Solid Edge ST3 Breaks New Ground Leveraging Synchronous Technology
October 18, 2010
In the latest release of its Solid Edge CAD program, Siemens PLM Software hasextended the role of Synchronous Technology in an effort to accelerate productdesign tasks and allow engineers to shift focus away from mastering CADsoftware to thinking more about actual design.
In addition to making Synchronous Technology pervasivelyavailable throughout the CAD platform, SolidEdge ST3 delivers a variety of enhancements around simulation and datamanagement in addition to more than 1,000 customer-driven improvementssprinkled throughout all modules of the platform, according to Karsten Newbury,Siemens PLM Software's senior vice president and general manager of theVelocity Series and Solid Edge business.
Synchronous Technology, accessible for sheet metal designoperations and parts modeling in earlier versions of Solid Edge, is nowavailable throughout the CAD tool, including all assembly applications such aspiping, frames and wiring. Solid Edge ST3 also delivers for the first time asynchronous-based part-to-part associativity, allowing users to establish andalter design intent before, during or after the assembly design process.
One of the standout features of the new Solid Edge ST3release is its ability to support both synchronous and non-synchronous (ordered)features in the same integrated environment. With this capability, engineerscan tap synchronous features for doing fast and flexible design edits whileadding ordered features for the design of process-type parts such as cast ormachined parts. In addition, ordered features in existing models can beselectively moved into the synchronous environment, further increasingflexibility and ease of use, Siemens PLM Software officials say.
Analysts said the extension of Synchronous Technologythroughout Solid Edge will foster engineers' ability to innovate. "SynchronousTechnology has the capacity to perform a wide variety of design tasks in afraction of the time it takes with a traditional approach," said KenVersprille, PLM research director at consulting and research firm, CPD Assoc., in a prepared statement."This could provide engineers with more time for creativity and innovation,resulting in better product designs, produced faster."
For 2-D users making the conversion to 3D, Solid Edge ST3has a new capability for merging 2-D drawings with existing 3-D models. As aresult, manufacturing dimensions on 2-D drawings can now be automaticallytransferred into the corresponding, imported 3-D model.
In addition to Synchronous Technology advances, Solid EdgeST3 also builds on the software's already existing simulation capabilities. Newsimulation functionality in the platform includes torque and bearing loads,user-defined constraints and new ways to connect assemblies such as bolt andsheet metal edge connectors. There are also new model simplifications andvisualization tools allowing engineers to see what's going on inside the model,and refinements to the simulation can be done using Synchronous Technology orordered methods.
On the data management front, Solid Edge ST3 with the Insightdata management solution now leverages Microsoft SharePoint 2010 to extendcollaboration to a wider range of CAD and non-CAD users. With this capability,users can tap into SharePoint's project management, business analytics andsocial media capabilities. There is also a standalone Bill of Materials (BOM)editor delivered with the Solid Edge embedded client so non-CAD can createproduct structures.
Finally, the Solid Edge ST3 upgrade also takes a page fromusers, adding thousands of customer-driven improvements. There is newfunctionality in the areas of sheet metal, piping and frame design in additionto assembly management and drafting. Sheet metal improvements include newclosed corner types, etching of part numbers and other geometry andmanufacturing-specific features such as tabs for production or transportationpurposes. New multi-cultural drawings allow the mixing of character sets frommultiple languages on a single drawing and there is a streamlined userinterface designed to reduce mouse travel, improve the ability for customizationand to maximize the graphics workspace area.
Solid Edge ST3 Breaks New Ground Leveraging Synchronous Technology_A
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