DXF Shape Designer

The DXF shape designer module is a 2 dimensional CAD program for glass that is fully integrated into Glass Office. Below are examples for sealed unit manufacturers and glass processors to give you an idea of the scope of the program. In addition, we have shown the toolbar with all of the typical processes that you may want to add to a piece of glass, for example, drilling a hole, cutting out a notch, adding a door patch fitting, etc.

Unit Manufacturers and Tougheners

On this screen we’ve created a shape that isn’t available in any standard shape library and only contains one 90 degree angle (at the top on the 20mm flat). The program can import these DXF files from conservatory roof programs, such as Roofmaker, Concad, etc. or you can create them yourself from diagrams sent in by customers. The program already knows the make up of the glass and is aware of which sides of the glass are coated, and will export the size to the glass optimiser, where it can be nested with other pieces from other jobs in the batch. The optimiser will flip pieces where it can, but not if the glass is coated.

The toolbar allows all of the functions you will need to change the shape of a piece of glass.

Glass Processors

The DXF toolkit is equally useful for glass processors, here is a short video showing the entry of a kitchen splash back

The shape can have an additional few millimentres of edge grind – that would be lost by processing it on a CNC machine – added to the shape before it is sent for cutting.

The resulting DXF can then be optimised, and transferred to CNC cutting equipment.