The Footwear Club

by Mark, Delcam plc

Delcam has launched free guides to the design and manufacture of packaging and footwear. The guides, which are both available in CD format, will show how modern computer-based methods have enabled the company’s customers in each industry to produce more complex designs more quickly and to a higher quality.

Delcam’s Power Solution helps packaging manufacturers meet their clients’ demands for faster development of new products and for higher quality. In particular, the company’s unique Total Modelling approach to design allows logos, textures and other decorations to be incorporated into standard pack designs more readily to help reinforce branding of products. Modification of complex designs is much easier and quicker, making it possible to create a greater selection of alternatives when presenting proposals for new designs.

Delcam’s software also enables parts of the pack design process to be automated, including fill line calculation and volume adjustment when producing a range of sizes. Furthermore, standard parts and sections, such as closures, necks or thread forms, may be stored in the system and added into new models as required. Automation of these routine operations increases accuracy, for example, by ensuring a perfect fit between a bottle and its cap, reduces the possibility of mistakes, and leaves more time for creative work

The same demands for higher quality and faster introduction of new designs is placing extra pressures companies making footwear. Again, Delcam’s software can cut time to market dramatically and so can increase market share and profitability.

Total Modeling allows complex lasts, soles and heels to be designed quickly and modified easily, giving much greater scope for experimenting with novel designs. Automated grading then allows complete ranges to be developed rapidly from the initial design. Automation also helps to ensure perfectly matched components, thus easing assembly and finishing operations, and reducing failures in use. 

In both industries, once the design has been completed, Delcam’s powerful manufacturing systems can be used to generate machining data for either models or tooling. In addition, Power INSPECT can be used at all stages during the development process to check the quality of prototypes, tooling and samples, and so ensure that the designer’s intent has been captured faithfully in the end product. 

The two guides are intended primarily for those companies that have not yet introduced CADCAM but will also provide many tips to help those that are already using the technology. To obtain a copy of either CD, please e-mail

Delcam plc
Small Heath Business Park, Birmingham, B10 0HJ, UK 
Tel: +44 (0)121 766 5544
Fax: +44 (0)121 766 5511
e-mail: marketing@delcam.com
 Website: www.delcam.com