Arden Software has launched Impact 2026, the first AI-powered capability within Impact – Arden’s flagship CAD software for the packaging industry.
Used by packaging designers, die-makers and converters around the world, Impact enables users to design corrugated, carton and POP/POS packaging, automate manufacturing processes and streamline production workflows from structural design through to manufacture.
The latest release combines AI-powered innovation with a wide range of new features and enhancements designed to improve productivity, streamline workflows and help customers get more from Impact.
Matthew Hewitt, technical director at Arden Software, said: “Impact 2026 marks another significant milestone for Arden, introducing AI-powered capability into Impact for the first time. Design Similarity is a great example of how we’re using new technologies in a practical way to help customers work more efficiently and make better use of the design, tooling and production knowledge they already have.
“But this release is about much more than AI. From new design tools and enhanced automation to improvements driven directly by customer feedback, Impact 2026 continues our commitment to developing software that solves real-world challenges and helps our customers get the most out of Impact.”
Leading the release is Design Similarity, the first AI-powered capability within Impact. Using machine learning, it quickly finds and ranks similar designs and manufacturing layouts from the user’s existing database.
For die-makers, this can help identify where previous tooling designs can be reused, saving design time and providing valuable insight from comparable jobs. For packaging converters, it can help identify where suitable tooling may already exist and provide useful information for estimating, pricing and other commercial decisions.
By making previous work easier to find and reuse, Design Similarity turns years of accumulated design, tooling and production knowledge into a practical business asset.
Alongside Design Similarity, Impact 2026 introduces a range of new tools and enhancements designed to simplify everyday workflows. A new Custom Tool Builder allows users to create custom variations of existing Impact tools, making common workflows simpler and more focused without requiring scripting or automation expertise. The release also expands the V120 Standards Library with 629 new standards, creating more than 1,000 additional design combinations and making Impact’s standards library the largest in the industry.
