Hexagon Solution ‘Flattens’ 3D CAD Models for Accelerated Sheet Metal Design, Quoting, and Production

In fabricating shops, designers may receive 3D models with in different CAD system and may be tasked with extracting data that can’t be immediately used for sheet-metal production. The ability to convert the models into 2D drawings and use modelling tools developed specifically for sheet-metal processing can make it easier to quote jobs and transition to production. Hexagon’s RADAN software for sheet-metal production now includes a direct link to Hexagon’s DESIGNER direct modelling software, which makes it possible to validate models virtually for optimal production.

DESIGNER is connected to Hexagon’s SFx platform, which now hosts sheet-metal material and bending data that can be accessed by all of a business’s users simultaneously at any time from the cloud. DESIGNER is also connected to RADAN Radquote quotation software, to Radbend software for bending, and to Radtube software for tube processing. According to Hexagon, the connections ensure that DESIGNER’s modelling capabilities can be applied to every sheet-metal process.

“Extracting usable production data from 3D models involves a lot of guesswork, even for employees with decades of industry experience, so the ability to immediately put models to use, accelerates every subsequent production process,” said Olaf Körner, Hexagon product manager. “Access to a comprehensive materials database ensures that your company’s expertise isn’t limited to your most experienced employees – who may leave the company and take that wealth of knowledge with them. It’s frustrating and costly to fix problems downstream, so figuring out what works during the engineering phase is crucial to productivity and central to creating efficient designs.”

Hexagon AB (Stockholm, Sweden) offers sensor, software, and autonomous solutions.

www.hexagonmi.com