One MechDesigner USP is how it solves the kinematics. We use closed-form solutions that are very fast and robust. Most CAD packages do not solve the kinematics in this way. Typically, they will use a 'solver' that minimizes error. These are not fast and not very robust and often fail at certain configurations. We challenge all other commercial kinematic, mechanism, linkage, motion, cam design software to be faster at solving the kinematics.
 

In MechDesigner you will find the 'Design Sets' tool. This tool allows you to compile a list of dimensions and parameters that are critical to a design 'variable' you want to optimize.  You can then edit the dimensions and parameters as part of a Design-Set.  The dimensions may be associated with different parts in one mechanism or even different parts in different mechanisms. This is a very efficient way of optimizing your design because the changes you make to a dimension or parameter are immediately reflected in the model, even while the mechanism or model is cycling. In this interactive way, you can 'look-and-see' in real-time. We believe this is the most practical way to give engineers a means to optimize their designs.
 

In MechDesigner, mechanisms are built on planes.  Therefore, to arrange the layout of the machine, you need to add planes and arrange them.  You can add planes that are fixed in the frame or add planes to moving parts in existing mechanisms.
 

Yes. You can send 2D and 3D Cam-Track Data to SOLIDWORKS directly from MechDesigner. A solid cam is built automatically in SOLIDWORKS. You can also save all cams as a STEP file. You can also import and load SOLIDWORKS files and STL files on to any Part in any MechDesigner.
 

Yes. MechDesigner can design Barrel and Globoidal Cams. The 3D Cam can be sent directly to SOLIDWORKS or saved as a STEP file.  The XYZ coordinates of the cam flanks are saved for its complete surface, not only along the centre of the cam-follower roller.  Barrel or Globoidal Cams cams can index, oscillate and reciprocate. You can also specify a tapered cam-follower.
 

Yes. MechDesigner can open Camlinks .mec files and Motion .shp files. Contact us to find out how!
 

Yes.  You can use measure angles or displacements and then connect these to the graphing function. This will allow you to plot and save position, velocity and acceleration map to a file. If your servo-drive system allows point-to-point mapping then these can be put directly into your controller with the appropriate unit calibrations.

Often, in MechDesigner, your servo-motion has been found with inverse-kinematic solutions. Their motions, therefore may not your motion that you designed for the tooling. In this case, you can connect the servo-motion to a Polynomial Fitting function-block. The output from this is a series of Polynomials that you can save as a file in a format necessary for your servo -controller.

Please let us know the format you need and we will happily make sure it is available in our next release.
 

Yes.  MechDesigner can produce cam designs and cam data in three ways. 

• X,Y cam-coordinates at equal increments of machine angle.  This is satisfactory for most cams to be made. However, you do not know the chordal error that will be introduced by the interpolation of the NC/CNC cutting machine. This might become an issue with cams that are especially large - such as cams around filling machines.  However, you can produce cams with 100,000+ points.
• BiArcs - the Arcs in a Cam-Profile that is constant with BiArcs are always tangential to each other. You can specify the Chordal Error that is acceptable. The default error is a maximum of 1mcrometer error between anywhere on the Arc and the True cam surface.
• You can save the Cam to a DXF File.
• MechDesigner can export the Cams directly to SOLIDWORKS.  There you will be able to save your Cams to any format you like for manufacture.

As many as your machine needs!  MechDesigner is extremely efficient and can therefore model many mechanisms before the performance begins to deteriorate.  Usually, if you have the Number of Steps at 120, then you will find that performance is improved and only increase the steps when you want to output Cam Coordinate Data or Servo-Motor Motion Profiles.
 

Yes.  MechDesigner can open Camlinks files, both Camlinks 3 and Camlinks 4 versions.

Yes. MechDesigner can model planar and spatial linkages and mechanisms. MechDesigner can model all of the mechanisms you will need to design your machines.
 

Yes. There are different MechDesigner solutions available. Please email or call us for a feature list with the different versions.
 

MechDesigner is a cam, mechanism, and motion design software for multi-axis packaging, assembly and other automation machines. You are able to model complete machines with many moving mechanisms. With the included motion design software, you will be able to view all the machine, mechanisms and material interactions as if you are watching the real machine.  Once you have designed your motions, if you need the data, MechDesigner will produce cam cutting coordinates or servo motor profiles to implement your motions.