STEP Tools, Inc. Speaks on "Reducing CNC Programming Costs using STEP-NC" at
2003 NTMA Technical Conference in Las Vegas, NV on June 2, 2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Belinda Jones, 860-767-9506
HiTech Marketing LLC
belinda.jones@hitechmarketing.com
Troy, New York - April 21, 2003 -
STEP Tools, Inc. announced today it will
participate in the 2003 National Tooling and Manufacturing Association (NTMA)
Technical Conference. Dr. Martin Hardwick, president and CEO of STEP Tools,
will present a paper "Reducing CNC Programming Costs using STEP-NC." The
presentation will be held during the first session on Monday, June 2, 2003
from 10:15 - 11:15 am, at Mandalay Bay Conference Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This Technology Conference is NTMA's newest event and is designed to give
precision manufacturers an understanding of cutting edge technologies, and
how to leverage this knowledge to gain a competitive edge in a global economy.
For more information on the event, visit: www.ntma.org.
STEP (STandard for Exchange of Product model data) is a comprehensive ISO standard
for CAD design data that includes geometry, topology, tolerances, relationships,
attributes, assemblies, configuration, and more. STEP-NC is an extension of STEP
that annotates product design data with manufacturing information such as tooling,
stock, manufacturing features, and process sequence. The result is full fidelity 3D
design data ready for downstream production.
Dr. Hardwick will accentuate the advantages of STEP-NC based automatic machining,
smart computing, inspection, and simulation in manufacturing. Hardwick will discuss
how the technology will reduce CNC programming and machining times, eliminate drawings
on the shop floor, and decrease set-up time and data preparation. He will also explain
how STEP-NC and CNC-independent control data with tolerances will move manufacturing
into a new era of productivity, safety, reliability, and CNC machine tool usability
and interoperability.
The paper will also include STEP-NC's role in product data integration, based
on a full fidelity STEP-NC model used as direct input to a CNC machine tool. The
comprehensive STEP-NC model can provide the comprehensive data needed for the long
term archival needs of many industries. STEP Tools spearheads the development of
STEP-NC effort in North America, and is a highly visible participant in the global
STEP community of over 200 independent product data specialists. Dr. Hardwick is
the international team leader of the STEP Manufacturing group.
About STEP Tools, Inc.
STEP Tools, Inc. is a leading international supplier of professional
STEP software toolsets (based on ISO standards) for application
software developers, design firms and manufacturing companies in
diverse industries. The STEP Tools product line is used by the world's
foremost firms to leverage STEP and STEP-NC technology to facilitate
the sharing of engineering product information. Over one million end
users utilize product data applications built with ST-Developer, the
company's flagship product. The company offers a suite of software
solutions in several languages that integrate with existing tools and
database systems, and also provide cross-platform compatibility and
ease-of-use for streamlined development. The emerging STEP-NC
technology is yielding process improvements including a 35% reduction
in path planning time, a 75% reduction in paper drawings generated for
the shop-floor, and a 50% improvement in machining time for small to
mid-sized job lots. For late-breaking information, contact STEP
Tools, Inc. by calling (518) 687-2848, email: info@steptools.com or visit www.steptools.com.
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