Autodesk is bringing modern 3-D modeling to the design of mainstream process plants with the introduction of its new Plant 3D 2010 software, used for modeling piping and infrastructure. The software, built on the familiar AutoCAD platform, is aimed at small teams facing tight time and budget constraints in their efforts to retrofit existing plant facilities, spearhead plant expansions or conduct on-going maintenance.
Compared to the majority of existing plant design tools in this category, which are expensive and highly complex, AutoCAD Plant 3D leverages the familiarity of AutoCAD and the popularity of the .dwg file format to help teams more easily share design information and meet their goals in an timely fashion, according to Robert Shear, Autodesk’s senior industry manager for process and power. “With AutoCAD Plant 3D, you can design the plant so you can see clashes and conflicts digitally before they become steel or concrete,” Shear explains.
To accompany the release, Autodesk also launched AutoCAD Exchange, a new community for plant designers and engineers. The site encourages visitors to network, enhance professional skills, engage in discussions and interact with experts, sharing tips and experiences on global plant design efforts.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New disc magnet motors fit into the design trend of stepping up to closed loop performance while maintaining the cost advantage of stepper motor technology.
At the Design News webinar on June 27, learn all about aluminum extrusion: designing the right shape so it costs the least, is simplest to manufacture, and best fits the application's structural requirements.
A new battery design, which replaces lithium with abundant and low-cost elemental sulfur, is still in its nascent stages but shows real promise for giving batteries more energy potential.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
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I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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