Delcam technology supports 'I,Robot' gun

In fact, the project led to many other jobs for the company, which saw it producing weapons and other props for major films. The Delcam software has made a major contribution to its success in the film business by helping to convert any artist's sketch into a real product quickly and accurately. MINDSHIFT is a Vancouver-based division of CSL Plastics Inc and specialises in set and prop fabrication. For I, Robot, MINDSHIFT was given the challenge of creating a functioning gun to match the futuristic sketches produced by the film's creative team. The team started the project by having a local gunsmith strip down a real Smith and Wesson 22 calibre revolver to provide the basis for internal design of the gun. Delcam's PowerSHAPE design software was then used to add the complex curves smoothly flowing into each other that give the gun its futuristic look. Once the client had signed off on the 3D model of the gun, the design was handed over to Delcam's PowerMILL CAM system. The biggest challenge was to produce the gun grip, which was made out of Delrin, a high-end plastic which machines like a dense nylon. This material doesn't sand very well so a very smooth finish had to be created during machining. This was achieved with a combination of offset area clearance and interleaved constant-Z finishing, plus a final rest finishing path to clean out the finer details.