TechArchive

Original article date: April 1999 In only 3 years from the first stereolithography product from 3D Systems the company has now launched its first office-sized machine no larger than an office photocopier. Developed by 3D Systems in Valencia California the Actua 2100 is a 3D concept modeller no larger than a standard office photocopier. It [...]

This article was originally written in the period 1995-2000 Bewildering was the array of objects that began to appear on the market four or five years ago. Desks with worktops that adjusted at the touch of a button, chairs in a wide assortment of shapes and sizes, storage systems that were positively extra- terrestrial, and [...]

Original article date: February 1998 There is enhanced support for Microsoft Office applications and Internet Explorer web pages in Version 3.0 of Spatial Technology’s ACIS 3D Viewer. The ACIS solid modeller is used in industry-leading 3D software products such as AutoCAD and Mechanical Desktop (Autodesk), Bravo (Applicon), CADKEY (Baystate Technologies), CorelCAD (IMSI), TriSpectives (3D/EYE), TurboCAD [...]

Original article date: September 1998 From an expensive prototype used in the Space Shuttle Columbia comes the affordable peripheral which is taking 3 CAD design by storm – presenting the Space Mouse. Despite breathtaking advances in digital technology traditional man-machine interfaces such as the keyboard are not well suited for people to use in a [...]

Original article date: November 1997 Alan Griffiths of IIC Computing introduces a new independent guide to investing in CAD/CAM, which is accompanied by a financial analysis tool. For nearly 20 years, CAD/CAM systems have been changing the ways companies approach design and manufacture. Despite the obvious benefits, managers still find it difficult to put together [...]

This article was originally written in the period 1995-2000 Alan Griffiths is a design consultant to the plastics industry. He offers his personal and thought-provoking views on rapid prototyping. At the moment it does not seem to matter which engineering journal one reads, the headline “Rapid Prototyping” so often stands out. The expression seems to [...]

Original article date: January 1999 Every time you see a technical document where parts of a formula have been added in by hand because the word processor used can’t handle mathematical symbols, you’re reminded that the folks behind PC-based maths software have still got plenty of potential users to go for. There are several applications [...]

Original article date: November 1998 Are you faced with the problem of implementing CADCAM technology for the first time? Or upgrading to a new generation of system? One of the headaches is interfacing with other systems. The single most difficult area in defining system requirements is interfacing data both within the organisation and with external [...]

This article was originally written in the period 1995-2000 Only in the past few years have solid modelling systems been used in earnest. Has the conversatism of engineers now been truly overcome? The very first CADCAM systems started by mimicking conventional engineering design – 2D draughting. Lines, arcs and other geometrical entities were mathematically defined [...]

This article was originally written in the period 1995-2000 David J Wilson, principal of Open Archive Systems (OASys) argues the benefits of integrating paper-based and CAD-generated engineering data. It is estimated that there are more than eight billion drawings worldwide, of which fewer than 15% are in a CAD format. The need to capture, modify [...]