SAi launches version 5 of EnRoute CAD/CAM software

SAi International (SAi) has announced the launch of EnRoute Version 5 CAD/CAM software which has been designed to provide a powerful and easy way to create and output files.

EnRoute 5 builds on the established capabilities of SAi's popular EnRoute family of versatile professional CAD/CAM software, which delivers intuitive, easy-to-use creative tools and accurate toolpathing for carving and engraving needs.  EnRoute software has been specifically introduced to facilitate integration with three-axis CNC machines in the CNC woodworking, CNC signmaking and manufacturing and fabrication industries.

As the most powerful EnRoute software produced to date, Version 5 includes over 50 modifications and comprises a multitude of integrated time-saving features that make the design process faster while improving productivity.

Among the major features of EnRoute 5 is a fully-equipped interface containing enhanced nesting options that provide several new nesting capabilities. Relief creation and editing has also been expanded with new offsetting and distortion tools, while new ways to distort contours and toolpaths have been added to increase possibilities for creativity and deliver precise results.

Heavy lifting and detailed artwork - a unique combination

Importantly, EnRoute 5 is able to handle a wide range of applications via tools that address the needs of high-volume commercial applications. These include the ability to nest materials together to reduce waste, as well as cut more parts per hour thanks to shorter production times. In addition, EnRoute 5 has been designed to undertake detailed 3D work with surface creation and texturing. This capability to handle high-volume projects while also managing the more intense artistic aspects of jobs, sets EnRoute 5 apart from many existing programs that are unable to deliver effectively on both requirements.

"Our EnRoute software is renowned for its rapid texturing and 3D engraving capabilities, but EnRoute 5 ups the ante by incorporating industry-specific tools that push creative boundaries and further enhance productivity by saving design time and cutting costs," says EJ Nodurft, EnRoute product director, SAi. "Since EnRoute 5 makes virtually all types of cutting possible, we believe that it meets all requirements for those users outputting to three-axis routers."

Key new features include:

• An expanded Advanced Nesting Suite which delivers a host of convenient performance-enhancing features, including the Nest-Around-Obstructions tool. This enables users to specify parts of the plate containing fixtures or material imperfections, before nesting around those areas.
• Object Distortion, which enables users to tweak the shape of an existing design for use as part of a new design by pushing and pulling on elastic handles to define the desired new shape; and new Relief Tools which allow users to create unique designs by distorting reliefs and introducing variations into cut surfaces.
• Remnant Creation, which optimizes material use by automatically identifying the sheet remnant and creates a separate contour for the saved remnant. Upon the next job, EnRoute 5 utilises the remnant contour as the plate, fitting parts into every nook and cranny.
• Single-stroke fonts, which can be used in the same way as other font styles in EnRoute and are primarily intended for marking purposes using an engrave toolpath strategy.
• A new 3D Engrave Suite, which now includes 3D Engrave, Rapid Texture, Rapid Picture, Toolpath Distortion and Prismatic Lettering. This industry-leading 3D Engrave Suite features an easy-to-use interface that allows users to control and create unique design variations.

SAi has already Beta tested EnRoute 5 with several customers, including Edinboro Hardwoods Ltd., of Pennsylvania, USA, which was quick to benefit from its many attributes.  "EnRoute is the life blood of our production and I don't know where we would be without it," says Edinboro Hardwoods' owner, Thomas Marino. "The solution is by far the number one choice for our production needs and is so much easier to use on a day to day basis than any other software we have tried."

SAi's new EnRoute 5 CAD/CAM software is available in Basic, Plus, or Pro versions to suit the specific production needs of users.

For further information, please e-mail enroute@saintl.biz