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uct (use of aluminum for production tools, local temperature controls through heating elements, rapid heating and cooling technology, conformal cooling, etc.). Tim Lankisch, Director of Engineering at CAE Services Corp. (Batavia, IL)���a provider of Moldflow engineering services, notes the following questions are asked of the company by moldmakers: Where should we put the gates or hot drops, and how many should we have? Is my cooling design adequate? Do I need any Moldmax inserts? Do we need to put windage into the mold to counteract warpage? Over at CAD/CAM developer Vero Software Ltd. (Wixom, MI), Richard Youhill, General Manager for the VISI brand, notes that the most frequent question he hears is not actually a software or technology question. ���It is simply, ���Do you know of a mold designer I could hire?��� The lack of skilled operators is an impediment to the growth of our customers and to our software sales. We know we could sell more if we could supply each software license with a trained operator. Equally, our customers could secure more work if they could complete it on schedule. Image courtesy of CGTech. Efficiency is also on the minds of 3D geometry-based engineering software manufacturer Kubotek USA Inc.���s (Marlborough, MA) customers. VP of Marketing Scott Sweeney notes, ���Moldmakers are slammed with business and any productivity gains they can get will allow them to get more work out the door.��� Efficiency and finish are top concerns of CAD/CAM provider Mastercam/CNC Software Inc. (Tolland, CT) customers. According to Marketing Director Ben Mund, most moldmakers want to see the best possible toolpath motion with as little ���wasted��� movement as possible and efficient use of their tooling. ���They also always want the smoothest possible finish directly off the machine to avoid any time and labor-intensive handwork,��� he says. Randy Nash, President of CAD/CAM provider CGS North America Inc. (Oldcastle, ON) notes that moldmakers want to know how they can remove more labor from the CAD/CAM process and cut back on the total costs of perishable tooling? Chuck Mathews, Executive Vice-President of CAM developer/supplier DP Technology Corp. (Camarillo, CA), notes that the most common request from moldmakers is to help them find ways to program their parts faster and more efficiently. ���Their requests are most commonly driven by newer machine tools, controls and computer hardware���along with the fact that molds are becoming increasingly complex���all of which requires us to continually update our software in order to keep pace.��� Mathews elaborates. ���The requests that stand out most are for shorter toolpath calculation times, faster simulation and verification and more efficient toolpath cutting���in other words, shorter machining time.��� Justin Hendrickson, Product Manager, for SpaceClaim (Concord, MA)���a manufacturer of 3D Direct Modeling solutions���notes that moldmakers typically ask questions like: What file formats do you import? Can you edit these files when they come in? How easy is it to create and restructure assemblies? ���In today���s CAD/CAM environment, moldmakers are given models in all different formats and expected to work with them with ease,��� Hendrickson says. ���It is cost prohibitive to own a seat of every major CAD system and maintain proficiency with each. A single direct editing system makes it easy to import, edit, and repair geometry from different sources. In addition, direct modeling allows for more flexible assembly design that better matches the way a moldmaker splits and restructures parts to handle multiple pull directions and other mold features.��� On the simulation software side, Hanno van Raalte, Product Manager ��� Simulation and Material Science for Autodesk (Waltham, MA)���a provider of 3D design and engineering software���notes that moldmakers want to know if the company���s simulation Moldflow can help make the right technology choices when it comes to the new cooling methods that reduce cost and cycle time while increasing quality of the plastic prod- Use ���ve-axis machining techniques for optimum cutter contact. ���The second question of, ���What do you have that will help me be more productive��� is linked both to the sudden uptick in business for our customers and the scarcity of talent,��� Youhill continues. ���Rephrased it���s simply whether or not our software can help them produce more with the same level of resource.��� Both of these questions drive the company���s software development direction, according to Youhill. ���We must continue to build the knowledge of experienced designers into the product and make it so automated and easy to use that less skilled operators can be successful with it,��� he affirms. Similarly, John Barnes, Technical Sales Account Manager for Cimatron Technologies Inc. (Novi, MI)���a provider of toolmaking and NC programming software solutions���most commonly receives non-software related questions. ���Our customers want to know how business is elsewhere,��� he states. ���And, what improved processes do we encounter when traveling the country? Every shop is looking for the competitive advantage and moldmakingtechnology.com 27