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Feb 24, 2010

Geometric releases NestLib 2010 R1 with advanced optimization functionalities for inventory management and sheet metal punching

Mumbai - Geometric Limited today announced the release of NestLib® 2010 R1 with improvements in material utilization for sheet metal punching and inventory management.

NestLib is one of the most successful nesting software library in the market, focused on optimizing two dimensional packaging. It has been licensed by over 90 independent software vendors and original equipment manufacturers worldwide.

This latest release of NestLib incorporates a number of new features, several important fixes and updates, as well as performance improvement measures. Some of the most important additions include:

- Multiple Corner nesting and Inventory Forecasting support with edge matching feature to increase material utilization, and thereby reduce material cost for the wood working industry

- User controls advancements like run time local area selection for every orientation of a part in Common Punch module. This feature will assist punch machine users to control the nesting of a specific part in the entire nested layout

- Nesting reports in PDF format can be directly generated from the NestLib evaluation program. This will allow customers to store the nested reports on their computers for easy reference and sharing

- Inventory Forecasting module that identifies the best sheet size to be used for a given order, can now be used for orders with different part materials and thickness

NestLib is recognized as one of the fastest and most efficient nesting libraries. It provides matchless, high speed, and powerful algorithms for fully automated True Shape nesting.

The NestLib portfolio consists of a base module and a set of optional advanced modules, each of which provides specialized functionality. These include:

- Shear nesting module for saw parts requiring end to end cutting

- Common Punch module specially designed for parts to be cut using punching machines

- Leather nesting module for leather parts with different quality patterns

- Remnant generation module for automatic remnant creation after nesting

- Tube nesting module for tube cutting and pipe cutting

- Common Cut module for nesting adjacent parts such that they share a common flame path

NestLib is available as a static library, Dynamic linked library (DLL), and COM DLL. It also supports Java and .NET framework. NestLib is available for 32 -bit and 64 -bit Microsoft Windows OS as well as for Sun Solaris and Linux platforms. It can be ported to Mac OS on demand. NestLib also supports multi-core computing for both dual core and quad core computers.

Kaman Anticipates Cutting Ply Development Time for Composite Helicopter Blades by Almost 80% with FiberSIM® Software

Aerospace company expects that VISTAGY’s composites engineering software will also enable it to reduce average part layup time by almost 40%.

WALTHAM, Mass — VISTAGY, Inc., a provider of industry-specific engineering software and services, today announced that Kaman Helicopters, a division of Kaman Aerospace Corporation (NASDAQ-GS: KAMN) has entered into an agreement to license FiberSIM® composites engineering software. The software will be used to streamline the design–to–manufacturing process for large composite helicopter blades by providing early visibility into producibility challenges and facilitating a smooth hand-off of composite manufacturing data to the shop floor.

Based upon an extensive evaluation, Kaman estimates that FiberSIM will enable the firm to reduce ply development time from 180 to 40 hours, a savings of 78 percent, and average part layup time from 32 to 20 hours, a savings of 38 percent.

Kaman Helicopters, which is an OEM and provider of rotor blades and major subcontract assemblies, components and detail parts, will leverage VISTAGY’s industry-leading composites expertise by employing its professional services organization to help develop and implement best practices for standardizing composites development processes. Kaman Helicopters is using FiberSIM within its Siemens NX computer-aided-design (CAD) system. FiberSIM is completely integrated into major 3D commercial CAD systems to provide powerful functionality specifically for developing products made of advanced composite materials.

Kaman Helicopters selected FiberSIM because defining ply flat patterns for each ply in a composite design was simply taking too much time. By implementing FiberSIM, the firm expects to significantly reduce the hours required for ply development and layup, streamline its manufacturing process, and eventually eliminate the use of Mylar patterns. Kaman Helicopters is using the software to define flat patterns as well as generate data to drives its laser projection system. Two different suppliers of laser projection equipment recommended VISTAGY to Kaman Helicopters.

“Working with composites is extremely time-consuming and tedious,” said Tim Bates, general manager of Kaman Helicopters’ Blade Center of Excellence and Subcontract Product Group. “By adopting FiberSIM, we expect to be able to automate non-value added tasks to achieve significant productivity gains, improve overall part quality and repeatability and increase our throughput. VISTAGY’s role as the leader in composites engineering for aerospace was also a critical factor in our decision to work with them.”

“We’re pleased to be working with one of the leading suppliers to the helicopter industry,” said Steve Peck, VISTAGY’s director of product marketing and strategy for aerostructures. “By implementing FiberSIM and taking advantage of our professional services’ team vast experience in aerospace, we’re confident that Kaman Helicopters will enhance its productivity so it can meet its business goals.”

Lattice Technology And Kubotek USA Announce Partner Agreement

Companies to Leverage Synergistic Applications for the Manufacturing Supply Chain.

San Francisco, CA— Lattice Technology® Inc., developers of digital manufacturing applications using the XVL® format, and Kubotek® USA, leaders in geometry-based 3D engineering software, today announced the completion of a new partner agreement. The agreement means both companies will work together to jointly market and sell their compatible 3D software products for the design-to-manufacture process.

Kubotek and Lattice Technology have come together to complement and strengthen each other’s comprehensive suite of 3D software product offerings. As independent companies with world-class digital manufacturing solutions, Kubotek and Lattice Technology will offer design-to-manufacture solutions that leverage 3D data through design, engineering, manufacturing and the supply chain. Customers will also see an increased joint presence of both companies at industry trade shows and events.

Kubotek’s Validation Tool™ is the leading PLM solutions tool for precise geometric CAD model comparison. Validation Tool is implemented in Aerospace, Automotive and other industries to validate and document intended and unintended changes in CAD and PMI data.

Lattice Technology Inc., sets the standard for digital mock up and technical documentation software in the manufacturing enterprise. With Lattice Technology Solutions, engineers can seamlessly and accurately perform design review, design processes, simulate assembly processes, create work instructions, illustrations and mBOMs/sBOMs direct from 3D data. Solutions include XVL Studio, Lattice3D Reporter and XVL Web Master.

“This agreement makes perfect sense since many of our customers are concerned about how to best leverage 3D data throughout the design-to-manufacture chain to achieve greater productivity and efficiency,” said Bob Bean, Executive Vice President, Kubotek USA. “While Kubotek provides world-class 3D Direct Modeling and PLM solution tools such as CAD file validation and comparison, Lattice Technology Solutions deliver seamless use of that 3D data for highly accurate process design, simulation, assembly design, and creation of documents for use across the manufacturing operation.”

“Kubotek’s best-in-class software products are a perfect fit for the Lattice Technology Solutions,” said Bill Barnes, General Manager, Lattice Technology Inc. “With this partnership, manufacturers now have access to an easily-implemented workflow for 3D data that extends across the entire enterprise. We are getting more and more demand from our customers for best in class solutions and by working with partners like Kubotek we can help deliver what they need.”

Tech Soft 3D announces First Ever Customer Gathering at COFES

BERKELEY, CA - Tech Soft 3D (TS3D), a provider of 3D component technology to the engineering software industry, today announced its first ever Customer Meeting on April 15 at COFES -- The Congress on the Future of Engineering Software -- in Scottsdale, Arizona.

"Like COFES, this event will be tailored to the interests of senior executives," says TS3D CEO Ron Fritz. "There are significant changes occurring in areas such as application architectures, customer expectations and market dynamics. We'll be talking about these trends and what we're doing to help our customers stay ahead of the curve -- as well as the competition."

Attendees can expect to hear about the key capabilities in version 18 of the HOOPS 2D/3D graphics engine and how these can be used to strategic advantage. Tech Soft will also review the HOOPS product road map and how it fits with technology trends in the engineering software industry. The meeting will also be the exclusive platform for other exciting TS3D announcements.

Tech Soft 3D has made arrangements with COFES to extend an invitation to those interested in attending this Tech Soft 3D event. Contact Ron Fritz ( Email Contact) for details. The event will be from 1-3 p.m. at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort, Las Palmas Room "A."

"Talking makes us thirsty -- so there just might be a round on us if you make it through the full two hours," added Fritz.

EZ-MES to be Be Used by HP Labs for Controlling Production in Their Flexible Display Manufacturing Line in Palo Alto, CA

MONROVIA, Calif — EazyWorks LLC, a developer of software applications for high tech manufacturing companies, announced that Hewlett Packard Corporation has selected EZ-MES, their manufacturing execution system, to support the manufacturing of flexible displays.

HP has developed an award winning manufacturing process for self-aligned imprint lithography, which uses 3D imprint lithography to define electronic circuitry on large rolls of thin plastic. This allows the creation of fine circuit geometries on thin and flexible substrates without expensive alignment steps. While developing this process, HP needed to implement a complex manufacturing control system, which would allow them to track material through the manufacturing process, collect process related data and then quickly modify the process as it was being developed.

“As we ramp our manufacturing capabilities, a manufacturing execution system is critical for us to adhere to high-quality standards while remaining cost conscious. After an extensive evaluation, EZ-MES was selected because we found it to be the most flexible product for making the constant changes necessary to support an evolving manufacturing process, plus it was the most cost effective. An unexpected benefit was its ability to easily handle remote access in a secure IT environment,” said Carl Taussig, the Director of the Information Surfaces Lab for HP Palo Alto.

By selecting the browser based product, HP was able to have their one-man implementation team work with the EazyWorks support staff to have a fully functional MES implementation up and running in approximately two weeks. Marcel van der Vliet, CEO for EazyWorks, stated, “During the evaluation HP challenged us to prove EZ-MES could meet their requirements, then after making the selection, they asked us to support a rapid implementation. It was definitely a challenge and I’m glad we were able to meet and hopefully exceed their expectations. In addition, we are extremely excited to add a customer the size and stature of HP to our client base.”

Cyon Research opens Spring 2010 survey of firms that use engineering software

Survey focuses on business outlook at firms that use CAD, CAE, PDM, PLM, and BIM software.

Bethesda, MD - Cyon Research Corporation, a leading provider of analysis and consulting for engineering technology markets, today announced the opening of its Spring 2010 Survey. The survey is open to employees of any firm that uses CAD, CAE, PDM, PLM, and/or BIM software for design, engineering, manufacturing, and or construction.

The focus of this latest Cyon Research survey is on business outlook. Initial survey results will be presented at COFES (http://cofes.com) April, with the detailed report published shortly this summer. The final report will be available for purchase from Cyon Research for $2,000.

Cyon Research is currently processing data from its Fall 2009 survey, which should be published in April.

Respondents from qualifying firms—firms that use engineering software, as mentioned above—can receive the survey at no cost.

The survey is available at: http://cyonresearch.com/survey

Cyon Research is also making the survey available in Russian (http://cyonresearch.com/s/Russian) and Chinese (http://cyonresearch.com/s/Chinese).

Ski Manufacturer - Kneissl Tirol Reduces Development Time by 50 percent with SolidWorks CAD and Simulation Software

Haar near Munich - Racers in the new Olympic sport of ski cross need fast, maneuverable, and robust skis to navigate the waves, curves, and jumps on the course. With a customized race ski from Kneissl Tirol, Australian Sarah Sauvey will start for the British ski cross team at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. Kneissl designs its skis with SolidWorks® CAD software. Since switching to SolidWorks software, the company reduced the development time of its skis by nearly 50 percent.

The development and building of skis have a long tradition at Kneissl. In 1919, Franz Kneissl, the founder of the company, produced the first ski in the series. Today, the company provides skis that combine man, nature, and high quality standards regarding technology and product performance.

Kneissl has been one of Sauvey’s official sponsors since 2008. Sauvey’s race ski has been developed specifically for her. Unlike other manufacturers, Kneissl offers this customization, which may consist of up to 20 components and do not go into series production.

"Our 2D software was no longer sufficient, especially for the data transfer to the external service providers we employ for the five-axis machining. That became more and more critical," said Max Eppensteiner, product development at Kneissl Tirol. “SolidWorks helps us communicate with our suppliers and customers.”

Since their deployment of 3D, Kneissl benefits from a shorter development time, which leads to more creativity and better quality designs. “SolidWorks provides a complete set of tools that we need for our daily work,” said Eppensteiner. “We’re now using SolidWorks Simulation, which helped us improve the quality of our products even more efficiently.” Use of SolidWorks also contributed to a reduction of prototyping and development of more innovative products. Kneissl has begun to use SolidWorks for other design projects, such as small machines and devices.

“Kneissl is an excellent example of business success through excellent design,” said Uwe Burk, country manager central Europe at Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. “We are proud that SolidWorks products were able to help in that effort and look forward to watching Sarah Sauvey also pursue success in the Olympics!”

Kneissl relies on SolidWorks reseller planetsoftware for implementation, training and maintenance.

Arena Solutions Celebrates 10th year of offering enterprise-class BOM and Change Management Software in the Cloud

FOSTER CITY, CA - Arena Solutions, a provider of on-demand software that helps small and mid-size manufacturers manage their complex and constantly changing product record, today announced that this month marks the company's 10th year of offering enterprise-class bill of materials (BOM) and change management software in the cloud. Informed by a decade of experience, Arena now makes it easier than ever for companies to get started with Arena, helping the average new customer get up and running, with its data in the system, in less than five days.

Arena Solutions (then known as bom.com) incorporated in February 2000, signed its first pilot customers months later and rolled out the Arena application to the wider market in June 2001. In 10 years the company has issued 53 major releases of its software and hundreds of minor releases. And because Arena is an on-demand, cloud-based system, every upgrade is automatically available to every single Arena customer as soon as it is released.

"I'm proud to look back and say that we're doing exactly what we set out to do," said Eric Larkin, co-founder and chief technology officer of Arena Solutions. "When we were getting started, we encountered a lot of skepticism about our plans to offer software in the cloud. Although other on-demand software providers like salesforce.com and NetSuite (then NetLedger) were getting started then, no one had yet proved that businesses would accept software-as-a-service (SaaS) in any significant numbers. But we were convinced that companies were ready for the unmatched advantages of on-demand enterprise applications -- benefits like rapid deployments; automatic upgrades; no software, hardware or IT investment; and a low total cost of ownership (TCO). The cloud was also the only way to offer the core functionality that makes Arena both unique and extremely valuable: true out-of-the box collaboration between manufacturers and their global supply chains. We may have been a little bit ahead of our time 10 years ago, but proof of on-demand acceptance has come since then: customers have adopted, on-demand software providers have succeeded, traditional software companies like Microsoft have pushed into the cloud and financial institutions like Goldman Sachs have acknowledged an ' unstoppable shift to SaaS.'"

Thousands of users have put Arena to the test over the last decade, with customers' employees, partners and suppliers logging in more than 12.2 million times to manage vast amounts of product data. Arena customers have collaborated with their manufacturing partners to develop 665,000 assemblies in the system and manage the 2.75 million different parts, subassemblies and other items that get used across those assemblies. Arena customers have used 155,000 suppliers and their 2.2 million different parts, and they've managed 1.7 million datasheets, assembly instructions, training records and other documents to support new product development (NPD), new product introduction (NPI) and the rest of the product design and manufacturing process. Arena has ensured the constant availability of its service throughout that time by delivering 99.98% lifetime uptime and allowing less than four minutes of unscheduled downtime in the last year.

The value companies derive from Arena can be seen in the results. On average, Arena customers design products 35% faster -- and reduce the cost of those products by 18%. They also see gains like 75% faster change order cycle times, 22% savings in change management and outsourcing costs and 20% faster time to revenue. Those benefits add up and pay off, propelling Arena customers to achieve product wins, company growth and successful outcomes. Many companies become Arena customers as young start-ups and then grow into public companies or prized acquisition targets. In the last few years alone, IPOs and purchases of Arena customers by companies like Philips, Cisco and EMC have generated more than $4.5 billion for those customers and their investors and owners.

Delcam Philadelphia/PartMaker User Conference Postponed to March 4, 2010 due to Inclement Weather on East Coast

The previously scheduled Delcam Philadelphia/PartMaker User Conference has been rescheduled to March 4, 2010 due to inclement weather on the east coast.

Delcam has recently expanded its presence on the East Coast of the United States by investing into a larger, more modern facility in the Philadelphia area for its PartMaker Inc subsidiary. Coincident with this move to the larger site, Delcam’s Philadelphia-area office will now also be adding PowerMILL and PowerSHAPE to their range of products that are offered, in the Mid-Atlantic area, including Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.

To mark this expansion, Delcam will be hosting a grand opening event on Thursday March 4, 2010 (Previously scheduled for February 25, 2010), where customers, partners and prospective customers are invited to the new facility to learn more about the massive improvements in PartMaker Version 2010 and the future direction of PartMaker, and get an introduction to the PowerMILL, Delcam’s industry-leading CAM solution for the manufacture of complex shapes typically found in the toolmaking, automotive, medical device and aerospace industries. PowerMILL’s features include a wide range of strategies, including the latest high-efficiency roughing, high-speed finishing and 5-axis machining techniques, exceptionally fast calculation times and powerful editing tools to ensure optimum performance on the machine tool.

Visitors can register for this event at http://www.partmaker.com/grand_opening

Commenting on the new facility, PartMaker Inc. President, Hanan Fishman, said, "This move to a larger site will put us in a stronger position to take advantage of the recovery in manufacturing that we expect to see during this year. Despite the downturn, Delcam has continued to maintain the largest development team in the CAM industry. Visitors to our opening event will be able to see the benefits this team is bringing to our users, allowing them to increase their productivity and profitability.”

Microdesk becomes Autodesk Seek Content Service Provider

Microdesk to help building product manufacturers build and publish 3D models to the Autodesk Seek web service.

NASHUA, N.H — AECO industry consultant and Autodesk Gold Partner, Microdesk, Inc., has become an Autodesk Seek Content Service Provider. As a Provider, Microdesk will begin contributing 2D and 3D models of building products to the Autodesk Seek web service so they can be used in the Building Information Modeling (BIM) process.

Autodesk Seek allows design professionals to search for specific building product manufacturer design files, such as ceiling systems, ductwork, doors, chairs, or even trees, directly from their Autodesk design applications or via a web browser. These 3D models, 2D drawings, visual images, or part and product specifications can then be integrated directly into building designs helping designers make more accurate decisions earlier in the design process.

"Microdesk has been creating BIM content for years," said Jody Reynolds, Director of Technical Specialists for Microdesk. "By formalizing our relationship and becoming an authorized Autodesk Seek Content Service Provider, we now have the opportunity to increase the value we provide to architects, engineers and building product manufacturers by distributing the high quality components we have and will continue to build."

Microdesk's designation as a Seek Content Service Provider benefits the building product manufacturers whose products are modeled and featured in Seek. A manufacturer's product that is "designed in" at the project's outset can lead to earlier product selection and higher sales. This allows building product manufacturers to become more integrated into the BIM process by increasing collaboration with the project team from design through construction.

Cimatron Reports Non-GAAP Net Profit of $1 Million in the Fourth Quarter of 2009

$1.3 million positive cash flow from operations in 2009.

Givat Shmuel, Israel – Cimatron Limited today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2009.

The following provides details on Cimatron’s GAAP and non-GAAP results for the fourth quarter and full year 2009:
GAAP:

Revenues for the fourth quarter of 2009 were $9.8 million, compared to $10.4 million recorded in the fourth quarter of 2008. In the full year ended December 31, 2009, revenues were $33 million, compared to $41 million in 2008.

Gross Profit for the fourth quarter of 2009 was $8 million as compared to $8.3 million for the same period in 2008. Gross margin in the fourth quarter of 2009 was 82% of revenues, compared to a gross margin of 79% in the fourth quarter of 2008. In 2009, gross profit was $26.8 million, compared to $33.2 million in 2008. Gross margin in 2009 constituted 81% of revenues, reflecting no change relative to 2008.

Operating Profit in the fourth quarter of 2009 was $773 thousand, compared to an operating profit of $652 thousand in the fourth quarter of 2008. In 2009, Cimatron recorded an operating loss of $(957) thousand, compared to an operating profit of $526 thousand in 2008.

Net Profit for the fourth quarter of 2009 was $1.4 million, or $0.15 per diluted share, compared to a net profit of $706 thousand, or $0.08 per diluted share recorded for the same quarter of 2008.
In 2009, net profit was $14 thousand, or $0.00 per diluted share, compared to a net profit of $724 thousand, or $0.08 per diluted share, in 2008.

Non-GAAP:

Revenues on a non-GAAP basis for the fourth quarter of 2009 were $9.8 million, compared to $10.5 million recorded for the fourth quarter of 2008. In the full year ended December 31, 2009, revenues were $33 million, compared to $41.8 million in 2008.

Gross Profit on a non-GAAP basis for the fourth quarter of 2009 was $8.2 million as compared to $8.5 million for the same period in 2008. Gross margin in the fourth quarter of 2009 was 84% of revenues, compared to 81% in the fourth quarter of 2008. In 2009, gross profit on a non-GAAP basis was $27.4 million, compared to $34.6 million in 2008. Gross margin on a non-GAAP basis in 2009 constituted 83% of revenues, reflecting no change relative to 2008.

Operating Profit on a non-GAAP basis in the fourth quarter of 2009 was $1 million, compared to an operating profit of $977 thousand in the fourth quarter of 2008. In 2009, Cimatron recorded an operating profit of $31 thousand, compared to operating profit of $2.3 million in 2008.

Net Profit on a non-GAAP basis for the fourth quarter of 2009 was $955 thousand, or $0.10 per diluted share, compared to net profit of $553 thousand, or $0.06 per diluted share recorded in the same quarter of 2008. In 2009, net profit was $46 thousand, or $0.01 per diluted share, compared to net profit of $2.2 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, in 2008.

Commenting on the results, Danny Haran, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cimatron, said “We are very pleased with the fourth quarter results. The combination of higher revenues (relative to previous quarters in 2009) and continued tight budget control has resulted in a strong bottom line in the fourth quarter, and positive cash flow for the entire year. 2009 was one of the toughest years for our industry, ever. In spite of a steep drop in global demand, we were able to generate a significant amount of cash in 2009, and even show small non-GAAP operating and net profits for the year. We are confident that our strong market position, strong balance sheet, and healthy cash reserves, together with continued investment in marketing and product development, will help us take advantage of new business opportunities. We are witnessing some signs of market recovery, and look forward to a hopefully less turbulent 2010”, concluded Mr. Haran.

Autodesk’s Ken Bado and Steve Blum named CRN Channel Chiefs for 2010

SAN RAFAEL, Calif - Autodesk, Inc has announced that two Autodesk executives have been named CRN Channel Chiefs for 2010: Ken Bado, executive vice president of Sales and Services, and Steve Blum, senior vice president, Americas Sales. CRN, the flagship publication of CMP Channel, selected the Autodesk executives because of their investment in partner success and innovative channel partner programs.

Channel partners are the primary conduit for delivering Autodesk's 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software to customers across multiple industries, including architecture, engineering and construction; manufacturing; automotive; utilities; telecommunications and government; and gaming, TV and film. This year, Bado and Blum have continued to expand and nurture Autodesk channel partner programs, which have grown to encompass 1,900 partners across the globe.

“Autodesk has been committed to the channel since the beginning -- it’s part of our DNA,” said Bado. “For 27 years we’ve been working closely with our partners to ensure they always have the best training and resources possible. This helps to ensure they will survive the bad times and position themselves to thrive when the economy turns around.”

Responding to the needs of resellers during the difficult economic environment of 2009, Bado sponsored key partner initiatives aimed at preserving partner health. In particular, finance and margin protection programs were expanded, price lists and authorization schedules were simplified and virtual sales training programs and incentive payouts were accelerated.

“We were laser focused on partner health this past year, and we worked very closely with our partners to ensure that they maintained their selling and services capabilities during the economic crisis,” said Blum. “We achieved these goals as we did not lose any of our partners, and none of them went out of business.”

Recognizing the impact of today's economic challenges, Blum helped launch the Autodesk Assistance Program in 2009. The Autodesk Assistance Program provides job-seeking architects and engineers with design software tools, education and resources that help enhance, maintain and develop their 3D design technology skills and remain competitive in the marketplace.

This is the eighth consecutive year CRN has developed the Channel Chief list. Top Channel Chiefs were chosen based on policy and program innovations made during 2009, the amount of revenue generated through partners, their willingness to speak out publicly on behalf of the channel, and the number of years they have dedicated to channel activities.

2010 is the third consecutive year that Autodesk executives have been selected as Channel Chiefs.

Semco Maritime Selects IFS Applications

ITASCA, Ill - IFS, Danish contractor Semco Maritime A/S in the Oil, Gas and Energy sector has selected IFS Applications for EPCI (Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation) Contractors to improve its project operations globally. The implementation project is in three phases, with phase one including consulting services for SKr 7 million. The contract contains further options for licenses and additional consulting services, and has a total value of SKr 20 million for IFS.

Semco Maritime has set ambitious growth targets and has recently grown both organically and through acquisitions. The company is a major contributor to large infrastructure projects, including the growing market of modification projects.

The solution from IFS will be delivered on the IFS Enterprise Explorer user interface for increased usability and productivity throughout the organization. The standard industry solution IFS Applications for EPCI Contractors supports business processes within engineering, sales contract and project management, procurement, subcontracting, document management, financials, material management, fabrication, human resources, and after sales service. The solution also contains tools for interfacing with CAD applications and standard integrations with planning systems.

IFS expects the entire project to be delivered in the first quarter of 2011.

"We selected IFS because we wanted a well-proven project -driven business application that met the requirements in the Oil and Gas industry. Moreover, the implementation project will benefit from IFS best practice processes and consulting business know-how, industry competence and a leading project-based system," Semco Maritime President Erik Gaj Nielsen said. "Our business is delivering large infrastructure projects, which requires total control over time, cost, cash, risk and resources in each project. We are confident that IFS Applications will contribute to improving our project performance and enable us to better compete for larger integrated EPCI contracts."

"IFS has a strategic focus on project-based industries and especially EPCI contractors,” IFS Scandinavia Managing Director Glenn Arnesen said. “With Semco on board, IFS continues to add influential and leading large companies to its customer base."

IFS has more than 300 project-centric customers, including Heerema Fabrication Group, Babcock Group, Doosan Babcock, Hertel Group, Bergen Group Rosenberg, Grenland Group, BWSC, SeaWell, Dresser-Rand, Wellstream, Clancy Group, Pipeline Engineering, Yantai Raffles, STX Europe, Seadrill, Apply Sørco, APL, BWO and Hamworthy Gas Systems.

StructureCraft uses Autodesk Inventor to Create Roof for Richmond Olympic Oval

SAN RAFAEL, Calif: Autodesk, Inc has named StructureCraft Builders Inc., a British Columbia–based custom design-builder, the Autodesk Inventor of the Month for February 2010. The company used Autodesk Inventor software to design and develop the innovative WoodWave© roof for the Richmond Olympic Oval long-track speed skating venue.

StructureCraft relied on Inventor software to model, detail and build the WoodWave Structural Panel system for the Olympic Oval roof, using a Digital Prototyping process to quickly iterate design options and coordinate the project with subcontractors and project partners. By using Inventor software to clearly communicate the design process to stakeholders, StructureCraft streamlined fabrication of the Olympic Oval roof deck and completed the job on time and on budget.

“Inventor software really helps us manage complexity on our projects,” said Santiago Diaz, a StructureCraft modeler. “By making our data manageable, allowing us to explore design changes easily and keeping complexity at bay, Inventor software frees us up to be more innovative.”

While materials vary greatly from project to project, StructureCraft has earned particular recognition for its use of wood and timber in exposed architectural structures, which include the Olympic Oval and the Bridge of Dreams, a footbridge on the Trans-Canada Trail in Princeton, B.C. Wood structures present multiple challenges that must be addressed from design to fabrication, and Inventor software assists StructureCraft in the overall process.

Approximately 100 different types of WoodWave panels were involved in the creation of the Olympic Oval roof, each of which is a complex assembly of about 250 parts. Even so, when confronted by the need to change the wave pattern due to a conflict with the sprinkler system, StructureCraft simply altered certain parameters in the model, and each panel automatically adjusted in the Inventor model.

“It would have taken weeks to make these types of design changes the old-fashioned way,” said Diaz. “In Inventor software, it took minutes.”

Inventor software also helps StructureCraft balance aesthetics and function in projects. StructureCraft designers noted that not only did the Olympic Oval roof need to be beautiful, it also had to absorb excess crowd noise and hide the electrical, mechanical and sprinkler systems attached to the ceiling.

“It is clear that StructureCraft has embraced Digital Prototyping and Autodesk Inventor software to successfully bridge sophisticated engineering and modern construction techniques and create complex structures quickly and effectively,” said Robert “Buzz” Kross, senior vice president, Manufacturing Industry Group at Autodesk.

Delcam to demonstrate more accurate composite machining at JEC

Delcam will show how its NC-PartLocator software can improve accuracy and consistency when machining composite components, at the JEC exhibition to be held in Paris from 13th to 15th April. NC-PartLocator, which has been developed in association with metrology specialists MSP, gives the ability to adjust toolpaths to the actual position of the part, rather than having to ensure that the component is in exactly the nominal location specified in the CAM system.

To ensure accurate trimming and profiling, NC-PartLocator first gathers the necessary data using a probe fitted onto the machine tool. A probing sequence is created within the software to collect a series of points from the component. This data is then used by best-fit routines within the software to determine the part’s exact position. Any mismatch between the nominal position used in the CAM system to generate the toolpaths and the actual position of the component on its fixture can be calculated. The software then feeds the results to the machine tool control as a datum shift or rotation to compensate for the differences in location and alignment. This adjustment can be made much more quickly and easily than placing, and holding, the part in exactly the specified position, especially with large, flexible components.

NC-PartLocator can also help to tackle localised problems that can result from variations in material thickness across the part, or from distortion within the part caused by differing cure rates or cooling rates in different areas. For example, the software can ensure that fixing holes are drilled to the correct depth. The actual surface of the component can be mapped with NC-PartLocator and this surface used to calculate the drilling routine. This will give more reliable results than using the nominal data from the CAD model of the part.

A second problem that can occur when drilling composites is that the part can distort as the reinforcement is cut. This can be overcome with NC-PartLocator by using a two-stage drilling operation. The first sequence is done using an under-size drill, typically half of the size required for the final hole. The surface of the part is then scanned and the results used in a second drilling routine with the correct size of tool. Any distortion of the part will be picked up by the scan and the centres for the second series of holes can be adjusted accordingly.

NC-PartLocator can also save time that could be wasted in machining and inspecting parts that are already scrap. The process can discover, during the set-up phase, that the component is so distorted that no realignment will give a satisfactory part. While obviously not good news, at least this is better than machining the part anyway and only finding out during the final inspection that it was beyond redemption.

Eureka-TEK becomes Reseller for Kubotek's KeyCreator 3D Direct CAD Products

MARLBOROUGH, Mass - Kubotek USA has announced the addition of Eureka-TEK as a new reseller to their growing US value-added reseller (VAR) channel in the US. Eureka-TEK is a new company staffed by CAD industry veterans. Eureka-TEK will be serving the Upper Midwest region and is specializing in 3D Direct CAD software.

Jason Bassi, Vice President of Sales, Kubotek USA states, “We are delighted that Eureka-TEK approached us about selling and supporting our best-in-class products. Our KeyCreator 3D Direct Modeler and related products were well received in 2009. Our company achieved record sales and profits last year in a down economy. We feel adding more channels will help us continue our growth.”

Igor Feyda, President of Eureka-TEK adds, “KeyCreator is the recognized pioneer of 3D Direct Modeling and has proven itself with the largest installed base of 3D Direct CAD users in the world. We want to help designers and engineering and manufacturing professionals achieve greater success by promoting such invaluable 3D engineering tools.”

Invention Machine Unveils Invention Machine Goldfire 6.0

BOSTON — Invention Machine has announced the availability of Invention Machine Goldfire 6.0 with integrated collaboration and expert identification technologies to further accelerate product innovation. The new software automatically identifies and connects innovation workers with domain experts, delivers solutions immediately and measures company-wide innovation initiatives and trends in real time. It also empowers the community with precise innovation intelligence by leveraging undocumented expertise from problem-sharing dialogues, then captures and processes those discussions as reusable corporate assets. Goldfire 6.0 is designed to increase productivity between five to 30 percent, accelerate every day innovation activities and deliver cutting-edge products quickly.

Invention Machine has added new content to Goldfire, the innovation intelligence platform. Users can now access patents from local authorities in France, Germany, Japan and the U.K. and also take advantage of Goldfire's intra-lingual capability to read the summaries in their own languages. In addition, more than 18 million citations from PubMed's 5,200 biomedical journals were added to Goldfire and 3.5 million documents from 1,100 deep web sites were pre-indexed, making it easier for users to tap into additional innovation intelligence.

"Maintaining an innovation-edge is critical to our business success," said Kelvin Pitman, director, Open Innovation, Crown Packaging Technology, a subsidiary of Crown Holdings, Inc. "Goldfire 6.0's new capabilities will allow us to easily identify experts and foster better collaboration within the organization, accelerating the development of innovative products for our customers to meet ever-changing consumer demands."

Goldfire drives and sustains the innovation process by helping global manufacturers transform ideas into market leading products, efficiently and economically. The platform combines proven innovation workflows and collaboration capabilities with precise access to corporate and external knowledge. This unique software empowers innovators so they can deliver the right products the first time, validate and rank the right ideas and streamline the ideas to productization process.

"In today's global environment, every day innovation workers must successfully tap into experts and utilize knowledge throughout their innovation intelligence ecosystem," said Jim Todhunter, chief technology officer, Invention Machine. "Goldfire 6.0 connects the right people at the right time, accelerates product innovation so innovators can deliver the right solutions, which in turn can significantly impact a company's bottomline."

Feb 23, 2010

Delcam to support diversification at DieMould India

Delcam India can help toolmakers diversify into aerospace projects.

Delcam India will show how the company can support the diversification of toolmaking companies into new industries on stand A6 at the DieMould India exhibition to be held in Mumbai from 18th to 21st March. Managing Director Vineet Seth believes that his company’s broad range of design and manufacturing software, and the expertise of his staff, can help toolmakers to broaden their business opportunities and so continue to be successful.

"In the uncertain economic climate, a lot of generic toolmakers have been forced to look at expanding their portfolio and so have started adding facilities for production machining,” claimed Mr. Seth. "Similarly, many companies who were primarily servicing automotive clients have now started looking for opportunities in other sectors, including aerospace and healthcare.”

"To be successful in these new areas, the toolmaker needs the assistance of his suppliers, especially the company providing and supporting his CADCAM software,” added Mr. Seth. "Delcam India is uniquely placed to help this type of expansion. We have specifically tailored solutions for various verticals that toolmakers might begin to look at as potential business expansion opportunities.”

The complete range of Delcam machining software comprises PowerMILL for high-speed and five-axis machining, FeatureCAM for feature-based programming for production machining, PartMaker for Swiss-type lathes and turn-mill equipment and ArtCAM for engraving and routing. Together, these programs comprise the world’s most comprehensive range of CAM software from a single suppler. This broad coverage is one of the reasons why Delcam is consistently ranked as the world’s leading specialist supplier of NC software and services by US analysts Cimdata. Delcam complements its machining systems with a full range of supporting software for data translation, tooling design, reverse engineering and inspection.

Delcam has also developed a number of systems that combine machining and inspection processes. These are attracting particular attention from the aerospace industry, for both the manufacture and the repair of complex components. One example of this integration is electronic fixturing. With this technique, toolpaths are adjusted to match the actual position of the surface of the workpiece, rather than trying to align the part into exactly the nominal position specified in the CAM system. This approach can overcome the problems encountered when machining large, heavy parts or flexible composite panels.

Delcam India is also helping its customers to develop opportunities in the healthcare business. Internationally, Delcam’s design, reverse engineering, machining and inspection software are used in a wide range of applications from the production of prostheses, through to the manufacture of surgical instruments and all types of medical packaging. Mr. Seth believes that similar opportunities are available in the Indian healthcare sector.

In addition, Delcam India can supply specific products for the healthcare market. These include the DentCAD and DentMILL programs for the design and manufacture of dental restorations and the OrthoModel and OrthoMill software for the development of orthotics. In addition, special versions of the CRISPIN range of footwear design and manufacturing software are available for the production of orthopaedic footwear.

Spatial’s CAD Translation Components Help Drive 3D-Tool Sales Growth

BROOMFIELD, Colo - Spatial Corp today announced that 3D-Tool, a provider of 3D visualization and collaboration tools, has recently released 3D-Tool Premium Version 9 which includes native CAD import and export capabilities. The product incorporates Spatial’s 3D InterOp components to provide high-quality CAD translation for model visualization, analysis and collaboration. 3D-Tool, headquartered in Germany, selected 3D InterOp due to its ease of integration, full suite of native CAD translators, and Spatial’s local sales and support team. The company has seen a rapid rise in product sales since the introduction of the latest release in November 2009.

“We evaluated several different options for our native CAD translation needs. Spatial components impressed us with the quality of the translations. Perhaps equally important was Spatial sales and support team’s responsiveness to our inquiries,” commented Mr. Ingo Wulf, 3D-Tool Founder and CEO. “We selected 3D InterOp, implemented the components and released the product all within four months. We had pent up customer demand for the product, so time-to-market was critical and we could not have delivered so quickly without Spatial’s support.”

The 3D-Tool product line addresses the need to visualize, accurately measure, collaborate, and share 3D models among all product development stakeholders. The tools eliminate the need for users to have access to and expertise in a particular CAD system to perform functions such as model rotation; distance measurements; volume and surface area calculations; cross-section analysis; exploded views; hide and show parts; and basic animations. Customers choose 3D-Tool for the product’s ease-of-use and clear value proposition.

“Offering high-quality and easily-integrated CAD translation components are only part of our value proposition. Since Spatial has over two decades of experience providing software components to hundreds of companies, we understand our customers’ development needs and provide the necessary services and support to ensure they meet their development goals,” stated Ray Bagley, Spatial Director of Product Planning and Management. “3D-Tool is a great example of a customer that recognized all the advantages of partnering with Spatial.”

Blue Ridge Numerics announces the availability of CFdesign 2010

New Version of Upfront CFD Software Helps Mechanical and Thermal Engineers Achieve Pass-Fail and What-If Engineering Objectives Early in the Design Cycle.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va - Blue Ridge Numerics, Inc., the leader in upfront CFD software, today announced the availability of CFdesign 2010, the first computational fluid dynamics (CFD) application to provide a comprehensive CAD-driven design study environment that enable design engineers in the electronics industry to achieve pass-fail and what-if engineering scenarios as part of a highly efficient workflow.

This major upgrade addresses the needs of design engineers by providing an integrated airflow and heat transfer environment that enables a simulation of the design, placement, and performance of critical components as well as the entire system. First time, occasional, and advanced users are able to make decisions that satisfy pass-fail targets, while exploring ideas that can improve quality and drive innovation all from the CAD system they are currently using.

CFdesign 2010 streamlines and strengthens the decision-making process. It provides a flexible and lightweight environment to create and manage electronics cooling and thermal management studies containing single or multiple scenarios. The new Decision Center provides a dashboard-like interface to asses process performance comparatively against competing designs and specified critical values. Additionally, design feedback is expressed in standard engineering terms, so engineers can locate critical pieces of information, such as junction temperatures, heat sink design, fan performance and location, as well as vent and airflow path locations on the first try without having to be a CFD expert or dig through mountains of CFD outputs. The straightforward flexible workflow brings the opportunity for design teams to satisfy multiple design criteria and drive innovation to the forefront.

“It is increasingly important that companies make simulation an essential part of the product development process. Design engineers need to be able to achieve confidence in the performance of their product designs before committing to a physical prototype, and CFdesign 2010 is a great step in that direction,” said Keith Meintjes, Research Director – CAE, CPDA: Collaborative Product Development Associates, LLC. “CFdesign 2010 empowers non-expert CFD end users in the CAD environment with a tool that allows easy evaluation of fluid flow performance with new single and multi-scenario design study capabilities. The new design study environment enables engineers to quickly compare different designs and make assessments of product performance upfront in the design process, resulting in overall improved product quality and innovation.”

“Traditional and embedded CFD products historically have not supported engineering design studies, as they have been built for a single analysis as the engineering objective, making multi-scenario design studies too time intensive, impractical, and at times impossible. As result, very few companies are getting the business impact they need from a CFD investment,” said Derrek Cooper, product manager, Blue Ridge Numerics. “CFdesign 2010 does what every CFD product has promised, but until now failed to do. It enables engineers to quickly create and compare different scenarios and make important product design decisions to satisfy pass-fail, quality, and innovation objectives early in the development process all from within their CAD software packages.”

Municipal Light & Power (ML&P), Anchorage AK Selects Autodesk Topobase to Improve Network Records Management

Extension to ML&P’s Existing Autodesk Solutions Provides More Accurate Records in Processes to Operate and Maintain their Network.

SAN RAFAEL, Calif - Autodesk, Inc today announced Municipal Light & Power (ML&P), Anchorage AK will extend their use of Autodesk utility solutions by adding Autodesk Topobase software to improve process efficiencies for managing critical design and as-built records. Autodesk Topobase provides a centralized repository for design and as-built records, improving the quality and accessibility of information about the utility’s network assets.

With Autodesk Topobase in place, Anchorage ML&P will be able to more easily bring together design and as-built network data created in Autodesk Utility Design (AUD) software with data from its property records and financial systems. This integration will help reduce data conversions and silos, and make more accurate spatial data accessible throughout the utility, driving better planning decisions and operating efficiencies.

Municipal Light & Power

Servicing an area of 19.9 square miles, Anchorage ML&P provides electric power to a large portion of the commercial and high-density residential areas of Anchorage, and also provides power to two military bases. In addition to delivering reliable services to customers, Anchorage ML&P must perform an annual voltage profile study of its distribution network, reporting to the Regulatory Commission of Alaska. Currently, data for this study is extracted from their legacy Continuing Property Records Management System, but soon Autodesk Topobase software will help to automate the process.

“Automating our annual feeder load study is a good example of how Topobase will help improve our planning processes and help contain costs,” said Ray Pearce, GIS Project Manager/Engineering Support Supervisor at Anchorage ML&P. “Topobase gives us the tools to bring together CAD designs, as-built records, and GIS data. With that consolidated view, we can effectively manage asset lifecycles, streamline and increase operational efficiency and reliability, and perform feeder load studies more efficiently.”

Centralizing and Managing Utility Information

Anchorage ML&P employs Autodesk solutions that are purpose-built for utilities and that fit into the utility’s workflow. In addition, Autodesk has provided consulting services to help further streamline the utility’s processes from gathering legacy system data to sharing project information with teams throughout the company. For instance, using Autodesk Utility Design software for distribution design allows Anchorage ML&P to more easily generate material orders, estimate project costs, and track when drawings are assigned, approved, sent for construction, and finally when the as-built has been completed. AutoCAD Map 3D software is used to update the utility’s grid maps and produce construction drawings.

Extending the benefits of integration beyond design-based processes, ML&P will integrate Topobase with a new financial system, PowerPlant by PowerPlan Consultants, and billing system, Utility PowerNet by Southeastern Data Cooperative. This will establish a core network connectivity model that includes interactive network tracing, and thematic network representation. As an open, more flexible solution, Topobase software can serve as a foundation for future growth.

“Our approach at Autodesk is to provide our utility customers with a single model of network assets that integrates design and as-built records,” said Alan Saunders, senior industry manager, utilities, at Autodesk. “Topobase data is available to other essential systems to make it easier to plan, design, and manage utility infrastructure. This enables better analysis, decisions, and reporting – all critical in today’s utility environment.”

Volvo 3P Cab Engineering includes new material model available in RADIOSS

To better predict behavior of cast parts in crash calculations.

Volvo 3P crash simulations in RADIOSS show very good correlations with physical tests.

TROY, Mich – Altair Engineering, Inc announced today that Volvo 3P Cab Engineering, based in Lyon, France, has introduced new complex material laws in their RADIOSS models to better predict the behavior of ductile cast-iron parts in crash simulations.

Volvo 3P is a Business Unit of the AB Volvo group for product planning, purchasing, global vehicle development, global engineering and product range management, delivering solutions for Volvo Group’s global truck operations. One of Volvo 3P’s basic challenge is the evaluation of vehicle safety under various crash conditions. Intensive phases of simulations are conducted to support and enhance vehicles safety.

To create a numerical simulation model, that covers all the complex conditions involved in crash situation, Volvo 3P uses the Altair software RADIOSS. In the need to study several aspects such as elasto-plastic behavior, hardening, strain rate dependency, triaxial behavior and failure, Volvo 3P relies on the modeling capabilities of RADIOSS. Several tests for material property identification were accomplished to obtain data about the material’s behavior up to the rupture in case of torsion, tension and compression (hardening, strain rate effect, stress state influence). The achieved data were used to validate the numeric model in RADIOSS and enabled the Volvo 3P engineers to set up the right material laws for simulation.

"The prediction of the behavior of single components can be very complex, as recently shown by the prediction of crash behavior for ductile cast-iron brackets," said Jerome Lagrut, senior analyst, Volvo 3P Cab Engineering. “Since the brackets are the critical link between chassis and the driver’s cab, they are key components for the crash behavior and the occupant safety. Certain crashworthiness requirements, such as regulations and severe internal requirements must be covered. After the identification of the material behavior via tests, we have been able to implement these laws in a simulation model for further investigations. The crash simulations on complete vehicles in RADIOSS showed very good correlations with physical tests and we are very pleased with the outcome of our development efforts," he continued.

“We are pleased to see Volvo 3P Cab Engineering engineers expanding the usability of RADIOSS in their development tasks,” said Mauro Guglielminotti, managing director, Altair, France. “Having the ability to better predict crash results is a highly competitive advantage and will lead to better and safer products, a reduced number of prototypes and savings of time and money. Including special validated material laws is the right answer to the calculation needs at Volvo 3P Cab Engineering."

EXAPT selects ModuleWorks as CAM components partner

ModuleWorks, a supplier of CAD/CAM components for 3-5-Axis toolpath generation and simulation have confirmed their partnership with CAD/CAM Solution provider, EXAPT to provide state-of-the art CAM toolpath and simulation components for the EXAPT product range

EXAPT has a rich history in the German CAD/CAM industry with a track record of success going back over 40 years to 1967. They provide a wide range of CAM solutions from lathe through to full 5-Axis simultaneous milling. Initially EXAPT selected ModuleWorks for 5-Axis machining capability but has since gone back to partner with ModuleWorks for 3-Axis and Simulation technologies

5-Axis Machining

Back in 2005, EXAPT recognised the growing demand for 5-axis simultaneous machining. At the time they had a full development schedule enhancing the other areas of their product and were wary of diverting resource into what could be a long and expensive development project. They were also concerned about time to market and therefore elected to look for a technical partner. Having evaluated the market, they selected the ModuleWorks 5-axis machining component.

The 5-Axis product was launched in 2007 and initial reaction to the new product was extremely positive with sales to both existing and new customers looking to utilise 5-Axis machining. Since then EXAPT has worked with ModuleWorks to continually enhance the product with new 5-Axis capability added at each release

3-Axis Machining

Following on from the success of the ModuleWorks 5-Axis integration, EXAPT began to look at other component opportunities and elected to be an early adopter for the new 3-Axis Mesh machining component which was under development from mid-2007. EXAPT was keen to bolster their 3D machining capability and provide increased flexibility and performance to their customer base

As the 3-Axis component developed, EXAPT and ModuleWorks worked together to integrate prototype components and address specific requirements of EXAPT customers. The first EXAPT release containing the new 3-Axis component took place in mid-2009

Simulation

EXAPT have now begun work with a third ModuleWorks component, Simulation and has integrated stock removal into EXAPT in their current release. EXAPT elected to use many of the inbuilt tools in the ModuleWorks Simulation component to speed time to market and maximise leverage of the technology.

Yavuz Murtezaoglu, Managing Director for ModuleWorks comments “EXAPT have been a long term partner and we’re delighted to see much of our component technology tightly integrated within their product range. EXAPT have been an excellent partner and their feedback on the use of the different technologies has been very valuable to our ongoing development”

In looking back at the ModuleWorks partnership, Dr. Arndt Richter, Managing Director for EXAPT comments, “It has been a highly beneficial relationship, both to the EXAPT company and our customers. By working with ModuleWorks we have had access to an extended development team and this has enabled to us to develop software much faster than would otherwise have been the case. Each of the components have performed as expected and the 3 monthly releases from ModuleWorks have allowed us to get new features to our customers quickly.”

DP Technology to exhibit ESPRIT 2010 at Interphex Puerto Rico 2010

DP Technology, creator of ESPRIT®, will exhibit ESPRIT 2010, the latest version of its innovative software, at Interphex Puerto Rico 2010, set to take place March 4 and 5 at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Hailed as the Caribbean’s “premier event for pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing,” Interphex 2010 is a showcase for cutting-edge technologies and solutions that run the gamut of medical machining and are geared at saving time and increasing profits.

Visitors are encouraged to visit ESPRIT booth No. 317, where knowledgeable representatives of DP Technology will be available to discuss vital upgrades and perform demonstrations of how to put those upgrades to work for you.

In additional to major upgrades that will be of benefit to all users, ESPRIT 2010 offers dramatic improvements in the support of integrated multi-tasking, mill-turn machine tools. All ESPRIT milling and turning machining capability, from 2-axis turning to 5-axis milling, is available for any type of mill-turn machine tool, including lathes that perform milling, mills that perform turning, Swiss-style machines and other “integrated mill-turn machining centers.” In the 2010 release, support for these multi-tasking machine tools has been enhanced through increased flexibility in cutting tool configurations and orientations, enabling the support of a wide variety of machines. The newly added support for additional rotary axes, three or more, allows the ESPRIT customer to completely program and easily simulate the most complex and sophisticated machine tools currently available on the market.

Delcam adds Parasolid to Toolmaker tooling design software

The addition of Parasolid to Delcam Toolmaker gives faster 3D mould design.

Following the recent launch of the first version of its PowerSHAPE CAD system incorporating Parasolid® software, Delcam has introduced the 2010 release of its Toolmaker tooling design software, which also incorporates Parasolid. The short delay has been necessary to allow the conversion of the extensive range of standard components within Toolmaker into the Parasolid format. Toolmaker incorporates catalogues from all the leading mould components suppliers in Europe, Asia and America, totalling many thousand standard parts.

The integration of Parasolid, the industry’s leading 3D geometric modelling component from Siemens PLM Software, reinforces the solid modelling and assembly modelling capabilities of Toolmaker, and so complements the unrivalled surface modelling capabilities developed by Delcam over more than 30 years. The combination of the two technologies provides an unrivalled range of benefits for toolmakers, especially those that use imported product design data as the basis for their tooling designs. In this first implementation, the key benefits are:

* import and export of Parasolid models in XT file format, without translation;
* comprehensive tools to create valid Parasolid models from data imported from systems that operate at lower precision than Parasolid;
* broad range of options to analyse product designs and high-speed editing tools to optimise models for manufacture;
* automated core and cavity creation;
* fast and robust assembly modelling to build up the mould stack;
* rapid, reliable creation of GA and other drawings.

The ability to work effectively with imported data is greatly enhanced by the addition of Parasolid. Models in the Parasolid native XT file format can be imported directly from CAD systems based on Parasolid such as SolidWorks, Siemens PLM Software’s Solid Edge® software and NXTM software and also from many other systems, including Autodesk’s Inventor and PTC’s Pro/Engineer, that have Parasolid XT import/export filters.

In addition, users will be able to tackle all the common problems that can be found when translating low precision and incomplete data, including gaps and overlaps between surfaces, or duplicated and missing surfaces, and generate a valid, high-precision Parasolid model. This process uses the automatic data repair tools that are provided as part of Parasolid, together with the surface creation and editing options that are available from PowerSHAPE. This combination means that simple repairs can be carried out quickly and easily, while more complex problems can be overcome by deleting and replacing the existing surfaces within the model.

Toolmaker also includes a wide range of analysis tools to check the manufacturability of the design. These include curvature analysis to check that fillet radii are large enough to allow easy material flow in the tool, draft angle analysis to ensure that parts can be removed successfully or to identify where slides will be needed, and model thickness analysis to help in the selection of gating positions and in highlighting potential sink-mark problems.

The addition of Parasolid will also enhance Delcam’s unique Power Features technology. Components that contain Power Features react automatically as they are placed within the tool assembly, adding all the necessary fit-features to the connecting components. As each part is added, the tolerances between the various components are also defined automatically. This automatic creation of relationships makes the development of the overall design much quicker and also makes errors in the design process far less likely.

Of course, Power Features maintain relationships in a similar way to parametric objects in other CAD systems so that, for example, if an ejector pin moves, all the associated holes move with it. However, the degree of associativity is more flexible, such that all component dimensions, tolerances and positions can be modified either individually, as part of a group of similar components, or by using a global edit for multiple groups of components.

The incorporation of Parasolid also speeds up and simplifies to development of more complex tooling assemblies. It is much easier to create solid models of any non-standard components and to define their relationships with the other components. Toolmaker will highlight suitable attachment points under the cursor. The user simply clicks the attachment points on a pair of components and they will move into position. A second click will preserve the relationship or another attachment point can be selected for an alternative relationship.

Furthermore, all identical parts within an assembly are automatically recognised as instances of the same component so preventing unnecessary duplication of data. This reduces overall model sizes and makes regeneration of the complete tool much faster after any design changes.

As well as re-creating all the standard catalogues, Delcam has made it easier for users to create and manage their own catalogues. Toolmaker has allowed customers to group their commonly-used components into their own custom catalogues for several versions. Users can now both save custom dimensions for non-standard parts as Parasolid files and add Parasolid components that they have modelled themselves, or that they have downloaded, to custom catalogues.

Toolmaker already incorporated automated methods to generate the General Assembly and all the component drawings required for manufacturing and inspection. With the incorporation of Parasolid, hidden-line removal has been made faster and more reliable, while the time needed to produce a complete set of drawings for even a complex mould should now be no longer than a day. This compares with the two or three weeks that are typically needed with traditional drawing methods.

AVEVA Opens a Global Customer Centre in Houston, Texas

HOUSTON : AVEVA Group plc is making a significant investment in facilities and infrastructure by building a state-of-the art visualization centre at its Americas headquarters in Houston, Texas. The AVEVA Business Performance Centre sets a new standard for the software engineering industry by offering a true immersive environment where customers can simulate how AVEVA solutions can transform their businesses.

The AVEVA Business Performance Centre is equipped to demonstrate global design, engineering, construction and operation solutions for the process, power, oil & gas and shipbuilding industries. The decision to develop the Centre aligns with AVEVA's commitment for continual progression in software engineering technologies.

"The AVEVA Business Performance Centre provides us with a powerful simulation environment to showcase our capabilities and competitive advantages," said William Muldoon, Executive Vice President of North America, AVEVA Inc. "I am very excited to offer this new facility to our customers and partners knowing that this immersive approach will help transform major projects and set new standards."

With a customer-centric approach to business, AVEVA realizes today's market requires the ability to clearly differentiate competitive solutions. So the Centre won't simply be an executive briefing facility rather it will be a "virtual design center" tailored to help customers position their companies for future success using a secure collaborative design environment to fuel creativity and innovation while simultaneously addressing their information management requirements.

"AVEVA is addressing a new generation of customers who prefer to evaluate software in a real world, interactive environment rather than attending trade shows," adds Mr. Muldoon. "AVEVA's enabling technology is robust and feature-rich, so our solutions are perfectly suited for a visualization environment."

The AVEVA Business Performance Centre opens March 1, 2010. For its grand opening, AVEVA is holding numerous events for owner operators and engineering procurement customers.

TraceParts Strengthens its Italian Business Operations

TraceParts S.R.L. now directly supports the 50,000+ Italian CAD engineers and component suppliers already using TraceParts solutions.

St Romain, France - TraceParts S.A. has announced the creation of TraceParts S.R.L. to support its extended Italian community of partners and customers. TraceParts S.R.L. is located in Reggio Emilia in the industrial heart of Italy and is led by Nino Mazza who has been distributing TraceParts integrated solutions and services in Italy for over 10 years.

“For many years we’ve been the leading provider of universal 3D Parts Libraries in the Italian market and we decided the time was right for us to reinforce our position here. We’re delighted that Nino Mazza is leading TraceParts S.R.L. because he is bringing his vast experience to our fast-growing content business. We’ve known each other since 1999 and we know he’s the right man for this challenge.” explains Gabriel Guigue, TraceParts Corporate Managing Director.

“TraceParts has a very strong reputation in the whole CAD industry here in Italy. My goal is to now quickly expand the number of Italian component manufacturers publishing their product data on the free www.tracepartsonline.net content download portal. We believe it’s just the very beginning of the 3D marketing era for companies that produce any type of components in the mechanical, electrical, aerospace, automotive, machinery, or tooling industries. And TraceParts will play a major role in this revolution.” says Nino Mazza, TraceParts S.R.L. Managing Director.

TraceParts S.R.L. will provide local support, and global online visibility, to Italian component manufacturers for creating and publishing their 3D catalogs. Many leading suppliers such as: Asco Numatics, Blickle, Bosch Rexroth, Brevetti, Igus, Ina/Fag, Legris, Misumi, Schneider and Trelleborg, have already selected TraceParts for their innovative technology and effective marketing support.

Updated Vectorworks Tutorials from Jonathan Pickup Now Available

Columbia — Two updated training guides are now available for users of Vectorworks® software. The guides, 3D Modeling in Vectorworks, Second Edition and Vectorworks Landmark Tutorial Manual, Second Edition, were both written by experienced Vectorworks user and author Jonathan Pickup.

3D Modeling in Vectorworks, Second Edition is a guide for users seeking to create 3D forms through the use of extrudes, sweeps, solids, NURBS, loft surfaces, and 3D primitives. After explaining the basic concepts, the manual uses a series of exercises to demonstrate how and when to use the modeling techniques. The guide also includes 62 videos, which provide step-by-step instructions for completing the exercises.

Vectorworks Landmark Tutorial Manual, Second Edition includes a series of projects to familiarize the user with Vectorworks Landmark concepts and techniques and includes more than 50 videos to walk users through each technique.

In a review of the 3D modeling tutorial on his blog, Kellan R. Vincent of Vincent Landscapes, Inc. wrote: "Overall I think the new book is a great way to really get into parametric modeling. Pickup outlines various 3D modeling tools, giving tons of screen captures as well as a DVD containing associated videos. After learning some of the basic commands and uses for the tools, the tutorial takes you through a couple of full projects from start to finish."

The tutorials are based on version 2010 but can be used successfully with prior versions of Vectorworks software. Each includes a companion CD containing exercise files and the complete manual in PDF form.

The workbooks are part of Nemetschek North America's self-paced training options. These training materials are for people who like to learn on their own, and at their own pace.

CANON U.S.A. INTRODUCES THREE NEW imagePROGRAF LARGE FORMAT PRINTERS

LAKE SUCCESS, – Canon U.S.A., Inc has introduced three new imagePROGRAF large format models - the 44-inch imagePROGRAF iPF8300, 24-inch imagePROGRAF iPF6350 and the iPF6300. Designed for precise, ultra high-quality print performance and increased productivity, each model features Canon's new, 12-Color LUCIA EX pigment ink set and advanced printing technologies specifically developed to produce prints with an enhanced color range and improved durability. The new imagePROGRAF models will be unveiled at the Wedding & Portrait Photographer International (WPPI) Convention at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, March 8-11, 2010.

"In just four short years, Canon has introduced more than 20 imagePROGRAF large format printers to the market with each new model raising the bar for outstanding, vibrant image quality and overall versatility," said Jim Rosetta, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A. "Coupled with our new LUCIA EX ink set and advanced media capabilities, the new imagePROGRAF models represent an ideal solution for the graphic, fine art, photography and proofing markets."

Enhanced Color Spectrum
With increasing consumer demand for professional and high-quality print jobs, high-end graphic and photographic studios continue to seek the capability to accurately produce vivid output of consumers' most demanding projects. To enhance its available color spectrum, the new imagePROGRAF models feature a revolutionary all-new 12-Color LUCIA EX pigment ink set increasing the achievable color gamut by approximately 20 percent from the previous imagePROGRAF iPFx100 series and enabling over 90 percent coverage of PANTONE ® (*) colors to produce rich expression. Additionally, to better meet the needs of the professional print market, the new models feature a reinforced mechanical structure to enable precise ink placement for improved text and line accuracy, making these new devices a powerful proofing solution.

Exquisite Photographic Output
The introduction of the new LUCIA EX ink provides photographers with the ability to precisely achieve their desired results by producing more expressive and crisp blacks, smooth color gradations, and the capability to reproduce the finest details in the shadow areas of photographs. The new inks are also designed with an innovative polymer structure that results in greater scratch resistance and protection from color fading, while also reducing bronzing and metamerism ensuring durable, stable output.

Wilhelm Imaging Research (WIR), the world's leading independent image permanence testing laboratory, has been evaluating the new Canon LUCIA EX expanded-gamut, 12-color pigment inks. Henry Wilhelm, president of WIR commented, "A review of preliminary data from the still ongoing tests indicates that prints made with LUCIA EX pigment inks and select photo and fine art papers will achieve WIR Display Permanence Ratings in excess of 75 years for color images and well beyond 200 years for black-and-white images. In addition, LUCIA EX pigment inks exhibit excellent short-term color drift ("dry-down") behavior, which is critically important for color-managed workflows and in proofing applications. The new LUCIA EX inks also achieved WIR's highest rating for resistance to damage from atmospheric ozone, a particular concern in urban environments in situations where prints might be displayed unframed and exposed to ambient indoor air."

Simplified Workflows
Recognizing the expanding array of media options for large format printers and to further improve the versatility of these new imagePROGRAF models, Canon has developed a new Media Configuration Tool which allows customers to not only utilize genuine Canon-branded media, but provides the ability to add and make adjustments to paper settings to enhance the precision and quality of output achieved with third-party media. Upon release of the new printer, ICC profiles of popular media types from Intelicoat, Ilford, LexJet and Moab will be available for download on their respective corporate Web sites.

To expand print options and improve proofing capabilities, the iPF8300, iPF6350 and iPF6300 come bundled with a new Print Plug-In for Photoshop®, Digital Photo Professional and support for Adobe Color Management Module, enabling features such as Black Point Compensation. Through the Photoshop Plug-In, each new model allows 16-bit RGB images edited in Photoshop to be sent directly to the imagePROGRAF printers, preserving smooth and high gradation.

Brian Hampton, an award-winning nature photographer printing with a Canon imagePROGRAF for the first time stated, "The quality of the print is amazing. I was particularly impressed by the iPF8300's ability to reproduce shadow details in a way that exceeds anything I've seen previously on the market. It's quite a step above the competition." Hampton also noted the built-in workflow solutions and commented, "The ability to export out of Photoshop via the plug-in is outstanding. Many of its capabilities perform as well as an RIP program without the additional cost."

Maximize Productivity
In order to support high-volume printing and streamline workflows the Canon iPF8300 and iPF6350 come equipped with an 80 GB high-capacity hard disk drive (HDD) that allows for faster spooling of large files as well as the ability to reprint jobs directly from the printer. To ensure the highest level of productivity and reduce overall print time, all new models are also equipped with a standard gigabit Ethernet network interface and an automatic dual-blade cutter.

In those environments that utilize a complete workflow solution in conjunction with CGS, EFI, Ergosoft, GMG, ONYX and other leading RIP manufacturers, updated drivers will be available for download upon the release of the printers from their respective Web sites.

Precision Technology
To fully capitalize on the dynamic color range of the new LUCIA EX ink set, each new imagePROGRAF model employs two advanced one-inch print heads, each featuring 2,560 nozzles per color and outputting a super fine four picoliter (pl) droplet at a full 2400x1200 dots-per-inch resolution (dpi) to reproduce details with extraordinary accuracy and clarity. Paired with enhanced plug-ins and new, High Precision Printing Modes, these new imagePROGRAF models provide an extremely high level of photographic and proofing quality prints.

The new imagePROGRAF iPF8300, iPF6350 and iPF6300 are compliant with U.S. ENERGY STAR energy-saving standards and RoHS compliance standards. The new Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8300, iPF6350 and iPF6300 large format printers will be on display at WPPI booth 401 in Las Vegas, NV from March 8-10, 2010. The imagePROGRAF iPF8300/6350/6300 will start shipping in March for a manufacturers suggested retail price of $5,995, $3,995 and $3,695, respectively.

3D Engineering AX3000 software series now on Bricscad V10

Gent, Belgium : Bricsys, the company behind Bricscad, has announced that all modules of the AX3000 series - developed by ESS EDV Software Service GmbH – are available for Bricscad V10. Until now the software was only available for AutoCAD® and Nemetschek’s All-Plan®.

AX3000 is a complete set of 3D software modules covering the main aspects of Building Techniques such as HVAC, Sanitary, Electrical and Building Simulation and Energy certificates. AX3000 allows to design in 3D based on the use of intelligent objects. AX3000 covers the analysis, the calculation and modeling within the aforementioned modules.

All AX3000 modules are now ported to the Bricscad platform and are available in 9 languages. Since two decades the software is successfully sold in Austria, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Russia, Romania, Turkey, Hungary and France, all countries where Bricscad has a strong presence.

Mr. Josef Gasser, CEO of ESS EDV, expresses it this way: “We are very excited to have AX3000 - our flagship product - now running on Bricscad V10. Bricsys has done a wonderful job in developing its BRX API. We only had to recompile our AutoCAD based source code, while Bricsys completed for us its set functions of their BRX API. This offers freedom of choice for our customers. The Bricscad pricing model gives us more flexibility in a competitive market while we can offer an unchanged product.”

“The steady growth of available engineering applications for Bricscad V10 makes our platform stronger and more attractive by the day” says Erik De Keyser, CEO of Bricsys. “The Bricscad application portfolio covers more and more ranges of the engineering industry in a growing number of regions of the world. Bricscad customers have a constant growing choice of professional software. AX3000 fits perfectly in our high-end AEC applications catalog. In a time when green buildings are becoming hype and 3D building simulation is needed, AX3000 makes it real and guarantees results.”

Feb 22, 2010

PTC announces CoCreate 17.0 Explicit Modeling Solution

PTC Solution Provides Simplicity of 2D with the Power of 3D to Increase Productivity up to 60%.

NEEDHAM, Mass - PTC®, the Product Development Company®, today announced CoCreate® 17.0, the next major release of its explicit modeling 3D CAD software. CoCreate, the world’s first and most robust explicit modeling solution, continues to extend its market leading position by helping companies achieve short design cycles and create one-off product designs quickly. CoCreate 17.0 is scheduled to be available during Q2 CY 2010.*

Many companies today are burdened to meet design and production goals with fewer resources than ever. Targeting this challenge, PTC delivers breakthrough productivity increases with CoCreate 17.0 by leveraging concepts and techniques familiar in 2D to make its 3D solution very easy to understand and use.

Performance benchmarks by users around the world verified significant productivity gains with CoCreate 17.0 as compared to CoCreate 16.0:

* Accelerated design productivity by up to 2x
* Reduced time spent creating 2D profiles by 40%
* Models modified up to 2x faster
* Models modified with the new push and pull design paradigm 3x faster
* Reduced the time spent creating and modifying advanced 3D patterns by 60%

With CoCreate 17.0, over 560 enhancements across the CoCreate family are being introduced, including interactive, intuitive ways of working with 2D profiles and 3D models:

* Real-time explicit modeling and rendering
* Context-sensitive mini-toolbars
* New interaction paradigms and tools to minimize need for traditional UI
* Intelligent 3D dimension drive change for complex modifications
* Leverage of model geometry in the 2D workplane, automatic projection and catch
* Intelligent feature recognition, including recognition on imported models
* Cross-part and assembly model modification, plus simultaneous modification across imported and native models

With this launch, PTC again raises the bar for CAD interoperability. CoCreate and Pro/ENGINEER® now work together to allow companies using both tools, either themselves or through suppliers, seamless product development collaboration.

CoCreate and Pro/ENGINEER compatibility allows:

* High quality import of Pro/ENGINEER parts and assemblies into CoCreate Modeling
* High quality GRANITE-based export of parts and assemblies from CoCreate Modeling
* Maintained associativity with Pro/ENGINEER and exported geometry
* Leveraged part and assembly associativity via the Pro/ENGINEER associative topology bus (ATB)

“When working with CoCreate 17.0, up to 90% of the time I’m using the new context sensitive mini-toolbars, and directly working on the model,” said Stefan Kolb, design engineer. “That means I’m much faster, with a lot less mouse clicks and mouse travel. I very rarely use the traditional main task bars and menus anymore.”

“CoCreate Modeling 17.0 increases everyday design productivity by delivering key new capabilities for faster design,” said Brian Shepherd, executive vice president of product development at PTC. “Many new capabilities were developed in cooperation with global machinery and high-tech electronics customers that rely upon the industry’s leading explicit 3D CAD system for 3D product design. The majority of the concepts in CoCreate 17.0 parallel those found in the 2D CAD world, making adoption easier than ever before.”

CoCreate 17.0 Availability

*The timing of any product release, including any features or functionality, is subject to change at PTC’s discretion.

Computational Engineering International’s EnSight 9.1 released

APEX, N.C - Computational Engineering International (CEI) announced today that EnSight 9.1, the latest version of the company’s extreme visualization software, is now available.

EnSight 9.1 includes several new improvements to the powerful visualization product including: practical volume rendering, faster and less memory required for models which include polyhedral cells, session files to save work and replay it on other datasets, more data readers of CAE data including from CFD and FEA datasets, and a welcome screen to guide new users and to rapidly access current projects. The key enhancement is volume rendering.

Volume rendering is an important visualization technique which has until now been unavailable to the average engineer and scientist. While volume rendering has been used in medical imaging and seismic oil field analysis, CEI’s EnSight brings this capability to the fields of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for uses in aerodynamics, astrophysics, enhancing sports performance, automobile occupant safety, high-speed medical imaging, combustion, alternative energy, and structural analysis.

“Practical volume rendering for CFD and FEA is only now possible because of the development of powerful graphics cards from ATI and nVidia, and integration with tools engineers and scientists in the field are accustomed to, namely EnSight. Customers tell me that their previous process of using volume rendering was to send their data to a volume rendering researcher and wait for some images or movies to come back.” says Dan Schikore, vice president of engineering.

ExxonMobil and Tetra Pak to Highlight 2010 SIMULIA Customer Conference

PROVIDENCE, R.I - Dassault Systèmes today announced that keynote addresses from ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company and Tetra Pak will highlight the SIMULIA Customer Conference (SCC) being held May 25-27, 2010, in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.A.

Keynote speakers, Bruce A. Dale, senior consultant, ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company and Mattias Olsson, Ph.D, manager, Virtual Engineering, Tetra Pak, will provide insights into how realistic simulation is being used by their respective companies to drive research and product innovation. Mr. Dale’s presentation will highlight technical achievements from ExxonMobil’s three-decade history of using SIMULIA’s Abaqus FEA to enable engineering advancements in the upstream oil & gas industry. Dr. Olsson will share Tetra Pak’s experience in using realistic simulation solutions from Dassault Systèmes’ SIMULIA brand to develop innovative product packaging for delivering liquid food products to global consumers at a low price while extending shelf-life and ensuring safety.

“Our customers are passionate about sharing their experiences in using realistic simulation to achieve business benefits and deliver innovative products that improve society and our daily life,” stated Ken Short, VP, Strategy and Marketing, SIMULIA, Dassault Systèmes. “Those attending our international conference will gain unique insights from Mattias and Bruce on how their respective companies are improving the world we live in by creating innovative solutions for affordable, safe food packaging and cleaner, more efficient energy production.”

The 2010 SCC will showcase presentations by engineers representing more than 70 international manufacturing and research organizations, including Cordis Corporation, Halliburton, Honda R&D, Kimberly-Clark, Medtronic, Michelin R&D, NOKIA, PSA Peugeot, Rolls-Royce, Verney Yachts, and many others. Sessions will include topics on fracture and failure, nonlinear analysis, multiphysics, process automation, design optimization, Simulation Lifecycle Management, and more.

CD-adapco is the Premier Sponsor of the 2010 SCC and there will be more than 20 Exhibitor Sponsors including: ACUSIM Software, BETA CAE Systems, Bodie Technology, CAPVIDIA, Collier Research - HyperSizer, e-Xstream engineering SA, FE-Design GmbH, Firehole Technology, Fraunhofer Institute SCAI, Global Engineering & Materials, Granta Design, GRM Consulting Ltd., LMS International, Northwest Numerics & Modeling, Quest Integrity Group, Safe Technology, and Software Cradle.

Surfware's free SURFCAM Student Learning Version Now Available for download

CAMARILLO, Calif -Surfware, Inc., developer of SURFCAM® CAD/CAM systems, has announced that starting with the release of SURFCAM V5, a FREE Student Learning version is available for download at it's website.

Surfware will be making available a FREE Student Learning version available for download to:

* Students that would like to learn NC programming at home.
* SURFCAM users that want to continue developing SURFCAM skills, but haven’t the time to do so in their work setting.
* NC operators that want to understand and learn SURFCAM on their own time.

The benefits of this FREE Student Learning Version are:

* No SIM or security code required.
* All the SURFCAM options and modules are supported with the exceptions of TrueMill and native translators.
* The ability to open and work with Native SolidWorks (SLDPRT and SLDASM) files.
* The ability to open and work with native Mastercam (MC) files.
* Reading of ACIS, DWG, DXF, IGES, SAT, X_T, X_B, PAR, VDA, CDL, NCC, CM, GR, INV, SCCLT, ASC, MC, SCPRT and SCEDU files.
* The ability to save only to SCEDU format.
* No output or export capabilities.
* No post processing.

This SURFCAM V5 Student Learning Version is available for download at http://www.surfware.com/register_for_V5.aspx

The SURFCAM Student Learning Version contains help, videos, tutorials and a “Get Started” manual, but does not include access to the Surfware support staff. SURFCAM Student Learning Version users are encouraged to contact their local SURFCAM resellers to learn more about all the new features and functionality in SURFCAM V5.

Dassault Systèmes Launches Release 20 of V5 PLM Platform

PARIS - Dassault Systèmes has launched Release 20 of its collaborative V5 PLM portfolio, including CATIA, ENOVIA, SIMULIA, and DELMIA. Today’s launch of V5R20 includes enhancements to DS’ ENOVIA SmarTeam multi-CAD collaboration software, integration of SIMULIA’s nonlinear and thermal realistic simulation capabilities into the V5 platform, as well as unique composites design and simulation capabilities in the CATIA and SIMULIA brand portfolios. V5R20 also features various enhancements across the entire product portfolio, including digital manufacturing, furthering support for production deployments and overall usability.

V5’s openness is advanced in Release 20 with updated multi-CAD integrations and a new 3D viewer available directly within ENOVIA SmarTeam. In addition, V5R20 introduces a new product, CATIA Extended STEP Interface. It enhances large assembly archiving with nested assembly support and in V5R20’s Q2 2010 update will feature unique comprehensive support for composites design attributes and functional tolerancing & annotation data. Q2 2010’s update to the entire V5 portfolio will also include support for Windows 7.

“Comprehensive, robust, and proven – these are words I use to describe our DS PLM implementation,” said Dan Lyvers, vice president, Engineering, Viking Range Corporation . “The breadth of the DS PLM portfolio ensures that we can consistently deliver on all of our major programs. And the tight integration of the individual solutions, including ENOVIA SmarTeam and CATIA, ensures collaboration between our enterprise and multi-discipline engineering users, enabling everyone to innovate together.”

“My guiding philosophy is that Dassault Systèmes never rests. Our commitment is to deliver not only the grand innovations that enable tomorrow’s industrial processes, but also constant, unwavering improvements to our customers’ deployments,” said Dominique Florack, senior executive vice president, Research & Development, Dassault Systèmes. “It is the innovations in the details, that frequently make the difference for our customers.”

Thanks to realistic simulation technology from SIMULIA, V5R20 now enables customers to include nonlinear and thermal physics behavior in their design while maintaining full integration with PLM data and processes.

“We are focused on designing reliable fire detection and extinguishing equipment that experiences extreme pressure during operation. It is critical that we simulate the physical performance of our products both accurately and efficiently,” stated Jean-Marie Bocquart, technical director, L'Hotellier, a Hamilton Sundstrand company. “Due to stringent performance and development time requirements, we selected SIMULIA V5 Extended Analysis to improve the analysis of our products’ nonlinear behavior during the design phase directly in CATIA V5.”

V5R20: Investing in Collaboration and Openness

CATIA V5R20 serves customers in production and support business processes across all industries

* CATIA V5R20 leverages collaboration and productivity with CATIA Composites solutions:
o Enables seamless collaboration between engineering and manufacturing thanks to full generative manufacturing part creation taking into account engineering requirements. The manufactured part is automatically created from and synchronized with the engineering part, taking down the turnaround time from a day to minutes.
o Offers concurrent working on the same composite part, later merging and synchronizing separately designed stacks into a single manufactured composite part.
o Delivers significant gain in productivity thanks to the new grid-based design methodology which automatically generates plies by taking each cell’s composite specifications defined during simulation and applying composite design best practices.
* CATIA V5R20 ICEM shape design solution provides the full ICEM capabilities augmented with the V5 values: Associativity, Capture and Reuse, Know How capitalization and Business Process workflow integration.
* CATIA V5R20 delivers top requirement for the aerospace industry by promoting openness and collaboration for STEP Interface: It advances large assembly archiving with nested assembly support and will include full composite data and FT&A in the standard STEP format. This enables long-term archiving of this data, as well as improves data exchange between different CAD formats.
* CATIA V5R20 fully addresses powertrain processes. Functional modeling allows users to design components such as oil pans, gear boxes, or motor brackets up to 40% faster than the competition. It also enables extended collaboration on complex components designed simultaneously by multiple users.

V5R20 Accelerates Realistic Simulation:

* SIMULIA Inside V5 for Enhanced Analysis: SIMULIA Extended Analysis allows V5 users, including designers, to simulate real-world nonlinear or thermal behavior of their products with proven Abaqus FEA technology.
o Nonlinear analysis capabilities now allow users to accurately simulate large displacements, complex contact interactions, and highly deformable materials such as rubber and plastic.
o Integrated thermal analysis functionality enables V5 users to improve product performance by analyzing the effect of temperature distribution in parts or assemblies, such as electronic circuit boards, automotive engines, or consumer appliances such as stove-tops.
* Rule Based Meshing: This new product enables V5 analysis users to capture their knowledge and define meshing rules to automate the creation of high quality surface meshes. Other V5 users can then select their target simulation application such as noise and vibration, durability, or crash, and have a mesh created automatically, accounting for element quality and geometric features such as holes and fillets. This results in greater efficiency, improved mesh consistency, and greater confidence in simulation accuracy.
* Improved Analysis of Composite Materials: V5 analysis capabilities enable users to simulate the structural integrity of composite layups defined in CATIA Composite Design (CPD). Improvements in simulation post-processing capabilities enable ply-per-ply post-processing of analysis results using ply names.

V5R20 Improves Digital Manufacturing and Production:

* Enhanced DELMIA Work Instruction Composer: The easy to use Work Instruction Composer application enabling configured shop floor Instruction authoring has been enhanced to support, among many additions, advanced synchronization of work instruction changes to design changes, multi-view support for operations and support for data collection, buy off and change notification operations resulting in a more efficient and complete coverage of this key A&D business process.
* Extended NC Milling Operations: New finishing and high-speed milling operations reduce machining programming time, tool path execution time and tool wear. These enhancements to the already robust V5 machining solutions help the machine shop both plan and produce faster, with better quality and less cost.
* Robotics Process Coverage: V5R20‘s painting package, developed in close collaboration with our partner CENIT, extends robotics programming, simulation and offline programming of DELMIA solutions in the paint domain. The rich robot library of DELMIA is also enhanced in V5R20 with new additions to support more accurate realistic robot simulations.

V5R20 Enriches Collaborative Innovation:

* Enhanced CAD integrations: New integrations, including support for SolidWorks 2009, Solid Edge v21, Inventor 2010, and AutoCAD/Autodesk Mechanical 2010, extend ENOVIA SmarTeam’s openness and enhance design collaboration.
* Real time production environment monitoring: Accelerates deployment of ENOVIA SmarTeam implementations and optimizes maintenance & support.
* Improved configuration and change management: Multiple ENOVIA VPM enhancements enable smarter, more knowledgeable engineering decisions.
* Seamless replication and reconciliation automation, flexibility and security: Simplifying collaboration with the extended enterprise and supply chain when using ENOVIA VPM.