Delcam demonstrated the world's only complete CADCAM system for the design and manufacture of footwear at the Shoe and Leather exhibition held in Guangzhou, China, from 28th to 31st May. This?was the first footwear exhibition for Delcam in China since its acquisition of the Crispin software business and so provides an ideal opportunity for the company to reinforce its position as the world's leading supplier of CADCAM solutions to footwear manufacturers.

Following the exhibition, Delcam hosted two seminars in Dong Guan on 3rd and 4th June, where it presented its latest advances in software for footwear design and manufacture. Invitations to these events?were available from the exhibition stand.

The acquisition of the Crispin range of software for upper design and manufacture made Delcam the only software developer able to supply a system for the complete footwear development process. With the Crispin software, designs of upper components can be created simply by sketching onto the surface of the last. The components can be defined in any colour and in a variety of textures representing different materials. Buckles, laces and other accessories can be added to complete the design.

Once the virtual 3D design has been approved, the upper components are flattened and engineered in 2D to produce sample or graded manufacturing patterns. Other programs in the Crispin suite can then be used to provide costings for upper materials and components, pallet and stitch path layouts, and for cutting 2D patterns or uppers from the chosen materials using knife, laser or water-jet cutting tools..

The strengths of the Crispin software provide the perfect partner to Delcam's established software for sole design. The company's unique PowerSHAPE CAD system offers a wide range of options for the design of complex soles, such as those found in sports footwear. Morphing options within the software make modification of complex designs much easier and quicker, making it possible to create a greater selection of alternatives when presenting proposals for new designs. The software also allows logos, textures and other decorations to be incorporated into footwear designs more readily to help reinforce branding of products.

Once the design has been completed, powerful grading options allow the complete range of sizes to be developed quickly and efficiently. Then Delcam's PowerMILL CAM system can be used to generate machining data for either models or moulds. A wide range of strategies is supported to enable quick, efficient machining and so give the fastest possible move into mass production. Finally, the PowerINSPECT inspection module allows prototypes, tooling and samples to be checked against the computer model to ensure that the designer's intent has been captured faithfully in the end product.

Using Delcam's software to automate routine procedures increases consistency and reduces the possibility of mistakes throughout the development process. In particular, accurate grading of last, sole, tread pattern and heel gives perfectly matched components, thus easing assembly and finishing operations, and reducing failures in use.