CAD/CAM Corner

The NHL Looks To Score Superstar Draft Picks Using Haptic-Enabled Testing

Ever give a thought to how the NHL  identifies its next generation of superstars? To be sure, there’s hours upon hours of ice time involved, not to mention, rigorous interviews, medical screening and all the rest of scrutiny that’s given to professional sports candidates.

But the NHL Central Scouting organization, the group that helps NHL clubs identify the best prospects, is trying something different this year. The organization is deploying PHANTOM force feedback devices and OpenHaptics modeling software from SensAble Technologies, along with simulation tests developed by a Toronto-based researcher, to measure player finesses in a virtual hockey game.  The scouting group hopes the drill will help them better predict the accuracy of the final rankings of the top 100 draft prospects.

Developed by York University neuroscientist Dr. Lauren Sergio, director of the school’s motor lab, the tests essentially connect a hockey stick to a SensAble haptic device, which is then used to measure a player’s stick-to-ice contact and smoothness as they navigate a series of 3-D virtual obstacles on a computer screen. By doing so, the researchers are able to generate a hand-eye coordination score, which greatly aids in separating the better players from the ones with less impressive on-ice performance, officials involved in the testing say..

As part of their new approach, York University is also planning to analyze four years of similar hand-eye coordination testing data to determine whether the testing, among other indicators, is an accurate measure of predictability those players that are drafted and eventually play in the NHL.

SOA Springboard For IFS CAD-To-ERP Integration

It appears at least one enterprise software vendor is taking CAD integration seriously. IFS North America is going to showcase at its customer forum next week in Chicago a beta launch of a new SOA-based CAD integration capability for its IFS Applications enterprise software suite.

The new integration, which will ship to initial customers in November with general availability slated for early 2009, differs from traditional CAD interfaces offered by ERP vendors, according to IFS officials. Most CAD-to-ERP interfaces import and export data in and out of CAD tools, which can lead to synchronization problems because data is maintained in two separate product data management databases, IFS officials maintained. IFS’ approach aims for real-time integration by leveraging Web services built into its SOA architecture to share PDM data common to both engineering and manufacturing systems, they explained. IFS said it will cater to customers that want to keep the engineering and manufacturing data separate by delivering a future release that will also support a more traditional integration model.

The interface can be accessed from many popular CAD applications, making it easier for disparate CAD applications to co-exist within an organization. The IFS adapters will support multiple CAD platforms, including  AutoCAD, Inventor, PTC PRO/Engineer and SolidWorks.

IBM Seeds Environmental Consulting Services Around PLM

What company isn’t trying to figure out a way to make their products more eco-friendly and drive sustainability best practices throughout their product development efforts? Recognizing the growing demand, IBM  is putting its consulting muscle behind the trend, launching a new Environmental Product Lifecycle Management offering aimed at companies looking for an assist in sustainable design.

The new consulting offering targets manufacturers of all types and keys in on all phases of the design cycle, from development and manufacturing, through delivery and use all the way through end-of-life reclamation and recycling. While IBM has been doing sustainable design consulting for years, officials said customers’ increasing requirements in this area prompted the company to package the services into a more formal offering. “There is tremendous pressure on companies to reduce the environmental impact of their products during the entire product lifecycle,” said Jeff Hittner, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) leader for IBM Global Business Services. “On the other end of the spectrum, consumers are truly demanding greener and greener products.”

The Environmental PLM services, designed to work in conjunction with IBM’s PLM offering, will focus on the following processes:

Design for compliance: Ensuring that products meet new regulatory requirements for energy usage, material safety, etc.

Design for end-of-life-management: Designing a product so it’s easy to refurbish and reuse or disassemble and recycle.

Lifecycle assessment and carbon footprint reduction: Helps to reduce the environmental impact of producing and shipping the product along with how it’s used by the consumer and how it is recycled by evaluating carbon trade-offs throughout the manufacturing, distribution and transportation processes.

Materials selection: Helping identify and choose renewable, recyclable and non-toxic materials

Packaging design: Designing packaging to minimize waste and make it easier to recycle.

Project delivery acceleration: Helping companies reduce the time it takes to get eco-friendly products out the door.

IBM currently employs 1,000 consultants as part of its PLM consulting practice.