Teamcenter is the jewel in the crown of UGS’ product arsenal and in the world of PLM it’s one of the few systems out there that supports full production environments. As a result, it’s typical to find NX being used alongside Teamcenter. After all, if you’ve got to the point where a system like NX comes into consideration, then data management is pretty much a must (and I’m not simply talking about cost related issues).

This release sees a lot of work done to improve the support provided by Teamcenter for the more advanced NX assembly related functions that handle product variants and configurations. Here, we’re talking about direct management and control (in terms of version and revision control) of assemblies that feature arrangements, variable component positioning and deformable components. There’s also been work done to improve Teamcenter’s handling of both partial assemblies and those which mix and match CAD formats, where critical components can only be represented by third party or even JT data. Alongside this, there have also been some developments to help ease the implementation and deployment process, which is always troublesome in anything than the most basic, small scale roll-out.

In addition to the core data management updates, there’s also been concentration on the collaboration tools within the NX product set. Firstly, XpresReview has been fully integrated into the system, allowing you to pack-up models with PMI, drawings, and any other files (Word, Excel, graphics) into a single PCF file that is viewable by anyone with the freely distributable XpresViewer application. On top of this, the new NX Viewer allows you to not only view native NX files, but any other file type which can currently be opened by NX. It provides file and object properties and measurements, assembly loading and filtering and follows the NX look and feel guidelines.

Simulation and analysis

When the UGS/SDRC merger was announced it was clear that analysis was going to be a particularly strong result of what emerged from the development labs and the moves since show that UGS is a company with simulation close to its heart. With this release, there are two key methods of simulation being introduced and established. Firstly, there has been a lot of work done to introduce advanced multi-physics on top of the core NX Nastran solution set. In specifics, this includes the ability to conduct flow and thermal studies, as well as use the linear and non-linear tools in NX Nastran. Interestingly, this isn’t restricted to the NX Nastran users and you can also use these tools within NX 4 in conjunction with your preferred solver technology (such as Abaqus or Ansys).

" The benefits of simulation and analysis have a direct impact on perhaps the most important thing in the whole development process – the product "

Alongside this there has been a shift in the way that the whole NX platform handles analysis and simulation – with the introduction of the CAE topology layer. Without getting too bogged down in detail, this is an intermediary step between your native or third party CAD geometry and the geometry used as the basis for analysis. What the topology layer does is to create an overlay on top of the explicit surface CAD geometry – and it's this that the analysis and simulation process uses as the basis for all subsequent work.

The really clever bit is that built into the process is a series of smart abstraction tools that use rules to carry out the abstraction process. This rather wonderful phrase describes the process of preparing 3D data for the analysis process. This includes the new tools to remove features considered to be problematic to the analysis workflow, such as sliver surfaces and small features. NX 4 also sees the team introduce tools which allow you to detect and control how fillets are handled. The user has full control over the process, whether that's to remove such geometry or how to mesh those features should they be required. This process is equally beneficial for the generation of shell element meshes, where a solid isn't required or appropriate.

The benefits this gives is that instead of the analyst opening up the CAD geometry and having to go through a manual abstraction process (the removal of features and entities that would cause meshing problems downstream) the system is able to handle the abstraction process automatically. If required, the system also provides manual tools should you need to dive in and work with serious problems, or provide more control over the mesh distribution. What this means is that the analyst doesn’t spend all of their time adapting an overly detailed CAD model for their own purposes – they're just working on abstracted data ready for the analysis and simulation process.

The real benefits are three fold. Firstly, because a large bottleneck is removed, the analyst can carry out more design validation and iterations – making your products better suited to their purpose. Secondly, the CAE Topology layer and the abstractions enable the mesh generators to create a significantly higher quality mesh in a much shorter time. And thirdly, should the underlying data change, the system runs the rules-based abstraction again and the analyst can quickly handle those design changes and continue their work.

Following the simulation workflow, another key area is the ability to accurately and efficiently recreate the operating conditions for your products – so you can achieve the best results you can. In NX 4 users now have the ability to model contact and nonlinear solutions. The system can handle linear static surface-surface as well as large displacement and surface-surface contact via NX Nastran, transient loads and limited follower force capabilities. It also includes a range of predefined loads and boundary conditions that support the new areas of functionality, such as fluid flow.

Alongside the core technology updates, UGS has concentrated on bringing the benefits of simulation to a much wider audience on two fronts – the first of which is the new Design Engineer CAE product. This new product is aimed at making analysis easier to use for the general NX user, rather than someone with a background and working knowledge of FEA. It uses a neutral, engineering-based language when defining studies, rather than the often cryptic terminology used in traditional FEA. It’s based on pure geometry and allows you to conduct linear static and steady state thermal simulations directly. As you might expect, it’s built on the NX Nastran solver code, but much of the work is hidden from the user (such as abstraction, mesh definition and control etc) – and that Nastran-based backbone means that work can be passed over to the specialised staff without translation or conversion problems.

The NX 3 release saw the introduction of the Simulation Process Studio, but this has been enhanced for this new version, with the introduction of the strength wizard which steps the user through the stress analysis process and assists in ensuring best practices are adhered to. This kind of work can also be taken further with the Simulation Process Studio, which allows you to create your own formalised analysis and simulation processes in Wizard form, which can then be deployed to other designers.

Conclusion

So, there we have it, the last major updates to this release of NX 4 and both management of the product development process and simulation can provide tangible benefits. The improvements to your business as a result of adopting data management has as much to do with reducing waste, whether that’s time, cash, stock, or reduction of duplication, as it has to improving communication between the often disparate entities that are involved in new production introduction and manufacturing.

The benefits of simulation and analysis, particularly when used upfront, have a direct impact on perhaps the most important thing in the whole development process – the product. This can manifest itself in many ways. It’s often seen as a way of improving the suitability of a product for its intended purpose – if you can simulate a product in near real-world conditions, then you’ve got a good idea that it’s going to succeed or at least, meet customers requirements. This can range from reduced cost of manufacturing (through a reduction in over-engineering) but perhaps more importantly improved quality of your products, whether that’s to raise perceived cost (and improve your bottom line), suitability for purpose or simply to differentiate your products from their competition.

It’s these two factors of making your business more efficient and improving your products that are exactly the reason to adopt a system like NX and the process management technology within TeamCenter. That’s the real driving force for technology adoption within the design and manufacturing market – to make better products, cheaper and of higher quality. As I said last month, UGS’ game plan seems to be working out very nicely and when you step back and look at NX 4, it’s clear that the system can assist any business that chooses to adopt it.