What are the products and technologies that Delcam will showcase at DMI 2016 in Bengaluru?
We will be showcasing some of our most sought after products and solutions during DMI 2016. Some of them are:-

PowerSHAPE: The 2016 release of PowerSHAPE Pro software will help users to complete complex tooling designs faster and more easily. A combination of new, more efficient, code and the extension of multi-threaded calculations to many commonly-used tasks will make the software significantly faster than any previous version. One key enhancement allows groups of features to be copied between two solids in a single operation.  While the features do not need to be of the same type, the most common application is expected to be in copying patterns of holes from one solid to another, for example, from one mould plate to any other plate in the mould stack.

PowerMILL: The main enhancement in PowerMILL 2016 is the ability to mirror complete machining projects in one operation and to maintain the machining characteristics automatically, for example to specify automatically whether climb or conventional milling should be used in each section of the toolpath.  Previously, only individual toolpaths could be mirrored. Automatic mirroring saves considerable time whenever tooling is needed to produce right- and left-hand versions of a part.  It will also be faster to program the machining of moulds for symmetrical objects, since it will be possible to program one half of the core or cavity and then mirror the toolpaths to generate the complete program. A new PowerMILL module for creating ribs in tooling makes it much easier and safer to program the machining of cavities for narrow ribs, even when the cutter’s length is much greater than its diameter.  Using the dedicated rib-machining strategy gives a better surface finish than using a standard finish-machining option and also improves efficiency by limiting the number of air moves.

PowerINSPECT: The latest release of PowerINSPECT makes it easier to complete fast and accurate inspection of complex assemblies, including mould tools.  The main improvement for users of CNC CMMs is the addition of support for MCR20 and FCR25 probe change racks.  PowerINSPECT can now incorporate probe changes into fully-automated measurement sequences.  The new version also includes automatic feature extraction for point-cloud batch inspection, easier navigation of the history tree, better control over RPS alignments and new options for collision checking.

The role TAGMA and DMI plays for the industry…
TAGMA has been an exemplary body, leading the Die-Mould Industry in the country towards better enablement and technology in the past 25 years. I believe DMI is probably one of the largest events of its kind in this part of the world. The die mould fraternity is a closely knit one and this event projects that to end customers enabling them with a macro perspective that helps build more confidence as well as note the massive innovation that players in this domain undertake.

With the Make in India campaign rolling out across the country, the business value of participation is invaluable. With a focus on manufacturing, tools, dies and moulds will be fundamental to the success of this campaign; networking with contemporaries, peers and customers at a single venue will multiply opportunities and learning’s for all.

What are the latest developments in the CADCAM industry? Please take us through the current technology trends in the industry…
The CADCAM industry is working constantly to improve the customer experience and provide them with tools that will help them be more efficient and precise. Technologies like MachineDNA that help assess various parameters & kinematics of a machine tool and provide appropriate output to the NC program in order to ensure that the cutting is optimal is something that I believe will help machinists immensely. Our parent organisation Autodesk is also leading the disruption with the Future of Making Things (FOMT) in manufacturing. Through FOMT, a better, faster decision making process, ability to work effectively with newer materials and fabrication methods (Advanced manufacturing) and enabling these technology solutions on the cloud will help transform businesses quickly, safely and efficiently, whilst delivering maximum competitive advantage to our customers.

India is home to many CAM solution providers, what would be your strategy to stay ahead in the competition?
There are indeed several CAM solution providers and it is not just true for India alone. The CAM market is fragmented and I see some consolidation in the industry now. However, the key factor in our line of business is people and support. We have been in India as a direct office for the past 16 years and arguably are the leading CAM supplier in the country. Through a dedicated and pro-active team that we have across 14 offices in the country, we are constantly in touch with our customers to understand their key requirements and pain areas. This helps us being more responsive and adaptive to their needs. We also invest heavily in R&D.

Please share with us the growth trends of die and mould industry in India – and what are the key drivers of this industry in the manufacturing sector?
The die and mould industry in India has had a steady growth largely, but has also seen its share of slowdowns as well. To a large extent the die and mould industry has based its growth on the automotive sector and therefore the result relies more importantly on automotive growth in the country (or across the globe for that matter) than anything else. However, this is soon changing with organisations investing in new technology and continuously innovating – rather than being just mould or tool suppliers. The OEs too are doing their bit by involving tool making companies in their development plans so that the entire chain becomes efficient. According to me, competence, delivery schedules and impeccable quality are the three most important drivers of this industry in the manufacturing sector.

What will be the impact of programmes like Make in India, Digital India and Smart Cities project on the die and mould industry?
Programs like Make in India, Digital India and Smart Cities are envisioned to transform the country and each of these will result in a better quality of life for citizens. Naturally, the die and mould industry will play a key role in helping these programs to be efficient through innovative product/tool designs, material selection and durability, aesthetics and functional quality of the end products – and these factors are true for all of the above programs for building a brand – India.

The above programs are also expected to bring in investments, newer technologies, budding scientists and engineers, veteran industrialists and the Government towards a common goal of building brand India. This is an opportunity that comes with a privilege and the die & mould industry can take a leadership role in transforming change from the roots.

Do you think SMEs in India are ready to adopt high end technologies like CAM?
SMEs in India have been adopting high end technologies like CAM and CNC machines for a long time now. It is now time to think beyond these and look at the ever changing consumer needs, changing materials and the methods of producing these new age materials. I feel that we have reached a stage where companies start investing not only in high end technologies, but also in employees, knowledge and analytical capital. This will help SMEs transform into larger and more responsive organisations.

Tell us about the growth of your company and your growth expectations in the next financial year…
We have been growing double digit YoY for the past 16 years now. We now supply to a diverse portfolio of customer industries as well as products. I am very positive of our continued growth in the coming FY as well.

Over the past five years, German automotive toolmaker Konrad Schäfer Modell und Formenbau has switched all its static and portable CMMs, as well as its hand scanners, to Delcam’s PowerINSPECT inspection software. The results of standardising on a single software have included lower training expenses, greater staff flexibility and perfect CAD compatibility.

The company’s roots in manufacturing models date back 110 years, originally in Muehlhausen, where Konrad Schäfer GmbH now has an additional production site. “We see ourselves as one of the leading manufacturers of design and data control models, inspection and function cubing, and control gauges for the European automotive industry,” explained Jörg Große-Beilage, head of the modelmaking department, which has been based in Osnabrueck since 1962.

Additional activities include models for vehicle interiors and prototypes for vehicle lights, as well as jigs and moulds for aerospace carbon fibre composites.

Konrad Schäfer GmbH transforms customers’ ideas into reality – five to ten years before they are ready for batch production – with the help of innovative approaches to prototyping, the newest CAD, CAM and metrology technologies, and a modern machine shop. Herr Große-Beilage also proudly pointed out that technical skill is still a crucial part of the organisation’s philosophy, something that wouldn’t be possible without motivated and well-trained staff.

At nearly every workstation, there is a CMM, either a stationary manual or CNC CMM, or a portable measuring arm. The range of measuring machines are of different ages and from Mora, Zett Mess and Stiefelmayer, while the portable arms are from FARO.

“Metrology is an important part of our core business,” says Herr Große-Beilage, one of the reasons Konrad Schäfer GmbH continually invests in this area; not only in machines but also in staff training. “Our target continues to be that both measurement engineers and model builders know how to use our metrology systems”. That was also one of the reasons why Konrad Schäfer GmbH started to convert their whole range of metrology machines to a universal software.

A wide range of solutions from different companies was reviewed as part of the selection and decision-making process, “but in the end PowerINSPECT convinced us the most.”

“The decision to purchase PowerINSPECT was absolutely spot on, even from today’s perspective,” says Herr Große-Beilage. On one hand this is because of the good CAD compatibility. Components in all CAD file formats can be inspected with PowerINSPECT, something that was particularly important for Konrad Schäfer GmbH.

In addition to the extensive feature set and the support from Delcam, the user-friendly interface was a key factor for Herr Große-Beilage and his team. The CAD File Manager in PowerINSPECT is just one example; this makes it easy to manage component groups. The decision was also easy because PowerINSPECT offered by far the best price-performance ratio.

Konrad Schäfer GmbH currently uses 16 licenses of PowerINSPECT, which have been purchased progressively. At the start, in 2009, the company purchased two licenses and contracted to buy four additional licenses in each subsequent year.

Portable coordinate metrology is becoming increasingly popular at Konrad Schäfer GmbH. Five Faro Gauge arms are already used, all supported by PowerINSPECT. “Manual measuring arms have the advantage that I can measure quicker than with a stationary measuring machine because I can just measure one zero point and then inspect everything else from top to bottom without adjusting anything,” explained Herr Große-Beilage. “But because I’m limited by the part size, the movable stand measuring machine is definitely better suited to a whole car”.

Christian Wollbrick, a metrologist who works daily with the software, confirmed that PowerINSPECT’s ease-of-use means that even untrained staff can get started immediately. “Elements can be interactively selected in the CAD view, for example,” he said. “This makes inspection programming significantly easier and quicker, something that is really useful when you just work with the system from time-to-time.”

Moreover, the ability to define a critical measurement point in advance and to be led to that point by PowerINSPECT during the measurement is very valuable. “This is particularly beneficial with hand-held devices, as it guarantees consistent and repeatable measurements.”

Work on inspection cubes depends on being able to work as flexibly as possible, yet at the same time in a reproducible way with a three-axis CMM. “Test cubes are reference models that simulate the body in white. Subsequent parts that occur in different car types can be built in or attached to them,” explained Herr Große-Beilage. “So you can test in advance, whether they truly fit or check that there are no interfering edges and also if joints and radii are correct. Every manufacturer has different reporting standards but we can implement them really quickly with PowerINSPECT.”

Delcam will demonstrate the latest releases in its range of CADCAM software for mouldmakers at the Die & Mould International exhibition to be held in Bangalore, India, from 6th to 9th April. New releases will be on show of the modelling-for-manufacture CAD system, PowerSHAPE, the PowerMILL CAM system for high-speed and five-axis machining, and the PowerINSPECT inspection software.

The 2016 release of PowerSHAPE Pro software will help users to complete complex tooling designs more quickly and more easily. In addition, a combination of new, more efficient, code and the extension of multi-threaded calculations to many commonly-used tasks will make the software significantly faster than any previous version.

One key enhancement allows groups of features to be copied between two solids in a single operation. While the features do not need to be of the same type, the most common application is expected to be in copying patterns of holes from one solid to another, for example, from one mould plate to any other plate in the mould stack.

The main enhancement in PowerMILL 2016 is the ability to mirror complete machining projects in one operation and to maintain automatically the machining characteristics, for example to specify automatically whether climb or conventional milling should be used in each section of the toolpath. Previously, only individual toolpaths could be mirrored.

Automatic mirroring saves considerable time whenever tooling is needed to produce right- and left-hand versions of a part. It will also be faster to program the machining of moulds for symmetrical objects since it will be possible to program one half of the core or cavity and then mirror the toolpaths to generate the complete program.

A new PowerMILL module for creating ribs in tooling makes it much easier and safer to program the machining of cavities for narrow ribs, even when the cutter’s length is much greater than its diameter. Using the dedicated rib-machining strategy gives a better surface finish than using a standard finish-machining option and also improves efficiency by limiting the number of air moves.

The latest release of PowerINSPECT makes it easier to complete fast and accurate inspection of complex assemblies, including mould tools. The main improvement for users of CNC CMMs is the addition of support for MCR20 and FCR25 probe change racks. PowerINSPECT can now incorporate probe changes into fully-automated measurement sequences.

The new version also includes automatic feature extraction for point-cloud batch inspection, easier navigation of the history tree, better control over RPS alignments and new options for collision checking.

Commenting on the event, Vineet Seth, Delcam’s Managing Director for South Asia & Middle East, said, “We have been participating in the TAGMA Die & Mould exhibition for over a decade now. It is interesting to note that, over the period, many of our die-mould customers have diversified their businesses into emerging markets like automotive component manufacturing, aerospace component manufacturing, composites manufacturing, automation products, healthcare components etc. This has been possible due to their wide experience in precision manufacturing as well as their willingness to invest in technology products that offer reliability, flexibility and speed. I’m really looking forward to the event in Bangalore, as this region offers a mix of all of the aforementioned emerging markets. The exhibition will allow us to share with visitors, the benefits of investing in our Advanced Manufacturing Solutions software that is renowned for being reliable, easy-to-use, robust and fast.”

Delcam has released the 2016 version of its PowerINSPECT inspection software, the world’s leading hardware-independent 3D inspection solution.  The new release includes greatly enhanced options for section measurement, more comprehensive collision avoidance, improved point cloud inspection, the ability to add notes to reports, and improved user control of CNC surface inspection routines.

Section inspection has been improved with easier creation of sections, better visualisation and enhanced reporting.  The enhanced options for section editing in PowerINSPECT 2016 include a slider that can be used to move the section through the part with real-time updating of the CAD view.  A specific value for the section intersection can still be entered if required.

New graphics options help with visualisation and reporting.  In the CAD view, the default option highlights the section cut and displays a semi-transparent representation of the material in the foreground, providing an accurate 3D visualisation of the section in place on the part.  During section creation the shading is updated dynamically as the section moves through the model. Alternatively, the near side can be hidden completely, or the complete CAD model can be shown in a solid colour as before.

Once the desired section has been chosen, the inspection path can be generated automatically.  The points generated can be edited if necessary.  The section can also be viewed and reported as a 2D true view of the section profile that is currently selected.

As with other PowerINSPECT measurements, the results of the section inspection can be viewed as spot confetti, deviation lines or vector lines.  The results can be displayed either on their own or as part of a larger inspection sequence.

Automatic collision detection was introduced in PowerINSPECT 2015, with probe paths adjusted automatically when a direct move between inspection features would result in a collision.  A new collision-free mode extends this capability by automatically creating links between inspection features as necessary.  If a potential collision is detected, the software automatically creates and calculates a new linking path that avoids the obstacle.  Collision avoidance is recalculated when the order of the inspection sequences is adjusted in the sequence tree.

Intermediate paths can still be created or updated manually.  This is required when the CAD model does not include complete information about the physical reality, for example if clamps or fixtures used to hold the part are not included in the CAD data.

PowerINSPECT 2016 has improved reporting with the ability to include additional user-defined information.  New ‘Report Note’ items allow the user to insert additional observations, including text and pictures.   As with all other items in the report, the notes can be shown, hidden and re-ordered within the report.

The formatting of labels has also been enhanced, particularly for GD&T items.  New options have been added to the dialog for session settings to enable further control of the label display.  Furthermore, the label sizes can be edited in the session settings and grid lines can be displayed for clearer reporting.

A number of enhancements have been added for inspections based on point clouds.  Firstly, point clouds can be imported from DMT and STL triangle files.  Scanning acquisition performance is improved and points can be saved from a point-cloud scan each time there is a pause during the scan.  Several point-cloud items can also now be created in a single point-cloud session without having to leave the full-screen acquisition view.

CNC surface inspection has been improved, making it easier to produce consistent results across a batch of components.  New surface inspection groups provide better user control of point naming, and the positioning, contents and formatting of report images.  It is also possible to reference CNC surface inspection groups directly in RPS alignments.

Finally, there are significant usability improvements for the CAD File Manager.  It is now possible to import one or more CAD files by dragging and dropping them into the main graphics window.  The highlighting and visualisation of individual objects in CAD models is further improved, making it easier to identify named objects and levels.

Delcam has released the 2015 version of its PowerINSPECT inspection system, the world’s leading hardware-independent metrology software. The new version includes automatic collision avoidance, faster import of large CAD files, quicker preparation of longer inspection reports, and improved display of results from point-cloud data, plus many other customer-requested enhancements.

PowerINSPECT has included collision detection for many years to warn the user when there was a possibility of any collision between the probe and the item being inspected. Until now, the user then had to make the required changes to the probe path to avoid the collision.

With PowerINSPECT 2015, the software adjusts the probe path automatically if a direct move between inspection features could produce a collision. The software will calculate a new motion path that avoids the obstacle, typically by moving up and over the obstruction or around it.

Collision avoidance is carried out when the initial probe path is generated, when the sequence of measurements is re-ordered, and when features are added or removed. As well as preventing collisions, automatic collision checking will save significant programming time, especially when inspecting more complex items.

The user still has the option to override the path produced by the software. This might be required if any accessories not modelled in the CAD data are present, for example, any clamps or fixtures being used to hold the part.

A number of improvements to PowerINSPECT 2015 have made both data import and report generation much faster. The differences will be particularly apparent when reading large CAD models, such as a complete car body, and when producing longer reports with more graphical images.

Another improvement in reporting gives users much greater control over the contents of any report. For example, it is easier to produce a summary of the complete set of results as a management report. Similarly, a more concise report can be produced when greater detail is not needed, for example, when all the results are well within the expected tolerances.

The 2015 release also offers improved display of results from point-cloud data, including a better shaded display of the ‘colour map’, complete with the coloured scale of the tolerances. As well as making the results simpler to understand, the new format is more consistent with the reports produced by PowerINSPECT from data from other types of measurements. This makes it easier to compare the results from different devices or measurement methods.

A number of other usability enhancements have been included. The representation of changes to the probe or to the probing parameters is now clearer and easier to understand. These improvements will be especially useful when creating longer inspection sequences for CNC coordinate-measuring machines and for on-machine verification. They will also make it easier for CMM operators to follow measurement sequences developed by another user, for example, when the inspection routine is created by the company’s metrology expert but then carried out by less experienced users.

Another usability enhancement is the addition of scale-model inspection. In this mode, the measurements from a scale model, such as a half-scale car, are displayed as though they were the results from the full-size item. This makes the reports easier to understand at first view and makes it quicker to exchange digital measurements with the CAD system as there is no need to compensate for the scaling in the model.

It has also been made easier to handle more complex CAD data structures, with data split over a series of levels. In particular, it is easier to match the CAD view to an item contained within a history tree.

Finally, a new intersection item has been added to the range of geometry that can be measured with PowerINSPECT; the intersection between a sphere and either a cone or a cylinder. This option will be useful when measuring ducting and pipework.