To increase fuel efficiency and reduce structural weight the automotive, aeronautical, and other industries are turning from metal to composite materials, said Vinay Dayal, associate professor of aerospace engineering at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. Dayal has worked with composites for the past 25 years on projects for the U.S. Air Force and Navy and […]
MIT Class to Offer CAD Instruction for Boston Area Businesses
Because development happens quickly within the computer-aided design and manufacturing communities, MIT Professional Education is holding a one-week course this summer for those who want to learn more about those fields. The course offers an overview of what CAD and additive manufacturing is, what they can do, and gives a broad look at using the […]
Digital Factory Software Plans Real Factory Operations
Contrary to what it may sound like, digitizing the factory, as it’s sometimes called, doesn’t mean replacing all the workers in a plant with high-tech robots. Instead, digital factory software can help ensure that a product is manufactured in the most streamlined method possible. The software, also called digital manufacturing software, extends the uses of […]
As Metal 3D Printing Takes Off, Service Bureaus Add Those Capabilities
The metal 3D printing market is booming–as evidenced by GE’s purchase of printer manufacturers Arcam and Concept Laser GmbH. Also market research firm IDTechEx has reported metal 3D printer sales grew by 48 percent in 2015 and material sales grew at 32 percent. Those types of sales numbers should expand at similar rates of growth […]
Cleaning Up Designs Before 3D Printing
Efforts continue to make 3D printing happen as smoothly as pressing the “print” command on a Word document. Problem is, the computer-aided models and designs created for 3D have to be cleaned up to ensure they can be properly printed. That is, the designer has to make sure parts of the geometry don’t needlessly overlap […]
3DExperience Platform to Include XFlow Fluid Flow Simulation
Dassault Systèmes, maker of CAD 3D design software, is expanding its 3DExperience platform of design and simulation technologies to include computational fluid flow capabilities. The company announced this week it has acquired Next Limit Dynamics, of Madrid, which produces fluid-flow simulation software used in the aerospace and defense, transportation, mobility, high-tech, energy and other industries. […]
Faster Design When Working With Large Data Sets: 2017 IronCAD Design Collaboration Suite
There’s a good chance engineering companies that work with extremely large data sets across both two- and three-dimensional environments use IronCAD for design. On November 30, the company introduced its 2017 IronCAD Design Collaboration Suite, which makes it faster for users to work with large data sets, thus reducing design time from concept to production […]
Online Training in Using Autodesk (and other) Engineering Software
At Autodesk University last week, online learning and training company SolidProfessor told attendees it offers extensive Autodesk content in its learning platform, including Fusion 360, Inventor, AutoCAD, Revit, Meshmixer, 3DS Max, Civil 3D, and Navisworks. The company will continue to expand its Autodesk course offerings through its partnership with Autodesk and its commitment to help […]
Autodesk Announces Multi-head 3D Printing Software
Autodesk announced additional capabilities for its Netfabb additive manufacturing product at Autodesk University, held in Las Vegas this week. Enhancements include cloud-based simulation, subtractive workflows, and collaborative, multi-head 3D printing. The updates will formally be available at the end of November. Autodesk released Netfabb 2017 in September, a manufacturing solution that allows additive manufacturers to […]
Autodesk Fusion 360 Updates Announced
Autodesk has updated its Fusion 360 product and unveiled new features and capabilities at Autodesk University, held in Las Vegas this week. The update, now available, includes Autodesk Nastran solver, two subscription options, and updates to computer-aided manufacturing capabilities. Because Fusion 360 includes computer-aided design, CAM, and analysis features and tools, it can connect the […]
CFD Embedded in Solid Edge
Mentor Graphics Corp. now has an embedded computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solution for Solid Edge, the computer-aided design (CAD) program from Siemens PLM. As a front-loading CFD solution,…
Napkins Drawings Move to Mobile
Microsoft’s Surface tablet will have another available drawing application with the debut of Mental Canvas later this year. The application is a spatial drawing platform that adds 3D…
CAD Translation and Cleanup Without the Pain
Businesses that work with multiple computer-aided design systems need to move models seamlessly between CAD platforms. And Millbrook Precision Engineering Ltd., a vehicle test, validation, and engineering services…
Comsol Update Features Rotordynamics Module and Faster Solve Times
Comsol, the multiphysics simulation software has been upgraded to version 5.2a, which includes significant performance improvements and a rotordynamics module, said Svante Littmarck, Comsol’s president and chief executive…
Comsol Update Features Rotordynamics Module and Faster Solve Times
Comsol, the multiphysics simulation software has been upgraded to version 5.2a, which includes significant performance improvements and a rotordynamics module, said Svante Littmarck, Comsol’s president and chief executive…
End-to-End Solution for Engineering Project Management Updated
The EPLAN Platform, which offers a uniform three-dimensional project-planning environment for electrical, fluid, and electrical instruction and control projects, has been upgraded to version 2.6. It brings together…
SolidWorks: 2D Isn’t Going Away
Two-dimensional design and drafting is still a big part of many companies engineering operations, said Suchit Jain, vice president of strategy and communications for SolidWorks. An engineer at…
SolidWorks 2017 Set to Help IoT Development
This week, Dassault Systèmes debuted the latest update to its SolidWorks computer-aided design system, which speeds model development as compared to past versions and acts as part of…
Inspection Applications Grow for 3D-Printed Parts
Three-dimensional printing systems need inspection systems tied to the manufacturing process, just as other manufacturing systems do, and those systems are increasingly coming to the market. “The final…
North American Manufacturers’ Robotics Investments Grow
This year, manufacturers in North America have purchased more robots and other automation technologies than in years past, which promises to increase manufacturers’ production efficiency and their capability…
Report: Augmented Reality Set to Take Off for Designers
Business Advantage Group has ranked augmented and virtual reality as the eleventh most important of 15 CAD trends in its Worldwide CAD Trends 2016 Survey. But the technology’s…
Embedded Control
Controllers play a big part in the coming age of the Internet of Things, in which sensors return more information than ever about systems operation. Mechatronic design, the…
Outsourcing CAD: The Good and the Bad
by Jean Thilmany, Contributing Editor Outsourcing CAD drafting and design can boost a company’s productivity, but firms looking to outsource should ask some questions and do their own…
Drone Designed To Capture Crop Status
Cloud computing allows for design on your terms. Those are the words of Ian Henderson, chief executive officer at start-up Skybridge UAV, which is currently working on its…
Medical Device Design: Balancing Compliance with Innovation
Medical device makers may put innovation on the back burner in light of the ever-increasing numbers of government regulations. Some device makers simply don’t have time to come…