CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive

21 May 2012

Events News

Delcam CRISPIN to Show Latest in CADCAM for Footwear in Guangzhou

Delcam CRISPIN will demonstrate the latest developments in its design and manufacturing software for the footwear industry at the Shoes & Leather exhibition to be held in Guangzhou. The main focus will be on the new releases of the 3D design program, ShoeMaker, and the Engineer Pro manufacturing software.

Delcam CRISPIN is the world’s largest supplier of CADCAM software to the footwear industry and is the only supplier able to provide a complete solution for the design and manufacture of lasts, uppers and soles.

ShoeMaker is the only program to integrate the 3D design of lasts, uppers and soles, so allowing the complete shoe to be designed and visualised in a single system. This is particularly advantageous for companies making sports shoes and other designs that include complex soles.

ShoeMaker offers a very easy-to-learn interface, making it ideal for concept designers that might come from an artistic background rather than an engineering education. All of the icons feature specific footwear imagery, making the software very intuitive to use. However, ShoeMaker has the full power of Delcam’s PowerSHAPE CAD system in the background, allowing the most complex design challenges to be tackled successfully by experienced users.

The design process is made both faster and easier by the large library of data supplied with the software. This includes ranges of materials of different types and colors, plus accessories including eyelets, buckles and zips. Users can add their own materials and accessories to the libraries, and so develop a dedicated database for all of the company’s designers to access.

Having the complete design within a single model is particularly beneficial when it comes to grading the initial design for the range of sizes to be produced. Since all the components are contained in a single file, grading can be done in a single operation. The results will be more aesthetically pleasing as it will be possible to match the feature lines within the design. It is much more difficult to match the elements if the last, upper and sole are graded separately. More consistent grading also improves accuracy during assembly and, therefore, the durability of the shoe.

Engineer Pro helps users to produce 2D sample and graded footwear patterns for manufacturing in the fastest possible time, whilst also assisting in the management of tooling costs. Advanced tools like 'Edge Templates' reduce pattern development times dramatically, so improving throughput and reducing time to market.

The main addition to the 2012 release is a new module, ShoeStyle, for drawing, sketching and editing 3D style lines. It ensures the aesthetics of the 3D design lines are correctly proportioned before flattening for 2D pattern engineering and manufacture.

ShoeStyle provides functionality to import lasts, in STL or IGES formats, and create style lines directly on the last. This can be done using point-to-point, streamline sketching or by merging of multiple sketch lines using a graphics tablet. Stencils can be wrapped onto the last or Adobe Illustrator curves imported, wrapped onto the last and used in the design process. Real-time editing allows the style lines to be modified instantly in response to feedback from designers or manufacturing teams.

The inclusion of ShoeStyle within Engineer Pro provides a powerful combination of 3D and 2D tools to ensure that any manufacturing issues are detected earlier in the development cycle by improving communication between the design and patternmaking departments. This reduces the number of design iterations and so allows the time to market to be shortened significantly.

The close integration within the CRISPIN software range means that there is no need to remodel the designer’s concepts to produce information for downstream manufacturers. A single file can be used for each complete project, from initial concept design through to mass production. This makes data management and project planning much simpler, and so allows faster introduction of new designs with greater confidence that the designer’s intent is captured in the finished footwear.

 

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