CAD Package

Model-based definition or the perils of disconnected detours

September 27, 2021 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

By Brian Thompson, DVP and GM, CAD Segment, PTC

When I speak with manufacturers, they often tell me that moving towards becoming more model-based is at the top of their priority list. Initially, they might have started down this path to eliminate the extra work required to build 2D drawings off of their 3D models. Now, manufacturers want to make the 3D model itself the gravitational center. The disconnect between the 2D drawing and 3D model is hobbling both their internal efficiency and external competitiveness.

More formally known as model-based definition, MBD is about creating rich “Technical Data Packages (TDP),” which include the 3D model and associated data elements. At the core of the TDPs is the 3D model, along with its associated dimensioning and tolerancing to clearly communicate design intent and geometric form control. Thanks to the TDP, users who sit downstream from engineering can understand and use that model without needing separate 2D artifacts – the information is in the model itself.

MBD is not another way of spelling ‘paperless engineering,’ as if mere convenience were the reason for such a strategic shift. The manufacturers we work with are talking about a broader and grander idea: a different way of approaching the product development, manufacturing, delivery, operations, and service processes so that the 3D model is the source authority.

By implication, these manufacturers are also talking about innovation, and how they might use breakthrough technologies such as simulation, additive manufacturing, and generative design to design better products faster. MBD is as much an approach to corporate strategy as it is an approach to design, product development and manufacturing.

That’s the exciting part – the vision that gets people to commit their time and resources to the effort. I would offer this advice to those who aspire to a model-based journey. Think of a rock climber scaling a cliff face. As he or she ascends, that climber will need to put an anchor in the rock through which to pass the rope.

Your 3D model is that anchor. Start there.

3D model as Anchor
This is no getting around it: every MBD journey starts by looking at your modeling practices and ensuring that your model truly reflects your design. One customer discovered, as they implemented MBD, that they had to train their engineers to know where and how to apply drafts to their injection molded parts, instead of relying on the manufacturing team to do it. Another found that simulation results would be inaccurate unless certain critical features were modeled in complete detail, instead of leaving some geometry details to notes.

Today, I look at the model itself as a precise database for all PMI rather than as a supporting item to create a 2D drawing quickly.

A geometrical product specification is gold for manufacturers.

A word of caution
Next, examine your own mental models and beware of outdated beliefs. We sometimes see those who have (unknowingly) gone halfway with MBD – only to stop on the manufacturing floor. In the past, a certain amount of rework was part of the design process, as was the willingness to accept change at the worst possible and most expensive time. Allow me to be candid. With MBD, your experts on the shop floor will need to learn to place the 3D model at the center of everything they do, too. This will surely help them streamline industrialization of the design, minimize mistakes, and produce the highest-quality output. This will definitely be a change for the manufacturing team, but everyone I’ve talked to has said this is worth it.

Disconnected detours
The worst choices in business are ones you don’t know you’re making. With that in mind, consider whether an MBD journey would, in fact, be less costly in time, money, materials and morale than situations such as the scenario described below.

At one manufacturer, final drawings were made into pdfs and put on a server where all could access them. Not surprisingly, CNC machines soon were decorated with marked-up pdfs showing late-breaking changes. As the model evolved, there was no way other than person-to-person to get the changes to the manufacturing floor. One employee jokingly referred to the ‘sneaker net’. The manufacturing engineers encountered the same situation, and the changes they made on the shop floor often didn’t get to the designers, who unknowingly proliferated errors.

In our opinion, becoming model-based is a journey. To prepare, commit to making the 3D model the source of all authority and then take a moment to reexamine your modeling practices. This will take time, but your reward will be more value for the investment you’ve already made, confidence that engineers can now spend their valuable time doing what you paid them to do, and circumstances more favorable to innovation. That’s what our customers are seeking.

PTC
www.ptc.com

Reuse CAD data for technical documentation, split function and feature recognition

February 15, 2019 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

KISTERS North America released version 2019 of its 3DViewStation product family. The new version features additions and enhancements that assist users in the area of repurposing their CAD data. For instance: V2019’s new technical documentation features include the splitting function, real-time wall thickness measurement, feature recognition and a user-friendly import dialog.

One challenging area in the reuse of CAD data lies in the creation of content for technical documentation purposes. Deliverables might be images, illustrations or interactive 3D geometry to be repurposed in printed manuals, online manuals or spare part catalogues.
“After reviewing our customer’s most important requirements for technical documentation processes, we created interactive and automatic BOM ID generation,” said Robert Collins, KISTERS North American Sales Manager.

“These BOM IDs will be reused to interactively and automatically generate balloon callouts in an exploded view of the assembly. In our new version, there are multiple new options to configure the arrangement of these balloons. For example: top and bottom, left and right, or in a rectangle. For further ease-of-use, we added the option to continuously recalculate the best possible layout, while rotating the 3D model.

“Another focus was to increase the value of 3DViewStation for our mold/die and casting customers. The splitting function complements our existing draft angle analysis tool,” he added. “Now you can easily determine the complexity of a tool, what will be required to produce a part and extract the face for the mold. Toolmakers will fine the feature recognition functions, such as the drill hole recognition tool, useful. Less experienced CAD users will have the new, easy-to-use import dialog. And all users will experience 3DViewStation rendering significantly faster once more.”

3DViewStation ships with current and mature importers for a range of 3D and 2D formats including Catia, NX, Creo, SolidWorks, SolidEdge, Inventor, JT, 3D-PDF, STEP, DWG, DXF, DWF, MS Office and more.

V2019 Upgrades Include:

– New and updated file formats:
– Import 3D: Inventor 2019, SolidWorks 2019, Solid Edge 2019, Parasolid V31, Revit 2019, FBX, glTF, JT 10.2, OBJ
– Import 2D: Catia V5 R28 (V5-6R2018), Catia V6 R2017x, Creo 4.0 / ProE, NX12, SolidEdge ST10, Solidworks 2018
– Export: JavaScript for 3D-PDF, IFC, FBX, JT 10, OBJ
– New and updated functions:
– Import dialog (quick settings)
– Structure tree: Remove empty nodes
– Neutral axis calculation with tesselated data
– Real-time wall thickness measurement
– Drill hole recognition
– Split
– Technical documentation:
BOM table: interactive BOM ID generation
BOM table: automatic ID generation
Ballooning: arrangement as line, rectangle, circle
Ballooning: automatic re-arrangement during rotation
Options for shapes and lines for balloons
Replace existing SMG files by 3DVS counterparts, limited to supported objects & properties
– Printdialog:
Print range
Autorotate document
Tiled printing
– Selection of all instances of a geometry
– Filtering option: include / exclude unvisible objects
– Rotation mode “Turntable”
– 2D text search enhanced
-Transformation: Align move circle center to circle center
– Export PNG with transparent background
– PDF template: configurable date
– New options for license borrowing
– Performance optimization:
Tremendous increase in rendering speed of ultra large assemblies
Calculation of Level of Detail (LoD)
Ability to remove normals (space-saving)
Optimization of instancing

KISTERS AG
www.3dviewstation.com

“3D Evolution Simplifier” simplifies the handling of large CAD data models

October 3, 2018 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

The “3D_Evolution Simplifier” of the German-French software manufacturer CoreTechnologie is software for the fast and fully automatic simplification of CAD data. The tool converts and handles the reading and writing of all popular formats such as Catia V5 and V6, NX, Solidworks, Creo, Inventor, Step, IGES, JT, XT, FBX, DWG and DGN. In addition to conversion and simplification, the models can be checked and optimized in terms of quality.

Envelope geometry improves CAD performance
With the increasing level of detail and the size of CAD models, the number of entities to be displayed is in most cases beyond the capabilities of today’s CAD workstations. Automated simplification and data reduction is essential for the control of large volumes of data to create layouts or VR models in the field. The fast and fully automated generation of envelope geometries is a viable solution to smoothly work with the large amounts of data, especially in plant construction.

Preparation of customer or supplier data
The Simplifier simplifies and converts supplier data. The removal of internal geometry for the calculation of envelope geometries can be achieved within seconds by pressing a button. For efficient reduction of the file size, solids are produced automatically without any inner workings. The “Healing” technology ensures the automatic analysis and repair of the 3D models. The automatic correction functions improve data quality to optimize data exchange, especially for imported data.

The result of the simplifier process and quality optimization is higher performance in the CAD system and in all downstream processes. Particularly suitable is the method for Digital Mock Ups. In addition, problems in the drawing derivation are eliminated by the significantly reduced amount of data and the high data quality.

Automated product release with know-how protection
The model simplification is automated in batch mode and can be performed for any number of files and directories. Attributes in the CAD data, colors and names of the components allow precise control of the simplification process. Thus, certain components are specifically excluded from the simplification, completely removed or replaced by highly simplified, that is approximate envelope contours.

The envelope contours provide the replacement of the original geometry for an additional reduction in file size. Sheet metal parts can be replaced, for example, by boxes, threads or gears by cylinders or more complex geometries with cooling fins by polyhedra. In addition, Enterprise Datamanager offers various automation options. Web-based client / server solutions, multiprocessor operation, command-line operation and the optional directory scanner provide seamless integration into existing PLM environments as needed. The directory scanner monitors defined folders and processes data stored in them.

Another option for integration into existing PLM systems is the command line. The integration enables automation for the provision of product data, for example for catalog systems such as Docware or Engineer-to-Order systems such as Siemens PLM Rulestream.

Preparation of CAD data for VR / AR
When processing CAD data for visualization in virtual or augmented reality, the 3D_Evolution Simplifier is used to reduce the number of polygons without quality disadvantages, i.e. by 90% or more, in typical models from the mechanical and plant engineering sector. The process is based on removing the internal geometry and drilling based on optimized B-rep solids. After reading the original CAD geometry, the simplification of the exact B-Rep data takes place. Subsequently, the conversion to formats such as obj and fbx with definition of the polygon size as well as the reduction of the tessellation by up to 98% is accomplished. Since Simplifier simplifies simplified B-Rep geometry with topology, no holes or unwanted geometry deformations occur.

CoreTechnologie
www.coretechnologie.de/produkte/3d-evolution

Is SolidWorks CAM Better Than an Integrated System?

December 15, 2017 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

When the engineering software vendor announced it was moving from integrated CAM to a total CAD/CAM solution industry watchers took note.

Jean Thilmany, Contributing Editor

For engineers and design companies, it’s not difficult to find integrated computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing technologies. Yet, the announcement of SolidWorks CAM, released in October as a SolidWorks 2018 add-on, has created a small buzz in engineering technology circles.

Why?

It’s no secret that engineers struggle to create designs that are easy to manufacture while machinists complain about receiving unworkable CAD models.

An imperfect fit

CAM software uses the CAD models to generate the toolpaths that drive computer numerically controlled manufacturing machines. Engineers and designers who use CAM can evaluate designs earlier in the design process to ensure they can be manufactured, thus avoiding product costs and delays.

Without CAM, manufacturers can be on their own when programming machines to make the CAD model. And not all those who design in CAD enter design features into CAM to control the machine tools. Without CAM, manufacturers use the CAD design to program the tools themselves.

SolidWorks CAM could create codes for the end machine used for manufacturing.

“The general idea has been that engineers design something and then the manufacturing people eventually figure out how to manufacture it,” says Sandesh Joshi. “With integrated CAM, they’re not as disconnected as that, but there’s still a disconnect. This SolidWorks tool could close that disconnect.”

Closing the CAD/CAM disconnect

Joshi is chief executive officer at the CAD outsourcing firm Indovance. Previously, he spent six years on the SolidWorks research and development team.

The SolidWorks offering could ramp up the number of CAM users by making the tool available to more engineers and designers, Joshi says. The SolidWorks 2018 release marks the first time that SolidWorks is providing the CAM product as part of its design solution.

SolidWorks CAM is “powered by” CAMWorks, in the vendor’s parlance. Before the October release, CAMWorks, from HCL Technologies, was one of many third-party CAM tools available for integration with the vendor’s CAD program.

Of course other CAD vendors offer integrated CAD and CAM solutions.

Siemens PLM Software, for example, also offers CAMWorks as an embedded solution within its Solid Edge CAD program. NX CAM, also from Siemens PLM Software, is integrated with other NX solutions, which allows NC programmers and manufacturing engineers to associatively access design, assembly and drafting tools in a one part-manufacturing environment, according to that software maker. And CAM features are integrated into the Fusion 360 design tool from Autodesk.

But rather than taking on two separate software solutions, CAD and CAM can act as one system within SolidWorks CAM, Joshi says. That could make CAM easier and more straightforward to the software’s users.

The solution is fully integrated with SolidWorks so users need not leave the familiar SolidWorks environment, says Mike Buchli, senior SolidWorks product and portfolio manager. It supports feature recognition and can generate machining operations directly from native SolidWorks files or from imported data. Toolpaths are automatically updated based on changes to the model.

If SolidWorks 2018 engineers and designers feel they’re working within one integrated system–rather than two separate but connected software systems—they might begin to automatically use CAM and to consistently consider manufacturability as they design the product, he adds.

The vendor’s tool opens the way toward making CAM ubiquitous on engineers’ desktops, much as 3D CAD is now more-or-less used across an industry that once relied on 2D drawings, he said.

The part process from CAD to machining will never be a “one-click process,” Joshi says. But it certainly can become more streamlined through the use of a common CAD and CAM system.

“The difference is engineers would be using CAM as they design so manufacturability is easier,” he says.

“When we build assemblies, we have clash detection. Similarly, CAM gives us red flags for manufacturability right at he design stage, saves a lot of time and money,” Joshi says. “Today all design engineers don’t necessarily deal with CAM, so having access to that will help engineers design for manufacturing way ahead in the product design cycle.

SolidWorks CAM holds the potential for both designers and manufacturers–the possibility of a key to the elusive quest for CNC standardization.

“Some kind of machining cannot be done, and if that’s true it’s better to change the design right away rather than during the manufacturing process,” he says.

The system offers tools to validate and improve part and tool designs, including part-manufacturability checks and tool-motion simulation, Buchli says.

In a blog post introducing the tool, he outlined other benefits, such as the capability to:

–Recognize certain types of geometry to understand how those features will be manufactured, and how much it will cost to manufacture.

–Read tolerances and surface finishes and make decisions about how to manufacture the product

–Automatically apply best manufacturing strategies so manufacturing processes faster and more standard

–Automate quoting and compare it to traditional methods to ensure all aspects of the part are accounted for ahead of time

Fewer codes in the future?

The introduction of SolidWorks CAM holds the potential for another big benefit for both designers and manufacturers: the possibility of a key to the elusive quest for CNC standardization, Joshi says.

If the CAM tool becomes popular among SolidWorks users, Joshi can envision a day when the software automatically produces the G-codes that drive the machines that manufacture the part.

Right now, manufacturers struggle to drive their machining processes directly from their design software. The CAD systems don’t “speak the language” of various machines such as cutters and laser cutters, CNC mills and lathes.

“There are different flavors of G-codes depending on the CNC controller,” Joshi says. “The basic commands and operations generally will work on all machines but there are particular specialties and differences.

If SolidWorks CAM becomes widespread with designers who already use the vendor’s CAD program, the vendor “could potentially create codes for the end machine used for manufacturing,” Joshi adds. “The designer may not have to worry about that up front, but it makes manufacturing a lot smoother.”

With enough popularity, others will adopt those same end-machine codes, he says, creating a more-or-less-standard manufacturing-machine programming code.

And he knows of what he speaks. Currently, designers often rely on machinists and production engineers to develop strategies to effectively make the part.

“Job shops and manufacturing generate G-code for their CNC machine tools based on the CAD models they receive,” Joshi says.

Technologists at his company help interpret “on the back end” how to machine CAD designs, he says. He sees the issues manufacturers have with CAD designs.

“These companies get models from anybody and everybody and they don’t necessarily have all the types of CAD software. So they’re importing raw data rather than inclusive parametric models,” Joshi says. “It still works, but it’s more work.

“If the process is more integrated from end to end, it’s more likely to be seamless,” he adds. “If something has to be changed or modified it can be done quickly rather than going to engineering and coming back and being modified for machining.”

At SolidWorks World 2017, held last February, at which SolidWorks CAM was teased, Buchli related the benefits integrated CAD and CAM can mean for a company, specifically CP-Carillo, of Irvine, Calif., which makes pistons and connecting rods for high-performance race vehicles. The company saw a “significant increase in throughput” when using the then-integrated SolidWorks and CAMWorks, Buchli said in February.

Before using CAMWorks, the manufacturer input SolidWorks model geometry into the Mastercam program to create toolpaths and generate G-codes.

“We programmed each custom piston order manually, slowing down manufacturing,” says Karl Ramm, former CP-Carillo senior technology manager and project developer.

“Each job would take about 10 minutes for non-complex pistons and up to 40 minutes for complex pistons–and that’s programming time alone,” Ramm adds.

When the company brought in the integrated CAD and CAM solution, “custom orders that took days to design and program went down to hours,” Ramm says. “What used to take five to 15 minutes takes seconds now.”

The time-savings comes because the process is automated. Designers load custom criteria into a database and launch SolidWorks. The design application automatically pulls in that criteria and the designer can then create the new piece, which it transfers into CAMWorks. The CAM program then automatically generates new toolpaths and posts them to CNC machines in the shop, Ramm says.

The capability to share that kind of design and programming knowledge between engineering and manufacturing speaks to one of the biggest benefits of an integrated CAD and CAM system, Buchli says.

Another benefit is consistency of workflow. At CP-Carillo, custom orders always follow the same path. Design engineers and manufacturers know what’s expected of them when creating and manufacturing custom orders, Buchli adds.

SolidWorks CAM is much too new to see if any of Joshi’s predictions about standardization and popularity will play out.

But product lifecycle management consultancy CIMdata Inc. says it welcomes the decision to package and offer SolidWorks CAM.

“It protects the investment of CAMWorks users and adds proven CAM capabilities to SolidWorks,” according to a CIMdata statement.

While it remains to be seen if SolidWorks CAM is a step beyond the type of integrated CAD and CAM systems that exist today, Joshi and CIMdata are certain the engineering software vendor has taken a step in the direction down which the industry must travel to iron out disconnects between engineering and manufacturing and to save manufacturers costs and development time in the future.

Dassault Systemes SolidWorks Corporation
Solidworks.com

How simulation helps accelerate the design process

December 17, 2015 By 3DCAD Editor Leave a Comment

by Diane Sofranec, Contributing Editor

The capability to design, test and validate in the digital world helps get products to market faster for less money.

Testing is a critical part of the design process. No matter how complex or simple, every design must be vetted to ensure it works as intended.

Typically, powerful finite element analysis (FEA) or computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software simulate how a design would work.

Simulation software is also useful for conducting virtual tests on designs long before time-intensive and costly physical prototypes are made.

When the goal is to get a product to market quickly, simulation software integrated into CAD software shortens the learning curve because of the similar workflows in these programs.

PTC Creo Simulate is a simulation tool that complements the modeling environment within PTC Creo Parametric.

“Engineers can design their parts and make modifications, but at the same time be able to analyze them,” said Mark Fischer, director of product management within PTC’s CAD segment.

“An engineer can easily use Creo Simulate to find a problem or a potential problem in their model around high stresses or strains and resolve it,” he said. “But the tools are scalable; there’s advanced functionality that an analyst can use as well.”

Simulation tools let you isolate and correct design flaws, reduce problematic variables, improve design quality and rely on fewer prototypes. You can alter models early in the design process, when changes cost less to make.

That’s not to say these simulation tools eliminate the need for experienced analysts; the combination of engineering expertise and powerful simulation tools are still a critical part of the design process. By the time you receive the model, however, its overall quality will be improved, which will help speed cycle time and time to market.

In addition, simulation tools help reduce the bottleneck that often occurs when there is a backlog of designs to test, Fischer said.

“Engineers can verify and validate their designs, and come up with new innovative designs based on those findings early in that design process,” he said. “Any issues that are discovered can easily be modified and fixed, and then the engineer can move on in the design process.”

Can you have confidence in these simulation tools? Fischer thinks so. He said the workflow and user interface must be familiar to users so they can quickly and easily leverage the power of simulation.

“Some engineers might say they don’t have the expertise. But with these simulation tools, they can do simulations early and often, and let the heavy simulations be done by the analysts,” he said.

CollegePark, a company that makes prosthetic limbs for amputees, improved its product by using simulation in the design process. Engineers there use Creo Simulate to design products that are both strong and lightweight. They used the tool to refine the design of a prosthetic foot, making it 40% stronger and 10% lighter.

PTC-Creo-Simulate — PTC Creo Simulate is a simulation tool that complements the modeling environment within PTC Creo Parametric. It lets you design parts, make modifications and analyze at the same time.

Engineers at Dräger Medical, a manufacturer of breathing and anesthetic equipment for operating rooms, intensive care units and ambulances, use SolidWorks Simulation in their design process. Their challenge was to shorten their development time by half for the life saving devices, a task they accomplished. They reduced the design cycle by 50%, slashed analysis time from 3 months to 2 days, dropped the total number of prototypes from eight to two and saved thousands of dollars by identifying a design flaw early in the design process.

Dräger-Medical-use-SolidWorks-Simulation — Engineers at Dräger Medical use SolidWorks Simulation in their design process to reduce the design cycle by 50%, slash analysis time from months to days, and reduce the total number of prototypes by identifying design flaws early in the design process.

“Using SolidWorks Simulation means that we can run calculations on the various design approaches during the design stage easily and quickly,” said Karsten Hoffman, Dräger project leader. “SolidWorks Simulation saves us time and expense.”

SolidWorks offers several different simulation solutions that help improve product performance and quality by indicating how product designs will behave before they are built. They include SolidWorks Simulation for FEA and structural analysis; SolidWorks Flow Simulation for CFD, fluid flow and heat transfer; SolidWorks Motion for kinematic and dynamic analysis; SolidWorks Plastics for plastic injection molding; and SolidWorks Sustainability.

Karim Segond, founder of E-Cooling, an engineering consultancy that provides 3D thermal and flow analysis, enhancement and development supporting electronics, electric engines, and power electronics, uses Mentor Graphics’ FloEFD simulation tool.

“The biggest benefits I got from FloEFD was that it was embedded; I could work within a CAD system and use parametric CAD models,” he said. “This made it easier to change any geometry and run several variants very easily. Another point that lifted a heavy burden for me is the automatic meshing. Basically, the meshing as I knew it became obsolete and I could spend my time with other things than manually mesh the geometry.”

FloEFD-for-Creo — CFD tools often require a level of experience among engineering users. FloEFD, from Mentor Graphics, takes away much of the prerequisite numerical competence, automating and hardwiring some of, or most of, the numerical settings that would otherwise have to be made manually.

To further emphasize its ease of use, FloEFD, which stands for Engineering Fluid Dynamics, makes it possible for engineers to access its CFD simulation capabilities within their mechanical CAD design environment.

“We believe that CFD as a simulation technology should first and foremost be used to satisfy engineering goals and be used by engineers, not PhD simulation specialists,” said Robin Bornoff, market development manager for Mentor Graphics.

That’s not to say engineers using the software should have no knowledge of the principles of simulation. “You’ve got to have a good understanding of the physics of airflow and heat transfer to be able to correctly construct a simulation model,” Bornoff said. “Although it’s much more automated, it doesn’t take away the need for the engineer using the tool to have a good physics grounding.”

Analysts will always have a role in the design process. But when it comes to fixing design problems, a lot of the day-to-day CFD design simulation work doesn’t require a high level of expertise, he said.

“General-purpose CFD tools are highly capable, functionally rich; there are many different options and choices the user can make that control the numerics of the CFD simulation,” Bornoff said. An engineer who can understand and control the numerics will get good results.

“But the problem is, you need prerequisite experience to choose your CFD tool to get the required results,” he said. “So what we’ve done in FloEFD is to take away a lot of that prerequisite numerical competence, automating and hardwiring some of, or most of, the numerical settings that would otherwise have to be made manually.”

Another use of simulation is to use it to check whether the proposed design is compliant. Designers can accomplish this during the conceptual stage of the design process, when it’s easy to make major decisions about how the product should be configured.

Engineers set out to create an accurate model, and simulation can prove whether they’ve accomplished that goal. Indeed, the more physics phenomena that can be included in any one simulation, the more accurate the final model will be. COMSOL Multiphysics helps engineers solve systems of multiple physics effects as they would occur in nature, empowering them to base their design decisions on accurate data.

COMSOL-corrugated-horn-antenna-results — Model of a corrugated circular horn antenna. Simulation results show the electric field and radiation patterns around the antenna.

“Simulation allows companies to cut costs by reducing the number of physical prototypes and bring innovative products to market faster,” said Bernt Nilsson, COMSOL’s SVP of marketing.

The company also offers COMSOL Server software, which allows access to simulation applications throughout an entire organization, extending the benefits of simulation from conceptual design to manufacturing.

COMSOL-V5.2-From-Model-To-App-FinnedPipe — The Application Builder allows simulation experts to turn a COMSOL Multiphysics model into a custom simulation app that can be shared with a colleague or customer. For example, the thermal properties of a finned pipe are derived from the results of a conjugate heat transfer simulation. The app user can change aspects of the design such as the arrangement of the inner grooves and outer fins.

In addition, the company offers an Application Builder that expands the research and development expertise behind multiphysics simulation to app users who don’t need to know everything that went into the full model. Engineers build specialized versions of their COMSOL Multiphysics models with specific inputs, outputs, and interfaces, and save them as applications. They then send these apps to colleagues and customers who can run them on COMSOL Multiphysics or COMSOL Server.

For example, R&D engineers at Cypress Semiconductor are creating simulation apps for their customer support team to make it easier to explore the outcome of proposed designs while serving customers in real time. Apps such as these can be useful to speed up the process.

Often, the turnaround time for design simulation is slow due to the limited number of analysts who are capable of using advanced CFD tools. As a result, a design may have changed by the time the simulation has been conducted, said Bornoff. Engineers can conduct virtual simulations of their models and make crucial changes that refine and perfect their designs earlier than ever in the design process.

Digimat, from e-Xstream Engineering, an MSC Software company, includes a suite of tools that engineers can integrate within the FEA process to “bridge the gap” between structural analysis and the manufacturing process.

digimat-e-xstream-engineering — Digimat, from e-Xstream Engineering, an MSC Software company, includes a suite of tools that you can integrate within the FEA process to bridge the gap between structural analysis and the manufacturing process.

Digimat-VA makes it possible for engineers to generate virtual “allowables.” The tool, which is powered by a non-linear FEA solution, lets them digitally compare materials, explore material sensitivity to parameters’ variability and get a better understanding of a composite’s performance. The ability to screen, select and compute the allowables of composite materials in a virtual environment saves time and money typically spent on physical allowables.

Solvay Engineering Plastics, which supplies materials for polyamide engineering plastics, used Digimat-MX, Digimat-CAE and Digimat-MAP to determine the possible stiffness and failure of a multi-functional seat pan for use in the automotive market. Simulation predicted three failures early in the design process.

“The added value of predictive modeling with an integrative simulation approach was demonstrated,” said Olivier Moulinjeune, simulation expert, Solvay Engineering Plastics. “Thanks to Digimat local material behavior and failure criteria, we captured the right chronology of all failure events.”

Using simulation tools to design, test and validate in the digital world is akin to creating physical prototypes early in the design process; products get to market faster for less money.

Reprint info >>

COMSOL
www.comsol.com

e-Xstream Engineering, an MSC Software company
www.e-xstream.com

Mentor Graphics
www.mentor.com/products/mechanical/floefd

PTC
www.ptc.com/cad/simulation

SolidWorks
www.solidworks.com/sw/products/simulation/simulation.htm

Siemens PLM advances systems-driven product development with LMS Imagine.Lab 14

May 20, 2015 By Paul Heney Leave a Comment

By Bruce Jenkins, President, Ora Research LLC

LMS Imagine.Lab 14, the latest release of Siemens PLM’s software for multi-domain system simulation, shows the company delivering on the vision it outlined when it acquired LMS International in 2012—“to provide a closed-loop systems-driven product development solution.”

Siemens PLM CEO Chuck Grindstaff said at the time, “Integrating the full environment gives our customers the ability to bring together information from the logical model, physical model and functional model to refine and optimize designs and measure results, which transforms decision making in product development.” What Grindstaff termed the “logical model” is what’s created and managed in LMS Imagine.Lab, which has three components:

• LMS Imagine.Lab Amesim, an integrated simulation platform for multi-domain mechatronic systems simulation
• LMS Imagine.Lab Sysdm, a model and data management tool for model-based systems engineering
• LMS Imagine.Lab System Synthesis, which provides configuration management, system integration and system architecture management

In the newest release, LMS Amesim capabilities have been extended to facilitate continuity between CAD and the 1D simulation approach, with CAD file import/export capabilities that let users extract geometric information to populate submodel parameters in LMS Amesim.

For LMS Sysdm, development efforts focused on integration of model management within the organizational environment. LMS Sysdm 14 provides a direct link from LMS Sysdm to Teamcenter, allowing system engineers to directly publish validated models to the Teamcenter repository while accounting for their daily activities. Thus, system simulation is now integrated under the umbrella of PLM, taking into account daily versioning and branching, which are mandatory for monitoring modeling activities.

Why does all this matter? In our ongoing research among engineering workgroup leads and discipline leads, we’ve long been struck by their frustration at the disconnects between the systems modeling and 0D/1D simulation tools at the heart of conceptual and preliminary engineering, and the higher-fidelity analysis tools used downstream—not to mention the hamstrung work processes and loss of visibility caused by the persisting disconnects between all those applications and the CAD systems that support detailed design. The “V” model of product development is all too apt today, in that decisions in the upper left of the V, once made—and the tools used to make them—are difficult to revisit and re-exercise once the project starts down the greased slope of the V.

Of course, much of this is due to the inherent nature of project trajectory, but discipline and program leads tell us that much could be gained from capabilities for more multi-fidelity and multi-directional workflows among all the tools across the product development lifecycle. Indeed, most report they have difficulty seeing how to advance from current-generation systems modeling tools and practices to the vision of true model-based systems engineering without the evolution of such capabilities.

Against that background, we’re encouraged to see Siemens PLM delivering on its vision of “closed loop systems-driven product development.” Its new LMS Imagine.Lab release will help engineering organizations make progress toward closing the loop between the systems modeling and 1D simulation tools where a project’s most crucial engineering decisions are made, and the remainder of the toolset chain in which those decisions are detailed and implemented.

Notes: Systems modeling software consists of tools and languages for systems engineering: The specification, analysis, design, verification and validation of systems and systems-of-systems. In discrete manufacturing, systems engineering is the coordinated specification-through-validation of complex physical systems across multiple domains—mechanical, electrical, electronic, hydraulic, thermal, control, electric power, others. 0D/1D simulation uses the time dimension only (0D), or time plus a single spatial dimension (1D), to model and evaluate critical aspects of a system’s behavior. By contrast, 3D CAE takes account of a model’s behavior in all three spatial dimensions (or 2D for plate structures and other cases where the third dimension can safely be neglected). Together, systems modeling and 0D/1D simulation are used early in engineering programs to make a product’s essential functional and architectural decisions.

Autodesk Releases AutoCAD 2016

March 26, 2015 By Barb Schmitz Leave a Comment

The trade press loves to extol the benefits of the latest and greatest technology and in the CAD world, that typically means talking about 3D CAD systems. The reality is, however, that there are still millions of engineers happily getting their jobs done using 2D CAD systems.

CAD giant Autodesk recently rolled out the most recent version of its flagship product, AutoCAD 2016, living proof that there is still a thriving and viable market for 2D design tools.

The 2016 release includes new features said to accelerate the 2D and 3D design, documentation and collaboration process while improving the on-screen experience of creating almost any shape imaginable. The new release also features TrustedDWG technology, which enables users to confidently share their work with others.

Improved Smart Dimensioning automatically creates appropriate measurements based on the type of objects selected, making it easier to accurately calculate measurements based on the drawing context.

An Enhanced Visual CAD Experience

Improvements to the drawing canvas in AutoCAD 2016 dramatically improve the visual accuracy seen on screen. Enhanced readability and detail means smooth curves and arcs replace jagged-line segments.

AutoCAD now takes full advantage of the latest graphics hardware to deliver a richer, yet faster, visual experience. Users can predict more results and minimize the need to “undo” a command with expanded Command Preview.

Other enhancements include:

* AutoCAD 2016 also outputs enhanced PDFs that are significantly smaller, while retaining visual fidelity.
* PDFs are now fully searchable, maintain all hyperlinks and can be attached to drawings faster.
* Improved Smart Dimensioning automatically creates appropriate measurements based on the type of objects selected, making it easier to accurately calculate measurements based on the drawing context.

Together with new features for reality computing and BIM coordination, the tools in AutoCAD 2016 help users significantly increase efficiency and maximize productivity, clearing the way to faster, more precise design and documentation.

Availability

AutoCAD 2016 products are available immediately. To buy: users can choose from either a perpetual license with or without Maintenance Subscription, or a Desktop Subscription with pay-as-you-go monthly, quarterly, and annual options. In addition to flexible licensing, Desktop Subscription gives users access to the latest updates and releases, one-on-one technical support, and priority support in the forums.

You can download a 30-day trial of AutoCAD, purchase an AutoCAD license, or learn more at here.

Barb Schmitz

MecSoft announces RhinoCAM 2015

March 5, 2015 By Jennifer Calhoon Leave a Comment

MecSoft Corporation has announced the availability of RhinoCAM 2015, a major version release for MecSoft’s integrated CAM solution for Rhino. RhinoCAM 2015 includes four CAM modules MILL, TURN, NEST, and ART, each of which run completely integrated inside the Rhino 5 CAD program.

All CAM modules were significantly enhanced and improved in this 2015 release to provide customers with a powerful and complete manufacturing platform. Highlight of the release include the Hole Feature Detection and Automatic Machining of Hole Features functionality. Please click on the buttons below to learn more.

MecSoft
www.mecsoft.com

Siemens Rolls out Tecnomatix 12

November 21, 2014 By Barb Schmitz Leave a Comment

Factories today hardly resemble the factories of yesteryear. Today’s factories are full of high-tech digital machinery and robotics that are highly automated. To make today’s digital factories run more efficiency, manufacturing software also needs to advanced.

Siemens this week released the newest version of Tecnomatix software for digital manufacturing, which the company says will help companies in a wide range of industries innovate better and at less risk.

Let’s take a look at what’s new in Tecnomatix 12:

Easy Plan. This new web-based app for plant-specific production planning provides the ability to analyze ‘what-if’ scenarios to ensure feasibility of assembly processes within performance targets. Also assists in identifying value-added and nonvalue-added tasks for the purpose of achieving maximum assembly efficiency.

It works by enabling production planners to link the product design and manufacturing requirements to create detailed plant-specific process plans. Manufacturing operations are defined with 3D visual work instructions, balanced for the available resources and analyzed for cycle times. The software app is intended to be used by factory-floor production planners that need to stay ahead of fluctuating production forecasts and numerous product configurations; while staying within the necessary Takt time.

Advanced robot programming. New simulation solutions for dual arm and cooperative robots can automate more manual tasks, improve efficiency and quality. Robotics programming and simulation is a proven technology for programming and synchronizing multiple independent robots and devices that work together. Tecnomatix 12 introduces new capabilities to program the latest dual arm and cooperative robots that are controlled as one.

Siemens Tecnomatix 12's robot programming simulation solution for dual arm and cooperative robots can automate more manual tasks, improve efficiency and quality. — Siemens Tecnomatix 12’s robot programming simulation solution for dual arm and cooperative robots can automate more manual tasks, improve efficiency and quality.

It was developed for manufacturers that need to automate manual tasks performed by human beings in order to compete on price and quality – such as those that assemble high-tech electronics and perform packaging. Newly available robots can perform tasks once only workable by humans – and are able to safely work alongside production personnel. While these robots are starting to replace real people in factories, they require skilled workers for programming, installation and maintenance which will create new and higher paying jobs.

Plant Simulation. Optimize complex manufacturing systems for more industries with more productivity. Users build smart digital models of their discrete manufacturing systems in a state-of-the-art 3D simulation environment and then run experiments to identify which processes, parameters and settings result in the best performance. With Tecnomatix 12 the user experience is modernized and new capabilities are available to model and simulate continuous processes that utilize fluids and recipes.

This app was developed for manufacturers that need to achieve efficiency targets, and reduce operating expenses and capital investments. Plant Simulation can assist in identifying opportunities to boost production efficiency and throughput, and minimize energy usage as well as the negative effects that manufacturing can have on the environment. It is proven to reduce capital investments, eliminate bottlenecks, reduce WIP (work in progress) inventory, minimize emissions and reduce energy utilization.

PLM-MES solution enhancements. Close the loop between the virtual and real worlds of production with a model-based execution environment. In the product lifecycle management (PLM) environment, design intent defined on 3D models in the form of product manufacturing information (PMI) is linked to the manufacturing process and delivered directly to the manufacturing execution system for validation in production. Shop floor operators capture non-conformances in the system for disposition and tracking, and corrective and preventive actions are initiated and managed.

PLM-MES integration helps companies execute more efficiently and with more agility. It closes the loop between manufacturing and design by managing change, improving visibility, hard-wiring compliance, and increasing design for manufacturability potential.

Big Data solution for production quality. Take control of production by using volumes of measured data to identify and react to quality trends. Dimensional quality data collected from connected measurement devices in production is loaded into a database where smart analytic tools are used to automate data reporting and generate executive dashboard reports. Enhanced tools are available to help engineers visualize, identify and react to quality trends, as well as correct and prevent issues from recurring. This solution is scalable: it can monitor quality data for multiple devices, factories and even suppliers.

You can find additional information about about the new features of Tecnomatix 12 here.

Barb Schmitz

Design Must “Get Smart” in the IoT World

October 14, 2014 By Barb Schmitz Leave a Comment

Once upon a time, products consisted of mechanical components. Much thought and brainstorming went into the best ways to design these components to make them function better than competing products. Life for product designers and engineers became more complicated when products began including electrical parts, as mechanical design and electrical design are often done on disparate systems that typically don’t speak common languages.

Today, in the era of the Internet of Things, products are not only becoming more complex but “smarter.” Products have evolved into complex systems that encompass hardware, sensors, data storage, microprocessors, software, along with the means to “connect” to the outside world via wireless connectivity to the Internet. Complex? You bet.

These smart, connected products are demanding sea changes in the way companies do everything, from how they design products to how they use and manage all of the “big data” that will be captured by these smart devices. The expanded capabilities of smart, connected products and the data they capture is creating disruption in how companies operate and compete.

Information technology (IT) has now become a key player in new product design. Embedded sensors, processors, software and connectivity in products, combined with cloud-based platforms where product data is stored and analyzed, are driving major boosts in product functionality and performance. These improvements have and will continue to be driven in large part by the product-usuage data captured by the “smarts” (sensors, software, processors) now embedded in products.

What Are Smart, Connected Products?

Smart, connected products have three core elements: physical components, “smart” components, and components that enable connectivity. Smart components amplify the capabilities and value of the physical components, while connectivity improves upon the capabilities and value of the smart components and enables some of them to exist outside the physical product itself.

Verizon's line of smart home products enable customers to lock and unlock doors and windows, watch home video cameras remotely, and manage thermostats and lighting. — Verizon’s line of smart home products enable customers to lock and unlock doors and windows, watch home video cameras remotely, and manage thermostats and lighting.

In the November issue of the Harvard Business Review, an article entitled, How Smart, Connected Products are Transforming Competition, uses a car as an example to illustrate the core components of a smart, connected product. The article explains that the physical components comprise the product’s mechanical and electrical parts. In a car, these include the engine block, tires, and batteries.

Smart components comprise the sensors, microprocessors, data storage, controls, software, and, typically, an embedded operating system and enhanced user interface. In a car, these smart components include the engine control unit, antilock braking system, rain-sensing windshields with automated wipers, and touch screen displays. Connectivity components comprise the ports, antennae, and protocols enabling wired or wireless connections with the product.

Connectivity takes three forms, which can be present together:

* One-to-one: An individual product connects to the user, the manufacturer, or another product through a port or other interface. For example, when a car is hooked up to a diagnostic machine.
* One-to-many: A central system is continuously or intermittently connected to many products simultaneously. For example, many Tesla automobiles are connected to a single manufacturer system that monitors performance and accomplishes remote service and upgrades.
* Many-to-many: Multiple products connect to many other types of products and often also to external data sources. An array of types of farm equipment are connected to one another, and to geolocation data, to coordinate and optimize the farm system. For example, automated tillers inject nitrogen fertilizer at precise depths and intervals, and seeders follow, placing corn seeds directly in the fertilized soil.

Connectivity serves a dual purpose. First, it allows information to be exchanged between the product and its operating environment, its maker, its users, and other products and systems. Second, connectivity enables some functions of the product to exist outside the physical device, in what is known as the product cloud.

How IoT will affect product design

Smart, connected products dramatically expand the ways in which manufacturers can differentiate their products. Knowing how customers actually use the products enhances a company’s ability to segment customers, customize products, set prices to better capture value, and extend value-added services. Smart, connected products also allow companies to develop much closer customer relationships.

These so-called smart products will also enable companies to tailor products to more-specific niche markets, and even customize products for individual customers.

Though smart products offer manufacturers a better way to differentiate their products and meet more specific needs within their user base, it also brings a host of challenges. These include the higher fixed costs of more-complex product design, embedded technology, and multiple layers of new IT infrastructure that will be required to manage the data being produced by smart products.

PTC jumps on board IoT bandwagon

At the very end of last year, PTC announced its acquisition of ThingWorx, a tech developer of an application platform designed to rapidly build Internet of Things and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) applications. The PA-based company develops what it calls the “1st Application Platform for the Connected World,” one that combines the key functionality of Web 2.0, social media and Connected Intelligence, and applies to any process that involves “things.”

The ThingWorx platform was designed to reduce the time it takes to build M2M and Internet of Things apps.

The goal of the platform is to reduce the time, cost and risk required to build M2M and Internet of Things (IoT) apps. The platform is comprised of ThingWorx Composer, a modeling environment; a drag-and-drop Mashup Builder for creating apps, real-time dashboards, collaborative workspaces and mobile interfaces without coding; an event-driven execution engine; 3D storage; collaboration capabilities; and connectivity to devices via third-party device clouds, direct network connections, Open APIs and AlwaysOn using the ThingWorx Edge Microserver.

PTC gave editors, analysts and users some glimpses of the next-gen technology that might be developed with the ThingWorx platform at their Live Global event in Boston this summer but have yet to introduce a specific product that leverages this platform.

The bottom line

Increasingly smart and connected products can generate value in several key ways, as streams of real-time operational data are captured, analyzed and shared to increase a company’s understanding of its products’ performance, use and reliability. The technology will provide companies with a wealth of information to feed back into their respective product pipelines, which will in turn will increase competitiveness and their ability to customize products for niche markets and specific customers.

Though there are still technical hurdles to be overcome, the era of smarter, connected products is here and we will continue to cover the topic as it evolves. Stay tuned.

Barb Schmitz