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Siemens PLM Software

Latest release of Simcenter 3D advances computer-aided engineering and simulation

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Siemens announces the latest version of Simcenter 3D, its flagship environment for multi-disciplinary computer-aided engineering (CAE), with new comprehensive solutions across multiple simulation disciplines. Simcenter 3D is an advanced stand-alone CAE application for analysts and discipline experts that works with data from any CAD source. Because it is built on the Siemens NX platform, it also works seamlessly with NX CAD. With more enhancements than any previous release, Simcenter 3D, part of Siemens’s SimcenterTM portfolio of simulation and test solutions for predictive engineering analytics, looks to revolutionize how simulation engineers can help drive design direction in industries such as automotive, aerospace and industrial machinery.

This latest release provides topology optimization solutions that work seamlessly with Convergent Modeling technology to provide comprehensive generative design workflows. These solutions allow for more accurate motion modeling, and more efficient acoustic and structural dynamics simulations. Simcenter 3D now provides expanded support for general purpose nonlinear solutions based on the NX Nastran multi-step nonlinear solver as well as advanced analysis of composites based on LMS Samtech Samcef software. This latest release also delivers several enhancements to improve industry workflows across a wide range of industries, for modeling connections in large assemblies as well as accurate simulation of flexible pipes and hoses.

“Siemens is executing on the Simcenter strategy it announced last year as evidenced by its ongoing investment in new simulation capabilities along with the accelerated integration of CAE technologies acquired over the past several years. The latest release of Simcenter 3D delivers innovative capabilities for topology optimization applied in the context of generative design and also brings together unique hybrid test/analysis technologies that extend the ability to model and simulate system dynamics for complex applications such as high frequency noise and vibration,” said Donald Tolle, practice director, Simulation-Driven Systems Development at CIMdata. “These product enhancements ensure that Simcenter 3D will continue to be a robust, scalable, and multi-disciplinary CAE environment for simulation and analysis specialists.”

Working seamlessly with NX CAD and Convergent Modeling technology, Simcenter 3D now offers generative design solutions for designers and advanced analysts. For the first time, output from a topology optimization process can be utilized directly in the design process, without the need to recreate geometry. Furthermore, engineers can now work directly with scanned data or an optimized shape to conduct more detailed simulations to ensure performance. By using Simcenter 3D along with HEEDS software for design exploration automation, engineers are able to fully explore the design space and generate innovative designs that meet more stringent design requirements.

New with this release, hybrid modeling allows analysts to incorporate test-based data into their simulation models to achieve better accuracy within the simulation. Other enhancements include support for modeling sub-mechanisms within motion assemblies, faster computation time for analytical contact in motion models, and improved performance for interior and exterior acoustics simulation.

Nonlinear simulation in Simcenter 3D is greatly expanded by leveraging enhancements in NX Nastran and integrating capabilities from the LMS Samcef solver. In addition to the already strong capabilities for simulating nonlinear thermo-mechanical behavior in turbomachinery, Simcenter 3D now offers expanded support for general purpose nonlinear simulation with more elements, greater robustness and algorithms for multi-step nonlinear simulation to provide enhanced realism and faster solution times. Additionally, support for curing simulation of composites now allows prediction of residual stresses and spring-back effects.

Several of the enhancements target industry-specific workflows. Simulation engineers in automotive, aerospace, and heavy machinery companies benefit from the integration of universal connections support, which can help to efficiently build large system models with many connections and solve across several solvers. Simcenter 3D also leverages the LMS Samcef solver for simulation of flexible pipes and hoses which are commonly used in a variety of industries.

“Our Simcenter solutions deliver critical capabilities that help our customers engineer innovation into their products,” said Jan Leuridan, senior vice president for Simulation and Test Solutions, Siemens PLM Software. “With our latest release of Simcenter 3D we are able to integrate multiple technologies from different tools all under one platform. Capitalizing on our deep experience in geometry-based CAE as well as our strength in key disciplines such as structural dynamics, acoustics, motion, and nonlinear analysis, we have enhanced Simcenter 3D to enable more streamlined workflows and a broader set of simulations in support of performance engineering.”

Siemens PLM Software
www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en/products/simcenter/3d/v12/index.shtml

TASS International acquisition propels Siemens to forefront of automated driving solutions engineering

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Bruce Jenkins, Ora Research

Siemens announced an agreement to acquire TASS International, a global provider of simulation software and related engineering and test services primarily to the automotive industry focused on autonomous driving, integrated safety, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and tire modeling. Based in Helmond, The Netherlands, TASS has developed what Siemens terms “a rich family of solutions that will further strengthen Siemens’ product lifecycle management (PLM) software portfolio, and add to its position as the leading supplier of systems-driven product development offerings for the global automotive industry.” The combined offerings, Siemens says, will provide “a fully integrated solution to frontload verification and validation of automated driving systems.”

This move puts Siemens PLM Software squarely in the vanguard of the industry’s accelerating trend of deep investment in technology platforms for engineering modeling and simulation of autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles, especially their onboard sensing and decision-making systems. See for example our VIRES acquisition by MSC Software accelerates Hexagon’s simulation portfolio and autonomous X strategy, and ESI Pro-SiVIC 2016 models how sensors perceive scenes and smart products make decisions.

TASS PreScan model of autonomous emergency braking system in Euro NCAP (European New Car Assessment Programme) test scenario.

“The automotive industry is a core focus for Siemens, and our acquisition of TASS International is another example of our commitment to offer a complete Digital Enterprise solutions portfolio, enabling automotive companies to realize their digital transformation and fully benefit from all opportunities of digitalization,” said Dr. Jan Mrosik, CEO of Siemens’ Digital Factory Division. “TASS International is a proven leader in both integrated safety and autonomous driving, two fields of engineering that are increasingly important for the industry. By combining its strengths with Siemens’ PLM offerings, we are able to respond even better to today’s challenges in the automotive industry.”

Goal: “Integrated toolchain for verification and validation of complex automotive functions” to benefit automotive industry and government organizations worldwide

With active safety and ADAS features increasingly becoming the norm in the automotive industry, Siemens observes, “the compelling trends of connected and autonomous driving vehicles set new requirements for virtual and physical validation and verification of automotive vehicles.”

TASS MADYMO human model.

“The Siemens PLM Software portfolio offers a significant opportunity for TASS International and its customers to accelerate the development of safety-critical applications in the field of automated and connected driving,” said TASS International CEO Jan van den Oetelaar. “Our engineering and test services will reach a larger audience through the extensive Siemens global footprint. The integration of TASS International into the Siemens organization is expected to create a stable long-term environment and allow access to a vast knowledge base. This can help to build an integrated toolchain for verification and validation of complex automotive functions that should benefit both the automotive industry as well as government organizations worldwide.”

Products: PreScan traffic scenario modeling, virtual validation of driving systems; MADYMO occupant safety modeling; Delft-Tyre tire modeling for vehicle dynamics/ride/handling simulations

TASS International is focused on automated driving solutions and integrated (active/passive) safety, primarily for the automotive industry. With its PreScan software, car manufacturers, suppliers and government agencies can simulate complex traffic scenarios and virtually validate automated driving solutions and advanced driver assistance systems. With its leading MADYMO software for occupant safety modeling, TASS International can simulate the impact of a car crash on the human body. TASS International’s Delft-Tyre software provides highly accurate tire models for vehicle dynamics and ride and handling simulations.

Tire model creation in TASS Delft-Tyre.

TASS International’s simulation software will be combined with Siemens’ Simcenter portfolio of advanced simulation offerings, and its electronic design automation (EDA) solutions from the recently acquired Mentor Graphics organization. See our Mentor Graphics acquisition positions Siemens to become mechatronics engineering powerhouse. The combination, says Siemens, “will provide a unique, fully integrated solution to frontload the verification and validation of ADAS and autonomous driving systems, providing Siemens with the world’s most complete systems-driven product development offering for autonomous vehicles.”

Siemens will acquire 100 percent of the share capital of TASS International and integrate the business into its PLM Software Business Unit, part of Siemens’ Digital Factory Division. TASS International has some 200 employees and annual revenue of €27 million. Financial terms were not disclosed. Closing is expected early this month.

TASS International

Simcenter

Siemens PLM Software

Euro NCAP

Solid Edge ST10 offers robust enhancements for design, simulation and collaboration

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The latest release of Siemens’ Solid Edge software (Solid Edge ST10) brings every aspect of product development to the next level with new design technology, enhanced fluid flow and heat transfer analysis and cloud-based collaboration tools. Improved publishing tools enable the creation of interactive technical documents and the ability to share designs in the cloud.

Solid Edge ST10 now makes it much easier to optimize parts for additive manufacturing (AM) and obtain quotes, material selection and delivery schedules from AM service providers. Newly integrated topology optimization technology, combined with Siemens’ exclusive Convergent Modeling technology, enables designers to dramatically improve product design efficiency and streamlines the ability to work with imported geometry.

“We import many 3D models for components like lamps and cushions in a faceted format,” said Ricardo Espinosa, R&D Engineering Manager at Kimball International. “The new Convergent Modeling technology that underlies Solid Edge ST10 will enable us to work faster and more flexibly with this data.”

Expanding beyond traditional CAD capabilities, Solid Edge ST10 offers a portfolio of tools to improve product development and design. New topology optimization technology, a subset of automated generative design, quickly optimizes the strength to weight ratio of individual part designs. Convergent Modeling simplifies the ability to work with geometry consisting of a combination of facets, surfaces, and solids – such as those created by importing third-party CAD files or through topology optimization. New simulation capabilities such as fully-integrated fluid flow analysis eliminate the need to transfer data between different applications, giving designers the ability to achieve accurate and fast fluid flow and heat transfer analysis directly in Solid Edge.

Enhancements to integrated computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) enables efficient programming of CNC machine tools, and the ability to define complex sheet metal components, optimized for manufacturing. New additive manufacturing tools enable users to 3D print parts in house or access a network of additive manufacturing services, optimizing material selection and delivery.

Solid Edge ST10 also includes enriched publication features to quickly create detailed illustrations of designs. Publishing interactive digital documents help communicate the correct manufacturing process and maintenance procedures for products. These documents are associative to the original design information, enabling rapid updates to the documentation when the design changes. New enhancements to built-in Solid Edge data management and improved integration with Siemens’ Teamcenter software delivers scalable product data management to help companies of all sizes become digital enterprises. Component classification and off-line working are now supported for Solid Edge using the embedded Teamcenter integration.

The Solid Edge portal will offer a cloud-based solution to collaborate with other users, suppliers and customers, simplifying communication in product development cycles. Offering a new way to work cooperatively, the portal allows users to upload and manage files in cloud-based folders, with multi-platform browser-based viewing of Solid Edge and many other popular CAD applications.

“Digitalization is leveling the playing field, providing unlimited opportunities for small-to medium-sized businesses to disrupt industry,” said John Miller, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Siemens PLM Software. “The release of Solid Edge ST10 provides a portfolio of next generation product development tools that will enable our manufacturing customers to fully collaborate in the digital economy.”

Solid Edge ST10 is scheduled to ship in summer 2017.

Siemens PLM Software
www.siemens.com/plm/st10.

Siemens closes Mentor Graphics acquisition

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With the recent closing of its acquisition of electronic design automation (EDA) software leader, Mentor Graphics Corporation (Mentor), Siemens sets out to underscore what it envisions for both Electronic Systems and Integrated Circuit (IC) design tools.

Mentor is now part of Siemens’ product lifecycle management (PLM) software business, making the combined organization the world’s leading supplier of industrial software used for product design, simulation, verification, testing and manufacturing. As today’s products – from smart phones and household appliances, to automobiles, aircraft and machinery – continue to increase the use of sophisticated embedded electronics, Siemens has positioned itself to provide a seamless and comprehensive software solution to the companies that develop these products.

 “The entire suite of EDA offerings from Mentor are critically important to our vision of growing our customer base and delivering the world’s most comprehensive portfolio of software solutions to build the Digital Enterprise,” said Tony Hemmelgarn, President and CEO, Siemens PLM Software. “Software tools such as Electrical & Wire Harness Design and Electronic Systems Design, perfectly complement our existing solutions, while tools for IC Design, Verification, Test and Manufacturing expand our offerings and expertise into adjacent segments to bring value to a new set of clients.

“Siemens is now the leading company providing a complete set of integrated software solutions across the entire value chain. We are proud to welcome the outstanding Mentor team and all of their excellent technology into our organization.”

With approximately $10 billion in investments in multiple software companies since 2007, Siemens has made a significant push into the software space with acquisitions including UGS, LMS, Camstar, Polarion, and CD-adapco. Now, with the acquisition of Mentor, Siemens will continue its proven track record of effectively merging new organizations and technology into the industry’s leading Digital Enterprise Suite. This comprehensive suite helps customers create the industry’s most holistic and precise digital twins of their products and production lines.

“Joining the Siemens family presents tremendous opportunity, not only for the Mentor Graphics team, but also for existing, new and future customers,” said Walden C. Rhines, CEO, Mentor Graphics. “Siemens’ desire to leverage all of Mentor’s technologies – from our IC offerings to our systems solutions – was an important part of this transaction. We are proud to become part of an organization with such an excellent reputation and successful track record over the years.”

Siemens PLM Software
www.siemens.com/plm

A look at Parasolid version 29.1

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Parasolid v29.1 from Siemens PLM delivers enhancements to both B-rep modeling and Convergent Modeling technology. B-rep enhancements focus on high-value workflow automation enabling application developers to deliver functionality more effectively. Convergent Modeling enhancements focus on working with imported facet data and the architectural foundations to support fully integrated Convergent Modeling in future where all Parasolid operations will support models containing arbitrary combinations of classic B-rep geometry and facet B-rep geometry.

Modeling

Enhancements have been made to tapering and sweeping to remove potential workflow bottlenecks to deliver successful operations on more complex configurations and provide better diagnostic information when an operation is not possible on a specific configuration:

  • Improved quality surfaces are produced when mitering tangent to faces in a body and provide miter-specific failure information if a body taper fails during a mitering operation.
  • Added support for tapering a body with a negative taper angle.
  • Added option to use a law curve to untwist a twisted sweep along a closed path to ensure alignment at start and end of sweep.
Untwisting a rotation in the path to ensure a successful sweep along the 3D closed path

Blending

Several enhancements have been made to handle operations on complex configurations to improve the success rate of automated workflows, removing the need for application developers to handle these case in their code:

  • Optimized results when blends of very similar but different radius interact.
  • Improved robustness and surface quality when blending on the inside of tightly curved surfaces, and when repairing self-intersecting blend surfaces.
  • Improved handling of partial notches when deleting notch blends.
Improved quality when blending on the inside of tightly curved surfaces

 

Convergent Modeling

In addition to extensive, on-going architectural work to support full Convergent Modeling functionality, a number of enhancements have been delivered to help application developers work with facet data not created by Parasolid:

  • Added functionality to detect and fix common facet mesh issues such as: corrupt meshes, non-manifold meshes, mesh vertex with bad normal, degenerate mesh facet, self-intersecting meshes, meshes with slits, disjoint meshes.
  • Added functions to enquire mesh data include: ask the convexity of an edge on a mesh, find sharp mesh vertices in a mesh, ask the normal of a mesh vertex.
  • Added option to request principal directions and curvatures when faceting both classic and facet b-rep bodies.
Facet data imported into Parasolid, such as STL, may require analysis and repair

 

Siemens PLM
community.plm.automation.siemens.com

Siemens PLM Software releases version 5.0 of Kineo software

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Version 5.0 of  Kineo software components is for path planning, collision detection and cable simulation. It includes:

  • Kineo Flexible Cables – for modeling deformable cables during motion simulation
  • KineoWorks Interact – a graphical user interface for developing Kineo-enabled applications quickly and easily
  • KineoWorks and Kineo Collision Detector – a capabilities and implementation enhancements

Kineo Flexible Cables

This software component has been developed for applications in robotics. The cables that power articulated robot systems are prone to failure from repeated stress and collisions in the operating environment.  Kineo Flexible Cables enables you to model collision-free cable behavior in motion simulation applications.

KineoWorks Interact

This software component enables users to simulate cable path planning and collision detection.  It helps users customize a rich graphical user interface for developing complex applications.

KineoWorks Interact is for OEMs and System Integrators with limited software development resources, who recognize the value in developing state-of-the-art software solutions for robot simulation, digital mock-up, accessibility studies and related applications.

KineoWorks and Kineo Collision Detector

KineoWorks offers an integrated tool for computing an envelope around static and moving parts. In the case of static parts or assemblies, this “wrapping” capability generates light-weight data representations. User-defined levels of tessellation enable users to represent space allocation, without exposing confidential product detail. In the case of moving parts, a comprehensive “swept volume” helps users determine space allocation for moving parts.

Kineo Collision Detector offers direct support for collision and clearance analysis on point clouds, with no need to convert the point cloud data.

Both components also benefit from a new C# interface, support Visual Studio 2015 as well as compatibility with KineoWorks Interact product for developing rich applications quickly and easily.

Siemens PLM Software
www.plm.automation.siemens.com

Siemens and thinkstep jointly Launch Material Management Software

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There are so many questions that must be answered by product developers and manufacturers when embarking on new product development. Will it be strong enough? Can it be manufactured cost-effectively? Will it perform as designed? Will it weigh too much? Choosing the right materials is often key to answering many of these questions. With so many materials to choose from–and many more in development–choosing the right one is often a difficult one.

Designers must look at products from a systems level, evaluating each individual part to determine: what are its individual requirements? What is its function? How many are going to be made? What manufacturing methods are going to be used? What material properties are important (mechanical, physical, electrical, aesthetic, process-ability, and cost)? There are resources available to facilitate material selection, such as textbooks, manufacturers’ literature/specs, and online resources.

The selection of materials for design requires that many aspects be considered. Image courtesy of Metallurgi AS.
The selection of materials for design requires that many aspects be considered. Image courtesy of Metallurgi AS.

Automating the material selection process

The result of a joint development project by Siemens and thinkstep might help with the process of choosing materials. Siemens and thinkstep (formerly PE International) today announced a new integrated material management software solution that will help streamline material-driven product design and facilitate manufacturer’s ability to enhance product performance and reliability. The new software will be used to manage the material lifecycle. Siemens and thinkstep expanded their existing partnership agreement to develop this new solution.

The new solution, developed by thinkstep and Siemens’ product lifecycle management (PLM) software business, will help manufacturers improve product performance and reliability by connecting design, engineering, analysis, compliance and manufacturing to a single source of material information. The software, which is part of Siemens’ Teamcenter portfolio, will help reduce errors, rework and recalls that result from the use of inaccurate material data. It will also assist in the re-use of market-tested materials for new products, which is critical in a wide variety of industries.

“Selecting the right materials is critical in order to achieve maximum safety, performance and reliability in our business,” said John Probst, Technical Director, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates. “The Teamcenter integrated material management solution opens up new horizons for us in agile materials management that spans design, engineering, simulation and manufacturing processes. In the racing world, where every second counts, we need solutions like this that enable us to create more innovative designs to give our team a competitive advantage.”

“Through our expanded relationship with thinkstep, we’re delivering a competitive advantage to all of our customers through true material management intelligence,” said Eric Sterling, senior vice president, Lifecycle Collaboration Software, Siemens PLM Software. “Products from virtually every industry can fail, and often times the failure results from the inconsistent use of material information. The new Teamcenter integrated material management solution provides a more holistic view of material data for use in all phases of the product lifecycle to help improve quality and reduce development cost. The new solution gives manufacturers the right information at the right time so they can react quickly and realize innovation.”

Material property management systems have evolved significantly to keep pace with the growing demand to capture, store and interrogate material test data. However, these massive volumes of data cannot be considered material intelligence unless the lifecycle of the material data is intrinsically linked with the lifecycle of the product.

Teamcenter integrated material management provides this missing link between material data and true product intelligence. Establishing and maintaining integration between the materials considered for use in a product and the product’s bill-of-materials (BOM) is crucial to delivering successful, innovative products. The Teamcenter integrated material management solution enables the active management of materials throughout the product lifecycle, from design to production to retirement.

Barb Schmitz

Integrated CAM APPS help engineers take designs straight to manufacturing

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by Barb Schmitz, Senior Editor

There have been many hardware advances on the manufacturing side of product development. Increasingly sophisticated machining technology is becoming more affordable and accessible, and as a result, more and more companies are bringing technology, such as CNC machines, in house. Having the capabilities to create prototypes quickly in house saves significant time to market over the traditional process of outsourcing to machine shops.

Another exciting new technology poised to radically change the landscape for manufacturing forever is the 3D printer, which enables manufacturers, as well as hobbyists and would-be inventors, to quickly create physical prototypes with the push of a button. The prices of these machines and the materials they use have plummeted in recent years, putting the technology in the hands of anyone with an idea and a desire to convert that idea into a reality

New technologies demand new methodologies
As more and more companies are turning to rapid prototyping and manufacturing to cut turnaround time for prototypes and customized one-off parts, the necessity to provide product data in the form of 3D models is increasing.

Three-axis and up NC programming, rapid prototyping, mold design and sheet metal manufacturing now require 3D models that can be referenced to create NC toolpaths, SLA molds and sheetmetal flat patterns with proper bend allowances. These systems require input generated in STL format, which can be easily output from 3D models by saving models in that format.

For companies still creating designs in 2D, problems await. When manufacturers have to “rebuild” 2D drawings in 3D, problems often rear their ugly heads downstream. When mistakes are made translating 2D designs into 3D, the resulting part might not meet its original design requirements. In addition, when drawings are tweaked to work for manufacturing, those original 2D drawings are often not changed, so if referenced later, problems again arise.

Automate CAM with CAD-integrated solutions
CAM is the component that enables engineers to turn their design into a physical part on a CNC machine. With traditional CAM software, the workflow is completely different than the workflow in CAD, making it difficult for engineers to use. Yet, with more and more companies bringing machining capabilities in-house, the ability to use and understand how to generate toolpaths has become more important to engineers.

To make it easier for product designers and engineers to take 3D CAD models straight to manufacturing, many fully CAD-integrated CAM software solutions are now available, typically sold by partners of CAD vendors through their reseller channels.

Single-window integration for CAM means that engineers and designers can launch the CAM app from within their CAD program. When design changes are made, these updates are automatically made in downstream manufacturing applications as well. As a result, accuracy of design data is also maintained because the CAM application creates data by directly referencing the 3D CAD model.

Integrated CAM software also enables designers to assess the manufacturability of products early in the design process. “Integrated CAM helps expedite the manufacturing process by helping engineers and designers gain early insight into the cost, performance and manufacturability of designs,” said Aaron Frankel, marketing director at Siemens PLM. “It also enables easy optimization of designs for maximum manufacturing efficiency by reducing manufacturing steps, improving efficiency of tooling, reducing machining times and maximizing shop floor equipment utilization.”

Mending fences: Integrated CAM facilitates concurrent design
By integrating CAD and CAM, companies seek to solve the traditional disconnect between designers and their manufacturing counterparts. Design engineers have a reputation of simply “lobbing” CAD models over the wall to manufacturing without regard to the efforts required to prepare those models for manufacturing, creating tensions between the two groups that have hampered processes and prohibited truly collaborative design efforts.

EasyFill-Moldex3D
Use integrated mold flow simulation technology, such as EasyFill Moldex3D mold analysis software, to gain insight into the real-world manufacturability of design alternatives.

Traditionally, even though both teams are working on the same design, they use different tools that don’t speak the same language, which requires manufacturing to translate the design data they receive from one language to another. This requires them to import and possibly repair the geometry, which creates delays and increases the likelihood of errors.

ptc-creo-time-to-production
PTC Creo enables faster time-to-production and customer responsiveness.

“The design and manufacturing process is not a one-way street,” said Craig Therrien, a product portfolio manager at SolidWorks. “There are always many iterations back and forth, so every time a designer makes a change, that cycle of importing and exporting begins again. Data translations and conversions add extra steps and introduce potential errors.”

When both teams can work in parallel through an integrated design and manufacturing process, they can react faster to design changes. By using a master model with associativity, users can update their mold design, NC programs, electrodes and setup sheets every time the CAD model changes. Associativity makes design changes go faster and simple changes can be updated automatically— they don’t require reprogramming because they automatically re-adjust. More than one designer can work on the same tool at the same time, and you can start NC programming before the tool design is completed.

PTC-Creo-NC-capabilities
PTC Creo provides users with NC capabilities for mold machining.

“Seamless integration of CAM software into the design process can be a huge help in addressing time-to-market issues,” said Brian Thompson, vice president of Creo Product Management at PTC. “If the manufacturing and design engineers are working with the same data, then early visibility into any manufacturing issues is easy, and the resulting collaboration will allow the team to catch and correct manufacturability issues before they hit the production floor.”

Fully integrated CAM packages enable users to easily automate CAM to help lower costs, increase productivity and speed time to market. Because these solutions work directly with 3D CAD data, there is no need to translate or recreate designs for manufacturing, reducing the chance of errors. Many were also designed to follow more of a CAD-like workflow, making it easier for engineers to learn and use.

While integrated CAM software helps to identify manufacturing issues early in the design process, the benefits continue once products move to production. “Once the design is in production, the benefits of a single, associative data model continue,” said Thompson. “Any changes to the production design are automatically propagated into the manufacturing toolpaths, enabling incredibly quick implementation of product design changes into the manufacturing process.”

An integrated approach to CAM also greatly reduces the traditional disconnect between the two processes—design and manufacturing—by providing an integrated platform that serves the needs of both. “Communication barriers are removed with this approach and processes are smoothed out, reducing cycle times while improving quality,” said Therrien. “It also eliminates the need to import/export/repair model data, improves data accuracy, promotes concurrent design and reduces overall costs.”

HSMWorks
HSMWorks is an integrated CAM solution focused on CNC milling and CNC turning, available exclusively for SolidWorks users but is sold and supported by Autodesk.

Integrated CAM opens doors to new rapid manufacturing technologies
The combination of powerful 3D modeling, CAD-integrated CAM apps and affordable machining technologies, such as 3D printers, has created new opportunities and radically changed the way people think about design. If you can think it and design it, you can now build it.

For design engineers, 3D printing means faster turnarounds on physical prototypes, the ability to make parts that were impossible with traditional manufacturing techniques, and a way to quickly create one-off configurations for truly customized final products.

Using an integrated approach to CAM also will enable users to quickly take advantage of “next-gen” manufacturing equipment, such as new generations of hybrid additive technologies that can both build up and machine metal.

The combination of CAD-integrated CAM software and new advanced rapid manufacturing technologies packs a mean productivity punch. Not only will it help to bridge the gap between design and manufacturing teams, but will also speed time to market for new products while cutting down on errors and the costs associated with them.

Reprint info >>

Autodesk
www.autodesk.com

SolidWorks
www.solidworks.com

Siemens PLM Software
www.siemens.com

PTC
www.ptc.com

Enterprise-wide use of 3D CAD software

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Up until 2007, the Ikeda Business Group in Brazil was using a 2D graphics design software to create their mobile equipment, and agricultural and leisure product. Then Helcio Mariano Pinto was hired for coordinating the product design and development for all Ikeda divisions. He was familiar with Solid Edge software and its advanced 3D capabilities. The product was selected for use by all Ikeda employees in part because of its ease of use and processing speed.

“We quickly rolled out the software across the business units,” says Pinto. “With one or two mouse clicks, you can perform simple functions and solve a number of problems.” He said the main goal was to find software with maximum command simplicity. Information quality, project security, design reliability, and project documentation are some of the areas where the company has made gains due to the use of Solid Edge.

In 2010, Ikeda Group migrated to Solid Edge with synchronous technology. Pinto said, “The advantage of synchronous technology is the ability to work with various versions of projects quickly and simultaneously. In addition, users do not have to choose between constraint-driven or history-free modeling. They can re-use a model without programming knowledge, and data from multiple CAD systems can be leveraged immediately. We now work on three or four projects at a time. This affords greater flexibility in pursuing new projects involving agricultural implements, mobile devices, or leisure products. Depending on the complexity of a project, sometimes drafts are reay in one day rather than two weeks.”

Today, the company has six licenses of Solid Edge with synchronous technology and five licenses of Teamcenter Express, which are used for project data management and product lifecycles.

Siemens PLM Software
www.siemens.com

Leader in hydropower equipment seeks world-class advantage

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The Flovel Group is a hydropower equipment supplier that provides turnkey solutions for small- and medium-sized hydropower projects. Business units include Flovel Energy Pvt. Ltd., which specializes in the entire range of hydropower equipment and services for design, engineering, manufacturing, installation, and servicing for all heads and outputs covering all types of turbines, and TB Hydro Flovel Valves Pvt. Ltd., which designs and manufactures a variety of inlet, shut-off, regulating, and air valves for turbines.

At one point, Flovel’s management began to look for product development technology that was adept at accelerating the release of highly customized, innovative new products to market, while at the same time being able to ensure the high quality and rigorous accuracy required by its customer base.

To meets its requirements, Flovel selected  products from Siemens PLM Software including Solid Edge, Teamcenter Express, NX, and Femap with NX Nastran. Solid Edge is used for CAD to design complex turbine parts. Flovel based this decision on the software’s ability to handle sophisticated designs, 2D functionality, and sheet metal handling capabilities. Based on the successful use of Solid Edge at Flovel, the company is looking to leverage the product in other areas, including CAE, CAM, and product lifecycle management (PLM).

Using Solid Edge, Flovel has improved its overall design methodology (concept to prototype to product) and cut costs (due to a better understanding of 3D conceptual prototypes). The company cites outstanding ease of use compared to traditional approaches to design, noting that the user-friendly Solid Edge is fostering idea generation and innovation. Flovel also gives Solid Edge praise for superior searching options for making assemblies and points out that the visualization capabilities of Solid Edge measurably accelerates the handling of large assemblies.

Once Solid Edge was in place, Flovel implemented the second step in its product development initiative by adopting Teamcenter Express as its collaborative product data management (cPDM) solution. The goal was to establish a scalable cPDM solution that would facilitate collaboration between all of the key disciplines in the company’s product development operations. The procurement team selected Teamcenter Express for its visualization and collaboration capabilities, strong multi-CAD and multi-site support capabilities, and the ability to streamline the company’s design process. With Teamcenter Express, the company wanted its planning, design, engineering, and production departments to establish a synchronized engineering database with design information that users could easily access, share, and exchange on a secure and controlled basis.

Other goals for Teamcenter Express included establishing drawing number controls and materials codes, identifying the latest versions of their design information, and disseminating information in standard workflow-driven design processes. The company wanted standard, up-to-date information, such as what is contained in product catalogs, quality standards, manuals and plans, to be kept in Teamcenter Express for immediate access. Beyond this, Flovel engaged Teamcenter Express to manage released design information so that it can be leveraged by all of the company’s business units and their manufacturing operations for purposes of improving its CAM and CNC machining processes.

Flovel has extended its design process capabilities by implementing NX which is enabling designers to model difficult surfaces such as runner blades more easily. The company has also implemented Femap with NX Nastran. The intent of this deployment is CAE design optimization.

Currently, Flovel is using Femap with NX Nastran to analyze complex components. The company is performing finite element analysis (FEA) on turbine components for customized applications and operating conditions, as well as using the software to verify designs developed using conventional design tools. In addition, Flovel plans to extend its use of Teamcenter Express to other organizations and integrate the company’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system into its product development initiative.

Siemens PLM Software                       

www.siemens.com/plm

Flovel

www.flovel.com