Festo is giving UK based customers free access to its FluidDRAW 4
pneumatic circuit design software, which costs customers in other parts
of the world the equivalent of £150 per package. This independent CAD
software product is available on CD-ROM and will run on a Windows based
PC, irrespective of whether or not any other CAD systems are installed.
When used in conjunction with Festo's product catalogue (also on CD-ROM),
FluidDRAW 4 allows rapid construction of pneumatic circuit diagrams, at
the same time establishing a detailed relational database that enables
selection of appropriate components from easy-to-navigate menus. The
selection procedure builds up a comprehensive set of documentation,
including a bill of materials, technical data, circuit drawings in DXF
format and even component photographs.
During on-screen circuit construction, products are selected from either
standard library files of a 'frequently used' custom library facility.
Designers then use the familiar drag-and-drop method to construct their
pneumatic circuits. Any recurring symbol combinations can be stored as
schematics to speed the process even further. The catalogue CD-ROM
contains all the programs needed to calculate the correct circuit
functionality, including cylinder/valve combination, grippers, mass
moments of inertia, shock absorber parameters, vacuum requirements, valve
terminal specifications and unit conversion utilities.