Siemens PLM
Siemens says end-to-end solution will industrialise additive manufacturing.
Siemens’ product lifecycle management (PLM) has announced details of a new comprehensive additive manufacturing software solution, which includes integrated design, simulation, digital manufacturing, data and process management.
Scheduled to begin rolling out in January 2017, the new integrated solution will combine automated generative design using new topology optimisation capabilities with Siemens’ new advanced AM software, to allow companies to reshape traditional parts, reduce weight and increase strength.
“Siemens PLM Software is pushing the additive manufacturing envelope by developing solutions to help create functionally optimised geometry that is inconceivable based on conventional design and manufacturing methods,” said Dr. Ken Versprille, Executive Consultant, CIMdata. “Previously unsolvable design and manufacturing challenges are now quite feasible with these new software and production technologies. Siemens PLM Software has a vision for how the technology fits together from end-to-end and is putting that vision in place to move the industry forward.”
The new AM solution will include Siemens’ NX software, an integrated CAD, CAM, CAE solution, the newly announced Simcenter portfolio, a robust suite of simulation software and test solutions, Teamcenter software, the world's most widely used digital lifecycle management system, and SIMATIC IT Unified Architecture Discrete Manufacturing and SIMATIC WinCC, from Siemens’ Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM) portfolio for production execution and manufacturing automation.
A new technology, Convergent Modelling has been included to enable automated generative design and help engineers optimise part design for 3D printing, speed up the overall design process and provide scan-to-print functionality, which makes reverse engineering more efficient. This new modelling tool simplifies the ability to work with geometry consisting of a combination of facets, surfaces and solids, without the need for time-consuming data conversion.
Siemens is also introducing a new 3D print preparation solution for both metal and plastic parts that will use the same smart product models from the design and simulation phase to help automate design changes and streamline the entire process. The new solution assists operators in preparing parts for powder bed and multi jet fusion printing, whilst NX provides model preparation for laser metal deposition and NC programming along with simulation for hybrid additive machine tools.
“This is just the beginning of a new generation of manufacturing capabilities, and Siemens is focused on delivering software technology to support an optimised end-to-end process with tools such as Convergent Modelling, topology optimisation and 3D print preparation that are developed specifically to industrialise additive manufacturing,” said Tony Hemmelgarn, president and CEO, Siemens PLM Software. “Siemens continues to invest in innovation and work with technology partners to develop new solutions to drive advances in additive manufacturing capabilities to make the 3D printing of production parts a reality.”
Siemens PLM recently collaborated with Stratasys on two bold 3D demonstrators that subvert the standard FDM process to build at “infinite lengths” and create composite parts in rapid time. The systems integrate Siemens’ SINUMERIK CNC control and NX PLM software to bring together AM, intelligent automation and advanced robotics.
