The Footwear Club

Delcam will demonstrate the latest developments in its complete CADCAM solution for the design and manufacture of footwear at the SIMAC exhibition to be held in Bolonga, Italy, from 27th to 30th April. These will include improvements in the speed and ease of use of its Total Modelling design system, a new module for the design and manufacture of shoe uppers, additional options in the CopyCAD reverse engineering software, and an even wider range of strategies in the PowerMILL CAM system.

Total Modelling extends the surface and solid modelling methods available in other CAD systems with the addition of extra design techniques, including reverse engineering, triangle modelling and relief modelling. As a result, designers will be able to move between the different types of modelling more easily and see more quickly the effects of any changes in a single element on the overall design.

The range of potential applications of Total Modelling in footwear design is extremely wide. Logos, textures and other decorations can be incorporated into designs more readily to help reinforce branding of products. In addition, modification of complex designs will become much easier and quicker, making it possible to create a greater selection of alternatives when presenting proposals for new designs to clients.

The new module for upper design and manufacture is based on technology from the Portuguese developer MIND. 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 shapes can then be converted into 2D representations of the various pieces. These can then be graded to produce components for the different sizes and programs generated so that they can be cut from the chosen materials using knife, laser or water-cutting equipment.

The new version of the CopyCAD reverse engineering software offers faster and more accurate alignment of multiple scans, together with new curve creation and editing tools for easier surfacing, and improvements to its abilities to develop horizon lines and to fill any gaps in the scanned data. 

The improved alignment options will make it easier to match accurately data collected from a series of scans of different parts of models of lasts or soles. Once the key features within the data have been aligned approximately, the software will simultaneously combine all the data into a single model.

The extra curve creation options make sketching of wireframe geometry onto scanned data much easier, both in cases where the curves will be used as construction geometry and when they will be used to divide the model into regions for rapid surface creation.

The latest release of the PowerMILL CAM software incorporates a range of enhancements, including the ability to use the stock model for five-axis machining operations, dedicated methods for machining of flat surfaces, the ability to use user-defined tools, and collision checking within the new simulation module. In addition, the user interface has been improved with the use of Windows XP style icons and with the wider user of colour to define different areas of the model.

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