ASPAN is a CAD/CAM application recognized throughout the world as the easier and much user-friendly application in the area of programs for working wood, aluminium, plastics through numerical control machines. It can handle different types of machines and allow, starting from a sigle drawing, to generate part-programs for many machines.
ASPAN enjoys a world-wide reputation as the easiest-to-use software with a user-friendly interface for programming woodworking machinery. Furthermore, the program is very powerful with a hundred high-level commands, functions and options.
Originally created in DOS in 1992, the program has been continuously updated to keep pace with the new operating systems. Performance has been developed and improved with the continuous addition of new commands and functions.
We are proud to say that any of the problems experienced by our customers over the years have been solved by our internal troubleshooting SERVICE (service-disk). We reproduce and solve errors here at AutoSoftware without the need to intervene at customer sites.
ASPAN is an integrated CAD-CAM program. Users draw their production parts quickly and easily in the CAD environment and then transfer these to the CAM environment to prepare the optimized machine programs needed to actually produce the part.
A set of easy to understand commands (e.g. “Draw Holes”, “Draw Grooves”) and automatic routines (e.g. “Assign tools”, “Optimize machining sequence”) make it easy for users to define the machining operations to be performed on the unfinished parts.
The subdivision of the working environments allows the user to be easily guided throughout all development and operation phases:
SUPERVISOR:
The main or Supervisor environment, which appears after the program has started, displays the preview image of the current drawing, on the right, and the list of the current archive along with search and selection options. If the drawing has been processed in the CAM environment, machine efficiency is displayed at the top right of the screen (ratio between empty shifts and real operations). From this environment it is possible to carry out import or edit procedures for machine configuration and tooling and to run all other program environments.
CAD:
This is the drawing environment used to create graphic entities such as various types of hole (e.g. standard, countersunk, in lines, angled, hole barriers, ect.) and routings (e.g. straight grooves, arcs, ellipses, rectangles, points, , ect.). Standard commands (e.g. “Join”, “Rotate”, “Auto-join”) and advanced functions (e.g. “Text”,“Empty area”, “Inclined surfaces”) are used to create the desired drawings.
CAM:
This is the environment where drawings are converted into machine programs by using a series of utilities for operations such as automatically assigning tools and optimizing machining sequences. A series of special commands (e.g. “Inputs/Outputs”, “Multi-machining”) makes it possible to configure the machine program with the exact specifications (e.g. tools, speed, worktable) of the machine currently being used.
In addition to being a very easy – to-use and quick program, ASPAN provides the most advanced user with an efficient internal language, APL (AutoSoftware Programming Language). With APL users can create new CAD and CAM commands to optimize their design procedures.
ASPAN can be linked to a variety of external programs such as “AutoCAD”, “IMOS”, “KDCw”, “Pattern System”,“Cabinet Ware” and “Drill Mate” by using ASC, an AutoSoftware proprietary format, and DXF files. This means that users can prepare designs with their drawing program of choice and then use Aspan functions to generate the machine programs necessary. Linking one program to another is made easy by a series of Aspan utilities such as the “Import CSV file”.
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a connection bridge between different machines
ASPAN can handle various machine types and allows the user to generate programs for multiple machines starting out from a single drawing. ASPAN can also reconstruct a drawing starting out from a machine program. This function can be used as a vital link between machines making it possible to pass data from one machine to another (“a connection bridge between different machines”).
Machines from the world’s leading manufacturers such as Morbidelli, SCM, Biesse, Busellato, Anderson, CMS, Homag, Masterwood, Samec, CO.B.A.L.M., Cosmec, Hakkoç and many others are supported by ASPAN.
N.B.: In any case, please contact Autosoftware by providing your machine model and type of CNC equipment used so that we can check your machine's support and assess your particular problems/case.
Machine and tooling configuration is also made easy by an import procedure for configuration data directly from the machine. This operation allows the user to be up and running in a few and simple steps without wasting time with long setting procedures.
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additional modules (options)
ASPAN is a modular system (MO.S.T. - Modular Software Tool) suitable to your specific requirements and composed of the following optional modules:
nesting:
optimized filling of an area (panel of any shape) or the machine worktable (on big panels having various dimensions) with pieces of any shape (graphic entities, complete drawings, ASCII files from other environments, macros);
vector:
conversion of bitmap images (BMP), acquired from scanner or other, colour or black&white, in drawings to be used with the program;
doors:
realization of doors using predefined models and user customizable models; models are composed by the front and the back of the door and it is possible to create new models. Of any model available just define the door dimensions to obtain its drawing and all its machinings. If used together with nesting option, it is also possible to optimize the machine worktable (on big panels having various dimensions) with the selected doors and of the desired quantity.
cabinet:
furniture construction using a set of predefined templates that can be customized by the user. A wizard will guide the user through the process of defining the characteristics of cabinet and application of hardware. The procedure will create the drawings of all the panels that compose the cabinet, containing defined machinings, machine programs and labels. The drawings generated by the cabinet module may be modified as needed within the CAD environment of ASPAN. Cabinet module also can be used in combination with the Nesting optional module.
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distributed versions
1. PROSPECT
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just one machine configuration (expandable up to 5);
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different options available only upon request;
2. PILOT
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all options included;
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unlimited number of machine configurations available;
