- Email: [email protected]
Standalone CADCAM from McAuto
II
GDS update from ARC
I
launched last October, to promote CAD/CAM use in the mechanical and heavy electrical industries. The scheme will cover:
• awareness: 80 one-day seminars for managers, starting in June
• training: 120 two-day 'CADMAT improves profit' courses for accountants and engineers • demonstration centres: hands-on experience in working environments • R&D: 25 per cent grants to develop CADMAT tools
GDS 3 system from ARC Applied Research of Cambridge have launched GDS 3, a revised version of their General Drafting System, GDS. The new features include a non-graphic database facility and Macro Basic. The database feature allows the user to attach non-graphical data to any drawing, object or group of objects. Examples of use include materials lists, costings and architectural data. Macro Basic consists of standard Minimal Basic with extensions for drawing and manipulating the contents of a drawing. The price of GDS 3 software to run on a minicomputer with 2 workstations attached is £30 000. Standalone systems cost from about £80 000, for a 1 workstation system running on a Prime 150, to about £200 000 for a 5 workstation system. (Applied Research of
Cambridge Limited, 4 Jesus Lane, Cambridge CB5 8BA, UK. Tel: (0223) 65015. Telex: 81153)
Cash for CADMAT The UK Department of Industry has allocated £9 million to a three-year scheme promoting awareness of CADMAT (computer-aided design, manufacture and test) in the electronics industry. This cash aid is in addition to and separate from the four-year EEC £24 million R&D in microelectronics scheme, the Dol's own Mapcon microprocessor application scheme, and the £6 million programme
176
The Dol aim to reach the small-tomedium sized firms and, according to Kenneth Baker MP, Minister for Information Technology 'make things that are happening, happen more quickly'. The programme will be managed by the Institution of Electrical Engineers with the cooperation of the Electronic Engineering Association. (For details
of Rc~D grants, contact Department of Industry, LA Division, Room 201, Dean Bradley House, 52 Horseferry Road, London SWIP 2AG. Tel: 01-212 8786. For programme information contact CADMA T Programme Office, The Institution of Electrical Engineers, Savoy P/ace, London WC2R OBL. Tel: 01-240 1871. Telex: 261176)
Standalone CADCAM from McAuto A standalone version of McAuto's Unigraphics CAD/CAM system had its European debut at CAD82. ADS-100 (ADS stands for autonomous design system) is built round a Data General $140 16-bit minicomputer, with 25 Mbyte Winchester disc for system and Unigraphics software, and 1.25 Mbyte floppy disc for part files. The display is either storage tube,
McA uto standalone CA D/CA M system
monochrome 1024 x 1024 raster or colour raster. The storage tube version, with one year's maintenance and training for two designers costs about £60 000. The mono raster version is £69 000, the seven-colour raster, £82 000. The price includes the desk, and the chair (companies that will pay £300 000 for a CAD system, will still only pay £30 for a chair, says McAuto's Charles Dignan), but a Calcomp 960 and paper tape reader/ punch are extra. The workstation has been redesigned by McDonnell Douglas's spacecraft psychologists to reduce operator fatigue the VDU has been moved to the side of the graphics display from its original position on top and there is a pull-out shade above both screens to prevent glare. Both function and alphanumeric keyboards are movable and one switch turns on the whole system. A distributed version of the workstation is also available. The DDS-100 (dependant design station) has no CPU, Winchester or floppy disc of its own, but up to 12 DDS units connect up to a Data General or DEC minicomputer. A three-workstation DDS system costs about the same as three ADS units. An ADS/DDS mix is possible, via a host computer, but McAuto have no plans at present to link ADS units into a local area network.
(McDonnell Douglas Ltd, Scotia House, 66 Goldsworth Road, Woking, Surrey GU21 ILQ, UK. Te/: (04862) 71311. Tx: 859521)
Interactive APT IAPT, now available in the UK, produces NC tapes for all types of machine tools from part prints using developed in the USA by University Computing Company. A simplified version of APT is used. Upward mobility to any standard APT-based system is guaranteed. The system is aimed at small machine shops with 50-1 O0 employees, but can be upgraded to provide a multi-user system. (University Computing
Company (Great Britain} Limited, 2 5 - 2 9 Hampstead Road, London NWI. Te/: 01-387 9661)
computer-aided design
GDS update from ARC
I
launched last October, to promote CAD/CAM use in the mechanical and heavy electrical industries. The scheme will cover:
• awareness: 80 one-day seminars for managers, starting in June
• training: 120 two-day 'CADMAT improves profit' courses for accountants and engineers • demonstration centres: hands-on experience in working environments • R&D: 25 per cent grants to develop CADMAT tools
GDS 3 system from ARC Applied Research of Cambridge have launched GDS 3, a revised version of their General Drafting System, GDS. The new features include a non-graphic database facility and Macro Basic. The database feature allows the user to attach non-graphical data to any drawing, object or group of objects. Examples of use include materials lists, costings and architectural data. Macro Basic consists of standard Minimal Basic with extensions for drawing and manipulating the contents of a drawing. The price of GDS 3 software to run on a minicomputer with 2 workstations attached is £30 000. Standalone systems cost from about £80 000, for a 1 workstation system running on a Prime 150, to about £200 000 for a 5 workstation system. (Applied Research of
Cambridge Limited, 4 Jesus Lane, Cambridge CB5 8BA, UK. Tel: (0223) 65015. Telex: 81153)
Cash for CADMAT The UK Department of Industry has allocated £9 million to a three-year scheme promoting awareness of CADMAT (computer-aided design, manufacture and test) in the electronics industry. This cash aid is in addition to and separate from the four-year EEC £24 million R&D in microelectronics scheme, the Dol's own Mapcon microprocessor application scheme, and the £6 million programme
176
The Dol aim to reach the small-tomedium sized firms and, according to Kenneth Baker MP, Minister for Information Technology 'make things that are happening, happen more quickly'. The programme will be managed by the Institution of Electrical Engineers with the cooperation of the Electronic Engineering Association. (For details
of Rc~D grants, contact Department of Industry, LA Division, Room 201, Dean Bradley House, 52 Horseferry Road, London SWIP 2AG. Tel: 01-212 8786. For programme information contact CADMA T Programme Office, The Institution of Electrical Engineers, Savoy P/ace, London WC2R OBL. Tel: 01-240 1871. Telex: 261176)
Standalone CADCAM from McAuto A standalone version of McAuto's Unigraphics CAD/CAM system had its European debut at CAD82. ADS-100 (ADS stands for autonomous design system) is built round a Data General $140 16-bit minicomputer, with 25 Mbyte Winchester disc for system and Unigraphics software, and 1.25 Mbyte floppy disc for part files. The display is either storage tube,
McA uto standalone CA D/CA M system
monochrome 1024 x 1024 raster or colour raster. The storage tube version, with one year's maintenance and training for two designers costs about £60 000. The mono raster version is £69 000, the seven-colour raster, £82 000. The price includes the desk, and the chair (companies that will pay £300 000 for a CAD system, will still only pay £30 for a chair, says McAuto's Charles Dignan), but a Calcomp 960 and paper tape reader/ punch are extra. The workstation has been redesigned by McDonnell Douglas's spacecraft psychologists to reduce operator fatigue the VDU has been moved to the side of the graphics display from its original position on top and there is a pull-out shade above both screens to prevent glare. Both function and alphanumeric keyboards are movable and one switch turns on the whole system. A distributed version of the workstation is also available. The DDS-100 (dependant design station) has no CPU, Winchester or floppy disc of its own, but up to 12 DDS units connect up to a Data General or DEC minicomputer. A three-workstation DDS system costs about the same as three ADS units. An ADS/DDS mix is possible, via a host computer, but McAuto have no plans at present to link ADS units into a local area network.
(McDonnell Douglas Ltd, Scotia House, 66 Goldsworth Road, Woking, Surrey GU21 ILQ, UK. Te/: (04862) 71311. Tx: 859521)
Interactive APT IAPT, now available in the UK, produces NC tapes for all types of machine tools from part prints using developed in the USA by University Computing Company. A simplified version of APT is used. Upward mobility to any standard APT-based system is guaranteed. The system is aimed at small machine shops with 50-1 O0 employees, but can be upgraded to provide a multi-user system. (University Computing
Company (Great Britain} Limited, 2 5 - 2 9 Hampstead Road, London NWI. Te/: 01-387 9661)
computer-aided design