SPI SheetMetal for Autodesk® Inventor® complements the basic sheet metal functions of Inventor software and offers a range of helpful capabilities for sheet metal design and unfolding, especially in the areas of process chain and direct transfer of data to manufacturing. The results are significant cost savings and shorter design cycle.
The software provides a variety of tools for efficient sheet metal design, especially for the design of sharp-cornered models, without applying reliefs. Designing sharp-cornered, complex non-perpendicular coverings can be done quickly and efficiently.
Easy-to-use dialog-boxes enable designers to set parameters such as material data, suitable thickness values, and bending machine information from the SPI material management system. The flat pattern is transferable to laser or punch CAM programs and press brake control.
With the SPI TruTops Interface it is possible to import the material- and bending process information from TruTops Bend and TecZone Bend into the SPI material management in order to use it when designing. In that way the production radii and bending factors resulting from the manufacturing process are already taken into account. A GEO file is optionally generated and can directly be used in the modules of the TruTops Suite (CAD, Nest, Laser, Punch, Bend). The interface also offers a selection of punch- and forming tools from TruTops Punch. TruTops Punch reads the manufacturing information transferred from SPI and allocates them to the corresponding machining pattern.
SPI's WiCAM interface facilitates the direct export of unfolding geometry into an XML file that can subsequently be used by the WiCAM company's PN4000 software. With this interface, SPI makes it possible to use the unfolding data directly for CAM programming via PN4000 by providing specific geometrical and production-related data for the unfolding process.
BENEFITS
- Tolerant handling of imported parts
- Comfortable corner design suitable for manufacturing
- Tolerant and flexible unfolding of slightly curved free-formed surfaces
