Siemens

Siemens releases Calibre DesignEnhancer for IC optimization

August 16, 2023 By Rachael Pasini Leave a Comment

Siemens Digital Industries Software recently introduced Calibre DesignEnhancer software, an innovative solution that enables integrated circuit (IC), place-and-route (P&R), and full-custom design teams to dramatically improve productivity, boost design quality and reduce time to market by automatically implementing “Calibre correct-by-construction” design layout modifications much earlier in the IC design and verification process.

The latest in a series of “shift left” tools for Siemens’ industry-leading Calibre nmPlatform for IC physical verification, the new Calibre DesignEnhancer tool empowers custom and digital design teams to enhance physical verification readiness by quickly and accurately optimizing their designs to reduce or eliminate voltage (IR) drop and electromigration (EM) issues. By supporting automated layout optimization during the IC design and implementation stages, the Calibre DesignEnhancer tool helps customers deliver “DRC-clean” designs to tape out faster while improving design manufacturability and circuit reliability.

Before conducting physical verification on an IC design, engineers have traditionally relied on third-party P&R tools to incorporate design for manufacturing (DFM) optimizations, often requiring multiple time-consuming runs before converging on a “DRC-clean” solution. With Siemens’ new Calibre DesignEnhancer tool, design teams can significantly shorten turnaround time and reduce EM/IR issues while preparing a layout for physical verification.

The Calibre DesignEnhancer tool currently provides three use models:

Via modification automatically analyzes layouts and inserts up to 1 million+ Calibre-clean correct-by-construction vias to reduce the impact of via resistance on EM/IR and reliability. Because these modifications are based on a thorough understanding of the layout and signoff design rules, via insertion can help customers meet their power goals without impacting performance or area metrics.
Power/ground enhancement automatically analyzes layouts and inserts Calibre nmDRC-clean vias and interconnects in open tracks to create parallel runs that can lower resistance on power/ground structures and reduce IR and EM issues associated with the power grid. Customers using the Calibre DesignEnhancer tool have achieved up to 90% reductions in IR drop issues.
Filler cell insertion optimizes the insertion of decoupling capacitor (DCAP) and filler cells required for physical verification readiness. It replaces traditional P&R filler cell insertion processes, which helps to provide better quality of results and up to 10 times faster runtimes.

“In today’s challenging IC design environment, engineering teams working at advanced nodes are struggling to optimize layouts for manufacturability and performance within the given area and project timeline constraints in which they must work,” said Michael White, senior director of Physical Verification Product Management, Calibre Design Solutions at Siemens Digital Industries Software. “By using the Calibre DesignEnhancer software, designers can bring Calibre polygonal processing speed and accuracy into play earlier in the design cycle, which can help to avoid late design cycle surprises.”

The Calibre DesignEnhancer solution uses proven technology, engines, and qualified rule decks from Calibre, all of which can help customers generate results that are correct by construction, Calibre DRC-clean, and ready for signoff verification. It can read OASIS, GDS, and LEF/DEF as input files, and output layout modifications in any combination of OASIS, GDS, or incremental DEF files, helping design teams to easily back-annotate Calibre DesignEnhancer software changes to the design database for power and timing analysis using commonly preferred tools for further analysis earlier in the design creation lifecycle.

The Calibre DesignEnhancer tool integrates with all major design and implementation environments using industry interface standards, providing a user-friendly environment that requires minimal training and setup. Calibre DesignEnhancer kits are available now for all leading foundries supporting designs from 130nm to 2nm, depending on the use model and the technology.

For more information about the Calibre DesignEnhancer tool, visit: https://eda.sw.siemens.com/en-US/ic/calibre-design/design-for-manufacturing/designenhancer/

AM progresses as EOS, Siemens intensify cooperation around industrial 3D printing

October 17, 2018 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

Bruce Jenkins | Ora Research

The race to dominate digital engineering technologies and physical production devices for additive manufacturing just took a significant step forward with a new, tighter cooperation between Siemens and EOS.

EOS, which bills itself—with considerable credibility—as “the world’s leading technology supplier in the field of industrial 3D printing of metals and polymers,” and Siemens announced an intensification of their collaboration to further accelerate additive manufacturing (AM) technology and its application across manufacturing industry. The new level of cooperation comes particularly in the areas of software, automation and drive technology, and use of AM technology:

Siemens control and drive components are part of the new EOS M 300 series for metal additive manufacturing.
EOS’ job and process management software EOSPRINT 2 now integrates into the AM module of Siemens NX 12.
Siemens will introduce an EOS P 500 system for polymer industrial 3D printing into its Additive Manufacturing Experience Center in Erlangen, Germany.

New EOS M 300 series includes Siemens automation and drive technology

EOS says it “expands its portfolio of well proven systems for metal additive manufacturing with the EOS M 300 series. The solution is an automation-ready, future-proof platform that is configurable, scalable and secure. For this, EOS also trusts in control and drive components from the Siemens comprehensive Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) portfolio.”

Said Alfons Eiterer, EOS Head of System Engineering, “EOS puts a strong focus on high quality and reliability in its new developments, while at the same time ensuring dynamical and technological progress. This is the reason we chose Siemens control technology for our new EOS M 300 series. With Siemens we can rely on proven technical components and are well prepared to handle future requirements.”

He continued, “With EOS as a strategic partner in the field of industrial 3D printing, Siemens has not only equipped the EOS M 300 series with components, but also the EOS P 500 wystem for polymer 3D printing on an industrial scale, as showcased first time at last year’s formnext fair.”

EOSPRINT driver for Siemens NX 12 integration

EOS and Siemens say EOSPRINT 2 is an “intuitive, open and productive CAM tool that allows businesses to optimize CAD data for EOS systems. Siemens NX 12 is a seamless end-to-end solution starting with design, via topology optimization and process simulation to print preparation in one user interface.” Now that an EOSPRINT driver for the Siemens NX12 AM module is available, EOSPRINT 2 functions are seamlessly integrated into Siemens’ NX Fixed Plane (Powder Bed) AM software module.

An EOSPRINT driver for the Siemens NX 12 AM module enables seamless integration of EOSPRINT 2 functions into Siemens’ NX AM Fixed Plane (Powder Bed) module software. Source: EOS GmbH

This integration, the companies say, supports Siemens’ overall additive manufacturing solution offering, which “helps to deliver an integrated and associatively linked additive manufacturing process from design to advanced 3D printing with EOS systems. As a result, engineers benefit from a quick and uninterrupted path from product idea to 3D printed part.”

EOS P-500 becomes part of Siemens Additive Manufacturing Experience Center

Siemens says it is going to extend its Additive Manufacturing Experience Center (AMEC) in Erlangen, Germany with the EOS P 500 system. The AMEC, says Siemens, “provides an excellent overview and insight into different industrial AM technologies and information about the challenging industrial requirements for AM-design, simulation and production. It also offers an interactive experience where the integrated, seamless AM chain and the AM-relevant products of Siemens are shown.”

“A fast industrialization of additive manufacturing can only be unleashed by a close cooperation of experts from a software, automation and drive-system angle with industrial 3D printing experts, as is the case with Siemens and EOS,” remarked Dr. Karsten Heuser, VP of Additive Manufacturing at Siemens AG. “We are therefore proud to move with EOS into the next level of industrialization, which will help transform additive manufacturing further from the prototyping phase into industrial serial production.”

EOS

EOSPRINT 2

EOS P 500

Additive Manufacturing Experience Center (AMEC)

New Simcenter 3D v12: Scale, depth, speed of integration progress unsurpassed

November 8, 2017 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

Bruce Jenkins | Ora Research

Siemens’ newest version of Simcenter 3D, its flagship environment for multidisciplinary computer-aided engineering, offers new comprehensive solutions across multiple simulation disciplines. Key features:

Powerful generative design workflows support fully integrated topology optimization and Convergent Modeling for efficient design and simulation.
Advanced solutions deliver on Simcenter’s strategy for structural dynamics, motion and acoustics, delivering superior functionality and performance.
Improved industry workflows include universal connections support for efficient modeling of large assemblies.

Simcenter 3D is an advanced standalone CAE application for analysts and discipline experts that works with data from any CAD source. Being built on the Siemens NX platform, it of course works seamlessly with NX CAD. With more enhancements than any previous release, the newest Simcenter 3D—part of Siemens’s Simcenter 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. See our Predictive engineering analytics: Simcenter unifies, advances Siemens PLM’s simulation/test portfolio.

Technology Results Viewer: Newly integrated workflows in Simcenter 3D v12

The new release integrates significant capabilities that were previously available in legacy simulation tools such as LMS Virtual.Lab and Samtech Samcef. Integration and expansion of these capabilities into Simcenter 3D’s unified, scalable and open environment aims to help engineers, analysts and designers improve their overall productivity, and give their organizations access to a broad yet deep array of simulation technology.

Scale, depth, speed of integration work all impress

The scope, scale, depth and—perhaps above all—swift, determined execution of Siemens’ work to intelligently integrate its many CAE-related acquisitions over the past handful of years is unsurpassed by anything comparable we can recall anywhere else in the industry. The latest Simcenter 3D release, and Siemens’ continued progress in realizing its overall Simcenter vision, is testament to the high caliber of both its technologists and its senior management—few companies in any industry can boast the same number of truly world-class executives and experts shepherding and coordinating the various Siemens PLM Software businesses and product families.

Topology optimization works seamlessly with Convergent Modeling for comprehensive generative design workflows

The latest Simcenter 3D 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.

Convergent Modeling within CAE environment.

Convergent Modeling is Siemens’ name for the ability to edit faceted bodies as if they were typical, boundary representation (b-rep) bodies in CAD. Simcenter 3D now exposes Convergent Modeling within the CAE environment, helping analysts and engineers “bring legacy FE mesh data to life,” the company says. This lets mesh data be turned into a convergent body, which can then be edited and morphed into new geometry, remeshed, then re-analyzed faster.

Key technology enabling Convergent Modeling comes from software developer Frustum Inc. See our Frustum Generate topology optimization plus 3D Systems DMP expertise slash weight of GE aircraft bracket 70%.

Generative design solutions for designers and advanced analysts

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.

Expanded NX Nastran nonlinear capabilities, advanced composites analysis from LMS Samtech Samcef

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.

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.

Hybrid modeling lets analysts incorporate physical test data into simulation models for better accuracy

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.

Leuridan: “More streamlined workflows and a broader set of simulations in support of performance engineering”

“Our Simcenter solutions deliver critical capabilities that help our customers engineer innovation into their products,” said Dr. Jan Leuridan, Siemens PLM Software senior vice president for Simulation and Test Solutions. “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.”

Simcenter 3D v12

Frustum

Design Manager, STAR-Innovate add fully integrated design exploration, optimization to Siemens’ STAR-CCM+

August 21, 2017 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

Bruce Jenkins, Ora Research

Two new, seamlessly integrated features in the latest release of Siemens’ STAR-CCM+ software for multiphysics computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation and analysis enable automated product design exploration and optimization. One is Design Manager, a capability in STAR-CCM+ version 12.04 that lets users easily explore multiple design options within their CFD simulations. The other is STAR-Innovate, built on the proven technology of HEEDS, the multidisciplinary design exploration (MDX) software that Siemens came to own through its 2016 acquisition of CD-adapco, which had previously acquired HEEDS and its developer, Red Cedar Technology. STAR-CCM+, now developed and managed by Siemens PLM Software, is part of the company’s Simcenter portfolio, a robust suite of simulation and test solutions. See our Predictive engineering analytics: Simcenter unifies, advances Siemens PLM’s simulation/test portfolio.

“I firmly believe that single-scenario engineering simulations are about to become a thing of the past,” says Siemens PLM Software senior vice president of product management Jean-Claude Ercolanelli. “If you know how to use STAR-CCM+, then you will instinctively know how to use Design Manager. This means that every engineer who installs STAR-CCM+ v12.04 can now conduct design exploration studies with ease to discover better designs, faster.”

“STAR-CCM+ is the only multiphysics CFD offering that seamlessly enables engineers to perform design exploration studies backed by an industrial-strength optimization tool like HEEDS,” Ercolanelli adds. “As a result, engineers can spend less time setting up and monitoring simulations, and more time assessing the outcomes to determine what makes good designs great. This is a game-changer.”

HEEDS: The Pro/E of design space exploration

Our firsthand research among users in global automotive, aerospace, gas turbine and other manufacturing industries confirms HEEDS is a breakthrough technology that at last makes multidisciplinary design exploration easily and readily usable by engineering discipline leads, without their having to become experts in the arcana of design space exploration (DSE) tools and methods—design of experiments, response surface models, scatter plots, Pareto frontiers, stochastic optimization, on and on. Or, as is more often the case, hire an engineering service provider with specialized expertise in DSE in order to gain access to the technology’s benefits.

Indeed, we believe it is not too much to deem HEEDS the “Pro/ENGINEER of design space exploration”—bringing to DSE the same generational leap forward that PTC’s then-revolutionary technology for parametric, feature-based 3D modeling represented over the cumbersome, not very usable or practical solids modelers available to that time. HEEDS is the first in a new wave of software tools that promise finally to bring design space exploration out of its two-decade history as a niche technology applied only in extreme situations, and at last make it a practical everyday engineering tool. Other new-generation DSE tools of this ilk include DATADVANCE pSeven, ESI MINESET, ESTECO modeFRONTIER 2016, Noesis Solutions id8, Phoenix Integration’s newest iteration of ModelCenter, and more.

Design Manager: Automating systematic exploration of designs directly within STAR-CCM+

“Companies are looking for innovative answers to today’s challenging engineering problems to differentiate themselves in the market,” Siemens notes. “Using simulation to explore what is feasible drives this innovation.” To this end, Design Manager lets users set up and automatically evaluate families of designs directly within STAR-CCM+, with capabilities for process management and product performance assessment. Included in every instance of STAR-CCM+ v12.04, Design Manager automates the systematic exploration of designs by evaluating variations in geometry and operating conditions. “It leverages the all-in-one platform, automated meshing, pipelined workflow and accurate physics in STAR-CCM+ to overcome the complexities that have historically prevented many from using CFD simulation in this way,” the company says.

STAR-Innovate add-on: Single- and multi-objective optimization studies intelligently search the design space

The optional STAR-Innovate add-on lets users “take it one step further and perform single- and multi-objective optimization studies to intelligently search the design space using the same time-tested and proven technology found in HEEDS,” Siemens says. The software also provides stochastic analysis to help engineers determine the sensitivity of their simulation predictions to small changes in input parameters, such as manufacturing tolerances on a critical dimension or fluctuations in boundary-condition values.

“Design exploration cannot be a luxury anymore; it needs to be part of the standard engineering process”

As STAR-CCM+ product manager Bahaa Haddoukessouni writes in an illuminating blog post: “For years, simulation has been used with tremendous success to reduce engineering time and costs through validation and troubleshooting. Digital design exploration, however, is often seen as a luxury that cannot be afforded due to the investment needed in purchasing, learning and deploying optimization tools. With today’s business pressures you need to explore the design space early in the engineering process to discover innovative products faster and meet your customer’s expectations. Design exploration cannot be a luxury anymore; it needs to be part of the standard engineering process—and that means removing the barrier to entry that has so long existed.”

“That is why I’m pleased to announce the release of Design Manager,” she continues. “With a single click in STAR-CCM+ you can now create a design exploration project. Without needing any additional licenses, you can get started with any parameter sweep study and access the power of automation. With a single click in STAR-CCM+ you can now create a design exploration project. Without needing any additional licenses, you can get started with any parameter sweep study and access the power of automation. And you know the nice thing? It is part of STAR-CCM+! Meaning you are already familiar with the workflow and you get access to all the important technologies in STAR-CCM+ enabling design exploration.

“What if you want to expand to intelligent optimization? Design Manager gives you access to our best-in-class optimization technology embedded in STAR-CCM+ with the STAR-Innovate add-on license. Traditional methods require you to be an optimization expert to choose and tune algorithms to search an unknown design space. Our hybrid and adaptive approach uses a blend of algorithms to automatically overcome this obstacle.

Visual results investigations with Design Manager.

“But running exploration studies means handling large amounts of data, right? Design Manager makes it so easy to quickly browse through designs that you won’t feel limited at all. You can investigate differences and compare different variants of one exploration project or even different projects at once in the same interface. Interactive 3D scene files, synchronized views and interactive tables and plots bring you a new level of interactivity to more deeply analyze your results.”

HEEDS

STAR-CCM+

Dongbu Daewoo Electronics selects software from Siemens

April 28, 2017 By Mike Santora Leave a Comment

Dongbu Daewoo Electronics, a consumer electronics manufacturer in Korea, has selected NX software, from Siemens’ product lifecycle management (PLM) software business, to help develop a wider range of more efficient and eco-friendly products.

Replacing its previous system with NX, Siemens’ flagship solution for integrated computer-aided design, manufacturing and engineering (CAD/CAM/CAE), Dongbu Daewoo Electronics can apply various design methods, enabling them to enhance competitiveness by improving design quality and shortening product development time. Implementing NX should also prepare the company to expand into various fields such as medical equipment, office devices and kitchen appliances. By expanding their electronic product portfolio, Dongbu Daewoo Electronics hopes to reinforce its position as a leading high-tech electronics company.

Replacing its legacy CAD software with NX is expected to help Dongbu Daewoo Electronics establish a fully integrated 3D product development process, providing seamless integration with its digital lifecycle management solution for efficient CAD data management. Dongbu Daewoo Electronics selected Siemens PLM Software, not only for its robust technology and diverse best practices, but for its solid technical support.

Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Digital Factory Division, is a global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) and manufacturing operations management (MOM) software, systems and services with over 15 million licensed seats and more than 140,000 customers worldwide.

Siemens
www.siemens.com/plm

Version 14 of TIA Portal is here

December 19, 2016 By Leslie Langnau Leave a Comment

Version 14 (V14) of the Totally Integrated Automation (TIA) Portal shortens the time to market for machine manufacturers. This package focuses on diagnostics, virtual commissioning and multi-users. The technology update has enhanced energy management and motion control, cloud connectivity, and digital twin for virtual commissioning.

Cloud-based engineering helps users access the ‘plant controller’ from their private cloud with the TIA Portal Cloud Connector. Cloud-based engineering can also be accessed through MindSphere for additional digital services.

Version 14 new features include:

–PLCSim Advanced, with interfaces to simulation software, such as Plant Simulation and Process Simulate. A Simatic S7-1500 controller can be simulated as a digital twin with PLCSim Advanced.

–New interface for product data management in Teamcenter. The user can easily create model-based programs with a new interface to Matlab/Simulink.

–Extended motion control functions and applications within the S7-1500 controller family. The Simatic S7-1500 T-CPUs help Simatic users solve advanced motion control tasks, such as gearing and camming, in a familiar environment.

–A multi-user function has been added for decentralized work concepts. These concepts include automatic synchronization and the facilitation of device, object, and function-based organization of automation tasks. Parameter assignment and evaluation of the 3VA molded-case circuit breaker and the 7KM PAC series of measuring instruments are also new features of the TIA Portal V14. This simplifies acquisition of energy values for the infeed system, electrical outputs and individual loads.

–The ProDiag option offers detailed plant and machine monitoring with minimal configuration and visualization costs. Support is provided with automated code generation and HMI synchronization functions. WinCC/WebUX help monitor plant processes and control them through the Internet or intranet with mobile HMI devices, such as tablet PCs and smartphones. The process data are available worldwide for easy access to the machine.

–The Simatic Energy Suite makes it easy to assign parameters and evaluate many measuring components. It increases the transparency of energy flows and helps to save energy in accordance with ISO 50001.

Siemens Corp.
Industry.usa.siemens.com

Siemens PLM connection americas 2016

May 16, 2016 By Mike Santora Leave a Comment

Siemens introduces Catchbook software, a new drawing and tracing app for tablets and smartphones that converts freehand drawings into accurate 2D designs. The new app provides a simple and intuitive user interface that works with both touch and stylus enabled Android, iOS and Windows operating system devices. Catchbook was designed to be a digital version of the proverbial napkin sketch, the birthplace of many amazing inventions – and even more home remodeling projects. Catchbook can be used to simply sketch ideas, just as one would do using pencil and paper, yet it’s smart enough to create precise, to-scale drawings that can be used for planning and construction. Even better, the drawings are completely editable via simple push and pull, making Catchbook far more powerful than any piece of paper. Developed by Siemens’ product lifecycle management (PLM) software business,

Catchbook was designed to be a digital version of the proverbial napkin sketch, the birthplace of many amazing inventions – and even more home remodeling projects. Catchbook can be used to simply sketch ideas, just as one would do using pencil and paper, yet it’s smart enough to create precise, to-scale drawings that can be used for planning and construction. The drawings are completely editable through push and pull, making Catchbook more powerful. Developed by Siemens’ product lifecycle management (PLM) software business, Catchbook is built on the company’s industrial sketching technology.

Catchbook gives users the ability to draw freely, or import an image or photograph and sketch over it to add details. Users rarely have to activate a menu or command. Instead, everything focuses on direct interaction with a finger or stylus. While there are many apps on the market that facilitate artistic visual representations, Catchbook is the only app that converts freehand sketching into mathematical curves representing precise drawings. Catchbook combines the simplicity of freehand sketching with the power of computer-aided design (CAD). It helps users create accurate CAD-compatible representations of their ideas.

Beneath its intuitive user interface, Catchbook employs some of the same technology used in most of the world’s leading CAD applications. Siemens’ D-Cubed software component works behind the scenes as a 2D geometric constraint solving tool to capture and preserve relationships between geometry. This is what enables users to interactively manipulate Catchbook drawings. These drawings can be shared directly via social media or email, or exported as images. Users can also directly export drawings as a sketch to virtually any graphic design or commercial CAD system including, Siemens’ NX software and Solid Edge software.
For information on Catchbook, please visit www.catchbook.com.

Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Digital Factory Division, is a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) and manufacturing operations management (MOM) software, systems and services with over 15 million licensed seats and more than 140,000 customers worldwide. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Siemens PLM Software works collaboratively with its customers to provide industry software solutions that help companies everywhere achieve a sustainable competitive advantage by making real the innovations that matter.

Siemens
www.siemens.com/plm

Mobile Apps for Designers and Engineers on the Go

January 15, 2015 By Barb Schmitz 1 Comment

Mobile apps for consumers have proliferated over the past several years, becoming somewhat of an ubiquitous part of our everyday lives. We think nothing of checking weather updates, movie schedules, and bank balances while we’re on the move, so why has it taken so long for mobile apps to hit big when it comes to engineering and manufacturing?

Certainly there’s an opportunity for vendors to offer apps for engineers that improve their mobility and offer access to at least some of the same tools they would have in the office. I wrote a blog post, Is CAD Becoming More Portable? in late 2013. Since then, however, it doesn’t seem like a lot of progress has been made on the CAD mobility front.

While this might be true, there are still many handy mobile tools and apps that engineers can use on a daily basis to capture ideas and concepts, view drawings and models, and collaborate with other stakeholders.

In a blog on the topic of mobile apps for engineers, written by David Chadwick of Siemens, he discusses how maintenance engineers would find it useful to have spare parts catalogs available on mobile devices. They could find the correct spare part, check if it was in their stores, and if not order the part immediately, all while working in a remote part of the factory.

Fortunately such technology now exists. CADENAS’ PARTsolutions software offers direct mobile access to more than 600 certified standard parts catalogs from international manufacturers on both iOS and Android mobile devices.

Chadwick believes that the increasing availability of mobile apps for designers and engineers will have a big impact on their productivity and effectiveness. For manufacturing organizations, this could include the product designer being able to rapidly retrieve 3D models and drawings of products when on the shop floor to help solve a problem that has been encountered in the manufacturing process.

For field engineers being able to quickly access specifications and drawings for a machine that they are installing at a remote site. When traveling designers can have access to their design information and can answer questions and progress their projects when they are waiting at an airport or riding on a train. When meeting with suppliers and customers, the immediate availability of design data can help them to resolve issues immediately instead of having to first return to the office to find the information they need.

Mobile apps for engineers

While this is not a comprehensive list, here are a few mobile apps that are worth checking out for engineers on the go.

* Sketchbook Mobile. This affordable professional drawing and painting tool is a good starting point when ideas arise while you’re in the field. Available on Android and iOS.

* Autodesk AutoCAD 360. This DWG file viewer allows users to view, edit, and share their 3D models with others using the iPhone or iPad. This app is probably the most downloaded of the CAD viewer apps with more than 5 million installs on the Android platform alone. It’s available on Android and iOS.

* ForceEffect. Also from Autodesk, this app allows users to simulate design concepts on the spot. It does all the heavy lifting (simulation and calculations) on the mobile device. This makes it easy to simulate design options during the concept phase for easy validation.

Autodesk's ForceEffect allows you to create a design, give it a set of supports, introduce forces upon it, see how other forces come into play and how changing that design changes those forces. — Autodesk’s ForceEffect allows you to create a design, give it a set of supports, introduce forces upon it, see how other forces come into play and how changing that design changes those forces.

* GrabCAD. For anybody using GrabCAD Workbench, this mobile app provides access to both the GrabCAD public library and your private projects stored on the GrabCAD Workbench. View models, comment, create projects, and get update notifications–all from your Android or iPhone/iPad.

* Engineering Unit Converter is popular, with more than 100,000 installs and many happy customer reviews. The best part? The app uses less than 1 MB of space on your system. The downside? It’s only available for Android.

* Solid Edge Mobile Viewer. Download this new Windows 8.1 app for free from the Windows Store to view 3D part and assembly models, and 2D drawings that were created using Solid Edge. Available for iOS and Android as well.

* eDrawings Pro. This app works with SolidWorks, DWG and DWF (DraftSight) files. Users can view different model configurations, drawings and exploded views for different representations. Images can be rotated, zoomed, and minimized to measure distances in relation to the model. Users can make connotations, markups, and cross-section views while taking photos and snapshots, which can then be emailed for others to view.

The newest version of eDrawings Pro lets users see their 3D models in a real-world setting through augmented reality. The app takes the 3D model and places it in position anywhere the user wants simply by turning on a mobile device camera.

* Engineering Cookbook. Provides access to frequently needed information, including HVAC load estimates, design formulas, conversion factors, and sound and system design guidelines. Available on Android and iOS.

* Engineering Handbook Lite. Similar to the Engineering Cookbook but also offers materials classifications and engineering components, which allow users to calculate maximum/minimum values from things such as a hole to a shaft and back again. A mechanics feature allows users to view the formulas for gear drives and their dimensions, which is especially convenient when using a 3D printer to fabricate parts.

Are there any mobile apps for engineers that I didn’t list that you are using and loving? If so, please share them in the comment section below.

Barb Schmitz

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

Siemens Forms Partnership to Help Customers Automate Engineer-to-Order Processes

June 27, 2014 By Barb Schmitz Leave a Comment

Manufacturers are under the gun increasingly today to develop more customized products for customers. Also referred to as “mass customization,” creating products with specific functionality for special niches of customers is at odds with traditional mass production methods that have been in place for years. In order to respond, companies must adapt and change both their internal design processes as well as the way in which they manufacture products.

Siemens and Tata Consultancy Services, a leading IT services and consulting company, have joined forces to create a new joint software and services solution for automating complex Engineer-to-Order (ETO) processes. The solution will be called ETO2Win and it leverages TCS’s domain expertise and Siemens’ Rulestream software.

ETO2Win is designed to capture, manage and reuse corporate intellectual property to automate engineering processes for manufacturers. ETO2Win addresses business challenges faced by ETO manufacturers by streamlining business processes associated with custom-built products, improving proposal accuracy and win rates, and enhancing the predictability of costs, margins and on-time delivery.

Siemens forms an alliance with TCS, an IT consultancy, to create a joint solution for Engineer-to-Order processes.

“Siemens’ powerful ETO software technology, combined with TCS’ proven ETO process framework, provides our customers with an enterprise-level solution for accelerating sales and order engineering processes for custom products,” said Caroll Jarvis, vice president, Global Alliance Sales, Siemens PLM Software. “This innovative software and services approach has created a comprehensive solution that reduces implementation time and risk, ultimately yielding a faster return on our customers’ PLM investment and helping to improve the bottom-line.”

A large and growing number of manufacturing industry segments, including power generation, HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), fluid flow technologies, heavy equipment, machinery, and the automotive and aerospace supply base employ ETO business processes.

The increasing demand for customized or customer-specific product configurations creates a common set of challenges for these companies. There is constant competitive pressure for ETO manufacturers to increase the number, accuracy and win rate of their bids, while reducing order engineering lead time and optimizing resource utilization in manufacturing.

Rulestream addresses the unique challenges faced by ETO manufacturers with a comprehensive solution spanning sales, engineering and manufacturing. By capturing engineering knowledge and using it to automate key business processes across the enterprise, ETO2Win, with Rulestream and TCS’ ETO process framework and best practices, streamlines the inquiry-to-quote and order-to-release processes for even the most complex products, enabling manufacturers to sell according to their engineering and manufacturing capabilities.

To find out more on the Siemens PLM Software and TCS alliance, click here.

Barb Schmitz