What is Cadfil
CADFIL® is a computer aided design (CAD) package, for the generation of part programs for interpretation by CNC filament winding machines. The aim of CADFIL system is to enable the user to easily generate, highly accurate CNC part programs for the control of NC filament winding machines. Within a few minutes, a user can investigate the wind angles possible on a geometry, generate a fibre paths, estimate the amount of fibre required, and produce a documented control program complete with estimated wind time.
CADFIL® permits the user to generate programs remote from the winding machine, and hence with little or no loss of production winding time. The program generated will have been tailored for the optimum band pattern generation, and will enable fibres to be laid at the precision of the filament-winding machine used, rather than with the inaccuracy of the teach-In method.
The CADFIL® system determines geodesic or frictionally modified geodesic fibre paths on the surface of an axisymmetric mandrel. These paths are subsequently processed into machine independent co-ordinates. Finally, this data is translated into the numerical code for the defined winding machine controller. This is subsequently transferred to the winding machine controller. The system can be configured to generate programs for a wide variety of machines.
CADFIL® assumes that the user is a competent design engineer, with knowledge of composite materials. It will enable such a person to establish the required laminate structure on a mandrel, and create a NC program for the target filament-winding machine.
CADFIL® is menu driven, and operates on a PC using the the Windows operating systems. The current level is designed and tested for Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 10 and will run on 32 or 64 bit systems.