CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
21 August 2009
Implementation Investments
Delcam CADCAM Software Used to Create I, Robot Gun
Delcam’s design and manufacturing software was used by MINDSHIFT to create a futuristic gun used by Will Smith in the science fiction thriller I, Robot. The project led to many other jobs for the company producing weapons and other props for major films. The Delcam software has made a major contribution to its success in the film business by helping to convert any artist’s sketch into a real product quickly and accurately.
MINDSHIFT, a Vancouver-based division of CSL Plastics Inc., specialises in set and prop fabrication. While the props for a film make up only a very small part of the budget, any delays in their delivery can increase the filming costs at a rate of tens, or even hundreds, of thousands of dollars each day. The Delcam software takes projects from sketch to impeccably-finished products in a week or so, to meet the tight deadlines and the high visual requirements of the industry.
For I, Robot, MINDSHIFT was given the challenge of creating a functioning gun to match the futuristic sketches produced by the film’s creative team. The team started the project by having a local gunsmith strip down a real Smith and Wesson 22 calibre revolver to provide the basis for internal design of the gun. Delcam’s PowerSHAPE design software was then used to add the complex curves smoothly flowing into each other that give the gun its futuristic look.
PowerSHAPE gives the surfacing capabilities needed to define a stylish product. There are no mathematical algorithms that can be use to make the transition between two curves look just right. It all relies on the designer’s sixth sense. PowerSHAPE is ideal for this type of work because lets the user tweak a surface until it’s just right.
The gun was unusual for a film prop because the internal surfaces were just as critical as the exterior surfaces. It had to shoot blanks during filming and the interior surfaces needed to be streamlined to enable the gases to escape without causing damage that might weaken the gun and put the actors in danger. To ensure against this possibility, the initial gun design was fired and then x-rayed to check for metal fatigue. These tests showed that in several areas the corner radii were too small to withstand the pressure exerted by the escape gases. With PowerSHAPE, the interior curved surfaces could be adjusted easily to solve the problem.
Once the client had signed off on the 3D model of the gun, the design was over to Delcam’s PowerMILL CAM system. The biggest challenge was to produce the gun grip, which was made out of Delrin, a high-end plastic which machines like a dense nylon. This material doesn’t sand very well so a very smooth finish had to be created during machining. This was achieved with a combination of offset area clearance and interleaved constant-Z finishing, plus a final rest finishing path to clean out the finer details.
The success of the project reinforced MINDSHIFT’s reputation in the film business of being able to turn designers’ creations into mathematically-precise, functional and manufacturable designs.
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