MCAD Tech News #152
14 Sep, 2005 By: Jeffrey RoweInteroperability and the Lack Thereof
Kubotek survey confirms what we knew: Data exchange is anything but easy
by Jeffrey Rowe
Think most, or at least some, of the problems associated with interoperability have been solved? Whatever your answer, take a look at a study recently conducted by Kubotek USA (formerly CADKEY) on the design and manufacturing marketplace, ?2005 CAD Interoperability Survey.? (You?ll have to register before downloading the results.) Based on responses from more than 1,250 CAD managers and users, the survey explored some of the issues surrounding CAD interoperability and the depth of a problem that seemingly won?t go away.Accurate Picture
Based on my experience, the results of this survey accurately portray the current state of CAD data interoperability and probably won?t surprise anyone who regularly deals
with multiple design data formats. The results confirm a number of things that many CAD industry vendors and users have known for some time. They point to the fact that although interoperability progress has been made with standards such as IGES and STEP, new file formats continue to proliferate and create havoc. As the sheer number of file formats grows, so do problems associated with exchanging data between them. Also growing are the many companies that supply products or services that attempt to solve or assuage the interoperability problem. Read more >>
NASA OUTREACH PROGRAM ASSISTS SMALL MANUFACTURERS ? FOR
FREE
With assistance from the NASA-funded Space
Alliance Technology Outreach
Program, a precision manufacturer of mechanical components has
solved a
mystifying situation in the production of an aluminum battery cover,
thereby gaining a viable edge on the competition.
Called SATOP, the program is operated by the Technological Research and
Development Authority. It provides free engineering assistance to
small
businesses with technical challenges through the expertise of the
program's Alliance Partners, 50 aerospace companies and universities
involved in the U.S. Space Program.
Collins Manufacturing produces an aluminum battery cover that is
bead-blasted on one side and has two blind threaded holes on the other
side. As part of the manufacturing process, once the parts are
anodized, they are cleaned and sent to an outsourced company for
sealing.
"When the plates returned home, along with being newly sealed, they
were also discolored," said Collins Manufacturing Vice President Jim
Whittaker. "We couldn't identify the root of the problem."
Though a little discoloration may seem inconsequential, Whittaker
realized that the staining along the beaded side meant there was some
sort of contaminating element in the process and he needed to determine
what that element was.
"Between the different chemicals used and the processes involved in the
complete manufacturing of the cover, it was difficult to determine what
was causing the contamination," said Whittaker. "We needed a
definitive answer." Read
more >>
Mark Your Calendar: MCAD Events
Tool Shop Optimization Executive ForumSeptember 22, 2005, 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Laurel Manor, Livonia, Michigan
Cimatron Technologies will host an executive dinner for Michigan- and Windsor-area tooling executives to discuss tool shop optimization strategies. Tooling executives attending this event will have an opportunity to hear industry experts and peers speak about competition in the tooling industry and discuss strategies for success. Registration is required.
For Cadalyst's full calendar of events, click here>>
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Tech News, go to: http://manufacturing.cadalyst.com/manufacturing/article/articleList.jsp?categoryId=5868
Get the Code!
Cadalyst's Hot Tip Harry and AutoLISP Solutions code for September is
now available for download from Cadalyst?s Web site, including a clever
utility for hiding messages in your drawings.
MCAD Modeling
Methods -- Virtual Prototyping: Design, test and present
your product virtually to save time and money.
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Cadalyst magazine takes a behind-the-scenes look at the CAD world.