Taking a team out of the office for training has more than one cost for a company, but do the long term benefits outweigh the short term inconvenience, and are there any alternatives? Stephen Holmes asked two leading training companies for their views about making training both effective and justifiable in the modern workplace.

The UK mould and die industries are coming under increasing competition from Eastern European and Asian markets. MCAD magazine examines some of the problems our mould tool designers face and asks how current and future software technologies can help.

Production CAD and analysis CAD are two completely different things. Engineers must be aware of several issues when bridging the gap and familiarise themselves with the latest tools for CAD import, repair and defeaturing. By Paul Schreier.

When is a photograph not a photograph? When it is a super realistic computer rendering. Stephen Holmes contacted some of the biggest names in photorealistic rendering to get their views on why more of us are turning to 3D CAD designers to create that perfect picture.

It is hard to find an entirely new product, but improvements in functionality can bring productivity benefits to existing ones. Perhaps in this day and age that is the most important improvement new software should hope to deliver. Charles Clarke tests the theory, as he takes a look at the latest version of Inventor.

It’s been a long while coming, but PTC has finally lifted the lid off Pro/Engineer Wildfire 4.0. Al Dean takes a look at what’s new and improved in the core functionality.

In the world of CAD/CAM, there are those systems that work outside your CAD tool, and those that work within – one of the leading lights in the SolidWorks-integrated CAM line-up is SolidCAM. Al Dean takes a look at release 12.

Rob Jamieson takes a closer look at two new display technologies and their potential impact on the design sector.

Safety, style, and utility rule the child seat, push chair and travel system market. Britax deploys Catia V5 to excel in all departments while generating business benefits through increased productivity. By Nick Lerner.

An integrated design, analysis, and CFD solution from SolidWorks/Cosmos helped Henry Technologies make its refrigeration/AC component design flow more smoothly

The Optical Payload Group at Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) is using Edgecam to machine electro-optical instruments for space applications.

The introduction of design, machining and inspection software from Delcam has helped Birmingham-based Pro-Mil move into large-scale 3D machining for a range of industries

Plastica Thermoforming, a specialist in the development of synthetic products, doubled its production capacity by adopting VISI from Vero Software to work in conjunction with its 5-axis CNC machines.

In the February edition John Marchant wrote about the three measures of Financial ROI that Finance Directors use to assess the value of project proposals to their business and to compare that value with other calls on company money. John continues this month with a look at the report in detail.

Due to the scale of its projects, Mech-Tool is one of a rare breed of manufacturers that require both mechanical and architectural CAD tools. The company found an elegant solution through Autodesk Inventor and AutoCAD Architecture.

This April the UK’s key manufacturing technologies event returns to the NEC Birmingham. Mach 2008 will feature a dedicated CAD/CAM zone.

This April Plastic Design & Moulding 2008 will take place in Telford where the event will showcase a wide range of innovative and cost-effective moulding technologies.

Legendary swimwear designer Speedo has developed a brand new swimsuit for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. CFD played a critical role in the development of the streamlined Fastskin LZR Racer, which boasts an incredible 38 percent less passive drag than an ordinary Lycra suit.

With many having adopted 3D modelling technologies as a core part of their working practices, Al Dean talks to Ed Williams, CEO of Blue Ridge Numerics, about the CFD market and where it’s headed.

Dassault Systemes recently announced its brand new Catia V6 platform. Martyn Day caught up with Dominique Florack, Senior Executive VP, Products, R&D, to find out what the future holds.