TWS to Release AdvantEdge FEM 5.5 Next Month

Minneapolis – Third Wave Systems, Inc. will announce the upcoming release of AdvantEdge FEM version 5.5 in February of 2010. AdvantEdge FEM is a materials-based software solution for the optimization of metal cutting, and has been an innovative computer aided engineering (CAE) software package since its inception. The FEM software provides detailed information about heat flow, temperatures, stresses, and forces for machining processes.

Included in version 5.5 will be new tool and workpiece materials, as well as a variety of valuable enhancements to existing features. In addition to more than 50 GUI improvements to improve the user experience, there have been several improvements to the engine and meshing capability. Also improved is the meshing logic used, so certain changes to the setup that previously required remeshing the tool and workpiece, can now run without any additional remeshing. This should make project setups faster and easier for our users, especially those with complex project setups.

Among AdvantEdge FEM's standard features are:

* STEP, STL, VRML, and DXF tool import
* Standard and custom tool creation
* Library of 130+ workpiece materials
* User-defined material and constitutive models
* Residual stress modeling
* Temperature and stress analysis of the following processes:
o Milling (2D and 3D)
o Turning (2D and 3D)
o Drilling (3D)
o Boring (3D)
o Tapping (3D)
o Grooving (3D)
o Broaching (2D)
o Sawing (2D)

Ongoing software benefits experienced by AdvantEdge FEM users are:

* Increased material removal rates
* Improved tool life
* Predicted chip shape
* Shortened product design cycles
* Reduced trial and error testing