The Cornerstone Blog

Our latest thoughts on mold design automation.

XMD-S 11.3 is Released!

XMD-S 11.3 contains many new productivity improvements we’re excited about here at Cornerstone. This article will highlight the top three and explain how they will make you more efficient, and give you greatly improved control over the design process. Bill of Materials XMD’s Bill of Materials (BOM) utility has been a hallmark of our product … Read More XMD-S 11.3 is Released! »

Congratulations Cavalier, Winners of this Year’s “Magnificent Mould Maker” Award!

Biz-X Magazine has put out their annual Awards Issue which bestows dozens of awards to local businesses and individuals.  Of interest to Mould Makers is the award “Magnificent Mould Maker” which was given this year to Brian Bendig of Cavalier Tool & Manufacturing Ltd. Congratulations Brian!  Congratulations as well to nominees Sean O’Neill and Mike … Read More Congratulations Cavalier, Winners of this Year’s “Magnificent Mould Maker” Award! »

Exciting New Features in XMD 11.3

The upcoming release of XMD 11.3 contains many new productivity improvements we’re excited about here at Cornerstone.  This article will highlight the top three and explain how they will make you more efficient, and give you greatly improved control over the design process. Bill of Materials XMD’s Bill of Materials (BOM) utility has been a … Read More Exciting New Features in XMD 11.3 »

IMTS Sep 10-15, Booth E-3143

The big manufacturing show in Chicago is now on, until Saturday.  We don’t have a place ourselves this year, but Kubotek is at E-3143, and Synergetic  Innovative Solutions are with them presenting our XMD-S. Kubotek will be showing their continuing progress in becoming the Masters of Geometry, with: KeyCreator – The only complete Direct Modeling … Read More IMTS Sep 10-15, Booth E-3143 »

XMD 11.3 Coming!

We’re working hard on new technology for XMD, and it will be coming soon. Kubotek and Cornerstone are working hard to improve the quality of our software, and version 11.3 will offer significant advantages. XMD-S will offer a new advanced BOM management system. A new dialog will make it easy to review all the components … Read More XMD 11.3 Coming! »

Top 5 Reasons to Use Smart Water

When we first launched XMD-S, we included a powerful new waterline command called Smart Water.  Unfortunately, with all the buzz surrounding our support for direct modeled solids, you might have missed out on what makes the Smart Water so powerful. Watch this video to see it in action: Putting in Water on Compound Angles is … Read More Top 5 Reasons to Use Smart Water »

2 for 1 IGES Toolbox Sale!

A great tool for anyone that needs to study part data quickly and simply, including mold makers, fixture designers, or anybody that needs to study CAD data from a customer. This lightning fast tool can open any IGES and STEP file instantly. IGES Toolbox allows you to view, plot, create, transform, and even cut sections … Read More 2 for 1 IGES Toolbox Sale! »

New Prepare Job Command

XMD 64 introduces a new command that makes it much less tedious to send out a job.  The Prepare Job command can complete your 2D plate drawings, get the file size down for faster data transfer, and save the results, all with a single click!   Complete Your Drawings! It’s important to note that during … Read More New Prepare Job Command »

Talented Programmer Wanted

Computer Programmers needed to work on advanced intelligent CAD applications. The following are considered key assets: Strong math skills, including Calculus. C++ experience 3D modeling (CAD) AI technology User interface design skills Bachelor or Master’s degree Recent graduates welcome to apply! We’re currently looking for an extra person to accelerate development efforts.  Because of government … Read More Talented Programmer Wanted »

Plate Export Automation

Automation is at the heart of our efforts here at Cornerstone, and has been at the heart of our recent improvements to XMD’s Export Plate functionality.  With the forthcoming version of XMD-S, you will be able to automatically export plates and custom components for machining, and configure the exporting to optimize your company operations!  Say … Read More Plate Export Automation »

64-Bit Dialog Changes in XMD

Updating XMD-S to work on the 64-bit version of KeyCreator required us to re-create some of our dialog boxes.  Some look almost identical to their predecessors, while others have changed completely!  Read on to see details on the noteworthy changes. Moldbase Editor The good ol’ Moldbase Editor dialog has been recreated, and seen a few … Read More 64-Bit Dialog Changes in XMD »

Plate Export Walkthrough

Starting the Plate Export procedure is the same as in prior versions of XMD.  Run the Export command in XMD’s Main menu.  Select the “Plate geometry to a new part” option.  Pick one, or multiple plates to export (by clicking and dragging, or by holding the Control key), and hit OK. From here, you are … Read More Plate Export Walkthrough »

Plate Export Configuration Utility

Prior versions of XMD’s Plate Export command did little more than placing the plate and hole geometry in a new, unsaved KeyCreator Part, leaving the designer with a lot of tedious work to get it ready to be sent out.  Recognizing this as a prime area for automation, XMD now lets you configure your shop-specific … Read More Plate Export Configuration Utility »

Upcoming XMD-S Webinar

In the mold making business, time is a critical factor in any company’s success. That’s why you’re alert to opportunities to improve your efficiency. You’ve heard about the new Expert Mold Designer -S and its claims to reduce your design time through powerful automation, streamlined design tools, and direct model editing. But how does it … Read More Upcoming XMD-S Webinar »

XMD-S Featured in Kubotek’s Latest Newsletter

XMD-S was featured in Kubotek’s customer newsletter they put out last month.  Click here to read the article. As part of the promotion, we produced a fast-paced overview video of XMD-S in action. If you haven’t seen it yet, take a look!

Turn Off Solid Holes!

XMD-S designs holes real-time  as the mold is built.  It also gives you option to either model them in the solid, or to only draw wireframe.  The default depends on your configuration. Experience has shown that not-modeling holes is the better choice: It is faster.  You are free to edit the solid, and XMD-S backs … Read More Turn Off Solid Holes! »

Plate Drawings in XMD-S

For the most part, 2D drawings in XMD-S work the way you’re used to.  However, there are some noticeable (and not so noticeable) differences, particularly in the area of plates.  This article is designed to shed some light on the changes we’ve made to the 2D plate drawings in XMD-S. The Solid Factor The most … Read More Plate Drawings in XMD-S »

Modeling in 3D

With XMD-S, you can now work in the 3D model to make changes even as XMD-S automates updating related parts of the design. This post explains how to work with XMD-S in 3D. Understanding What’s What Before you rush in and start changing things, you need to know what you’re looking at, as the recommended … Read More Modeling in 3D »

Designing Molds in 3D

The goal of this article is to help XMD-S users take advantage of the new technology for designing molds in 3D. As explained in our last article, you can still design the way you’re used to (from section), but today we focus on using XMD commands in 3D design work. Next time we’ll examine how … Read More Designing Molds in 3D »

Getting into XMD-S the Easy Way

If you know XMD and are just getting into XMD-S, this article is for you. XMD-S is XMD made better: solids, 3D models, and a lot more intelligence.  But don’t let all this scare you.  We worked hard to make sure XMD-S still works the way you remember.  In fact, you can totally ignore the … Read More Getting into XMD-S the Easy Way »

The XMD-S Users List

If you use XMD-S (Expert Mold Designer), you’ll want to keep informed. Did you know we have a mailing list just for users of the latest software? We use it to let our customers know when bugs get fixed, features get added, and to teach designers better ways to use our software. Next week we … Read More The XMD-S Users List »

Ejector Pin Charts

It’s common in manufacturing custom mold bases that steel mold plates deviate from designed thickness by slight amounts. Which of course means your pins must also be adapted to match. This can involve a lot of error-prone manual calculation. Or… you can just use the automated pin charts that XMD-S generates for you! Over the … Read More Ejector Pin Charts »

Kick Start Mold Design Faster!

Our goal with Expert Mold Designer -S is to allow you to lay-out a tool design quickly. Preliminary tool designs with 3D plates and 2D drawings with water and ejection in a few hours is a REALITY! Heck, you may as well throw a preliminary material list in there too! We don’t force you to … Read More Kick Start Mold Design Faster! »

Expert Mold Designer leaps into solid modeling.

After three years of intense redevelopment, the world’s smartest mold design program is smarter than ever.  Soon to be entering the Beta cycle, XMD 9.0-S generates a fully solid mold base complete with parametric components and associative holes.  All geometry is intelligently managed with smart sections drawn directly from the 3D model.  The product fully … Read More Expert Mold Designer leaps into solid modeling. »