An example of more narrowly focused CAD/CAM software is a sheet metal utilization package offered by Radan. Radan headquartered in Beth, the UK, is a part of Planit
Holdings, PLC, and specializes in software for design and manufacturing. The company addresses the needs to minimize material waste as a counter action to offset the world’s wide rising cost of raw materials.Radan CAD/CAM software for the sheet metal industry helps metal fabricators better design and produce metal parts while maintaining a greater control of the process. Fabrication processes involving punching, profiling, and combination machine tools followed by press brakes or folding tools are typical examples of this software’s applications.

The Radan 07, due to be released in October 2006, considerably enhances the True Shape nesting function. This enhancement focuses on improving three fabrication aspects: better nest parts around the machine clamps, increase accuracy of parts’ angular orientation, and compensate for the shapes of the fabrication tools.
 
Another improvement helps to consume partly used metal sheets more efficiently. The software keeps track of the shapes of the remnants and simplifies the selection of the partly used sheets for a specific part fabrication using the Remnant Nesting function.
The latest version of another Radan software, RadbendCNC offers offline programming of press brake equipment. The bending process benefits from a full 3D model simulation helping identify and fix potential process issues. The Radpunch, Radprofile & RadbendCNC software outputs CNC programs for over 1600 machine tools.

Very little metal is wasted after Radan
CAD/CAM software is used to design the layout of the individual parts
on a blank of sheet metal.

:: Design World ::

Source: :: Design World ::