The Footwear Club

Delcam is to reinforce its position as the leading supplier of CADCAM systems to the world's footwear industry with a series of free seminars in the main shoemaking regions of Asia. The seminars will start in Pusan, Korea, on 22nd October, followed by Taichung, Taiwan, on 25th, and Wenzhou and Donguan in China on 27th and 29th, and end in Bangkok, Thailand on 2nd November. At each event, Delcam will demonstrate the latest developments in its complete solution for the design and manufacture of footwear.

The seminars will feature the new functionality for upper design and manufacture, which makes Delcam the only supplier able to provide a complete solution for both uppers and complex soles. It enables designs of the upper components to be created simply by sketching onto the surface of the last. Components can be defined in any colour and in a variety of textures representing different materials. Buckles, laces and other accessories can be added to complete the design.

Once the design has been approved, the 3D model can then be converted into 2D representations of the various pieces. These can then be graded to produce components for the different sizes and data generated so that they can be cut from the chosen materials using knife, laser or water-cutting equipment.

New developments in Delcam's Total Modelling CAD system for sole design will also be covered. Total Modelling allows logos, textures and other decorations to be incorporated into designs more readily to help reinforce branding of products. In addition, new morphing options make modification of complex designs much easier and quicker, making it possible to create a greater selection of alternatives when presenting proposals for new designs.

Once the design has been completed, Delcam's powerful manufacturing systems can be used to generate machining data for either models or moulds. A wide range of strategies is supported to enable quick, efficient machining and so give the fastest possible move into mass production. Finally, an inspection module allows prototypes, tooling and samples to be checked against the computer model to ensure that the designer's intent has been captured faithfully in the end product.

Using Delcam's software to automate routine procedures increases consistency and reduces the possibility of mistakes throughout the development process. In particular, accurate grading of last, sole, tread pattern and heel gives perfectly matched components, thus easing assembly and finishing operations, and reducing failures in use.

For further information on Delcam's footwear design and manufacturing software, please contact:

Peter Dickin, Public Relations Manager
Direct phone: 44 (0)121 683 1081 e-mail: marketing@delcam.com

Delcam plc
Small Heath Business Park
Birmingham, B10 0HJ, UK
www.delcam.co.uk

Delcam Italia srl
via privata Maestri del Lavoro, 29
20025 Legnano (MI), Italy
www.delcam.it