Siemens PLMSoftware is targeting manufacturers of machine tools and productionmachines with a new variation on its PLM platform that takes a systemsengineering approach to facilitate design.

MechatronicsConcept Designer, based on the NX CAD software and Siemens Teamcenter PLMplatform, delivers on the systems engineering approach by melding "voice of thecustomer" input and early requirements with a multi-discipline productdefinition that includes mechanical, electrical and software components. Thesoftware also integrates easy-to-use, interactive simulation capabilities basedon video gaming technology in an effort to help companies in this space reducedevelopment time and improve product quality.

Given the complexity of today's machine tools and productionsystems, product design teams require experts from different disciplines, allof whom are typically using diverse tools that don't integrate well. Inaddition, the traditional design tools used in this space don't takerequirements into account and lack a "common language." This adds up to afragmented development tool scenario, making it difficult to simulate andevaluate design concepts to support effective decisions and which doesn't helpalleviate late-stage design changes that are far more costly in terms of timeand money.

"Mechatronics Concept Designer is intended to help companiesin this space be confident that the requirements coming from the customer andwhat they've specified in the concept stage can be realized without having togo back and redo costly designs or retrofit on the floor," explains EricSterling, Siemens PLM Software's senior vice president of global marketing.

Using the built-in modeling and simulation capabilities,users can quickly create and interactively validate design concepts.Mechatronics Concept Designer employs NVIDIA's PhysX technology,a physics engine similar to software technology used in modern video games.Developed with the PhysX SDK from NVIDIA, the simulation capability withinMechatronics Concept Designer allows users to interact with the digital machinemodel while the simulation is running, letting them test effects of differentinputs in real time. This ability to model real-world physical behavior in avirtual world based on simplified math models, helps verify early concepts andlets teams detect and correct errors when they're least expensive to resolve.

Siemens PLM Software specifically targeted the machine toolindustry segment with the release of Mechatronics Concept Designer, butSterling says the technology has applicability for other industry segments. "Wewanted to stay focused and target the machine tool industry with the knowledgethat what we're developing will expand," he says.