ESPRIT 2007 Introduces ESPRIT FX Technology

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ESPRIT FX is the latest in CAD to CAM feature exchange technology, included in ESPRIT 2007, which allows users to automatically capture the original design intent, clearly define what the user is machining, and program parts quicker and more accurately. Going beyond transferring just the part geometry, the FX technology provides portions of the original CAD Feature Tree directly inside the ESPRIT user interface thereby including the complete original design intent - features, tolerances, material properties, surface finishes, administrative data, etc.

Using the FX technology the CAD features and their associated properties are mapped into machinable features providing a complete definition of 'what' is being machined. These manufacturing features and their properties are then fed into the ESPRIT KnowledgeBase which aids the user in automatically selecting how to machine the part based upon existing best practices.

Within ESPRIT 2007, the FX technology applied to milling allows users to now easily distinguish between the type of a given feature. As an example, a Solid model may contain a hole, but the Solid model itself provides no definition in regards to the type of hole or tolerances to be applied. Using the FX technology, which provides access to the original CAD feature tree, one can automatically distinguish between hole types and determine such things as thread pitches and tolerances, which are required in order to determine the correct machining processes. The feature name and feature description, made available by the ESPRIT FX technology, are also commonly used to understand what is being machined thereby simplifying the selection of the optimal machining process(es), With the use of FX technology one can now automatically determine exactly what a given feature represents and how it should be machined.

Using the ESPRIT 2007 FX technology for EDM programming automates the process of determining how a part should be cut- 2-axis or 4-axis. FX technology allows ESPRIT 2007 to automatically map one or more CAD features into one or more machineable features. This mapping is performed in part based on both the geometric shape on the Solid model and upon the properties associated to each selected CAD feature. The feature type, name, and description are mapped from the CAD feature to the machineable feature(s) which allows the ESPRIT KnowledgeBase to automatically select the most appropriate machining process based upon existing best practices.

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