3D CAD software for plastic part design

[Peka]

We used to be a company for mechanical design, 10 years ago 80% of our design was mechanical, 20% was plastics.
Now 80% are plastic design. We have 6 licence of 3D One Space Designer (Solid Designer), a very good mechanical CAD software but for plastics it has not enough power, specially for surfacing, freeform and edge blending.
Now we searching for additional 3D CAD software specially for plastic design.

The software must have the following conditions :
- costprice below 7500 dollars
- easy to learn
- the possibility to modeling non-parametric
- easy create and change complex surfaces, freefroms, lofts, solids and blends.
- dimension based modeling

Can anybody give us some advise which software is the best for plastic design, according to our conditions?

Thanks in advance.
Peka.

 

[Moldkon]

Hello Peka.
First off all I do not want to start another “war thread” about which system is the best and so on; this is only my opinion about which system is the best.
I believe that CATIA V5 could cover all the parameter you mention in your mail.
(Maybe except the cost price, but try to look at it anyway.)
There is an exiting package to CATIA only dedicated to designing plastic parts, called “Functional Molded Part” (FM1)

http://plm.3ds.com/10+M522e3107b28.0.html

Furthermore CATIA is by far the strongest surface system today.
You can create your parts whit or without parametric.
CATIA V5 is a hybrid modeller and, this means that you can combine surfaces and solids in all the ways you can imagine, this is a very very strong way to model your parts!!!

Where are you located in the world?

Best regards

 

[Peka]

Hey Moldkon,
thanks for your advise. I will keep it in mind.
FM1, is this a stand-alone package from Catia or first, do you need a basis package?
I'm from Belgium.

Best regards.

 

[Moldkon]

Hi Peka
Fm1 is not a standalone, but a add on for a catia configuration.
Combine for example a xm1 and a fm1 and you got you self a strong modelling system.
If you “feel the need to” invest a little more money I would personally go for the ym2.(freestyler and so on included)
Best regards.