Alma, 30 years of CAD/CAM software for sheet metal and production optimization

From nesting to off-line programming of robots: continuous innovation

In November 1979, researchers in Applied Mathematics of the University of Grenoble decided to create a valorization structure between university and industry; they founded Alma in the form of a cooperative (Scop).

Alma quickly focused on optimization issues relative to industrial processes and designed RIMBAUD, the first industrial software for the automatic nesting of parts of any shape. Petit Bateau was the first user of this software to cut its children’s wear.

Next customer: the Chantiers de l'Atlantique of Saint-Nazaire for the building of the ship ‘Sovereign of the Seas’. Alma decided to complement its offer with a comprehensive CAM software for the piloting of sheet-metal cutting machines (part design, nesting, tool paths and NC programming).

While launching other IT activities, Alma also developed in a niche sector, the publishing of CAD/CAM cutting and sheet-metal working software.

In 1996, with the purchase of the company Aleph Technologies also coming from academic research, Alma extended its intervention scope to off-line programming of robots for arc welding or 3D cutting. Programming is done on the computer, without immobilizing the robot as in the case of ‘teaching’.

From then on, Alma offered the most comprehensive range of CAD/CAM software for sheet-metal working and mechanical welding. The application software of the act/ range covers all technological processes encountered in the sheet-metal working industry: 2D fluid jet cutting, punching, routing, 3D cutting, tube cutting, shearing, folding/unfolding, arc welding...

Beside its application software, Alma markets some of its algorithms (nesting, trajectory calculation with obstacle avoidance) in the form of software components designed for other software publishers or cutting-machine manufacturers (sheet-metal working, ship building, textile, carton...). This gives Alma a technical expertise invaluable when developing its application software.

International development: Europe, then the world

To make the fixed costs of software development profitable, increasing the volume of sales is essential. Alma first developed in Europe (Benelux, Italy, Germany…) via distributors then subsidiaries. The Alma Italia subsidiary was created in 1990 and Alma GmbH, the German one, in 1999.

In Asia and America (Japan, Korea, Canada, India…), several distribution agreements have been signed since 2000 and new marketing subsidiaries created: Alma China in 2007 and Alma do Brasil in 2009.

At the same time, Alma signed many contracts with cutting-machine manufacturers wanting to resell Alma’s software to their customers.

Alma becomes a French leader with the purchase of Sapex

In 2002, Alma and Sapex, the two longest-established players of the French CAD/CAM sheet-metal working market (Sapex was created in 1971) came closer via Alma’s 70% taking of participation in Sapex’s capital.

Alma is a CAD specialist in cutting machines following contours thanks to its well-known optimization tools and a recognized know-how in terms of deployment of very automated applications, complemented by Sapex’s strong expertise in fine sheet-metal working, punching-nibbling and folding/unfolding.

This is how the Alma group became the leader of the French CAD/CAM sheet-metal working market. The Sapex subsidiary, renamed Alma Sapex in 2007, finally merged with the parent company in April 2009.

30 years of innovation and technical excellence serving industry

Thanks to its scientific culture, technical expertise and close links with the manufacturers, Alma is developing innovating solutions to optimize the potential of machines, guided by the technological evolution in the IT and sheet-metal working fields.

Closely following the technological evolution of machines to maintain technological advance…

With its nesting and programming software for NC cutting machines, Alma has always accompanied the development of emerging cutting technologies: water jet cutting from 1987, cutting of progressive chamfers and piloting of special machines in shipbuilding workshops (a sector where Alma is the undisputed European leader), marking of parts using several processes (ink projection...), combined technologies (punching + plasma, laser or shearing), and more recently 3D and tube cutting.
Alma has not only followed the technology of machines, but has also designed innovative solutions to optimize their potential to a maximum and even go beyond their limits.
Here are a few examples of programming methods invented or upgraded by Alma:

• Continuous cutting without lead-out designed by Alma in 1987 for plasma cutting, which allowed machine productivity gains of around 15% (reduction of cutting times and consumable savings).
• ‘Real’ multi-flame programming for oxycutting which allowed the minimization of off-cut rates by calculating the minimum gap between the flames (inferior to the height of the parts that can be fitted one inside the other) and by changing the number of flames used and their gap on the sheet metal.
• Programming of progressive bevels in plasma cutting, very much used in shipbuilding.
• Continuous rectangle’ common cut in 2D laser cutting.
• Taking into account of real cutting thickness in 3D cutting (non normal cutting at the surface, machining oversize).
• Collision detection and trajectory calculation with obstacle avoidance for robotics or 5-axis cutting.

The growing complexity of sheet-metal working machines (combined machines punching/plasma cutting or laser or shearing, folding, sheet metal magazines, peripheral part unloading units…) forces software publishers to work closely with manufacturers and to be very reactive in order to integrate these technical elements into their products. This is why Alma continuously strives to take into account the specificities of all technologies encountered in sheet-metal working, cutting and robotized welding.

Alma was also able to transpose its technology and know-how to distinctive niche markets in the field of sheet-metal working, for example by adapting its CAM software to the ‘routing of wood’ technology or by developing a 3D nesting software for volume cutting of different materials (foam, polystyrene, marble, wood…).

New horizons for Alma’s software thanks to the evolution of IT and NC performances…

In 30 years, the evolution of computing has enabled the calculation capacities of CAD/CAM software to strongly increase, together with the efficiency of optimization algorithms (automatic nesting, tool path calculation…). Alma has thus been able to invent and generalize more complex and always more efficient algorithms (reduction of off-cut rates and machine cycle times).

At the same time, ‘Windows’ operating system was supplanting multi-task VMS or Unix platforms to support CAM software. Multi-platform publisher for 20 years, Alma definitely adopted Windows in 1999 when launching its act/cut suite. Beyond a reduction in development and support costs, this change has mainly allowed the development of more ergonomic software easier to parameterize.

For a long time, the capacities of NC have limited the possibilities offered by CAM software (poor memory size resulting in the creation of short therefore simple programs, or work with sub-programs) but the generalization of PCs in the NC field soon made it possible to program without any constraint with a real focus on machine productivity optimization. Moreover, the Ethernet links between programming PCs and most of the machines have simplified the transmission of programs: punched tapes are a distant memory!

Modeling technologies for 3D simulation then allowed the development of off-line programming software for robotized welding and 3D cutting. With its act/weld software launched as soon as 1994, Alma is a pioneer in this field and the only “generalist” CAD/CAM sheet-metal working software publisher to propose a solution for robot programming (arc welding, 3D cutting, trimming, polishing…).

The development of off-line programming software resulted in a new issue, that of robotic cell and part program calibration so that the virtual models of the robot and part corresponded to reality in the workshop. Not being able to manage this functionality properly, most robotics software is used as a simple simulation tool, for example to simulate cell lay-out. On the other hand, the reliability of Alma’s calibration tools and methods transformed off-line programming software into real programming tools allowing significant productivity gains by maximizing the rate of utilization of robots.

Considering their complexity, some machines could not even be piloted without CAM software, which for example is the case of the tube cutting machines of the Italian manufacturer Tube Tech Machinery (with whom Alma works closely), which sometimes have more than 20 axes!

Software always more automated and open in order to increase productivity…

In the 80’s, only a few innovating companies had realized that sheet metal working CAM software could enable them to reduce their costs (reduction of programming times, material savings, reduction in machine cycle times...). In 1987, the Chantiers de l’Atlantique of Saint-Nazaire thus estimated at two million francs (300 000 euros) per year the savings resulting from the use of Alma’s RIMBAUD nesting software. Today, all cutting or punching machines are programmed with CAM software. The cost reduction that followed the growing development of software largely helped industrialists to increase the profitability of their machines.
The automation of its software has always been a key issue for Alma in order to save time when programming, while enabling the user to make his/her own choices in particular situations. For example, as soon as 1988, Alma commissioned an entirely automated system of programming for laser cutting machines for Renault Véhicules Industriels’ bus division in Annonay. In punching-nibbling technology, HCF Frimair (today Lennox) or France Transfo (Schneider Group) also benefited from very automated equipment a few years later.

Productivity gains combined with standardization of IT tools encouraged the integration of CAM technology into the information systems of industrial companies. Thanks to the development of data exchange formats in particular for 3D geometrical data, importing part geometries from a CAD software for 2D or 3D cutting, folding/unfolding or off-line programming of welding robots is currently normal. Connecting CAM to a Production Management or ERP system to avoid data re-collection and relative risks has become essential to increase productivity.

By focusing on the opening of its CAM software and having often managed more or less complex Production Management-ERP/CAM integrations for customers equipped with multiple management systems, Alma has a large experience in this field.

Ready for 2010: reinforcing its innovating position and opening new horizons

As a publisher and supplier of software focusing on a very specialized sector, in the coming years Alma is going to pursue the strategy that has enabled the company to become a front-line player on its market:

• Remain a specialist in production optimization and CAM/CAD for sheet metal working, cutting and robotics, while developing in other technological niches such as the programming of wood-panel routing machines or volume cutting optimization.
• Go further in software automation in particular for robotics in order to reduce programming times or even completely automate the programming of machines and robots.
• Reinforce its double activity of software-component and application software publisher.
• Invest massively to reinforce its presence on the 3D-solution market (programming of robots and 5-axis machines) while continuing to develop its sales of 2D software (programming of cutting and punching machines).
• Pursue its international development by maintaining the balance between its various direct and indirect distribution channels: business partners, exclusive distributors, distribution & support subsidiaries, manufacturer-integrators of Alma products (OEM).