As a certified CAM Solution Partner Product, ESPRIT 2006 will demonstrate its abilities and interoperability with the SolidWorks CAD software system at SolidWorks World 2006, Jan. 22-25, booth 422. Certified solution products like ESPRIT have been evaluated by SolidWorks and determined to be CNC software products that work well with SolidWorks geometry.

ESPRIT 2006 offers interoperability with SolidWorks being able to directly read and machine from native SolidWorks part and assembly files. Additionally, feature exchange add-ins allow SolidWorks users to seamlessly transition the design features of SolidWorks into manufacturing features for ESPRIT. Since both ESPRIT and SolidWorks use the Parasolid modeling kernel, translation which can generate error is eliminated. ESPRIT's adaptive machining technology assures any changes made to the SolidWorks model are directly applied to ESPRIT and the G-Code. This CAD-to-CAM functionality is made possible by ESPRIT 2006's adaptive machining capabilities.

This feature allows ESPRIT to adapt to varying part geometries and to automate engineering changes and part families.

Adaptive Machining
ESPRIT 2006's feature exchange technology allows clearer CAD to CAM communication, streamlines the CNC programming process, and creates greater programming automation, eliminating the time required for input and verification of data associated with part features. For example, ESPRIT 2006 reads CAD features and their properties directly from native SolidWorks part models. CAD features import directly as CAM features generating automatic and precise part definitions, including feature name, type, description, and category.

"New advances in ESPRIT's patent-pending KnowledgeBase also further advance programming automation," said a company spokesperson. "ESPRIT's process-driven adaptive technology makes use of the end-users' expertise and in-house programming skills, which are stored in the KnowledgeBase." This database of programmers' proven practices automatically chooses the most suitable process to machine a given feature-including machining cycles, cutting tools, and speeds and feeds, and all associated machining parameters. Programmers also can easily create new processes and update details of existing processes. ESPRIT's KnowledgeBase tools free CNC programmers from repetitive parts programming and give them time to investigate new machining processes which can further improve their business.