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Bring 3D to the Sheet Metal Industry 
RICHARDSON, TX MARKET WIRE July 11, 2005 Alibre, Inc. and Amada Company, Ltd. today announced that they have entered into a multi-year relationship to deliver 3D parametric modeling solutions optimized to meet the needs of the large sheet metal fabrication industry, with new products planned for release later this year. The new products will be bundled with Amada's sheet metal machinery and provide modeling features that map directly to the machines' fabrication processes. Alibre and Amada expect that the primary beneficiaries of their 3D-based solutions will be the majority of sheet metal fabricators who currently use 2D almost exclusively. According to the two companies, while many popular solid modeling vendors have offered sheet metal design features for years, virtually all of them rely on simplistic unfolding algorithms that do not reflect the true capabilities of the machine tool. As a result, sheet metal fabricators typically redesign 3D models in 2D to allow them to develop the correct flat patterns that enable the most efficient fabrication of the part. This widespread regeneration of data leads to inefficiencies in the product development process, resulting in production delays, decreased quality and increased cost as errors are inadvertently introduced. ``Our partnership with Amada will finally produce a solution that offers sheet metal fabricators the financial incentive to adopt 3D,'' said Greg Milliken, President and CEO of Alibre. ``Prior to our solution, 3D was nice to have, but it didn't speed up the process. In fact, it often risked slowing it down. Consequently, sheet metal shops simply stayed with 2D, like many others who have not embraced 3D CAD. We're extremely excited that a leader like Amada has chosen Alibre to help deliver the benefits of parametric 3D to this large market.'' ``We're very excited to be working with Alibre to deliver a new level of 3D technology to the sheet metal industry,'' said Toshio Takagi, Director of Amada Company. ``Amada's leadership and extensive experience in sheet metalworking, coupled with Alibre's innovative strategy to make 3D accessible to everyone, provides the basis for a unique partnership that will lead 2D users in this very important market segment to adopt 3D as a standard tool.'' Milliken added, ``While there are significant benefits for the fabricator from working with 3D, there will also be major advantages for designers who use Alibre Design and are able to deliver their 3D model to a machine shop using an Amada machine tool. For example, it will be possible to quickly and accurately generate the flat pattern that will map exactly to the capabilities of the machine -- with no recreation of data. This offers a complete design to manufacturing solution that no other vendor can match.'' About Amada Company, Ltd. Amada Co., Ltd., the flagship company of the Amada Group, comprises a global corporate presence with operations in Japan, the rest of Asia, NorthAmerica, Europe, and other countries that develop, manufacture, market, andprovide services for sheet-metalworking machinery, shearing machinery, presses, and machine tools, as well as related supplies, peripheral devices, software, and other products. The Amada Group is the largest manufacturer of its kind in Japan, in addition to holding a leading position in all major manufacturing markets worldwide. Amada focuses on providing high-quality products and customer satisfaction, and utilizes the integration of hardware and software, along with consulting services to respond to the increasing sophistication, complexity, and diversity of customer needs. About Alibre Alibre develops and markets Alibre Design which provides 3D parametric solid modeling for mechanical design and manufacturing at one-tenth the cost of comparable products. Leveraging a unique combination of ease-of-use, rich functionality and a price point anyone can afford, Alibre Design is making professional 3D CAD available to everyone. Founded in 1997, Alibre Inc. is privately funded and based in Richardson, Texas. For more information, visit www.alibre.com. Editorial contact: Jessica Formosa Alibre Inc. |
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Copyright ©2007 Rho Capital Partners, Inc.