MCADCafe Editorial 
Jeff Rowe
Jeffrey Rowe has over 40 years of experience in all aspects of industrial design, mechanical engineering, and manufacturing. On the publishing side, he has written over 1,000 articles for CAD, CAM, CAE, and other technical publications, as well as consulting in many capacities in the design … More » MCADCafe e-Magazine: Dassault Systèmes Unveils New SolidWorks Electrical ApplicationsAugust 6th, 2012 by Jeff Rowe
Dassault Systèmes introduced new SolidWorks Electrical applications that include an innovative, system level 2D schematic design tool and a powerful 3D electrical modeling add-in to SolidWorks design application that are linked in real time. “Today, companies in industrial equipment, engineering services, high-tech, medical devices, and consumer goods are developing products that include more electrical content. More than half of our SolidWorks customers require a solution that streamlines collaboration between mechanical and electrical systems engineers,” said Bertrand Sicot, CEO, SolidWorks, Dassault Systèmes. “The addition of SolidWorks Electrical to our product portfolio moves us into this underserved market with a robust solution that upholds the SolidWorks focus on ease-of-use and makes close collaboration between mechanical and electrical design groups a reality.” When it comes to electrical system design, organizations frequently look for ways to improve the overall delivery performance of their departments. SolidWorks Electrical applications make it easy for engineers and designers to plan electrical systems and integrate those electrical aspects into the overall 3D mechanical models. These new applications pave the way for mechanical and electrical engineering teams to collaborate during product development, streamline the design phase, and reduce product delays, resulting in more consistent and standardized designs, lower costs, and faster time-to-market. “The full integration with SolidWorks will make SolidWorks Electrical easy to learn and will allow both our mechanical and electrical departments to collaborate on electrical system and wiring design,” said Kyle Strong, project manager at Getman Corporation. “Our mining vehicles include complex electrical wiring and need to have consistent design — the decision to consider SolidWorks Electrical was easy. By integrating our electrical and mechanical design processes, we can better document electrical requirements and cable/wire paths, resulting in less rework, higher product quality, and faster time-to-market.” SolidWorks Electrical provides new capabilities with the following three applications:
1. SolidWorks Electrical – a 2D schematic design tool for electrical system architecture and planning that:
2. SolidWorks Electrical 3D — an add-in to SolidWorks CAD application that connects SolidWorks Electrical 2D systems-level schematics to 3D models designed with SolidWorks. It includes:
3. SolidWorks Electrical Professional – includes the functionality of both SolidWorks Electrical and SolidWorks Electrical 3D in a single application for users working in both 2D and 3D areas of electrical development. The SolidWorks Electrical applications are based on technology from Trace Software, a company with more than 20 years of experience in the electrical design market. As a current SolidWorks Gold Solution Partner, Trace’s elecworks™ products are integrated with SolidWorks, allowing engineers to stay within the familiar SolidWorks environment to optimize electromechanical designs. The first release of SolidWorks Electrical will be available in North America, Europe, and the Middle East in August 2012, with other regions and countries to follow. For more information about SolidWorks Electrical, please visit: http://www.solidworks.com/electrical/ Commentary By Jeffrey Rowe, Editor SolidWorks is the latest MCAD vendor to support the increasing need for simultaneous design of mechanical and electrical systems, also known as mechatronics. As I have said for several years, there was a time when mechanical systems and products were strictly mechanical, however, the majority of today’s products continue to become more capable, and more complex, involving the integration of mechanical, electrical, and software subsystems. A more comprehensive way to view mechatronics is the systematic integration of mechanical, electrical, electronics, and embedded firmware (software) components. When all of the various components are combined the result is an electromechanical system. Maybe a better term is functional ecosystem. In this context, mechatronics is characterized by software and electronics controlling electromechanical systems. This description is widely seen in automotive engines and other automotive systems, as well as production machinery and medical equipment. A continuing trend is that as mechatronics systems get more complex and as functionality demands increase, in many instances software and firmware are replacing or at least supplementing hardware. A benefit of this transition from hardware to the burgeoning emphasis on software is called “postponement,” that is, the ability to include or change major functionality features during the final stages of production via embedded software. As mechatronic systems get more complex, the challenges associated with successfully designing and executing them also become more demanding due to the interoperability requirements between electrical CAD (ECAD) and mechanical CAD (MCAD) software. Mechatronics systems present major design and production challenges because they bring together many different types of physical and digital parts, processes, and personnel to create a successful end product. Designing and producing a mechatronics system requires a well-orchestrated effort by a wide variety of job roles and functions – everything from industrial design to PCB layout to control logic design to production planning. In the past, designing a machine containing both mechanical and electrical components was a difficult and time-consuming process that required skilled specialists. Today, mechatronics design tools are bringing the electrical and mechanical worlds together to make design easier, although still challenging. With 3D CAD, mechanical engineers can design machine parts and assemblies using a familiar interface with 3D visualization, while also simulating mechanism motion through mechanism dynamics. One of SolidWorks’ main competitors has addressed the electrical side of the fence for a while with AutoCAD Electrical, a specialized version of AutoCAD software for electrical controls. It includes all the functionality of AutoCAD, plus a set of electrical CAD features, comprehensive symbol libraries, and tools for automating electrical design tasks. AutoCAD Electrical creates native AutoCAD DWG files that can be viewed and modified using AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT. This announcement by SolidWorks is good news to users who are increasingly involved with designing electromechanical products. I’m especially keen on the integration of 2D schematic and 3D aspects of electrical design – allowing for schematic logic and physical layout – all from a single interface. Hopefully, this will lead to greater collaboration for organizations that have mechanical and electrical design groups or individuals. I’m pretty confident that this will happen and foster collaboration between the “wingnuts” (mechanical designers) and “sparkies” (electrical designers).
The Week’s Top StoriesAt MCADCafé we track many things, including the stories that have attracted the most interest from our subscribers. Below are the news items that were the most viewed during last week. CIMdata Publishes PLM Trends Report CIMdata, Inc. announced the release of the CIMdata 2012 PLM Industry Review and Trends Report, the first of five modules of the CIMdata PLM Market Analysis Report Series. The MAR Series provides detailed information and in-depth analysis on the worldwide PLM market during 2011. It contains analyses of major trends and issues, leading PLM providers, revenue analyses for geographical regions, industry sectors, and historical and projected data on market growth. The report provides CIMdata’s perspective on current trends in the PLM industry and how they may affect current suppliers and investments. It also includes a detailed appendix that documents the evolution of the PLM competitive landscape over the last decade. The CIMdata PLM Market Analysis Report Series is available as a five-module set or each module can be purchased separately. It is also available as part of the CIMdata PLM Community Gold Membership. Further details and pricing information about the report and Community Memberships are available at www.cimdata.com. QUAN: Apple Products Could Revolutionize Robotics As Quantum International Corp. (QUAN) works to capitalize on hot new trends in the booming robotics sector, the technology in your pocket could be poised to spark a billion-dollar explosion in demand for new robotics products. Apple iPads and iPhones, the same devices that have revolutionized personal computing and communications, could soon do the same for a wide variety of robots. With their combination of sensors, CPU, display and network connectivity, modern smartphones and tablets have all the makings of compact, powerful robotic “brains”. Apple itself could potentially be getting into the robotics industry soon. The talking voice assistant technology known as Siri is already built into its iPhone 4s and could one day prove to be a piece of a line of user-friendly robots. Kayak Slalom Presents Olympic Engineering Challenge for Geomagic and Creaform Olympic sport keeps pushing athletes to find new and nuanced ways to condition their bodies. The same is true with their equipment. Engineers continually look for new refinements that propel the competition to a new level. In search of more success, the Australian Olympic Kayak team decided to turn to 3D technology to develop a better “fitout” for kayakers in the canoe slalom. A fitout means building custom parts of foam and wood for the seat of the craft and a good fitout gives the competitors an especially crucial edge while they paddle through 18-25. Past methods of fitout have been laborious, mostly guesswork, and a lot of wasted material. By turning to 3D scanning with Creaform and 3D model creation with Geomagic, the team has found a way to accurately create parts custom-fit to each athlete’s unique body shape. Each athlete was scanned in position using a Creaform 3D scanner. This accurately creates 3D points of the body surface, which are translated into 3D CAD models using Geomagic. From this point, the 3D can be precisely used to design and manufacture exact forms for the kayak – and for each athlete – to allow control of the kayak from start to finish. Autodesk Inventor Fusion for Mac Debuts on the Mac App Store Autodesk announced that Autodesk Inventor Fusion technology for 3D CAD modeling is now available for download in the Mac App Store. Autodesk Inventor Fusion lets designers explore complex shapes and forms, enabling rapid design changes with fewer limitations. Its 3D direct manipulation tools allow users to open and edit 3D models from almost any source and incorporate them into new or existing designs. Autodesk Inventor Fusion’s key features include:
Jeffrey Rowe is the editor of MCADCafé and MCAD Weekly Review. He can be reached at jeff@ibsystems.com or 719.221.1867. This WeekLead StoryDassault Systèmes Unveils New SolidWorks Electrical Applications Product and Company NewsSecond V6 translator released from Theorem Delcam rated world’s leading CAM software specialist for 12th year CIMdata Publishes Executive PLM Market Report Dassault Systèmes Spins-Off Transcat PLM Additive Manufacturing Rises to the Top Autodesk Software Used for Analyzers That Help Industries Minimize Emissions Geomagic Releases New Freeform and Claytools 3D Modeling Software CIMdata Releases Global NC Market Analysis Report Vispower Technology announces 3DFile.io that supports online DWG viewing along with Markup Tools Moldex3D eDesignSYNC R11.0 SP1 Embraces Innovative Wizard Capabilities to Achieve Higher Usability Global Manufacturers Select Autodesk Digital Prototyping Solutions Over Rivals Geometric launches pay-per-use online nesting software Synergis Achieves Product Support and PLM360 Specializations from Autodesk Global Engineering Plastics Industry Geomagic Releases New Freeform and Claytools 3D Modeling Software SimLab Soft Releases SimLab Composer 2013 SofTech Product Selected by General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies PTC Announces Solid Q3 Results, Increases FY’12 EPS Guidance CIMdata Publishes “CAD Selection Considerations: Multi-CAD Management” Sescoi supports CADCAM Technical Skill with its WorkNC CADCAM system MSC Software Taps NVIDIA GPUs to Accelerate the Design of Automotive, Medical, Aerospace Products Apriso Extends Industry-Leading FlexNet Quality with Visual Quality Defect Tracking MSC Software Announces New Version of Its Advanced Wind Turbine Simulation Solution ZWCAD+ Mechanism Reconstruction Guarantees Quality OPEN MIND experiences the most successful year since the company’s founding Hagerman & Company Earns Autodesk Factory Design Suite Specialization Global Computed Tomography (CT) Scanners Industry PTC Named ‘Leader’ in Worldwide Warranty Transaction Management Market in New IDC MarketScape Report SigmaTEK Announces SigmaBEND AP ZWCAD+ Incorporates .dwg Support and 3D Components From ODA and Spatial Free Updates for Corel DESIGNER Technical Suite X5 and CorelCAD Now Available Worldwide Introduction of AutoForm plus R4 Geomagic Expands its Global Presence into India Bharat Forge uses WorkNC CADCAM for its cost effective, quality forgings (SESCOI) Stratasys Conference Call to Discuss Second Quarter Financial Results Hagerman & Company Earns Autodesk Simulation Specialization Geometric declares high revenues JETCAM signs new dealer in Germany, Switzerland and Austria for composite manufacturing sector PLMIG announces transatlantic response to PLM-ERP series Delcam adds CADCAM veteran for FeatureCAM sales in Michigan Hexagon Metrology Announces Distribution Partnership with JLM Industrial Supply Related MCAD NewsTop 10 States for Manufacturing Jobs Westinghouse Recognized for “Should-Cost” Methods UL acquires IDES, launches dynamic plastic search tool integrating data sheets and UL test results Global Aerospace and Defense Industry Sluggish in 2011: Deloitte HP Board Declares Regular Dividend Siemens Secures order to electrify Hawaii’s first rail Transit System Global Metal Stampings, Forgings and Castings Industry Foreign Secretary William Hague visits Delcam at Farnborough Air Show Industry EventsManufacturing Summit: Closing the Divide PLMIG asks for help in timing the North American PLM-ERP Workshop Delcam to show integrated electrode solution at IMTS Green, safe, reliable – ITI presenting latest SimulationX release at SMM 2012 Delcam to show latest Delcam for SolidWorks at IMTS FoFdation project progress presented at CIRP Conference Aras to Present at CM Trends 2012 Configuration Management Conference Watch IMTSTV Live Monday, July 23 at 12 PM EST 3D Systems Brings “Smarter 3D Printing” Seminars To Your Area Free Seminar: Smarter 3D Printing and How You Can Have It All – Find a Location Near You Delcam to show how ArtCAM Pro makes complex designs easy at IWF ANSYS CEO to Present at Canaccord Genuity 32nd Annual Growth Conference LMS International will conduct its annual Aerospace Conference in Toulouse 50+ Cutting-Edge Simulation Presentations at NAFEMS North America Conference ‘12 CIMdata Brings PLM Certificate Program to Germany STIHL Inc. Hosted Second Annual Innovative Manufacturing Camp for Local High School Students Webinar Will Show Rapid, High-Quality Meshing for Ship Drag Analysis Corporate Newsletters |
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