CloudNC, the manufacturing technology company, today announces that its Soft Jaw Designer plug-in is now completely free for all users of Autodesk Fusion and Mastercam.
Soft jaws – custom aluminium or steel inserts used to grip delicate or complex parts so they can be machined – typically take machinists 30–60 minutes per set-up to model manually.
Soft Jaw Designer collapses that work into a few clicks: users position two blanks around the part model, select Generate, and seconds later receive complete soft jaw designs ready for machining.
Theo Saville, co-founder and CEO of CloudNC, said: “Fixture design shouldn’t keep a spindle idle. By making Soft Jaw Designer free, we’re putting instant, machinable fixturing in every programmer’s toolbox – accelerating their output and helping them focus on tasks that move the needle, while giving a small glimpse into how much time CloudNC technology can save machinists.”
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Once installed, the plug-in transforms fixture creation. Instead of multiple sketches, booleans and clearance checks, programmers simply outline where the jaws should grip.
Soft Jaw Designer then creates the soft jaws – cutting negative geometry, adding precision allowances and drilling corner relief – all while keeping the model fully editable. In real-world testing, this reduces the time spent designing soft jaws by up to 90%.
Soft Jaw Designer pairs seamlessly with CloudNC’s CAM Assist. After generating the jaws, users can hand the model to CAM Assist, which automatically creates toolpaths for both jaws and part, pushing the assembly to the machine in minutes and further accelerating delivery.
The plug-in can be downloaded today from https://www.cloudnc.com/soft-jaw-designer. It is unrestricted and carries no time limit.
About CloudNC
CloudNC is transforming global manufacturing with AI that accelerates CAM programming, maximizes factory output, and empowers machinists to deliver more.
Our core product, CAM Assist, speeds up CNC machining by tackling the most time-consuming and repetitive parts of the process, from machining strategy to toolpath generation.
It enables machinists to create effective programs in minutes, unlocking their full potential and helping shops increase throughput and improve consistency.
Today, CAM Assist is trusted by hundreds of machine shops around the world to enhance their teams’ productivity, resolving skills shortages and helping them to deliver efficiently for their customers.
Founded in 2015, CloudNC consists of a world-class team combining expertise in computer science and physical manufacturing, based in our headquarters in London and our factory in Chelmsford.
The technology company is backed by leading venture capital firms Atomico and Episode 1 Ventures, alongside Autodesk and Lockheed Martin as strategic partners.
