CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
23 March 2005
Product News
ProFold Product Line for KeyCreator 4.0 is Now Available
Applied Production, Inc. announced the release of its ProFold sheet metal unfolding software product line for KeyCreator 4.0. ProFold is completely integrated into KeyCreator for companies who work with sheet metal parts. Engineers and designers use ProFold to create accurate flat pattern layouts faster and easier. The ProFold product line consists of ProFold Solids, ProFold Wireframe, and ProFold Lite.
"We have been working with CADKEY, now KeyCreator, for 20 years. Many of our original customers continue to use ProFold and KeyCreator to unfold their parts," said Joe Bucalo, president of Applied Production Inc. "Translators included with KeyCreator allow our users to open the files they receive from all of their customers. Then using ProFold, they develop the flat and prepare the part for manufacturing. ProFold and KeyCreator are still the best solution for sheet metal fab shops."
ProFold enhances the sheet metal capabilities of KeyCreator, complementing the geometry-based approach to design. ProFold simplifies the unfolding process, quickly developing the correct flat pattern while remaining within the design file. By using the information already in a sheet metal model, errors are quickly eliminated; saving valuable time and helping manufacturers meet tight production deadlines. The numerous powerful features of ProFold described above are also available in versions for CADKEY and AutoCAD.
With ProFold Solids, Solid models are unfolded with a click of the mouse. ProFold Solids stores your material and bend parameters in a database and automatically applies this data to the bends in your part. An interactive tree displays all the bends of the part, allowing you to fine-tune the parameters for each bend. The tree is color coded, letting you know if the data was found in the database as well as whether the bend data is valid for that bend. ProFold Wireframe, included with ProFold Solids, unfolds 3D wireframe models of sheet metal parts.
Introduced in 1985, ProFold Wireframe was the first software to unfold 3D wireframe models in a CAD system. Wireframe models may be drawn with or without material thickness. You can specify different bend parameters for every bend on the part. To save time in creating your models, ProFold Wireframe allows you to create a basic 3D model and then ProFold enhances the model by adding the material thickness geometry and creating arcs in the bend areas. Your model is then ready for the solidifying process. ProFold Wireframe creates a chart showing the bend parameters that were used to unfold the part. You may specify the K-factor, allowing ProFold to calculate the bend allowance, or you can directly enter the bend allowance to be used. ProFold Wireframe also allows you to fold a 2D wireframe part. ProFold Lite is an entry level program geared toward users whose parts are simple and have a limited number of bends.
You may download a 30-day trial of the ProFold software as well as the ProFold Demonstration and Training Guide at http://www.AppliedProduction.com/download.htm .
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