News Ticker

SOLIDWORKS 2017 delivers the power

SOLIDWORKS 2017 is the 24th annual release of CAD (MCAD, ECAD), simulation, data management and collaboration tools that delivers the power users need to drive innovation. In this release, 90 percent of the enhancements are driven by user feedback. This year, there are more than 250 new features and enhancements in CAD alone with a total of 520 new enhancements spread across all products. Beyond improving day-to-day productivity, approximately 20 percent of those involve new innovations. There are many core CAD enhancements such as variable Chamfer, super features that convert Chamfer to a Fillet for flexible modelling, advanced hole, enhancements to import mesh files, wrap feature, offset surface, better placement of components while mating that can deliver up to 5X in performance improvements over SOLIDWORKS 2016. Magnetic mates with speedpack enhancements makes it fast and easy to manage large modular assemblies. Like CAD, there are many innovations in simulation with advanced nonlinear (arc length control), better visualisation of hot spots, etc. There are over 100 enhancements in SOLIDWORKS Electrical alone. Extending the ECAD ecosystem, there is SOLIDWORKS PCB powered by Altium, and SOLIDWORKS 2017 is the first full major release for SOLIDWORKS PCB. Customers can now design a full system from PCB boards to electrical wiring, to mechanical and simulation of its connected device in a single environment. The best-in-class collaboration between mechanical, electrical and PCB engineers allows SOLIDWORKs customers to decrease development costs, significantly improve time to market and reduce the number of prototypes and errors. New in SOLIDWORKS 2017 is Term Licensing in additional to perpetual licensing model. This allows SOLIDWORKS customers to scale on demand, purchase from OPEX budget and entrepreneurs and startups to design in SOLIDWORKS while getting a Term License. Customers will have full flexibility – they can purchase SOLIDWORKS as Perpetual or a quarterly/annual Term License options. With […]

Science fiction of the last century now very close to reality

There’s no doubt that momentous change is underway and that there will be huge employment impact from the disruptive change. In the latest in the Future of Business series, MYOB explores the technological revolution that will transform the way we connect, relate and interact with one another. Yet, while we will have experienced a dramatic shift in the way we work by the 2040s, what might be even more remarkable is the increased value of the human experience. MYOB Chief Technical Advisor and futurist Simon Raik-Allen says, even with incredible advances in technology, people need to be together to truly be creative. “Right now, we’re on the cusp of what the World Economic Forum calls the fourth industrial revolution. There’s no doubt that momentous change is underway and that there will be huge employment impact from the disruptive change. But, like the last industrial revolution, it is more likely to enrich our experiences and provide more opportunities for meaningful work and exciting business.” Mr Raik-Allen believes that, rather than technology isolating or excluding people, it will bring them together. “It doesn’t matter how advanced our technology becomes, in the end, it will come down to people and values. The next revolution will lift humanity, embrace creativity and shape a world that empowers communities. People will always be at the centre of the business, and their experience will be more valued than ever.” “This is our vision at. We understand that business isn’t just business, it’s personal. Although we continue to design, innovate and advance our technology, ultimately it’s the human connection that enables our business and our clients to succeed. We’ve believed this for the last 25 years and we’ll be doing this for the next 25.” Looking back to look forward While not all the technologies promised for the […]

Why modernise control platforms

As products age and give way to new technologies, the need arises to proactively plan and manage the transition from existing equipment to leading-edge products and technologies. Automation components, software and systems represent major capital investments that are instrumental to the success of industrial operations. In the face of rapidly changing markets and technologies, the industrial enterprise must keep step to remain competitive. Today’s contemporary automation systems offer unprecedented advancements in performance, flexibility, and security, with the potential to provide a competitive edge. Technology continues to advance at a rapid rate, accelerated by the emergence of the Industrial Internet of Things and advances in enabling technologies, including data analytics, remote monitoring and mobility. Rockwell Automation continues to incorporate these latest technologies in control and automation platforms and although the PLC-5 programmable logic controller has been a valuable part of their portfolio for more than 30 years, no technology can last forever. Modern control systems provide a higher level of integration, driving improved asset utilisation, increased system flexibility and easy access to information. The high performance, Rockwell Automation ControlLogix platform delivers the capabilities to converge production disciplines (discrete, motion, process and safety), including extreme environments and high availability applications, into an integrated plant-wide architecture enabling a connected enterprise. Information shared between Information Technology (IT) and Operations Technology (OT) across a secure network enables: · Greater production visibility, for quicker response to customer demand · Higher profit margins through improved inventory management, cycle times and quality control · Improved capacity and asset utilization, leading to greater Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) · Regulatory compliance and reduced exposure to security risks Migrating to the ControlLogix family of programmable automation controllers (PAC) provides the platform to leverage advancements in technology, including improved access to information, more informed business decisions, faster performance for more throughput and […]

Autodesk introduces portfolio for the Future of Manufacturing

With the world of manufacturing undergoing major disruptions brought on by new market forces and technologies, Autodesk has unveiled its unified portfolio of solutions for additive and subtractive manufacturing. The portfolio lets manufacturers take advantage of technology disruptions and improve competitiveness by creating higher quality products in less time with lower costs. The new solution brings together industry-leading products historically offered from Autodesk, Delcam, Netfabb, Pan Computing and Magestic Systems—including HSMWorks, Inventor HSM, Fusion 360, FeatureCAM, PowerMill, PartMaker (now included in FeatureCAM), PowerShape, PowerInspect and Netfabb—into one complete set of hybrid manufacturing solutions. Autodesk has long been a leader and innovator in 3D design, engineering and the technologies that expand the applications of industrial 3D printing, no product is really complete until it’s realised through physical manufacture. Autodesk has also become a leader in technologies that expand the applications of industrial 3D printing. Now, they are truly integrating the design, make and use phases of product development. This new set of solution goes big on the ‘make’ component—equipping manufacturers with all the software they need to go from digital design to real-world product. The portfolio spans computer aided manufacturing (CAM), additive manufacturing, composites, robotics fabrication, factory layout, inspection and modeling. It enables customers to solve complex manufacturing challenges and seamlessly connect design to machining. Within the portfolio offerings are cloud-connected capabilities designed to help users experience the benefits of a more cohesive manufacturing workflow and invest more time in product development. Cloud-capabilities give customers improved support for global manufacturing operations with universal access to software and data, and the cloud also enables fast and frequent software upgrades. What’s in the Autodesk portfolio for additive and subtractive manufacturing? Autodesk HSMWorks: A fully integrated CAM solution for SOLIDWORKS, allowing users to get up to speed and become productive within minutes using familiar […]

FeatureScript lets 3D CAD users design faster

Recognising that the design challenges for each industry and every company are different, Onshape is introducing FeatureScript, a new open programming language that lets CAD users create their own built-in parametric features or modify existing ones. Ever wish you could change the way your CAD system’s features work? FeatureScript lets you do just that. It is the same language used to develop all of Onshape’s current features (Extrude, Fillet, Shell, Loft, etc.) and has already been used millions of times by Onshape users without even realising it. By making FeatureScript public – available to all Free, Professional and Enterprise Customers – full-cloud Onshape is now offering the first truly customizable parametric CAD feature set. “This is the first time that a professional CAD system has made the implementation of its parametric features open and extensible,” says Ilya Baran, Onshape’s Director of FeatureScript. “In the past, the only way to change your feature toolbar would be to submit an enhancement request to your CAD vendor and wait forever. And most of those requests are never fulfilled. FeatureScript swings the pendulum back and puts you in control.” In traditional desktop-installed CAD systems, it is possible to write add-on or macro features, but they are never as good as the built-in ones. FeatureScript offers the first opportunity to create features that are first-class citizens – as much a part of the system as the ones the development team wrote themselves. Under the open source MIT License, Onshape is also sharing the FeatureScript source code for all of its own features, allowing customers to copy, modify or adapt them as they see fit. New Onshape features can now be created in Onshape’s new “Feature Studio,” a user-friendly development environment with a powerful editor, in-line help and documentation. Possible uses for FeatureScript include: • Creating […]

FeatureScript lets 3D CAD users design faster

Picture: Created with Onshape’s FeatureScript, “Hex Infill” is a customised CAD feature designed to save material and time when 3D printing parts. FeatureScript is the first open programming language for adding new parametric CAD features. Although “Hex Infill” is a user-written feature, it behaves exactly like Onshape’s own built-in features. Recognising that the design challenges for each industry and every company are different, Onshape is introducing FeatureScript, a new open programming language that lets CAD users create their own built-in parametric features or modify existing ones. Ever wish you could change the way your CAD system’s features work? FeatureScript lets you do just that. It is the same language used to develop all of Onshape’s current features (Extrude, Fillet, Shell, Loft, etc.) and has already been used millions of times by Onshape users without even realising it. By making FeatureScript public – available to all Free, Professional and Enterprise Customers – full-cloud Onshape is now offering the first truly customisable parametric CAD feature set.”This is the first time that a professional CAD system has made the implementation of its parametric features open and extensible,” says Ilya Baran, Onshape’s Director of FeatureScript. “In the past, the only way to change your feature toolbar would be to submit an enhancement request to your CAD vendor and wait forever. And most of those requests are never fulfilled. FeatureScript swings the pendulum back and puts you in control.”In traditional desktop-installed CAD systems, it is possible to write add-on or macro features, but they are never as good as the built-in ones. FeatureScript offers the first opportunity to create features that are first-class citizens – as much a part of the system as the ones the development team wrote themselves.Under the open source MIT License, Onshape is also sharing the FeatureScript source code for all […]

Joint development of Japan’s first anti-explosive remotely operated mobile robot

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) and Chiba Institute of Technology (CIT) have jointly developed the remotely operated “Sakura No. 2 (anti-explosive model)” robot. It features greatly reduced risk of electrical spark or heat creation that can cause explosions or fire when inflammable gas is present. It is the first mobile robot in Japan that can be remotely operated either wirelessly or by wire. Applications and demand will be developed for safe and efficient data collection, inspection and light work in environments that require equipment to be anti-explosive such as tunnel accidents and petrochemical plants. The robot is based on the “Sakura No. 2” robot developed by CIT that has built up experience in applications such as accident resolution support activities in nuclear power plants, and the advanced anti-explosive design has been realized by utilizing MHI’s broad technical capabilities in industrial fields. It received outsourcing support and assistance from the “Project to develop systems to handle the social challenges of infrastructure maintenance management and renewal” of The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organisation (NEDO). It also passed the anti-explosive model inspection of the Technology Institution of Industrial Safety (TIIS) in Japan. Further, it is planned to obtain anti-explosive certification based on the ATEX Directive that is widely adopted in Europe and around the world. In order to make the robot anti-explosive, the pressure resistant anti-explosive casing that houses components such as the lithium ion batteries and battery management system (BMS). The casing for the electrical parts such as the motor and controller have a higher internal pressure than the external atmosphere, giving a two-fold internal pressure plus pressure resistant anti-explosive protection. This means that inflammable gases cannot penetrate to the interior of the casing due to the pressure difference, and if the casing internal pressure drops, for example if the […]

AUTOMATICA 2016 Shows the Future 4.0

AUTOMATICA 2016 (June 21 to 24) exceeded all expectations: around 45,000 visitors (+ 30 percent) and 839 exhibitors from 47 countries (+ 16 percent). One-third of the visitors came from foreign countries. Managing Director Falk Senger: “AUTOMATICA has reached a new dimension. It showed the future of production with deep insights into the possibilities of digitalization, human-robot collaboration and professional service robotics.” Automation and robotics make Industry 4.0 possible in the first place. Tremendous energy could be felt at the trade fair thanks to the topic. Service robotics recorded a big increase at AUTOMATICA and provided a fascinating insight into the everyday life of tomorrow: the care car in a hospital or the inventory robot for department stores, service robots as driverless transport systems or assistants for people. New production methods – new work processes: Work 4.0 is a main topic at AUTOMATICA. Man and machine will work together in the team in the future. People are the focus with their emotional intelligence, and robots assist them. Interest from China was never so great. The number of visitors and exhibitors has more than tripled. The Chinese automation boom is becoming increasingly noticeable at AUTOMATICA. A total of 13 delegations came just from China. Song Xiaogang, General Secretary of the China Robotics Industry Alliance (CRIA): “AUTOMATICA is absolutely one of the leading trade fairs for Automation and Robotics, which gives a very strong impression to the Chinese visitors and exhibitors. Through communication and exchange, CRIA delegation believe, there is a bright future of Sino-German cooperation in automation and robotics.” Full halls and a great atmosphere: 96 percent of the exhibitors and 98 percent of visitors evaluate the trade fair as excellent, very good or good. Sixty-eight percent of visitors believe that the trade fair will increase in importance in the future. […]

New version of SIMATIC PCS 7 enhances production processes

Siemens has further developed its SIMATIC PCS 7 process control system and released Version 8.2 to meet the rising demands of automation. This version comes with a range of new functionalities to improve user convenience as well as the performance and efficiency of the process control system over the entire life cycle of process plants – from the planning stage through to maintenance. Plant engineers will benefit from more efficient engineering solutions, while operators will experience greater convenience in daily operations due to greater system availability and lower overall running costs. Jessica Liao, Senior Consultant for Southeast Asia, Process Automation, Siemens Pte Ltd, said, “It is critical for businesses to respond swiftly to market requirements that are constantly changing. An integrated control system enables operators to have a holistic view of the entire work process and be able to make informed decisions more efficiently to reduce downtime. With the new version of SIMATIC PCS 7, our customers will have an edge in today’s competitive manufacturing environment.” “The Southeast Asia region is an important market for Siemens and we have a proven track record in industries such as Oil & Gas, Pharmaceutical, Glass as well as Water, to name a few. We look forward to working even more closely with our customers to ensure that all operations are running smoothly and efficiently with the new offerings of SIMATIC PCS 7,” added Liao. Mobile plant monitoring To allow production processes to run with the greatest possible stability and efficiency, Version 8.2 of SIMATIC PCS 7 offers individual, networked and reliable plant monitoring. Web systems can now also be operated and observed over the Intranet/Internet. For this, operators can use extensive configuration possibilities for individual and secured online access to the operating and monitoring level of a production plant, enabling the implementation of […]

Simplifying manufacturing processes using CAD

As we all know, manufacturing is the production of merchandise for sale; using labor, machines and tools. Manufacturing process management refers to the technologies and methods that determine how labor, machines, and tools are put to use during production. For manufacturers, planning manufacturing processes can pose some difficulties. Hence the need for large enterprises to hire project managers. But for small manufacturing businesses, hiring a project manager may not be practical. And this is where the need to consider other planning and execution techniques come in. Using CAD for Product Design Designing a functioning prototype is the first stage of the product manufacturing process and with the aid of 3D CAD applications like Autodesk’s Maya or Microstation, a realistic representation of your product can be designed, analysed and have its functionalities tested to gauge its performance once built. These techniques are being used every day by both major corporations and SMEs to save cost as the following case study will show. GINTIC Institute of CIM—a national Research & Development (R&D) Center and a BIM company in Singapore—have continuously made use of CAD techniques to simplify their production processes in multiple ways. In 2014, GINTIC commenced the design of knee-joint prosthesis uniquely suited to Asians in order to reduce muscle strain cue to continuous kneeling. To accomplish this, the Singaporean institute made use of CAD applications to design the prototype and test its efficacy in order to cut cost before production. This new project adds to GINTIC’s use of CAD as a product design tool and its previous success in using CAD to design jewelries and a lightweight, diskless laptop computer means this new goal is certainly achievable with the aid of computer aided design techniques. Using CAD for Product Testing Computer aided design also helps simplify the processes involved […]

«‹ 21 22 23 24 ›»