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–Version 5 of Leading Design Tool Addresses the
Industry's Major Interoperability Issues, Provides Efficient Path
Between OEMs and Job Shops, Designers and Manufacturers –
Marlborough, MA—October 20, 2005
– Kubotek USA today
announced KeyCreator 5, a new version of its widely used design and
manufacturing software. This new version of the software attacks the
major interoperability issues that the company's recent
surveys have tracked, bridging the gap between designers and
engineers who are frequently stymied by incompatible file formats. The
new features are particularly valuable to moldmakers and job shops that
need to be able to detect and work with specific patterns and features
within a model.
“Most engineers and designers need to reuse data and model components
from a previous model, or work on a model that someone else created,”
said Robert Bean, chief operating officer, Kubotek USA. “Hundreds of
millions of dollars are wasted every year because designers have to
recreate parts that they can not access because they were originally
designed in another CAD format. Surprisingly, only a small percentage of
designers receive files in their preferred format.”
Bean continued, “The issues created because of the lack of CAD
interoperability are no different than the challenges that arise around
different languages. While we like to think of English being the
accepted standard for the business world, it is very similar to
manufacturing industry standards like STEP and IGES; standardization is
limited and will only work occasionally.”
KeyCreator 5 provides substantial new functionality that builds on
the company's use of geometry and intelligent freeform modeling
capabilities. This architecture allows users to easily import, edit and
work on non-native files. New pattern and feature discovery
functionality provides the ability to quickly highlight, prune and graft
distinct model elements, patterns, groups of features and “blends.”
Kubotek has added intelligence to KeyCreator 5 to enable the software to
easily manipulate features in so-called “dumb files.”
Bean explained, “Since translated CAD files are comprised of geometry
alone, only Kubotek’s geometry-based architecture can detect and work
with them as easily as other CAD tools work with a native file. Most
engineers and designers consider translated parts almost unworkable. It
is only now that the hardware has become capable of handling feature and
pattern discovery in real time.”
“Kubotek's enhancements in KeyCreator and their leadership in
conducting interoperability surveys demonstrates an intrinsic
understanding of end user needs and the overhead costs forced by
interoperability issues in the industry,” asserts Ken Versprille, Ph.D.,
PLM research director, CPD Associates, LLC. “Numerous approaches have
been attempted to resolve the problem of CAD interoperability, with
limited success. The Kubotek vision is of a world where CAD formats are
meaningless; functionality and ease-of-use are most important. Kubotek’s
breakthrough work in intelligent geometry within KeyCreator v5
represents a substantial step forward on delivering that vision.”
Sharing CAD Files is Everyone's Problem
In June, Kubotek unveiled the results of the first portion of its 2005
CAD Interoperability Survey. The survey of more than 1,250 CAD managers
showed that that there are still widespread issues around CAD
interoperability. The company followed up this survey with a second one
focusing on job shops. The new 2005 Kubotek Job Shop Survey studied the
impact of interoperability problems on this market segment and showed
that it is shouldering significant business expenses because of
interoperability issues and customer CAD requirements.
- Approximately two-thirds (63 percent) of job shops are required by
their customers to receive CAD files in a specific format
- Almost one-third of all the respondents (27 percent) had to
purchase a specific CAD tool just to satisfy specific customer
requirements
- A majority of the respondents had to share files with multiple
clients, each with different CAD requirements
Tony Creti, president of Electromoulds, a Canadian job shop that
makes plastic injection molds for the medical products industry, among
others, had this to say: “Because I work with multiple clients, I
receive files in at least four or five different CAD file formats on a
daily basis. KeyCreator allows me to quickly and easily translate and
work with all of these files. KeyCreator 5 is another successful
building blockin Kubotek USA's confrontation of the interoperability
problem. Specifically, the new pattern and feature discovery
capabilities will save a significant amount of time.”
Kenneth Harris is a tooling engineer who designs both progressive
stamping dies and the presses that run them. Harris has been using an
early release of KeyCreator 5 and is impressed with the new version of
KeyCreator. Harris is required to use many other CAD/CAM programs so the
ability to translate data from one file format to another is very
important. “During the quoting process, customers send many different
file types, and KeyCreator can open and work with the vast majority of
them. After the work is completed, customers need a 'neutral' file
format in order to send the model to the CNC program. KeyCreator exports
tonearly every file format and does so easily and accurately.”
Harris continued, “Even with all of the new features—sheet-metal
bending, pruning, grafting, and patterns, just to name a few—KeyCreator
is still the easiest CAD program I have ever used. I have demonstratedto
users of other CAD programs how KeyCreator can quickly produce a design
part. They tell me the same part would take them twice the time.”
KeyCreator 5.0 Adds Direct Feature Editing Toolbox
Converting a CAD file to a different format (creating a 'dumb' file)
does not usually capture all the information that an engineer needs to
do the job. The new version of KeyCreator includes a number of tools to
directly edit features in dumb models.
- Face selection, pattern and feature discovery: Allows the user to
find, name, select and work with any pattern or feature in a model,
including blends, sheet metal bends, holes, pockets, bosses, and
countersinks. Moldmakers in particular will find this function speeds
the creation process, allowing them to quickly strip away extraneous
parts to work on a specific feature
- Prune and Graft: Prune can create a tool solid from selected sets
of faces of an existing solid. Graft aids in dynamic orienting and
positioning, and uniting or subtracting these 'pruned' tool solids
- Rich graphic functionality including user-definable 3D dynamic
environment map rendering, zebra line analysis, dynamic transparent
cutting plane and user definable background image support
- And much more; click
here to view a detailed list.
The rapidly expanding KeyCreator product family includes
multidimensional design and drafting, NC programming and the company's
unique geometry-based foundation with localized feature editing and
sophisticated deformation techniques. KeyCreator blends surface, solid
and wireframe modeling, allowing for easy model modification and editing
functionality to support rapid manufacturing.
North American pricing for KeyCreator begins at $3495, including one
year of maintenance. Current, maintenance-paying customers can download
the new version immediately.
About Kubotek USA Kubotek USA, Inc., headquartered
in Marlborough, MA, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kubotek Corporation.
Kubotek USA develops and manufactures KeyCreator software (formerly
CADKEY) and is also responsible for sales, marketing, distribution and
support for the Americas.
Visit Kubotek at:
www.kubotekusa.com
Editorial Note: Images available
Kubotek, KeyCreator, and CADKEY are registered
trademarks or trademarks of Kubotek Corporation. All other brand and
product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective owners
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