What's New in Solid Edge ST9

Release 9 with Synchronous Technology

 

 

Solid Edge ST9 doing CFD  flow trajectories right inside the program

 

Dan Staples and Oliver Duncan are getting ready to show us the newest release of Solid Edge, which came out in July earlier this year.

 

Dan Staples, vp of mainstream engineering product development at Siemens PLM

 

SE ST9 takes its first steps to the cloud with these functions:

• Install it on as many computers as you want, by logging the license in and out on each computer
• Settings can be stored online, so that your preferences are applied to the Solid Edge you are currently using
• Store files online, such as with Dropbox; also supports file locking online
• But, files are local and Solid Edge runs locally, so that when the Internet is not available, you can keep working

"Buying a perpetual license is your most cost-effective choice," says Mr Staples.

User interface changes include tabs for each drawings, larger icons for hi-res monitors, and a make over that looks like the latest Microsoft Office.

Now Mr Duncan is coming on the stage to demo CatchBook, their tablet software for conceptual design. He is showing how the software was used to design a new orange press (for making juice). Export the 2D sketch to Solid Edge for 3D modeling. (Not mentioned is that the exchange format at this time is DXF.) Photo below shows the Catchbook design in Solid Edge, where the 2D sketches are extruded and revolved into 3D.

 

Oliver Duncan, director of global technical business development

 

ST9 advances hybrid modeling, the latest hot thing in MCAD, in which history-based modeling can be used at (much of the time) the same time as synchronous modeling (the Siemens term for direct modeling). Some of the new features new functions like being able to fillet and chamfer across more than one part at a time.  Create new parts in context of the assembly. Sketch in 3D. Track design intent. Multi-face replace in assemblies. Create threaded holes automatically from Booleans. Sheet metal flanges from multiple parts. Better material table. Sweep (like cut) along a path across multiple bodies at one time -- good for simulating milling operations.

ST9 now has a preview for 3D printing -- a 3D preview of the item to be printed with additive manufacturing. Can change tolerance, so higher for more accurate models, or lower for faster printing. Hmmm.... reminds me of what it was like to print to laser printer in the late 1980s. Also allows reorientation so that it sits on the print bed the best. Includes links to 3D printing services with pricing options and lead times.

Parts can be simplified using the Simplify command. Use it so speed up display performance, to remove IP (intellectual property) when sending drawings out. Not just box simplification, but also cylinder-shaped simplification, such as for stock material cost estimates.

Patterning is extended to do random patterns in parts -- kind of like a powerful Copy command. Can also use sketches to specify the locations of patterns; use Find command to select all sketches.

In assembly management, sometimes identical looking parts have different functions -- such as a pad that acts as a foot or a cover for a screw or both. ST9 can now apply custom properties to identical components. This extends to balloons and BOMs. See figure below.

 

 

With a dig at competitors, Mr Staples jokes that "We know [2D] drawings are going away. They've been going away for 30 years!" Well, they are not going away at Solid Edge. In fact, he says, "We are the Drawing Guys."

New in ST9 drawings are things like tolerance tables (unique to Solid Edge), broken views are now associative, and quick view style modification. Multi-core processing during drawing view updates, makes it 28% faster -- a tough feature to implement, according to Mr Staples.

Other new functions include spiral curves, better piping, and so on.

Also new: FloEFD for Solid Edge from Mentor Graphics. EFD is short for "embedded flow dynamics" -- I think, we aren't being told. Nevertheless, it is a form for CFD (computational fluid dynamics). Oh, oh: Mentor wants to do the same thing as Autodesk: allow non-experts do simulation. Anyhow, this software is meant to see how fluids react in a model -- both gasses (like air) and liquids. Does it get too hot, are pressures too high?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Anton]

Hi Ralph,
EFD stands for "Engineering Fluid Dynamics" and Mentor's FloEFD exists already since end of the 90's with integrations also in Catia V5, PTC Creo/ProEngineer and Siemens NX. Back then it was EFD sold by NIKA which was acquired by Flomerics in 2006 and then acquired by Mentor Graphics in 2008. So only the Solid Edge integration is new and they are not trying to do the same as Autodesk, they were doing it already and better than Autodesk. It is not a single button integrated in the CAD system which moves the model into a different system to simulate it like Autodesk Simulation CFD (former CFDesign) did but a fully embedded CFD simulation into the CAD environment. At no point the user will leave the CAD system for the analysis.

Regards,
Anton

[Ralph Grabowski]

Thank you, Anton, for the clarification!