Cimquest Receives 1st HP 580 Series 3D Printer in New England
We are excited to be the first company in New England to receive our new HP 580 Series 3D Printer! The machine is fully installed, and we have started to build parts. Tailored for small/medium-sized development teams, design firms, and universities, HP’s new printer is a compact solution for producing injection mold quality parts. This automated system integrates material mixing and loading, printing, and reclaiming material in one machine. Teams can accelerate their design cycle by producing prototype iterations or functional parts without tooling, at a faster pace compared with traditional 3D printing technologies. Learn more about this machine here.
Formlabs Announces New Elastic Resin Material
Formlabs just announced their latest new engineering resin. This soft engineering resin (50A Shore durometer) is suitable for prototyping parts normally produced with silicone that need to bend, stretch and compress. Due to its high elongation (160%) and good tear strength (19.1kN/m) it will hold up to repeated cycles without tearing. Elastic resin is also translucent which is ideal for healthcare and medical applications where visual simulation is required. Please click the button below for more details about this exciting new material. More info
Mastercam for Solidworks Mask on Arc
The feature called Mask on Arc in Mastercam for Solidworks is a familiar option in the standalone version of Mastercam. It provides a quick selection process for hole making toolpaths to help accelerate programming. It can quickly differentiate between similar sizes and select multiple locations. In this example, we have a combination of sketched and fully defined features visible in the part file. Let’s first use the circles drawn in these sketches. If you call a hole making function, such as drill, you will see the checkbox on the point manager to activate the masking. Once you check the box, you can simply pick one entity and all others of a matching size are selected instantly. This function also fully recognizes solid features so if you pick a circular edge, the masking will work the same - even if the modeled feature consists of more than one size hole. You can even manipulate the tolerance value (shown below) to recognize multiple features that may only differ slightly in size. This makes it very easy to spot and pilot drill before moving on to final finish tools. As you can see, Mastercam gives you the flexibility to process your machining jobs effectively and efficiently [...]
Upcoming Mastercam Training Classes
We offer a variety of Mastercam training classes in our various Cimquest offices. These classes run year round so you can always find just what you need, where you need it. Why not start the New Year off by making plans to take some training? This will ensure that you and your programmers are up to speed and are best utilizing all the latest Mastercam functionality. Here are the classes and locations that are running for the rest of this month, as well as next month. You can always check our website for a complete list of upcoming classes. Mill Essentials Jan 14-17, Windsor Locks, CT Feb 4-7, HFO, Long Island Feb. 11-14, Branchburg, NJ Mill 3 Axis Feb. 4-6, Windsor Locks, CT Feb. 11-13, HBG, PA Feb. 20-22, Hanover, VA Feb. 25-27, Sterling, MA Mill 5 Axis Jan. 14-15, Branchburg, NJ Feb. 4-5, HBG, PA Feb. 25-26, Windsor Locks, CT Lathe Essentials Jan. 14-15, HBG, PA Feb. 7-8, Sterling, MA Feb 7-8, Remote Butler, PA Feb. 18-19, Hanover, VA Feb 19-20, Branchburg, NJ Advanced Lath Feb. 11-12, Windsor Locks, CT Wire Feb. 25-26, Branchburg, NJ For more information or to register for any of these classes, please click the button below. Training [...]
Moldex3D Tech Tip: Import Curves
Import Curves in Moldex3D for Quick Venting Setting Moldex3D’s pre-processing tools enable you to set venting. The main purpose of venting is to allow the air trapped during the injection molding process to escape and prevent surface defects, such as burning, flash, short shots and air traps, and severe volume shrinkage. Importing curves in Moldex3D’s venting setting eliminates the need for manually selecting the venting boundary. It provides you with a more streamlined workflow, reducing time and effort. It only requires the following simple steps to complete the vent setting: Create venting curves → Set Moldex3D project → Set Computation Parameters → Set Venting (Import curves) → Save and complete. The following will demonstrate how to quickly and efficiently complete the venting design and setting in Moldex3D Designer. Step 1 In Moldex3D Computation Parameter, click Advanced and go to the Venting tab. Step 2 Check Venting analysis and click Setting to launch workspace for B.C. setting. Step 3 Click Import Curves, select the venting boundary curve and import it. Note: venting curve (IGES/STEP file) is required. Step 4 Check if the imported venting boundary conditions are properly listed and shown in Display Window. Click OK and confirm to complete the BC setting. Step 5 [...]
Ringing in 2019
All of us at Cimquest would like to wish you a very happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year! We are very much looking forward to ringing in 2019. It is going to be a great year with many new technological advances. We will be here at your side to help you take advantage of new innovations that will make your jobs easier and your business more profitable. Cheers! Please note that our offices will be open until 5pm today and will be closed tomorrow, January 1st to celebrate the New Year. We will be back to business bright and early on January 2nd.