Free test drive for two CAD CAM innovations

Delcam has launched a new website for its feature-based CAM system. The site includes video testimonials from customers who have chosen FeatureCAM for their programming, including subcontractors and OEM manufacturers from the aerospace, automotive, energy, motorsport and tool making industries.

Other pages on the site show how FeatureCAM users can programme their machine tools in the shortest possible time and achieve consistently reliable results thanks to the software’s combination of feature-based and knowledge-based technologies.

The site offers the opportunity to download a free evaluation copy of the software so that companies can try FeatureCAM’s unique approach to programming for themselves.

The new website features a modern, easy-to-navigate interface to allow visitors to find information relevant to their industry and machining application.
This new style follows the format of new websites being introduced for Delcam’s other manufacturing software.

Links are also included to many of Delcam’s technology partners that use FeatureCAM, including machine tool builders and cutting tool suppliers.

Visitors to the site can also see video demonstrations of key improvements to the latest version of the software, FeatureCAM 2012, to enable faster and easier programming, and generate more efficient toolpaths to give greater machine productivity.

Enhancements include greater use of keyboard shortcuts, easier toolpath editing, new strategies such as back boring and spiral roughing, increased use of stock models, and the ability to have a negative leave allowance (such as a fitting allowance) for turning or wire EDM.
Check it out at www.featurecam.com

ArtCAM Insignia improvements
In another development Delcam has added a range of 3D modelling tools to its ArtCAM Insignia software.

Like all the members of the ArtCAM family of software, Insignia allows artistic users to produce high quality decorative items, with all the productivity and consistency benefits of computer-based manufacturing but without the need for any detailed engineering knowledge. 

Within the new 3D modelling tools, the most powerful option is the shape editor. By simply double clicking on a specific colour of a bitmap image or a selected vector, the user can quickly transform it into a 3D design. The shape editor can determine the shape’s profile, angle and height as well as how it is combined with any 3D relief that has already been created. 

A second method for creating 3D designs from vector art is the two-rail sweep. By selecting multiple vectors for the edges of the shape and any number of cross sections for chosen positions, users can quickly create a 3D sweep shape or a swept surface.

Once the initial design has been created it can be edited in a number of ways. The surface of the model can be given a smooth, unblemished appearance with the smooth relief tool. Options are available to smooth over the entire 3D design, an area within a specific vector or a selected colour, in a number of passes. This is a particularly useful way of smoothing evenly across a scanned 3D model for example.

Areas of the design can also be smoothed with the smooth sculpting tool. This can be used to remove blemishes from a scanned 3D model, to smooth adjoining areas of multiple pieces of relief clipart, or to soften sharp edges or corners. 

The final option can be particularly useful for designers of dies for foil stamping or embossing as softer corners can prevent the die from ripping the material.

Textures can be added to all or part of the relief to give a more attractive design, or to provide backgrounds on embossing plates or signs. Networks of shapes, such as spheres, cones, pyramids and weaves, can be added or subtracted to any colour and vector, or to the entire 3D model.

Alternatively, files can be imported to create the required texture.

The complete relief can be offset, either to hollow out the part or to create the wall thickness.

The same option can be used in toolmaking, either to produce the core and cavity of a mould, to create a male punch or to generate the shape required for a master for vacuum-formed packaging.

The 3D relief can also be wrapped along the x or y axis to create a cylindrical-shaped design, for example a chair leg, 3D sculpture or rotary embossing die. This data can then be used to create the toolpath to rotary machine the design.

Most designs created in ArtCAM Insignia are expected to be machined with the range of 3D strategies in the software.

However, the software also offers the ability to create triangle meshes, which can then be exported in a number of common 3D model file formats.
This data can be sent to rapid prototyping equipment or to CAD systems, like Delcam’s PowerSHAPE modeller, where the relief can be used to decorate a CAD model.

A demonstration version is available for download, with a series of online webinars showing the new functionality. Visit www.artcaminsignia.com

For more information:
Chris Whittington
Tel: 027 447 9509
Email: chris [at] camplex [dot] co [dot] nz
Visit: www.camplex.co.nz

The stuff from which national pride and the spirit of adventure are created

By Mike Bishara

The most amazing engineering adventure of the 21st century is underway in earnest.
After three years of research and development, the construction of the ultimate race car BLOODHOUND SSC (supersonic car) has started.

The BLOODHOUND will make an attempt on the land speed record for unlimited designs with a target speed of more than 1000 miles per hour (1610 kilometres per hour)
UK runway trials are scheduled for the second quarter next year with an attempt on the world land speed record in late 2012 or early 2013 on Hakskeen Pan, Northern Cape, South Africa.  The equivalent of 4800 football pitches will be cleared for the event. 
This all adds up to a pretty massive structure, which will travel the equivalent of four and a half football pitches in one second, or 150 metres in the blink of an eye, is faster than a bullet fired from a Magnum 357, and travels its own length in three one-hundredths of a second.

Along for the ride are more than 4000 British schools who have signed up to the BLOODHOUND education programme, which provides curriculum-ready resources to help bring science and maths lessons to life for students.

The number is expected to grow dramatically once the car has been built.
Six million teachers worldwide will have access to the project via the group’s IT Partner, INTEL Corporation, and its “Skool” initiative.
“The primary objective of the project is to inspire the next generation to pursue careers in science, engineering, technology and maths by demonstrating how the subjects can be harnessed to achieve the impossible,” says BLOODHOUND project director, Richard Noble.
A land speed record contender car must have at least four wheels and be under the control of the driver. That’s it.
As a result, the cars designed to break records are all different – with different solutions to the common problems of going really fast.
“That’s why we’re able to share the designs, development and data from BLOODHOUND so openly. There is no need to be secretive about the technology. So it can, and will be, made available on the web – just as it happens,” he says.
The BLOODHOUND SSC has been designed to run at speeds up to 1,050mph and being jet and rocket powered has 133,000 effective horse power – about the same as 180 Formula One cars.
The BLOODHOUND team has found the expertise, vision, commitment and spirit of adventure from many organisations to help build the SSC.
Key among them are aerospace fuselage expert Hampson Industries, electronics, Formula One and aerospace company Cosworth, and the Advanced Composites Group which is creating the front section of the car.

Thanks to their support, 90 percent of the SSC’s primary structure is now in the manufacturing stage.
Hampson has 64 years experience supplying precision fuselages for the world’s leading aerospace organisations and unrivalled expertise with complex aluminium, steel and titanium structures.
Creating this supersonic prototype will test even their skills, Mr Noble reckons.
“The steel-lattice rear chassis not only has to contain 47,000lbs of combined thrust (equivalent to 133,000 hp) from the car’s Eurojet EJ200 jet and Falcon Project hybrid rocket, it must also cope with 30 tonne suspension loadings, air pressures on the bodywork of up to 13 tonnes per square metre, and substantial additional loads generated by the tail fin, air brakes and parachutes,” he says.
BLOODHOUND’s chief engineer Mark Chapman handed over the first technical drawings to Hampson last month so work on fabricating the rear chassis can begin.
Advanced Composite Group (ACG) is creating the front section of the car.
With a 30-year pedigree acquired in the demanding markets of Formula One, ocean-going racing yachts and aerospace, ACG is well positioned to deliver the composite design and manufacturing expertise required to build the vehicle.
Using ACG’s high performance “prepreg” materials, the group’s engineering division, Advanced Composites Engineering (ACE), will manufacture the entire front section of the car.
It will also construct the master models and tooling from which critical elements of the car’s bodywork and structural components, such as the monocoque and nose, will be produced.
The air intake and rear wheel fairings, both areas vital to the aerodynamic performance of the car and subject to extreme stress loadings, will likewise be made by ACE.
“It was clear very early on that we could build a strong and creative partnership with the ACG team. We valued their input from the start when they helped us optimise our designs to make best use of composite’s capabilities. We’re looking forward to working with them closely in the coming months as we move beyond the design phase and start to build,” says Mr Chapman.
Another key member of the BLOODHOUND SSC technical team is the renowned electronics, Formula One and aerospace company, Cosworth.
It is supplying BLOODHOUND with vital data logging and telemetry systems, as well as its state-of-the-art CA2010 F1 engine.
This will drive the Falcon rocket oxidiser pump via a BLOODHOUND-designed gearbox featuring gears by Xtrac and an AP Racing clutch.
“After three years of working on a virtual car, Hampson, Cosworth, ACG and our other technical partners are helping us make it a reality at last. It’s a great moment for a team which has invested the equivalent of 30 years getting the programme to this stage.”
The design team is still working on the size of BLOODHOUND SSC’s tail fin.
“The centre of gravity has moved back in the latest design, so we need a larger fin – about 70 per cent larger, we think – to give the car enough directional stability,” says designer Ron Ayers.
“We’ve got a rough shape to allow the team to do the detailed size and stress calculations but refining the aerodynamic design, including the fin size, airbrake design and suspension fairings, will be keeping the aero team busy for the next few months.”
“When it comes to the structure of BLOODHOUND SSC it’s easy to fall into the trap of forgetting its scale, all too easy when it’s on your screen and doesn’t look so big,” says chief engineer Chapman. 
“The Bloodhound SSC is getting on for 13m long, weighs close to 7 tonnes and has to deal variously with 220 kN of thrust, going through the sound barrier, 2.5+g acceleration followed pretty swiftly by 3+g deceleration, and going over the odd bump, it’s less racing car and more supersonic truck, says Mr Chapman.

For more information, visit
www.bloodhoundssc.com

Suite deals from Autodesk

Autodesk unveiled its 2012 portfolio of 3D design, engineering and entertainment software and an expanded family of design suites late last month with a global webinar.
The suites will be available in packages with a range of capabilities that bring together compatible sets of complementary products for building, infrastructure, product and visual design that, when used together, help to manage data, workflow and process.
“Autodesk has decided to move away from a single product solution towards a suite-based solution. Our new approach incorporates all of the products that our customers are currently using, packaged in a cost-effective and intuitive bundle to assist them from project visualisation right through to construction, “ says Karsten Hojberg , Autodesk director of the manufacturing industry group for Australia and New Zealand. 
The new 3D design and engineering software portfolio for manufacturers, includes the new design suite to make design, visualisation and simulation software easier to adopt, use and maintain.
The complete Autodesk digital prototyping software portfolio helps manufacturers to design and build better, more sustainable products, reduce development costs and get to market faster.

“Designers and engineers are being asked to address increasingly complex design briefs. This requires a greater use of visualisation, simulation and analysis technologies,” says Mr Hojberg.  “To do this efficiently and effectively whilst also incorporating modern design workflows such as building information modeling and digital prototyping, designers need a broader range of tools. Our suites offer this, with a spectrum of products to cover a range of tasks within the one project lifespan.”
Autodesk product design suite provides flexibility to innovate and more easily respond to changing business requirements from early concepts to detailed engineering and simulation. It also provides significant cost savings and is easier to deploy, maintain and manage than stand-alone products, Autodesk says.

Autodesk offers three editions of the product design suite:

1. Product Design Suite Standard  – foundational conceptual design and drafting tools for product design, featuring AutoCAD Mechanical, Autodesk Showcase, Autodesk SketchBook Designer, Autodesk Vault and Autodesk Mudbox software.
2. Product Design Suite Premium – optimised digital prototyping and visualisation tools for maximum performance that features standard edition tools along with Autodesk Inventor and Autodesk 3ds Max Design software.
3. Product Design Suite Ultimate – Advanced surfacing, simulation and tooling for unbeatable design quality, featuring the same tools as the premium edition along with Autodesk Inventor Professional and Autodesk Alias Design software.
As a result of the strategic partnership, Autodesk and Granta Design Ltd. have built new design methods into Autodesk Inventor 2012 software that help designers estimate a product’s environmental impact and make more sustainable design decisions.
Powered by Granta’s extensive materials database, the Eco Materials Adviser helps guide material selection and generates reports so engineers can communicate the benefits of their sustainable design decisions.
Autodesk Inventor Fusion makes its commercial debut following its popular technology preview on Autodesk Labs. It is now included at no extra cost as a companion application to Autodesk Alias Design and Alias Automotive, Autodesk Inventor, Autodesk Moldflow, Autodesk Simulation and AutoCAD products. Inventor Fusion provides robust 3D modeling ease-of-use and direct modeling for rapid design changes. It also unites direct and parametric workflows within a single digital model created in Autodesk Inventor.
Along with the Autodesk product design suite, each product in the Autodesk manufacturing portfolio offers powerful new capabilities, spanning conceptual design, engineering, manufacturing and technical documentation.

AutoCAD Electrical 2012 software expands its support for international standards and now allows electrical controls designers to view, edit and share their DWG files on web browsers or mobile devices through AutoCAD WS.
AutoCAD Mechanical 2012 software now enables editing 3D models from any source with Inventor Fusion and intelligent drawing view creation with a new model documentation feature. Also new is mobile and web viewing and editing through AutoCAD WS, so mechanical engineers can spend more time on innovation.
Autodesk 3ds Max Design 2012 visualisation software enables users to demonstrate the operation of designs in real-world settings, providing seamless aggregation of CAD data and transforming digital prototypes into high-quality visuals with –push-button– rendering, cinematic-quality animation and effects and an extensive material and texture library.
Autodesk Alias 2012 products – Alias Design, Alias Surface and Alias Automotive software – make it easier to create accurate 3D models with Class-A surfaces and feature improvements to the technical surfacing process.
Autodesk Inventor 2012 software provides easier ways to interact with 3D mechanical design data; new opportunities for sharing, accepting and updating CAD data regardless of source and complexity; and high-impact performance and productivity improvements for both users and IT departments.
Autodesk Inventor Publisher 2012 software makes it easy to create highly visual and interactive assembly instructions, operating procedures and technical documentation from 2D and 3D CAD data. Users can publish interactive, 3D instructions in multiple formats directly to iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch mobile devices.
Autodesk Moldflow 2012 software introduces new real-time injection-molding simulation functionality, enabling dynamic evaluation of a range of plastic part design alternatives in a fraction of the time it takes to perform a standard simulation, helping to pinpoint the best design more quickly.
Autodesk Showcase 2012 visualisation software is a key element of the Product Design Suite, transforming CAD data into compelling imagery, movies, and interactive presentations to improve the design review process, secure internal buy-in and win competitive bids.
Autodesk Simulation 2012 software, previously known as Autodesk Algor Simulation, offers an all-new user interface as well as Autodesk Vault integration, introducing new revision management capabilities for easier management of design and engineering information.
Autodesk SketchBook Designer 2012 software provides digital sketching and illustration to enhance the creative process. Design professionals can export vector artwork from SketchBook Designer and bring it into Alias as curve data, transforming 2D concept sketches directly into 3D product designs.
Autodesk Vault 2012 product data management software gives workgroups across multiple locations more control over engineering data and documents from design through manufacturing, expanding its integration to additional Autodesk applications, including Navisworks, Inventor Publisher and Autodesk Simulation.

See the new 2012 Product Design and Manufacturing Portfolio, including Autodesk Inventor software at a live reseller event or attend an Autodesk webinar to learn more.

The style of McLaren lives on in a sports car taking Europe and the US by storm

The launch of the stunning McLaren MP4-12C parallels the determination to become the best displayed by the Kiwi Formula One icon Bruce McLaren who lends his name to the leading race team and sports car manufacturer.
With fellow New Zealanders Denny Hulme and Chris Amon, Bruce took on the might of the international motor racing world and triumphed.
McLaren Automotive is hoping for the same outcome as it takes on the might of the high end sports car market.
“We have created ground-breaking new technology, lightweight engineering solutions, and harnessed real-world motor racing applications,” says managing director Antony Sheriff.
“It brings new levels of performance, fuel efficiency and practicality to 12C’s segment.
“We have already seen significant interest in the car and the supply of the 12C will be relatively scarce – in its first year we plan to produce just 1000 cars which represents only 3 .5 percent of the core market,”  he says.
The MP4-12C design follows similar principles to McLaren’s Formula 1 cars.
“Many sports cars and super cars present an in-your-face image that can become wearing and boorish… great design, however, is timeless and looks relevant years later. With the 12C we have produced a car that looks great today and will still look great in years to come,” claims design director Frank Stephenson.
The 12C’s body has been styled to support sector-leading levels of downforce. This contributes to sector-leading levels of lateral grip and stability.
Placing the radiators adjacent to the engine keeps the car narrow and reduces weight but resulted in a challenge to ensure ample air flow to the radiators.
The MP4-12C’s large side air scoops and integrated turning vanes look dramatic, but are purely functional and solved the problem.
The MP4-12C is powered by a twin-turbocharged, 3.8 litre V8 engine developed specifically for the 12C – the M838T.
It is compact, lightweight, very stiff, and offers an uncompromising combination of high performance and good driveability with excellent economy and CO2 emission values, says McLaren.
M838T features dual variable valve timing and produces around 600bhp and 600Nm of torque.

A dry sump and flat plane crankshaft allow the engine to be placed extremely low in the chassis thereby lowering the centre of gravity and improving handling responses.
It also features composite cam covers and intake manifolds, which reduce weight and heat transmission into the charge air.
The engine revs to 8,500rpm, has quick transient throttle response and delivers its abundant torque throughout the rev range.
An impressive 80 percent of torque is available at below 2000rpm, meaning there is no great need to floor the accelerator to get performance
The suspension for the McLaren MP4-12C breaks new ground, offering new levels of roll control and grip.
The system features adjustable roll control which replaces the mechanical anti-roll bars and allows the car to maintain precise roll control under heavy cornering while decoupling the suspension in a straight line for excellent wheel articulation and compliance.
Another feature that helps the 12C to handle at a new level is a development of an electronic system used by McLaren’s 1997 MP4/12 Formula One car – brake-steer.
It brakes the inside rear wheel when the car is entering a corner too quickly to make the desired radius
Gears are changed using a Formula 1 style rocker shift that pivots in the centre of the steering wheel.
The rocker moves with the steering wheel, rather than being mounted on the steering column, so that if a gear change is needed while lock is being applied the driver does not have to fumble around to change gear.
The rocker itself incorporates an innovative feature created by McLaren engineers called Pre-Cog.
“What Pre-Cog does is initiate the shift process by priming the clutch and torque handover – it takes significant time out of the process,” says technical director Dick Glover.
“It’s a little bit like the first pressure on a camera shutter button. There’s no requirement for the driver to use it but it is more satisfying and engaging if you do,” he says..
Outright power alone is of little significance if a car’s weight saps output or if that power is unmanageable and compromises the driving experience or results in unacceptable emissions.
Still, increased customer demands for safety and advanced features mean that shaving weight is difficult.
This MP4-12C structure is the automotive version of a McLaren motor racing innovation from the 1981 MP4/1 Formula 1 car.
The MonoCell also allows for a creativity of interior design that sets new standards. The whole focus is on making the 12C cockpit uniquely spacious and functional – in car that is actually narrower than competitors.
The interior styling then offers a symmetry that wraps around the occupants and makes them feel physically and emotionally comfortable.
Packaging was fundamental to the McLaren MP4-12C design challenge.
Externally, the car had to be compact, yet internally it had to offer an unparalleled driver and passenger environment where comfort and driving enjoyment were not compromised.

What’s in a name
MP4 has been the chassis designation for all McLaren Formula 1 cars since 1981. It stands for McLaren Project 4, resulting from the merger of Ron Dennis’ Project 4 organisation with McLaren.
The 12 refers to McLaren’s internal Vehicle Performance Index through which it rates key performance criteria both for competitors and for its own cars. The C refers to carbon, highlighting the unique application of carbon fibre technology to the future range of McLaren sports cars.

Between invention and innovation expect more digital prototyping

by Mike Bishara

How to deal with rejection: Mechanical engineer Andrew Sears explains how Balzer Pacific won back the deal by simulating the project and showing they could make the crusher safely with less steel

When Auckland headquartered, international engineering group Beca was chasing the Mt Eden prison and Middlemore Hospital contracts, digital prototyping was a requirement of the bid process.
In the last two or three years the demand to model everything has been driven by the contracting fraternity’s bid to make the construction process more efficient, Beca’s technical director and general manager for building services Jon Williams told New Zealand Engineering News at the Autodesk conference in Las Vegas. “There is no question that from inception to handover digital prototyping will offer benefits. It reduces waste, is quicker and more efficient.
“Still, while clients are buying into the idea, there is resistance to pay for the service in the current competitive environment,” he says.
Mr Williams was one of more than 7000 delegates who navigated their way through an ocean of poker machines to conference rooms, theatres and classrooms to soak up the Autodesk ethos. A further 40,000 were virtual participants.
It was an impressive performance by an industry giant in the 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software market. Autodesk says more than 10 million professionals in 185 countries use its products.
“Customers now use software tools to do conceptual design, sophisticated simulation, and stress and failure analysis, greatly reducing the need for expensive physical prototyping or even more expensive post-development rework,” reckons Buzz Kross, Autodesk’s senior vice president of manufacturing.
The company let its customers do the talking at the event. In the manufacturing keynote session, delegates heard from Itamco’s Joel Heidig who used Autodesk software to help install a five-ton machine that had arrived from Germany in several huge crates.
“They simulated a virtual factory, including the pad that had to be built, the 40-ton crane needed to assemble the machine, and the high-voltage wiring it required. The simulation enabled them to understand and mitigate constraints before a single crate was pried open,” says Autodesk simulation team director Scott Reese senior.
Balzer Pacific used digital prototyping to stay competitive without compromising safety and quality.
“Our original bid to design and build a giant rock crusher was rejected as too costly due to the rising price of steel. By simulating the project, we realised that we could make a crusher with less steel and it would still stand up to having four-foot-wide boulders dropped on it,” says mechanical engineer Andrew Sears.
The company used the same software to simulate a self-loading barge assembly, including a crane and several hoppers.
“We simulated the design’s structural response to stress and proved that the project could be built with thinner steel and still be safe,” says Mr Sears.
But the star of the show was undoubtedly Marcus Hay’s electric Pi Cycle, a beneficiary of Autodesk’s Clean Tech Partner programme, which offers design engineering and digital prototyping software to speed up the development of solutions to environmental challenges. The programme gives up to US$50,000 worth of software for $50.
This allows smaller startups to do the kind of prototyping that would have been out of reach if they had to rely on physical modeling. Within a few weeks Hay’s Pi Mobility company had made a half-inch change to the arched tube which allowed a different battery form factor which, in turn, significantly reduced material and manufacturing costs. The company knocked US$360,000 off initial inventory costs and cut assembly times from 20 hours to four.

Robot transport system speeds airport travel

Taking off soon – a pilotless transport system that will revolutionise the way that passengers travel at aviation’s busiest international airport, London’s Heathrow.
Work has started on the world’s first commercial personal rapid transit system that will initially be made up of 3.8 kilometres of concrete guideway and a fleet of 18 battery-powered driverless vehicles – known as pods.
Each pod will whisk up to four passengers and their luggage to and from Heathrow’s new Terminal 5 and a perimeter car park.
If a one-year trial starting in 2009 is a success, the system will be adopted throughout the airport with the number of pods being expanded to at least 400. It is being developed jointly by the Advanced Transport Systems (ATS) company of the UK and the airports operator BAA.
The project was conceived as a result of BAA’s desire to provide better access to its terminals at Heathrow that as the world’s busiest international airport handles 67 million passengers a year. In 2005, the operator announced it had chosen to trial the ATS urban light transport (ULTra) PRT system in a deal that involved an investment of 7.5 million pounds.
PRT systems could prove a boon for airports worldwide by providing travellers with a quick and easy journey from adjoining hotels, office blocks, car parks and car rental depots to their terminal and check-in point.
The ULTra pods, also described as driverless taxis, are 3.7 metres long, 1.4m wide and 1.8m high, and each has a payload of 500kg and a maximum speed of 11 metres a second.
Styled as a small car with twin sliding doors and conventional tyres, they travel automatically between their own stations under guidance from infrared sensors along concrete roadways that can be elevated where necessary.
Passengers simply go to the first line of pods waiting at a station, use atouch-sensitive screen to choose the destination, press buttons to close the doors and give the vehicle a go-ahead signal. The system can handle up to 4,800 passengers an hour.
Travellers will never have to wait more than 18 seconds for a pod and passengers will not have to struggle with luggage through a crowded airport.
Travelling at up to 40km (25 miles) an hour, the pods will carry passengers and even bulky luggage such as a bicycle or pushchair from car park to terminal in four minutes compared with the current 20-minute wait for a bus.
Construction of the concrete track is under way at the Terminal 5 end and the first production version of the driverless pods was recently tested in endurance trials that produced “100 per cent satisfactory results.
ATS has been helped in the design of the Heathrow PRT system by the Arup engineering consultancy that has more than 40 years’ experience in airport development and claims the technology is two years ahead of competitive offerings.
The system is practical, flexible, modular and reliant only on current technologies.