FOCUS ON CAD / CAM
ISMR : What is your approach to Industry 4.0 / Big Data and technologies such as Artificial Intelligence , Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality ?
Layout in Almacam Tube software .
ISMR : Which issues are of prime importance for your customers and how are you addressing these issues for them ?
EM : Our sheet metal part manufacturer / subcontractor customers are primarily concerned with material costs / consumption . Over the past few years , steel prices have been high and manufacturers therefore need to reduce their material consumption and waste levels . That means production optimisation . We have our own nesting algorithms to meet these end-user requirements .
For our machine-tool manufacturer , robot integrator and software editor customers , we have a product that will help them accelerate their time to market ; the CAM software component ( DLL ) or a web service for software publishers . We also propose a nesting algorithm as a component and our recent new web service for 3D unfolding functionalities to produce sheet metal parts in 2D . These are new functionalities in the cloud that can be used , for example , for part cost calculation . The other type of product we have for these customers is Almacam software to drive machines / robots .
We are also pursuing more partnerships with machine-tool and robot manufacturers so that they sell their machines with our software to their customers . This is ready-to-use software and not a component .
Alma ’ s component library nesting software .
production and evaluate the software . It is a no-commitment monthly subscription offer to allow customers to buy the software that they need and is a more flexible solution than a license . The subscription can be changed or stopped whenever the customer wishes . This new package offers complete software functionality to meet customer requirements now and in the future .
We also wish to increase our local presence in Spain and are increasing our investment in this market . It is a strategic market for us so we will be exhibiting at the forthcoming BIEMH exhibition in Bilbao . We are currently looking for more resellers in Spain and would like to reinforce our presence and strengthen our office team there .
Alma teamwork ( image : Edyta-Tolwinska .)
EM : For many years our CAD / CAM solutions have been contributing to the digitisation of sheet metalworking , as well as the automation and optimisation of industrial processes . Looking at the five main domains covered by Industry 4.0 ( digitisation of production ; Big Data ; connected objects ; robotics and additive manufacturing ) our software packages naturally fit the first domain . But Almacam goes much further by communicating with information systems and controlled workshop machines .
We started integrating 3D into our software for robotic applications in the 1990s . In 2018 , we started using Virtual Reality in our 3D CAM software for tube simulations . AI has a role in improving the nesting process in the sheet metal cutting industry as well as for part cost calculations , optimisation of material usage and for predictive methods . It improves the performance and efficiency of our algorithms and software , as well as the predictive capability of the technology . We already integrate AI into our algorithms and software as an ongoing process . As well as improving our software , it is also an opportunity to develop new functionalities and new products .
We have also integrated heightened data security functionality in our software as this is becoming more and more important for customers .
ISMR : Thank you for your time . n
www . almacam . com
EDITOR ’ S NOTE
Meet Alma at the BIEMH exhibition in Bilbao , Spain , from 3-7 June 2024 in Area 3 on stand D49 .
ISMR : Where do you see the greatest challenges and opportunities ?
EM : We have seen several acquisitions in CAD / CAM markets between machine builders and software publishers . This has meant that some machine-tool manufacturers end up using software from competing groups ; that is not a very comfortable situation for them . Because we are an independent software company , we can offer machine builders neutral software solutions .
Almacam Pass is our 2022 CAM solution for manufacturers to flexibly adapt their
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