PLM Perspective
The More Things Change. The Better!
Change is the most powerful force in nature and one that all of us in industry have had to face with increasing frequency. I remember a colleague noting that once upon a time a business' mission was to set a path, be first up the mountain, establish ownership, then savor and defend the view. Now, he says, it is more like putting a kayak into whitewater, paddling constantly to gain an inch or a meter and hoping you see the big wave coming before it swamps you.
That comment does reflect the degree of change and pressure many businesses have faced over recent years. Some companies do get stuck in the rapids or swamped by a wave, but others learn from the challenges and the pressure sparks a degree of innovative thinking that would never have happened on the safety of dry land.
PLM Success
Sanyo Increases the Visibility of Product Development with Teamcenter
Sanyo Electric Life Solutions Company creates a wide variety of revolutionary household appliances. To boost efficiency, the company wanted to make product information readily accessible and visible company wide and link all departments involved in the product development process.
Brückner Maschinenbau Asks a Lot of its CAD Software
Brückner Maschinenbau designs and manufactures very large stretching machines. These machines are large assemblies yet they also contain parts with freeform surfaces. Brückner's CAD software needed to address both types of modeling. In addition the company wanted to speed the development of new machines by leveraging existing designs and knowledge. Solid Edge turned out to be the right tool for the job.
Validating Designs Under Severe Dynamic Environments and Tight Schedule Demands
One of the greatest challenges in the analysis of complex assemblies is the trade-off between model fidelity and solution time. BAE SYSTEMS, an international company engaged in the development, delivery and support of advanced defense and aerospace systems, was facing the challenges of addressing detailed stress analysis under severe dynamic loads -- and meeting their tight schedules. With a critical design review of a highly complex seeker assembly approaching, BAE deployed I-deas NX Series and Nastran to validate the designs. Efficient modeling and analysis allowed early identification of design issues, and the final design was modeled and verified for more than 20 distinct load cases in less than eight weeks. "The data integration of the digital simulation tools enabled this design effort to be completed under a very tight schedule," said Sean McAllister, principal mechanical engineer, BAE SYSTEMS. UGS PLM Solutions offers NX Nastran , based on the same code as MSC.Nastran, enabling the same level of comprehensive product performance simulation. UGS continues to develop and enhance NX Nastran, which is being made available in its traditional standalone configuration and is also being tightly integrated within Unigraphics NX, I-deas NX Series and Femap.
Product News
Teamcenter Engineering 9.0 Delivers New Capabilities for Digital Product Development
Last year, UGS PLM Solutions introduced Teamcenter lifecycle domain solutions to address the needs of the key corporate functions throughout the product lifecycle.
Teamcenter In-Service allows OEMs to maximize the visibility of the operational side of the product lifecycle and owner/operators to optimize the value of their operational assets. Teamcenter In-Service provides service teams with a single source of knowledge that they can use to rapidly access the most recently available product information and accelerate the service process.
Solid Edge Introduces New Integrated Mold Tooling Application
In March, 2003, Solid Edge Version 14 delivered Rapid Blue, a sophisticated and flexible shape creation software, that has proved popular with manufacturers in the consumer products industry. In December 2003, Solid Edge Version 15 extended the capabilities with new functionality specifically for mold design.
Now Solid Edge complements these core capabilities, introducing a new mold tooling option to establish powerful step-by-step process workflow for the design of multi-core, multi-cavity plastic injection molds. The product, which is available to order now, will ship during this quarter. A specially priced promotional package for mold design, which includes Solid Edge Classic, Solid Edge Feature Recognizer, and Solid Edge Mold Tooling is also available through June 30th.
Events & News Releases
Special Events
UGS PLM Solutions Enhances Master Certificate Training Programs
In support of our customers' goals of continuous improvement through education, UGS PLM Solutions Education Services announces additions to its suite of certificate programs focused on the professional development of UGS PLM Solutions application users.
Teamcenter Enterprise 4.0 Training Solutions Available in April
UGS PLM Solutions announces the April availability of the following Teamcenter Enterprise 4.0 training solutions:
The Master Certificate program is an educational system designed to provide a training plan aligned with areas of expertise. Each certificate program consists of an optimum series of courses designed to develop in-depth knowledge in a specific application. After completing the specified series of courses, each student will receive a special Master Certificate to acknowledge their extensive training and commitment to on-going professional development. Listed below are the currently available Master Certificate programs:
- Master of I-deas NX Series Drafting
- Master of I-deas NX Series Design
- Master of I-deas NX Series Simulation
- Master of Teamcenter Engineering System Support
- Master of Teamcenter Enterprise Customization
- Master of Digital Manufacturing (E-factory)
- Master of Visualization (Teamcenter Visualization)
- Master of Visualization- Dimensional Management (Teamcenter Visualization)
- Master of Unigraphics NX Drafting
- Master of Unigraphics NX Design
- Master of Unigraphics NX Engineering
- Master of Unigraphics NX NC Programming
To gain a Master Certificate, trainees must complete all courses listed in that program. Each course must be offered by UGS PLM Solutions Education Services or an authorized vendor, and taught by a UGS PLM Solutions-certified instructor. There is no additional charge (beyond the program course fees) to receive the Master Certificate, and you may be eligible to receive credit for courses already completed. Contact Education Services for more information on program requirements.
Visit the UGS PLM Solutions Education Services Web site to learn more about these certificate programs and other great training services and savings opportunities, or in North America call 1-800-955-0000 option 4.
New Solid Edge Professional Certification Program Launched
A new Solid Edge Professional Certification Program provides an opportunity for users to test and validate their skills against a documented knowledge base. More information on this program is available here.
PLM World
Join the world's largest community of PLM users at PLM World 2004, May 17-21 in Anaheim, California. The theme this year is "Accelerating Innovation Through PLM," and the program is designed to help you get the most from your UGS PLM Solutions software. Registration is now open. Find out more about this event here.
Solid Edge User Summit Registration is Now Open
The 2003 Solid Edge User Summit, titled "Mastering the Edge," will take place in Orlando Florida, June 2-4. This year's event will include educational workshops, expanded hands-on training, new tips and techniques, user presentations, business sessions, Voyager Partner booths, development roundtables, keynotes, social events and the chance to share experiences with hundreds of fellow Solid Edge users. Registration, through a secure online site, is now open. You'll find all the details on registration, hotels and a call for presentations here. The site will be continually updated as details of the agenda are added.
COFES
Held April 1-4 in Scottsdale Arizona, the Conference on the Future of Engineering Software (COFES) is an annual think tank event which brings executives from design, engineering, architectural, development and technology companies together to understand the role engineering technology will play in the future survival and success of business. More details here.
SAE 2004 World Congress
The SAE World Congress bills itself as THE most comprehensive global automotive engineering technical program. See details here.
UGS PLM Solutions Open House 2004 - Benelux
Find out more here about UGS PLM Solutions Open House events, March 8 in Veldhoven, March 10 in Gent, or March 31 in Marche-en-Famenne.
CeBIT
CeBIT ranks as the world's number one event for the ICT sector. Held from March 18-24, in Hannover, Germany, it offers the opportunity for representatives of business, science, politics and the media to see all the latest trends in a single location.
MICAD
Held March 30 - April 1 in Paris, MICAD is an international exhibition covering CAD/CAM, Tools and Methodologies for Product Design, Manufacturing and Lifecycle Management.
ITEA 2004 Conference
ITEA is America's largest professional educational association, principal voice and information clearinghouse devoted to enhancing technology education. Information on its May 18-20 conference in Albuquerque New Mexico is available here.
WESTEC
WESTEC, the premier North American west coast manufacturing technology exhibition takes place March 22-25 in Los Angeles. You'll find complete details here.
More Events
For a full list of local events where you can see UGS in action, check our online list of seminars and trade shows for events in your area.
