Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our customers and partners.
Our new Gas Axe technology is working fine with automatic grid generation of axe movements with the torch and testimonials are available. FastCAM China is going well with most manufacturers using FastCAM® as their preferred application packaged with their machine. We have also expanded our language base with our unique Lingo™ approach to software independence.
FastSHAPES® is currently being reworked and reissued with a view to modernizing the front end and improving the user interface and graphics. FastPIPE™ is complete, awaiting new partners as an OEM product. Beveling is supported up to 6 axes, depending on the capacity of the machine and control to support the axes. It is fully integrated with FastFRAME®. It means the range of applications varies from simple pipe ends to complex heavy pipe with bevelled penetrations. We are looking at ways to make the graphic display more realistic in 3D so that operators can easily visualize the results without interpretation. In the new year, there will be a new FastNEST® with dramatically higher raw nesting speed, allowing more scenarios to be tried in a given time. There are more postprocessors and more options every year. Recently we added the Siemens 840D control and the latest Kinetics beveling plasma which is working in conjunction with the older Farley Atlas/Fabricator machine at one site with compatible software for both.
The most important development in 2004 was the addition of an inline service function in all FastCAM software. This allows an operator in trouble to send all files, comments and the entire environment zipped through the Internet to FastCAM service in Chicago, USA, Melbourne, Australia or Shanghai, China. With increasingly complex environments, this allows FastCAM engineers to get all the information they need to instantly recreate the problem. If the problem causes a crash, it should be sent immediately before the crash. In 2005, an integated video system may be added to capture dynamic operational problems so that an operator can show what he is doing and the FastCAM engineer can inspect it and send back the preferred operation sequence as a video. It also means that as the email captures the environment, the customer critical files will be backed up at FastCAM. In the event of a computer failure, the often highly optimized setup files can be made available via email so that a new computer can be set up in identical fashion to the original. These files are often not backed up as they are seen as trivial, but they are critical. We recommend that everyone sends a service email when they receive the new software, if only to establish a backup of the setup critical files.
In 2005 there will be a new FastCAM series of programs with enhanced speed and nesting intelligence. FastTRACK® will be released with higher interoperability with all FastCAM programs. FastCAM® QE development is going at a great rate. We have been integrating with customer accounting systems through many mechanisms. Available now are ODBC, SQL and recently, XML so that quotes which become orders can be quickly added to the company accounting systems for the purpose of tracking, production and invoicing. Direct SQL or ODBC access allows instant stock availability to be used in the quotation. FastCAM® QE is now compatible with FastTRACK® so that odd shapes can be quoted and sold directly from a sales desk. In 2005 we believe B2B will become reality for most FastCAM® QE customers.
Dr. Matthew J. Fagan
New Gas Axe Technology
