After a part is designed in a Parasolid-based CAD application, it can be transferred without translation to computer aided manufacturing (CAM) software to generate CNC instructions or tooling design. The simplest use is to read in a Parasolid XT file as “read-only” data for generating a tool path. More commonly, the manufacturing specialist will want to make small non-functional changes to optimize the part for manufacturing without referring to the originating CAD system. For example, for machining this might mean standardizing concave blend sizes to match a particular cutter. For injection molding it might mean adding or removing a degree or two of taper to ensure better ejection from a mold.

This type of modeling is very efficient and although it may seem intuitive to a CAM software user, it is very demanding on a solid modeler in terms of robustness and performance. Parasolid’s ability to quickly modify, or tweak, a design without frequent failures or user intervention is the result of meticulous software engineering. Tweaking complex models is an excellent benchmark for the robustness and performance of a solid modeler.

After a CAM developer adds the ability to tweak a part it is a natural step to add more of Parasolid’s creation and editing functionality. For example, creating jigs with Parasolid by referencing the exact geometry of the part can save considerable time. Soon the CAM system can evolve to resemble a full function CAD system designed for a specific discipline such as casting, injection molding or milling. The latest aspect of this trend is for machine tool manufactures to include increasingly sophisticated CAM software with their machines to allow the operator to load, view and edit parts to generate optimal tool paths with detailed knowledge of that particular machine’s capabilities.

Basing the modeling functionality of a CAM system on Parasolid immediately gives 100% translation free interoperability with over 350 applications from over 100 independent software vendors (ISVs) and approximately 45% of all 3D CAD models worldwide that are stored in Parasolid XT format. Most major CAD systems that use a different solid modeler also license Parasolid for interoperability to create XT read/write filters. For other systems, there are the Parasolid Translator toolkits for all common formats and Parasolid Bodyshop for cleaning XT files created outside of Parasolid to ensure they are correct and won’t cause problems in later modeling operations.

Parasolid CAM Customers

Parasolid CAM customers include: