Company History

In 1998 Michael Collins recognized the need for better a CAD program for the packaging and steel rule die making industry. Michael began building on his already proven library of standard designs and die templates, working with talented programers and the help of the Ashlar Team the code has developed into what is now RulesSoftware. A comprehensive packaging and die-making application, RulesSoftware products provide the tools necessary to lay out the most complex Bobst and other flat cutting dies, rotary dies, stripping jigs, blankers and counters in just minutes. The library used in RulesSoftware has been sold to over 800 structural designers.

Michael Collins, has been a successful CAD CAM software designer, sales consultant and structural packaging designer over the last twenty years. His experience as a sales consultant to U.S. CAD-CAM, when it was an authorized dealer of AEI, Genline, Ovation, and Score! systems, gave him a thorough understanding of how CAD software should be for the packaging and die-making industry. In early 1990 he was introduced to Ashlar-Vellum's award winning Drafting Assistant (which uses a type of artificial intelligence). Ashlar Vellum's parametric capability and its ability to operate on both PC and Mac made it perfect to be adapted for the packaging and die making industries. In 1990 Michael Collins, as a consultant, worked with Martin Newell, the founder of Ashlar, to add the functionality needed by packaging designers. In that same year, Michael Collins independently developed a separate and distinct library of parametric designs. The addition of the improved functionality and complex library made Vellum perfect to be used in the packaging and die making industries. In late 1990, this enhanced Vellum was so successful Ashlar decided to call this new product, Ashlar - Score!.