Welcome to the June 2018 edition of World of CAD, Scan2CAD’s monthly roundup of all the news you need to know from CAD, CNC and their related fields. 

We’ll start this month’s roundup with a look at a new collaboration between industry leaders PTC and ANSYS. Then we’ll move onto exciting announcements from Siemens PLM—including Solid Edge 2019, big changes on the horizon for NX software and new developments with none other than HP. Finally, we’ll take a look at yet another collaboration—between CAD leader Autodesk and ORDERFOX.com. 

Ready? Let’s start!

PTC and ANSYS announce integrated solution for design

Since we reported on the latest upgrade and release of ANSYS 19.1 in last month’s roundup, ANSYS have announced a new collaboration project with PTC. Speaking at sold-out LiveWorx 18, PTC president Jim Heppelmann revealed that PTC have partnered with ANSYS to offer an integrated solution for simulation and design.

It’s not the first time both companies have worked together. Last year, they combined ANSYS Twin Builder with PTC’s ThingWorx Industrial Innovation Platform. Working side-by-side, ANSYS and PTC will integrate ANSYS Discovery Live Real-Time Simulation with PTC’s popular 3D CAD package, Creo. The solution will be sold as part of the Creo product suite—providing engineers with an integrated modeling and simulation environment. The aim of this collaboration is to provide an “interactive design experience”, in which engineers can “try multiple options and creatively solve design challenges without product delays”. 

President and CEO of ANSYS, Ajei Gopal explained further, “By embedding ANSYS Discovery Live into Creo we will expand our audience to include design engineers – who will be able to design at the speed of thought”. When an engineer implements a change to a design, for example, an analysis will be automatically generated—enabling them to see exactly how any modifications will affect the entire design at any point. 

It will certainly be transformative for design engineers and, more specifically, for the design of mechanical parts. Not only will the instant feedback allow engineers to speed up their design process, it will also help them cut back on design and development costs. 

Visit the ANSYS newsroom for more information. 

Solid Edge 2019 announced, continuous release of NX and a partnership with HP

The annual Siemens PLM Connection user conference was host to a variety of exciting announcements this month. Siemens revealed Solid Edge 2019, a continuous release delivery of NX and a new partnership with HP. Needless to say, there’s a lot to take in. 

Solid Edge 2019

If you’re not familiar with Solid Edge—we’ll forgive you for getting caught up in the AutoCAD vs. SolidWorks debate—it’s a portfolio of software for product development. It has a range of uses including mechanical and electrical design, simulation and data management. So what’s different? A lot, to put it simply. Solid Edge 2019 places a heavy emphasis on design functionality—comprising of Synchronous Technology, generative design and convergent modeling. 

They’ve also introduced a range of new features. Solid Edge Wiring Design gives users a range of design and simulation tools in order to create wiring diagrams and verify electrical systems. Harness Design offers harness and formboard design tools with automated part selection, design validation and manufacturing report generation. Additional updates include tools for subtractive and additive manufacturing—including print preparation and multi-color printing capability. They also place a heavy emphasis on reducing material waste and decreasing dependency on expensive manufacturing equipment. 

And that’s not all. Solid Edge Portal provides free cloud-based collaboration. The Portal offers online CAD management, viewing and collaboration. With browser-based access, you can work in real time from anywhere. Another new feature is Solid Edge CAM Pro—a system that uses the latest technology to program your CNC machine tools—replacing the NX CAM Express. 

Get a better look at Solid Edge 2019 at Siemens PLM. 

Continuous release of NX

Not content to merely shake things up for Solid Edge users, Siemens also announced big news for NX users. NX is an advanced CAD/CAM/CAE platform that can be used for design, engineering analysis and manufacturing. 

Siemens revealed that from January 2019, they would begin a continuous release cycle of NX. It will be the first major CAD/CAM/CAE developer to do so. Continuous release means that NX users will receive updates as soon as they happen. This purpose of this new delivery model is to give users faster access to new updates and improvements. It will “reduce the time between the proposal of a new enhancement, and its deployment to the end customers”.

Considering NX users—amongst many other software users—are often several releases behind with their software, it’s a good way to ensure they’re up-to-date without going out of their way to do so. If successful, the method of continuous release could end up being adopted by other major developers in the near future. 

Get more information at the NX Design Blog. 

Partnership with HP

Siemens and HP 3D printed surgical cutting guide with QR code. Image source: siemens.com

Yet another powerhouse collaboration is on the cards, with Siemens PLM and HP announcing an exciting move for 3D printing. The collaboration integrates Siemens’ NX and Solid Edge software with HP’s Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing systems. HP’s Jet Fusion 3D series is a 3D printing solution for the prototyping and production of engineering-grade parts in full-color, black or white. 

The integration of Siemens’ software and HP’s printers will allow Solid Edge and NX users to design and produce full-color 3D printed parts with HP’s Jet Fusion 3D printing technology. Users will have easy access to 3MF files—ready for prototyping and production with HP’s entire range of printers, including HP Jet Fusion 4200/4210 and 300/500 series. 

President and CEO of Siemens PLM software, Toby Hemmelgarn, had this to say: “Our users will now be able to apply the power and flexibility of Siemens’ NX and Solid Edge product design software to HP’s groundbreaking 3D printing technology, opening a world of new design possibilities with the availability of full-color parts”. 

Indeed, customers will have the ability to quickly prototype and produce a range of economical designs. This could pave the way for accelerating the adoption of 3D printing across industries, small businesses and hobbyists. Read more at Siemens PLM’s newsroom. 

ORDERFOX.com and Autodesk collaboration

Image source: orderfox.com

Unless you’re a complete beginner in the world of CAD, you’ll no doubt be more than acquainted with Autodesk. A leading developer in the CAD industry, its popular products range from AutoCAD to Fusion 360 to Inventor. ORDERFOX.com, however, is a company you might be less familiar with. It’s a global Internet platform for companies within the CNC industry—connecting CNC manufacturers, buyers and their support industry. 

The collaboration will integrate Autodesk Viewer into the ORDERFOX.com platform. Autodesk Viewer enables users to view potential business opportunities without having to download anything. AutoCAD, Fusion 360 and Inventor users can access all of ORDERFOX.com’s features from their respective software. These applications are also supplemented with ORDERFOX.com plugins, allowing users to advertise CNC jobs directly on ORDERFOX.com. This will also give users the ability to find the right production partners, at no cost. 

It’s a simple process. Users can simply upload CAD data to advertise a job, have it converted directly into a 3D model within the Autodesk cloud and then make the data viewable on ORDERFOX.com. Metadata from design files will be securely embedded within the Viewer in over 60 different formats. 

For more information, head on over to ORDERFOX.com.