PRODUC
NEW
■ HARDWARE
■ SOFTWARE
■ GADGETS
■ TOOLS
T
S
MORE FLEXIBILITY,
NEW FUNCTIONS,
AND MAC OS X
COMPATIBILITY
Front Panel Express has released a new version of their free design
software: Front Panel Designer. This
update can now run on Windows,
Mac OS X, and Linux, has more
design flexibility, and additional
features. Additionally, manufacturing
lead time has been reduced from
seven to five days.
In the previous version of the
software, making special shapes used
to be an involved process. Now it is a
simple file import. Before, users had
to build custom shapes using a
standard tool kit or send their designs
in to have an engineer import them,
but in version 4.0 a simple DXF file
import does the trick. Front Panel
Express has simplified and sped up
the process of custom file imports by
incorporating this feature in their
CAD software. The import of DXF
files makes the design of exterior and
interior contours possible without
restrictions, which means that the
design of front panels is not limited
to simple geometric shapes (as an
example, see the screenshot). As with
all Front Panel Designer features, the
user can see an immediate price
quote for their custom designs.
“Our customers let us know that
they wanted to have more versatility
and control over the design process.
Now that we have given these to
them, I am excited to see their new
designs. The most unique ones will
be featured in our monthly email
newsletter,” says Diane Haensel, CEO
Continued on Page 77
SHOWCASESHOWCASE
26
June 2010
