt know
how and when to apply them.
In addition, the potential cost is
high of any errors in the program
that could cause a collision.
Similarly, struggling to produce
the most ecient machining
strategy is not as important
when making a single model,
that could well be machined
overnight, as it is when
manufacturing thousands of
parts in a long production run.
To obtain the ease of use that
is required, a feature-based
programming system is by far
the most suitable choice.
With this approach, individual
pieces of geometry, such as
holes, pockets, slots or bosses,
and even surfaces, are created as
features in CAD software. Their
form is then recognised by the
CAM system and a program
generated automatically,
which allows each feature to
be machined in a standard
way. All of the decisions that
otherwise need to be made by the
programmer, including the sizes
of cutting tools to be chosen, the
strategies to be applied and the
feeds and speeds to be used, are
made by the software.
While these systems might
seem to be inexible, that does
not need to be the case. Either
the company supplying the
software or an expert user in
the company can modify the
templates used in the CAM
system to take account of the
materials to be cut and machine
tools available.
In this way, design companies
can have a system that is easy for
designers with little machining
experience to use and still able
to produce ecient and reliable
toolpaths.
PeTeR DiCKiN MARKeTiNG
MANAGeR DeLCAM
The CAM industry needs to adapt to support the growing number of rms
bringing machining back in house. But how will it ensure that customers who
are short on experience are still ecient and productive?
MiRKO BCKeR MANUFACTURiNG
MARKeTiNG DiReCTOR, sieMeNs
M
anufacturing has
always been a
balancing act of
cost, quality, and speed. These
goals are in competition with
each other, and tradeos are
constantly evaluated and re-
evaluated. Manufacturing has
always been a balancing act of
cost, quality, and speed. These
goals are in competition with
each other, and tradeos are
constantly evaluated and re-
evaluated. As the cute posters
seen in so many shops say,
pick two.
These tradeos led many
OEMs to turn to suppliers for
some key components. But in the
interest of maintaining quality,
or reducing transportation costs,
or providing faster turnaround,
many of these same OEMs are
wondering if they would benet
from bringing their component
manufacturing back in-house.
The answer has been yes,
increasingly, when a component
is complex, precise, or critical to
the overall product. That is when
the tradeos become greater for
letting someone else do it.
Bringing an operation back in
house is easier said than done,
however. It probably involves
building up a facility, acquiring
machines and tooling, and
adding sta. More importantly,
the OEM may have lost a
signicant amount of expertise
and experience for the job. What
can be done to lower hurdles
like these?
The key is to look at the change
as an opportunity to improve
everything. Rather than see
the eort as a barrier, consider
it an investment in a critical
business process. After all, if the
component is complex, requires
precision, and is key to the overall
product, then maintaining
control of its production is worth
it. Those are the reasons you
wanted it back in-house to begin
with. And dont forget that you
know better than anyone else the
requirements and performance
environment of your component.
It is a benet to spin up a
manufacturing process with new
machines. They get better all the
time in terms of cutting speeds,
precision, and repeatability. The
same is true for tooling. Putting
together a new tooling package
for a job will probably improve
performance as each operation is
re-evaluated for the best process.
And using the latest integrated
programming tools provides
opportunities for family- of-parts
programming, automation, high
speed machine support, and data
and process management. The
part manufacturing solutions
from Siemens PLM Software,
for example, cover all of these
opportunities with NX CAD
and CAM, the Manufacturing
Tooling Library, and shop oor
applications.
Chances are good that an
investment in infrastructure
and process will do more
than restore the expertise and
experience that was lost when
the part was outsourced in the
past. It will bring the OEM
to a new level of expertise in
manufacturing the component,
as it employs the latest
equipment and technology in
pursuit of speed, quality, and
eciency.
Having a variety
of sophisticated
machining
strategies available
is of little use if the
operator doesnt
know how and when
to apply them

Peter Dickin,
marketing manager,
Delcam
CAM.AUTODESK.COM
3D PRINT PREPARATION
For the last couple of releases, SpaceClaim
has gained more tools for working with not
just solids and surfaces, but also polygon
mesh data. Whether output from a CAD
system, downloaded from the web or the
result of a laser scan, this type of data is
becoming more common in our workfows.
SpaceClaims tie up with 3D Systems
(formerly Geomagic) gave the system a
focus on this area and as it stands there
are some impressive tools for bringing in
STL type data and remodelling it into hard
solids or surfaces.
What this new 3D print preparation
module does is add some additional tools
that enhance that workfow. Based on the
Polygonica technology from Lightwork
Design, the module brings together STL
repair (in an automated manner), the
ability to deal with separate shells in a
single fle (so you have an individual mesh
for each part rather than one lump of
geometry) and tools to adapt that mesh
type data for printing processes.
For example, the module adds in the
ability to shell mesh data (saving print
material) and to split as well as combine
meshes to create new forms. Itll even
SpaceClaim 2014 SP1
SpaceClaim is maturing nicely and with its latest service pack update, brings a set
of tools that extends several key workows including preparation for 3D printing of
geometry and online collaboration. Al Dean takes a look at whats new
Product:
SpaceClaim 2014 SP1
Supplier:
SpaceClaim
Price: See page 50
spaceclaim.com
I
ts not often, these days, that
companies get all excited and
hot under the collar about
service pack releases. while
the veterans out there will recall the
heady days when a service pack meant
the introduction of new features and
functions mid-way through a release
cycle, of late, development cycles have
slowed down and the room for that
amount of innovation and new thinking
has reduced somewhat.
With that in mind, its curious to fnd
myself digging into a mid-cycle release
again, particularly when the previous
major release of SpaceClaim was only a
few months ago. So whats with all the
excitement around SpaceClaim 2014 SP1?
The answer is that while some of the
additions have been hinted at or preluded
by introductions to previous releases, this
service pack sees the 3D print preparation
module and the new LiveReview tools
come to fruition in a big way.
Theyre interesting in that no one else is
really doing much in either area and they
show that SpaceClaim is looking to bring
new thinking to the design workfow and
thats always worth discussing in depth.
allow you to combine mesh with solid
geometry in a rather intelligent manner.
Theres some additional tools for scaling
meshes, uniformly at present with non-
uniform scales coming soon, and also
reducing triangle count intelligently to
retain curvature or planar forms.
If remodelling from STL data is an
interest then its worth noting that these
tools also work seamlessly with the
existing tools in SpaceClaim allowing for
the remodelling of geometry with ease.
COLLABORATION WITH
LIVEREVIEW
Alongside the 3D print focussed module,
the other big news for this release is the
introduction of SpaceClaim LiveReview.
While it was hinted at over the last few
months and we started to see some of the
tools make it into the previous release,
which allows for quick uploading of a 3D
model to the web for spinning, panning,
zooming etc., in SP1 we can see exactly
what the team has been working on.
Given the name SpaceClaim LiveReview,
the concept is this: You have a SpaceClaim
session running and need to discuss a
model, a design change or options with
1 SpaceClaims new
STl and mesh focussed
module brings more
robust repair tools
along with greater
ability to work with
this type of geometry
2 (Page 50)
SpaceClaim has, for
the last few releases,
been more and more
adept at supporting
the remodelling of
parts from mesh
geometry into a solid,
analytic form
1
REVIEWS

SOFTWARE REVIEW

1 You need input from someone at a remote location

so you simply load up the model and fnd the Share via
SpaceClaim LiveReview from the File menu
2 Once kicked off you can send that person a link to the
hosted session. This can be entered into a browser (above is
the view in Chrome) and the session is started

3 Views are synchronised so both participants can see

what the other is referring to over the phone/Skype.
Annotation tools are available to mark up specifc points
workflow: oNlINE CollABorATIoN USING SPACEClAIM lIVErEVIEw
4 Measurement tools are available in the browser session,

giving feedback about part size, dimensions pulled between
two points and such
5 Design changes can be made on the fy (using SpaceClaim)

and instantly refected in the other viewers window
6 When the session is concluded, the data is no longer

available, but snapshots can be saved to document the
matters discussed
someone else someone working remotely, on
site, on the shopfoor, at a clients premises or
with a customer and, as long as they can get
online, youre ready to go.
The LiveReview tools are pretty well hidden in
the File/Share menu from the pull downs. Once
you start up the session, you enter your name
and itll give you a link that can be entered into
a browser (it works with most desktop browsers
that support WebGL not with the iPad at present .
When the recipient or, indeed, multiple
recipients, receives this link and opens it, they
see the exact same model as shown in the
SpaceClaim UI.
Both parties can pan, zoom and rotate the
model and the views in both will update. While
the SpaceClaim user has access to the usual
palette of tools, the browser based sessions have
a restricted set of tools around the periphery of
the screen.
These include pan/zoom/spin but also tools for
annotating the model with sketched lines and
text, measurement, sectioning and a few others.
Either participant can control the session
and working with a phone in one hand (or more
usefully, on speakerphone), it works fuidly and
intuitively.
The idea is that youre discussing the same
model, with the same view and can dive in,
inspect details of a model and truly enable design
change rationalisation between two or more
remote users.
The system includes chat, but Ive a suspicion
that this wont be used all that much, unless
someone is doing the design review while
pretending to pay attention in another meeting
and cant talk.
In terms of documenting the session, everything
thats changed in the SpaceClaim session is
obviously stored in the model.
In terms of annotating the decisions, snapshots
can be captured and saved out at the end of
the meeting as PNG fles. At present, theres no
way to capture the whole session or store those
snapshots as part of the SpaceClaim model
automatically.
CONCLUSION
It seems odd talking in this much depth about a
service pack release. After all, these are usually
all about big fxes and incremental changes to
existing functionality.
In this instance, this is most defnitely not the
case. Both the 3D print preparation module and
the new LiveReview tools represent impressive
new areas of functionality for existing SpaceClaim
users. If theres a down side, its that both of these
mean additional costs.
The 3D print module is charged at $1,200 on
top of the base costs, which many might struggle
with. Frankly, this is a complex case. The module
has some seriously useful tools if youre working
with STL and other mesh format data.
Its also complex because the tools enhance
whats already there its perfectly possible
to import an STL fle and remodel it using the
existing tools. What it adds is the ability to fx,
repair and work with crappier data in a more
automated way.
Ultimately, if youre doing that type of work on
a regular basis, then itll be a sound investment
for a number of reasons. It will save those times
when you need a quick fx that just cant be done
in most mainstream modelling applications,
you need to prep a model for printing or to take
mesh-based geometry further or adapt it without
converting or remodelling it to surfaces.
Meanwhile, the LiveReview tools are currently
free and will be for the next six months for
existing users. But then it will be charged on an
on-going, annual basis at around $500 per year.
While it sounds a lot, if a company fnds it useful,
its a small cost because the manner in which
design review and edit rationalisation occurs is
fuid and effcient. If you compare that to the cost
of having a designer or engineer sifting through
emails, grabbing screenshots and writing emails,
its not that hard to justify.

SOFTWARE REVIEW

2
REALISE YOUR ENGINEERING
POTENTIAL THROUGH SIMULIA
SIMULATION FROM SSA

ssa
www.ssanalysis.co.uk/events
Abaqus Non Linear FEA Multiphysics
Please call SSA on 01608 811777 or
email info@ssanalysis.co.uk to discuss
your requirements for SIMULIA software
solutions and services.
Latest Quarter Page Advert.indd 1 23/03/2012 17:21:10
51 D3D Ads.indd 1 02/04/2014 10:23
Workstation
Specialists
+44 (0) 800 180 4801 sales@wksmail.com www.workstationspecialists.com
(C) Copyright Workstation Specialists Acecad Software Ltd. E & OE - Prices exc. VAT + Delivery and are subject to change without notice. All rights reserved. Logos, images &
company/product names are trademarks of their
@WSpecialists
Release your True Potential
Remove Limitations and Optimise Your Workfow with Uncompromising Performance
WS Ad.indd 1 02/04/2014 13:38
MSI GT60-20K
M
obile workstations tend
to fall into one of two
camps: 15-inch models for
mainstream 3D CAD or
17-inch models for more
demanding 3D work.
The MSI GT60-20K sits between the
two, delivering a number of 17-inch class
features in a 15-inch form factor. Its a
hefty machine, styled for hardcore gamers
rather than Dieter Rams devotees, but
some interesting capabilities set it aside
from much of the competition.
The standout component is the powerful
Nvidia Quadro GPU. While most 15-inch
mobile workstations are limited to a
Quadro K2100M (2GB GDDR5), the MSI
GT60-2OK has the thermal headroom to
handle the more powerful Quadro K3100M
(4GB GDDR5). This could be a particularly
big deal for designers who interact with
large assemblies but fnd their models
slow down when applying realistic
materials and lighting.
On paper, the Quadro K3100M is
signifcantly superior to the Quadro
K2100M: more CUDA processing cores
(768 versus 576), a faster memory
interface (256-bit versus 128-bit) and a
faster memory bandwidth (102GB/sec
versus 48GB/sec). But this superiority
also translates to the real world, with our
system signifcantly outpacing comparative
Quadro 2100M-based machines in our
SPECapc Creo 2.0 benchmark.
The powerful GPU also dovetails nicely
with the superb 15.6 IPS 3K (2,880 x
1,620) panel, one of the best weve seen on
a mobile machine. The detail is excellent
and the colours vivid and consistent,
adding a whole new life to rendered
CAD models. The sheer number of pixels
however does have an impact on 3D
performance and with some workfows you
may get levels of performance more akin
to a Quadro K2100M. To put this in context,
some CAD applications show as much as a
30% slow down moving from HD to 3K with
certain models.
The second area in which the MSI
GT60-20K demonstrates its high-end
capabilities is in storage. In addition to
one 2.5-inch drive theres room for three
mSATA SSDs, the most we have seen
in any mobile workstation. And, most
interestingly for power users, they can
be combined to form a triple SSD RAID
0 array that boasts over 1,500MB/s read
speed, three times that of a single SSD.
MSI calls this Super RAID 2.
Unfortunately, this lightning fast storage
wasnt specced in our test machine.
Instead, it came with a more standard
two drive setup comprising a single 128GB
Toshiba mSATA SSD for operating system
and apps and a 1TB 7,200RPM HGST 2.5-
inch HDD for data. Its a perfectly good
arrangement for CAD, but doesnt show
off the true capabilities of this somewhat
unique 15-inch machine.
The rest of the spec is more standard:
a quad-core Core i7-4800MQ CPU, pretty
standard for CAD, runs at a nominal clock
speed of 2.7GHz and Turbo Boosts up to
3.7GHz. Theres a sizeable 16GB of DDR3
memory, with two spare slots to take it up
to 32GB should you so desire.
But upgrades could be an issue for
some. Unlike, Dell and HP, who positively
encourage upgrades and repairs with their
easy access and tool-less chassis designs,
MSI slaps a warranty void if removed sticker
across one of the back panels six screws.
And when theres a three-year warranty on
the line, its wise to tread carefully.
Upgrades are possible, but will need to
be offcial, done through a registered
reseller such as Scan. With this in mind its
worth thinking doubly about the future
before settling on a spec, particularly in
terms of storage and memory. Of course, if
you never tinker with your technology, this
barrier to performing user upgrades will
be a moot point.
For peripherals the machine is well
equipped: three USB 3.0 ports on the left
hand side are handily labeled in blue.
Theres also a single USB 2.0 on the right,
next to the DVD RW drive. For connecting
up to external displays theres an HDMi and
two mini DisplayPorts, but no VGA.
The recessed trackpad is a bit on the
small side, but we found it to be perfectly
A combination of powerful GPU, 3K IPS display and fast RAIDed SSD storage make
this price competitive mobile workstation stand out from crowd. Greg Corke reports
functional. The SteelSeries island-style
keyboard is comfortable to use and theres
also space for a numeric keypad for your
all-important CAD input. The keys are
backlit and you can make the whole thing
fash with different colours should you
want a disco in your design offce.
Above the keyboard theres an array
of touch buttons that perform some
interesting functions: one instantly puts
the machine into airplane mode, another
turns on the fan full pelt presumably to
keep GPU and CPU running cool and fast
under exceptional loads. A third launches
the System Control Manager, an onscreen
UI with controls for WiFi, Bluetooth,
webcam, brightness, volume etc. Its useful
to have all of these things in one place
rather than fddling around with function
keys and Windows submenus.
Going against the growing trend in
mobile workstations for minimal styling
and premium materials, the GT60-20Ks
design is more ornate and plasticky. Yes,
theres brushed aluminium on the back of
the display, but its bordered by a shiny
plastic surround. The machine is also quite
weighty: 3.5kg on its own, plus a 1.05kg
mains adapter, which is a little heavier
than most.
The GT60-20Ks looks may not appeal to
everyone but the price certainly will. Youll
be extremely hard pushed to fnd a machine
with this spec for under 2,000 if indeed
one exists. The fast GPU, 3K IPS display
and potential for superfast RAID storage
is not something weve seen in a 15-inch
form factor before and for this alone its an
interesting proposition.

HARDWARE REVIEW

Intel Core i7
4800MQ (2.7GHz
turbo to 3.7GHz)
(Quad Core) CPU
16GB (2 x 8GB)
DDR3 - 1600 memory
128GB Toshiba
THNSNH128GMCT
SSD+ HGST 7,200 RPM
hard disk drive
Nvidia Quadro
K3100M (4GB GDDR5)
GPU (311.91 driver)
Microsoft Windows 8
Professional 64-bit
15.6 IPS 3K (2,880 x
1,620) display
3.5kg + 1.05kg
power adapter
395 x 267 x 55mm
36 month warranty
covers parts, labour,
collect & return
1,999
workstations.msi.com
scan.co.uk
CPU benchmarks
(secs - smaller is better)
CAM (Delcam PowerMill)
1) 170 2) 268 3) 386
Rendering (3ds Max
Design 2011) - 240
Graphics benchmarks
(bigger is better)
CAD (SolidWorks 2013)
- N/A - does not run on
Windows 8
CAD (Creo 2.0 - SPECapc
graphics test) - 5.89
DEVELOP3DSERVICES
Product
Design
Composites Design
& FE Analysis
Airbus
Boeing CS/FAR 25 Analysis
FIA F1/LMP Structures
R&D
Solutions
World class design
and analysis to the
Composites,
Aerospace and
Automotive
sectors.
www.fluidformdesign.co.uk
+44 (0)1243 840022
To adverTise YoUr services here conTacT sTeve KinG
sTeve@X3dMedia.coM | +44 (0) 20 3355 7314 | +44 (0)7850 507362
Welcome to DEVELOP3Ds professional
services section for product development
professionals.
To see your service advertised here,
please contact Steve King.
steve@x3dmedia.com
+44 (0)20 3355 7314 / +44 (0)7850 507362
JOBS.DEVELOP3D.COM APRIL 2014 55
Welcome to DEVELOP3Ds jobs section.
Every issue we will bring you the latest product development
jobs to help you kick start your career.
In partnership with CADjobhunter.com we also have a dynamic
jobs website where you can fnd your dream job by searching by location,
keyword or CAD/CAM/CAE software.
Alternatively upload your CV to help your future employer fnd you.
Register your details at
jobs.develop3d.com
To advertise on the website or
inside the magazine contact
Matt Wells
matt@x3dmedia.com
+44 (0) 1252 414007
DEVELOP3DJOBS

To adverTise ConTaCT MaTT Wells | MaTT@x3dMedia.CoM | +44 (0) 1252 414007
More deTails aT hTTp://goo.gl/WskaCu
JPA are a world leader in travel design, having 30 years of experience creating world leading aviation
interiors, airport lounges, hotels and luxury trains.
JPA are always interested in good people for any of our departments, however right now we
specifcally need designers to work within Aviation interiors.
We are looking to increase our team of designers, and are interested in all levels; interns, graduates,
junior, mid, and senior level.
About you - wish list:
> Smart, focused, driven, hard working.
> Good sketching skills and ability to create great attention grabbing images (be it through
traditional sketching, digital sketching, or 3D renders photo realistic is great, also useful to
have a less 'fnite' appearance)
> Graphic design aware, and able to craft attractive, well thought out presentations.
> CMF sensitive we have Colour, Material Finish experts, however our best designers are
those who have a good understanding of the materials they feel are right for their designs.
> 3D CAD, very useful but not obligatory, we currently use SolidWorks and Rhino, preference for
these but other packages could be used.
> Designers who have some experience of designing spaces (not just objects) appeal for
example automotive interiors, trains, small spaces, interiors etc.
> Interest in conceptual creativity and in the detail required to follow the design through to
production.
How to Apply
Please email folio pdf's or links to studio@jpadesign.com
Central London
DESGNERS - ARCRAFT CABN PRODUCTS
56 APRIL 2014 JOBS.DEVELOP3D.COM

JOBS.DEVELOP3D.COM

To adverTise ConTaCT MaTT Wells | MaTT@x3dMedia.CoM | +44 (0) 1252 414007
More deTails aT hTTp://goo.gl/7fb2C
JOBS.DEVELOP3D.COM APRIL 2014 57 To adverTise ConTaCT MaTT Wells | MaTT@x3dMedia.CoM | +44 (0) 1252 414007

JOBS.DEVELOP3D.COM

More deTails aT hTTp://goo.gl/T7nnuC
Where next?
Wherever you take us.
Whats next for Dyson? You tell us. Actually, you wont just tell us, youll show us. Because well give you
the freedom to invent, to pursue your ideas and to push technological boundaries.
Great things are happening here. Not only are we working on some incredible new projects, but were
continuing to invest heavily in our UK Research, Design and Development (RDD) centre. Which tells you
two things. Firstly, that were doing fantastically well as a global business. Secondly, just how vitally
important engineers are to us. In many ways, engineers are Dyson. Thats why were looking for more
like minds to join us and create the technology of the future.
So if youre unafraid to take risks and ready to turn conventional thinking on its head, we need to hear
from you. Your background could be mechanical engineering, technology, science.... were open to
ideas. Find out more at www.careers.dyson.com
DESIGN, MECHANICAL AND RESEARCH ENGINEERS
COMPETITIVE | WILTSHIRE, UK
58 APRIL 2014 JOBS.DEVELOP3D.COM To adverTise ConTaCT MaTT Wells | MaTT@x3dMedia.CoM | +44 (0) 1252 414007

JOBS.DEVELOP3D.COM

More deTails aT hTTp://goo.gl/bsogjx
CAREERS S U P P O R T I N G E X C E L L E N C E
Due to strong growth, Solid Solutions are looking to expand our team throughout our UK offices. Founded in 1998, we are the UKs leading and largest
supplier of SolidWorks. These roles offer an exceptional opportunity to work with some of the best people in the industry, selling a leading CAD product.
Leamington Spa, Fareham, Leeds, Durham
Up to 28,000 base salary (based on experience)
+Commission +Bonuses (50K OTE)
This is an entry-level sales position responsible for generating
new business opportunities through sales and marketing
initiatives, and managing an allocation of existing customer
accounts. Activities include prospecting for new business, lead
follow-up and qualification, conducting customer meetings and
demonstrations, creating proposals and closing business.
Ideally you will have a relevant qualification in engineering or
business. The role would suit an engineer transitioning to sales.
Career development program and full training given with the
opportunity to progress to a Regional Sales Manager.
SALES EXECUTIVES
Positions in Scotland & Ireland
Up to 34,000 base salary (based on experience)
+Commission (75k OTE) +Car/car allowance
We are seeking two ambitious individuals with CAD industry
experience and proven sales track record to grow our business
in both Scotland and Ireland. This is a fantastic opportunity to
expand on the existing Solid Solutions success and take
responsibility for a large territory.
Both roles would include selling the full range of SolidWorks
solutions to both customers and new business opportunities.
Successful candidates will need to be self-starters, with the
ability to work under their own initiative, building and controlling
additional resources as required.
REGIONAL SALES MANAGERS
If you are interested in joining our successful and hardworking team, please send your CV to:
recruitment@solidsolutions.co.uk or visit www.solidsolutions.co.uk/work-for-us
System Q Ltd is a highly successful and established business in Derbyshire. We
manufacture and distribute CCTV cameras and equipment and celebrate our 20th
birthday this year.
We seek a skilled product designer to help create new and innovative CCTV camera
enclosures and other security related items in our continued pursuit of creating great
products for our industry.
What we seek, what you will be doing:
Our products are generally made from ABS plastics and we seek a skilled Solidworks
operator who can create attractive functional designs with innovative features which
can then be trialled and tested using our in-house 3-D printer.
From working prototypes we would expect the right candidate to be able to
communicate with tool makers to refne the design so that it is cost effective and a
commercially viable product.
Key skills & experience you will need to:
Be very profcient with Solidworks
Demonstrate solid problem solving skills
Have a good understanding of Plastic materials and injection moulding tools
Have a good understanding of engineering fundamentals such as stress & strain
Have knowledge of Plastic injection moulding & injection mould tool manufacture
Have a general understanding of hand & automated assembly & disassembly
processes
Have prior design experience using SolidWorks
Your rewards:
We operate in a purpose built, clean and modern building in Chesterfeld, Derbyshire.
You would have the latest computer, software and 3-D printer at your disposal in an
attractive working environment.
Pay would be 30K+ for the right candidate with a genuine opportunity for promotion.
To apply:
n the frst instance email your CV to Paul Goodwin, The Managing Director using
CV@systemq.com
Product Designer
Chesterfeld
30K+
More deTails aT hTTp://goo.gl/bsogjx
JOBS.DEVELOP3D.COM APRIL 2014 59 To adverTise ConTaCT MaTT Wells | MaTT@x3dMedia.CoM | +44 (0) 1252 414007

JOBS.DEVELOP3D.COM

More deTails aT hTTp://goo.gl/rWj15Q
Product Designer
Cornwall
Welcome to the World of Worlds Apart! Set amongst the glorious scenery of Cornwall the Worlds Apart team are proud to design and produce
innovative, award winning toys and lifestyle products that make family life easier and fun, and right now we have the following exciting opportunity to
join our enthusiastic, lively and dedicated 15 strong, multi-disciplinary design team.

Were keen to hear from experienced designers with strong commercial portfolios. Toy industry experience is not essential but passion, a proactive
and creative approach with a genuine enthusiasm for the design is key.

The essentials:
- An impressive portfolio demonstrating:
- Skill designing with various materials (MDF, plastic, metal)
- Experience and understanding of a variety of manufacturing processes
- A balance of Product Design and Furniture Design (60/40)
- A range of design communication skills to include hand sketching, CAD (free form surfacing), and scratch model making
- Be comfortable following a design from conception to launch
- Have creativity to burn with an ability to apply original thinking to all levels of design work, from the big picture to the small details
- Thrive on seeking and hlling the creative space within a tight design brief
- Have great enthusiasm and energy for design
- Commercial insight
- Demonstrably strong presentation skills

In return well provide a surprisingly dynamic and fast-paced environment, competitive package to
include bonus and benehts.

If you would like to know more, or wish to apply for this exciting role, please contact Bethan,
our friendly HR Manager, at broberts@worldsapart.com.

For more information on Worlds Apart please see www.worldsapart.com.
I
n the last few months Ive been
pondering how much time I spend
in front of a computer. Lets
face it, we all do it to excess. Its
part of the daily life of nearly
everyone working in the western world
email, texts, conference calls, Skype
chats. The whole shebang.
What brought this about was a recent
experiment during meetings and the like.
Ive never been a big fan of taking notes at
all, having always been of the opinion that
if youre sitting there, scribbling notes, the
chances are that youre not listening. Also,
Ive had a thought over the years that if you
cant remember something from a meeting,
its probably not worth remembering in the
rst place.
Which is all well and good until age starts
to take its toll and you realise memory isnt
as sharp and it once was. I have found in the
last few years that my powers of recall have
diminished and note taking has crept back
into my process for capturing information.
Being the nerd, note taking, of course,
became a digital activity. My weapon of
choice was Evernote. If youve not come
across it before, its a note taking service
that runs across multiple devices. Laptop,
desktop, iPad, phone, whatever. Write your
notes in that and theyre synchronised to a
central server and available wherever and
with whatever device youre using.
DISTRACTIONS EVERYWHERE
The thing is I discovered that taking those
notes was distracting me from the role at
hand. When youre a writer in any eld,
your job is just as much (if not more) about
listening rather than expressing your views.
At least, it seems that way to me. If we learn
more, we can communicate more. Thats the
reason were here.
As a result, I switched back to taking notes
with a pen and paper. I got all fancy and
bought some new cartridges for my favourite
fountain pen (if youre curious, that would be
the Lamy Safari beautiful things they are)
and some new notebooks.
Cue two months of note taking the old
school way. Replete with sketches and
diagrams to communicate what I was
learning and listening to. Most of my content
for the magazine went into those pages.

THE LAST WORD

Then disaster struck. A wet bicycle ride
meant that my nearly full notebook was a
sodden, soggy mess and everything illegible.
Months worth of notes, gone in an instant.
It had been fun Id come up with some
new ideas for projects, written all my notes
for articles, comment pieces and projects we
have under way at the o ce. Poof! Gone.
It struck me that while writing notes by
hand was more engaging, more enjoyable
and more productive than tapping them
into a computer, ultimately, that more
pleasurable experience came at the expense
of losing everything.
If Id been typing them into Evernote, theyd
have been backed up, saved and available.
A NEW WORKFLOW
To avoid this happening again, Ive decided to
carry on taking notes on paper with a pen or
pencil, but to scan those pages at the end of
each week. Store them in Evernote and make
sure theyre available.
Yes, it might seem a tortuous workow, but
it combines the best of the analog and the
digital. The pure physical enjoyment of a pen
Al is fearing the night before D3D Live. First
rule: Crabbies doesnt mix well with rum.
al@x3dmedia.com
On the eve of DEVELOP3D LIVE, Al Dean
takes stock of todays obsession with
digital communications but following
a recent disaster with his handwritten
notes wonders if a nimble combination
of digital and analog is the future
scratching across a page, combined with the
readily available and backed-upped-ness of
the digital. The only thing I need to improve
on is my handwriting, which is still absolutely
shocking.
ANOTHER CASE IN POINT
All of this, rather circuitously, leads me onto
DEVELOP3D LIVE. Its coming up this month,
April 15 at Warwick Arts Centre. What we, as
a whole team, love is meeting everyone that
we interact with through the various social
medias. Its a place for digital devices to be
put down and conversation to be engaged
in. To get a rst hand look at some of the hot
new technology thats coming on stream, to
have conversations with your peers and to sit
and listen to some amazing speakers.
So, if youre free on the 15th (or evening of
the night before for the networking event),
come down to Warwick. Well be there. You
should be too. I promise there wont be a
notepad or iPad in sight.
Last year, 1,000
folks turned up for
DEVELOP3D LIVE and
were hoping for the
same again this year.
Perhaps you should
pop down/up/across
to Warwick too

D3D April14

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Оригинальное название

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

D3D April14

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Siemens NX 7.

graphics cards are the most trusted in the world,

2 Creating surfaces for the Masucci

3 The BubbleShip, a unique fying

4 Daniel Simon worked closely with

26 APRIL 2014 DEVELOP3D.COM

5 Daniel Simon published his frst

6 In 2013 he published his second

We asked ourselves what if we could

When print is pressed, drops of water-based adhesive

3 3D printing service bureau Williams

4 The Mcor IRIS pre-prints the colour

Organisations need to look at their CAM

2 From its factory in

1 Fold paper along curved crease lines and

2 Quickly build an intuitive understanding of

3 Shapes that you fold in paper can scale up

You can prototype in

ANiMATe COMPLeX FOLDs

1 Folding simulations only require 2d patterns

2 Scan your design, trace it in CAd and use the

3 Test the manufacturing process using

1 The Robofold approach is to link all

2 The designer should consider the parametric

3 The KingKong software demonstrates how

1 An in-house CNC router and two ABB 6400

2 Prototypes are built at 1:1 in production

3 The equipment is controlled directly from

1 For Manufacturers: license the Robofold

2 For Architects: get RoboFold on board as

3 For Designers: contract production

Andrew Wright, production

1 New to the market

2 All of the paid for

3 The HsM products

1 Import the geometry for the part as well as aligning

2 Dene the stock more (from standard forms, from osets

3 Find the machining features. Its worth noting this uses a

4 Categorise each feature or group of features using the

5 Full machine simulation can be used to ensure that each

1 Simulating the tool-path. PowerMill will detect any

2 Open up the new Dynamic Machine Control toolbar

3 Interactive grab handles allow you to move and rotate the

4 Grab the machine tool and drag it around the remainder

5 Update your existing tool-path with one click (if using

6 Accept the changes made using PowerMills Dynamic

1 You need input from someone at a remote location

3 Views are synchronised so both participants can see

4 Measurement tools are available in the browser session,

5 Design changes can be made on the fy (using SpaceClaim)

6 When the session is concluded, the data is no longer

Вам также может понравиться