Marine Fabricator July/August 2021 - 26

EXACTFLAT FLATTENING SOFTWARE
Tri-D Technologies Inc.
sales@exactfl at.com
" BY KEEPING CLOSE
F
rom the outset, Rhino created software as an open architecture-
and that has allowed companies such as ExactFlat to add value by
offering products that increase the range of its use, in this case to
" fl atten " 3D drawings to 2D. ExactFlat's " plug-in " software works with Rhino,
the company says, to design or refi nish almost any part of the boat, from
the interior upholstery to marine covers to the boat. (Other fl attening
software, such as that from SolidWorks, also works with Rhino products.)
" It's a very complex program, " Van Damme says. " Just like the Rhino
3D CAD, we use a very small amount of what it can do, but it's been
working well for us. "
Mark Jewell, president of Tri-D Technologies Inc., explains that there are
" sophisticated mathematical algorithms used to generate 2D patterns
from 3D source geometry. They account for material curvature, warp, weft,
weave, stretch and strain. " He continues, " We know that fabricators expect
100 percent confi dence in the accuracy of 3D to 2D pattern making and
believe that we have perfected the process to warrant their trust. "
And he expects digital patterning to get more and more popular.
" Doing the measuring without technology is a real learned skill, and few
people are interested in learning that anymore, " Jewell says. " And the
people who all know it are retiring. "
TRACK OF WHAT WE DO
AND DOCUMENTING
ALL THE STEPS FOR THE
VARIOUS PROCESSES,
I'LL BE ABLE SOMEDAY
TO HAND THIS OVER TO
SOMEONE ELSE-AND
THEY'LL BE ABLE TO DO
WHAT WE'RE LEARNING
NOW, STEP BY STEP. "
Van Damme believes that his company
has approached the move to digital in a
relatively careful way. " We never wanted
to be the guinea pig " for new, unproven
products, he says. As well, he has kept the
company's cash outlay on the low side:
Marine Tops has purchased much of the
equipment and software it needed for
about $50,000, certainly not an inconsiderable
amount but fairly conservative as
this goes. (On the other hand, the company
has yet to purchase an automated
cutting table system, the fi nal and most
expensive part of a system. This article
does not cover plotters and cutters, which
will be reviewed in a future article.)
While fabricators such as Van Damme
have taken the leap into digital, he says
it will be awhile before he feels like he's
come close to mastering the intricacies.
" On some of this software, our industry
will only be using 1 percent, " he says.
" But by keeping close track of what we
do and documenting all the steps for the
various processes, I'll be able someday
to hand this over to someone else-and
More and more, computer software-which
helps generate models like the one at
left-are an integral part of fabrication. But
hands-on work by skilled employees is still
important. Photo: Exactfl at.
26 Marine Fabricator | July/August 2021
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Marine Fabricator July/August 2021

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