Design News: Putting a New Face on CAD Interoperability

By Admin | Published: July 18, 2011

“New visualization and collaboration tools that foster the exchange of lightweight models (meaning 3D geometry without all the design intelligence) have been instrumental in helping companies better exchange multi-CAD data without the hangover of traditional platforms. In addition, new technologies advancing the concept of direct modeling, along with reorienting design workflows so that only critical parts of a design, not full assemblies, are translated between parametric-based offerings, are other tactics easing the interoperability burden.”

Read full article here

Automobilwoche: PTC Engineering Software Brings Apps for Creo

By Admin | Published: June 27, 2011

“The first role-based Creo apps were developed to optimize the engineering, manufacturing and service processes and increase the productivity of the individual participants. Benefit not only the design engineers and service personnel, technical illustrators and industrial designers who have promoted traditional processes of product development, in which they have used 3D direct or 3D parametric modeling, can now also be occasional users across the extended enterprise of the new CAD solution.”

Read full article

Creo Customers: Skeletons Key to Large Assemblies for JR Automation

By Geoff Hedges | Published: August 4, 2011

When economists talk about recovery, often they look to entrepreneurs as the next great job creators. That’s why I like the story of JR Automation in Holland, Michigan. It started as a guy in his shed in 1980, and today employs more than 200 people in a 120,000-foot facility near Lake Michigan’s eastern shore.

The company designs and manufactures systems that perform countless tasks–usually integrating sophisticated robotics.  Machines may stamp barcodes on PVC pipe, weld multiple points on dozens of different parts, or produce complex aerospace assemblies. Each project is different, and every client has a unique set of needs, says JR Automation.

That may be why the company keeps more than 60 engineers on staff. It may also be why the company uses Creo Parametric “to the fullest extent.” For example, if a design changes, Creo Parametric makes sure data is automatically propogated downstream and updated in tooling and manufacturing. JR Automation even uses Creo Simulate to analyze and simulate virtual prototypes of its designs. In short, the company manages the entire product lifecycle of its automated lines from concept design to manufacturing.

In this edition of the Product Design Show, you’ll hear about the big picture, that is, JR’s largest and most complex assembly lines. How do multiple engineers work on a single system without stepping on each other’s toes? How do you start a project before every last detail is hammered out? Hint: It’s all done with skeletons (and some excellent file management). Vince and Allison explain ….

FAQs About Creo from October’s Launch

By Admin | Published: October 28, 2010

Quick Links

What is Creo?
What challenges is Creo addressing?
What is unique about Creo?
When will Creo be available?
Which languages will be available for Creo1.0?
Will there be a beta product for Creo?
What is the impact to existing PTC products?
In which specific maintenance releases will the rebranding begin to occur?
Are Pro/ENGINEER, CoCreate and ProductView products being discontinued?
How much does Creo 1.0 cost?
Can Pro/ENGINEER, CoCreate and ProductView customers upgrade to Creo?
Where do I get more information?
Who do I contact for more information on Creo?

What is Creo?
Creo is PTC’s new product family of design software that is expected to be available in the summer of 2011. We are, however, renaming our existing Pro/ENGINEER®, CoCreate® and ProductView® products at this time under the Creo Elements sub-brand in order to unite the exciting future vision of CAD and the elements from which it was derived under one product family.

Creo will be a scalable suite of right-sized, interoperable, integrated design applications (apps for short) that spans the entire spectrum of product development. By addressing the big unsolved problems in design software, Creo enables companies to unlock potential within their organizations by unleashing creativity, facilitating teamwork, increasing efficiency and ultimately realizing value.

Built from the elements of Pro/ENGINEER®, CoCreate® and ProductView®, Creo also includes new breakthrough, patent-pending technology. Creo delivers a common user experience across apps and leverages a common data model and a common PLM backbone. While Creo offers a fresh new approach, it respects and protects existing investments in data, workflows, methodologies, and applications. The power of Creo will also be extended by a broad range of complementary applications, which will be developed by PTC software partners. Creo is the realization of PTC’s vision and strategy to redefine, re-energize and revolutionize the CAD market.



What challenges is Creo addressing?
Creo will address the four biggest problems that have long plagued the CAD industry and its customers: ease-of-use, interoperability, technology lock-in and assembly modeling. These challenges trap potential within an organization.

1. Ease of Use
CAD can be intimidating and overly-complicated for casual users, who need to participate and contribute to the product development process. Some users find parametric CAD fundamentally hard to learn, remember and use. Parametric CAD can be too powerful and over-serve some users in the extended product development team.

Even for CAD experts, using the wrong tool for a job can make the task difficult or inefficient. Usability of existing CAD tools is a factor of the modeling paradigm (2D, 3D direct, 3D parametric) and user interface, and cannot be solved with UI tweaks alone.


2. Interoperability
The lack of interoperability between modeling paradigms and within the 3D parametric paradigm sometimes makes it difficult to use disparate tools of choice for various tasks, or to work with suppliers and other parties in the value chain using multiple CAD systems. This lack of interoperability often forces companies to standardize on a single paradigm system that is not optimal for all users. Furthermore, while companies may choose to standardize, forcing standardization is nearly impossible, resulting in inefficient design processes.

3. Technology Lock-in
Many customers are trapped by legacy tools. The inability to easily translate data between systems makes it difficult to retire old tools and migrate to a new technology, application or vendor. The result is that companies either incur high switching costs or settle for limited innovation with their legacy tools.

4. Assembly Management
For designing relatively simple products with few variants, a pure CAD-based assembly modeling approach is sufficient. For more complex products that may have many hundreds or even thousands of configurations, a CAD-based assembly approach may not be scalable or feasible. In these cases, a PLM-based approach is required. Today there is no deep connection between the PLM system and CAD-based assembly modeling, which limits the impact today’s PLM tools can have on the creation, validation and downstream use of highly configurable, serial number specific product designs.


What is unique about Creo?
Creo will provide four breakthrough technologies that will enable companies to unlock potential in their organizations.

• AnyRole Apps^TM

Offers customers the right tool for the right user at the right time, enabling everyone in the organization to participate in the product development process. The result will be unlocking new ideas, creativity, and personal efficiency.

• AnyMode Modeling^TM

Provides the industry’s only true multi-paradigm design platform, enabling users to design in 2D, 3D direct, or 3D parametric. Data created in any mode is fully accessible and reusable in any other mode, allowing each user to work with their own or another user’s data in their paradigm of choice. Additionally, “Creo’s” AnyMode modeling lets users seamlessly switch between modes without losing intelligence or design intent, unlocking teamwork efficiency.

• AnyData Adoption^TM

Enables users to incorporate data from [any CAD system, unlocking multi-CAD design efficiency and value. Creo will allow users to access the valuable information that is created throughout a multi-CAD product development process (by contractors, suppliers, departments using other CAD systems). Further, Creo enables reuse of data from legacy systems, reducing the typically high switching costs which drive technology lock-in.

• AnyBOM Assembly^TMGives teams the power and scalability needed to create, validate and reuse information for highly configurable products. Creo supports either a bottom-up or top-down design process. Customers can easily plan and instantly create any configuration. Using BOM-driven assemblies and a tight integration with Windchill, PTC’s PLM Software, customers can unlock and realize unprecedented levels of efficiency and value across teams and the extended enterprise.

When will Creo 1.0 be available?
Creo 1.0 is expected to be available in mid-year 2011.


Which languages will be available for Creo 1.0?
Creo products are expected to be available in 10 languages; English, German, French, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.



Will there be a beta product for Creo?
A beta version of the product is expected to be available in Spring 2011 (in English only).



What is the impact on existing PTC desktop products?
Effective October 28, 2010, PTC is rebranding the following existing product families: Pro/ENGINEER, CoCreate and ProductView. The new names are set forth below. All of the current products, including modules and packages, remain available under new brands and are excellent options for customers and prospects looking to get on the path to Creo.

• Pro/ENGINEER becomes Creo Elements/Pro™
• CoCreate becomes Creo Elements/Direct™
• ProductView becomes Creo Elements/View™

In which specific maintenance releases will the rebranding begin to occur?
Rebranding in the product will begin with the following maintenance releases which are expected to be available in November 2010:

• Creo Elements/Pro 5.0 M065
• Creo Elements/View 9.1 M061
• Creo Elements/Direct 17.0 M025

Are Pro/ENGINEER, CoCreate and ProductView products being discontinued?
The current products, Pro/ENGINEER, CoCreate and ProductView, are not being discontinued. These products are being renamed. Capabilities from these products are being further developed and will continue to live on as elements in future Creo releases.



How much does Creo 1.0 cost?
The pricing and packaging for Creo is not available at this time. The Creo Elements products are available today and can add value to your product development process. Please contact a PTC sales representative or value added-reseller for more information.



Can Pro/ENGINEER, CoCreate and ProductView customers upgrade to Creo?
Current products including Pro/ENGINEER, CoCreate and ProductView which are being rebranded will be upward compatible with Creo and will continue to be maintained in accordance with PTC’s standard maintenance service terms and conditions.



Where do I get more information on Creo?
Please visit creo.ptc.com (new product website) and ptc.com/products/creo for more information. You can also engage with industry peers and PTC employees in the PlanetPTC Community at communities.ptc.com.



Who do I contact for more information on Creo?
Please contact ICC, your PTC sales representative for more information: informacion@integralcad.es

Vizworld: Luxion Releases KeyShot 2 for PTC Creo 1.0

By Admin | Published: June 13, 2011

“High-end rendering in CAD Modeling is frequently forgotten in the pursuit of easy & fast.  It’s becoming more important, and alot of obtainable thanks to offerings from companies like Bunkspeed and Luxion.  Having it integrated so tightly on Release Day is a big win for PTC and Luxion.”

Read the full article

Sustainable Design: Creating Products with Less Environmental Impact

By barb schmitz | Published: August 1, 2011

Top business priorities for global manufacturers are pretty straightforward. Growing revenue, retaining customers, and reducing costs always top the list, however, improving sustainability has gained some traction in terms of business priorities. There is little doubt that environmental issues have become more recognized as a legitimate concern among the public (i.e. customers), and as result, manufacturers are taking a serious look at efforts to “green” up their act.

While there are a growing number of products on the market touted as being “environmentally friendly,” “green” or “sustainable,” the reality is that most of these products are not. According to a study conducted last year by TerraChoice, an environmental marketing and consulting firm, more than 95% of consumer products claiming to be “green” for one or many reasons were not.

By definition, sustainable means: “of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that it is not depleted or permanently damaged.” Sounds great, however, nearly all products that use electrical power, energy from natural gas, materials from the earth, or transportation of any kind do not meet this definition as they all deplete resources and damage the environment.

How to Design with Sustainability in Mind

The key issues addressed by sustainability in product design are environmental issues, which include: carbon footprint, which refers to the production of greenhouse gases, the total energy consumed, and air and water pollution. Manufacturers trying to create sustainable products must first determine what their products are made out of and whether the materials have been assessed for their impact on human and environmental health.

Specialized tools and modules are being added to product data management (PDM) and product lifecycle management (PLM) systems to simplify material selection, perform upfront lifecycle assessment, and carbon/water impact analysis. Several CAD vendors are also providing their users with tools that enable them to assess the environmental impact of materials selections through exported bills of material (BOMs). These tools enable designers to conduct a BOM analysis for environmental performance, cost, and reliability, taking into account projected carbon emissions and energy use.

The EPA has also announced the availability of a new tool to help manufacturers to identify and use safer chemicals as part of its Design for the Environment program. The Chemical Alternatives Assessment tool provides a methodology for informed substitution.

Assessing the Big Picture: Lifecycle Analysis

If products are to be designed effectively with little or no negative environmental impact, then the designer must consider the impact of the product throughout its entire lifecycle. What this means is that the designers and engineers need to look at everything that happens in the production, transportation, use and final disposal of the product.

Fully assessing the lifecycle of products can be extremely time-consuming so it’s often difficult in design environments when time to market is critically important to the eventual success of the product. In these cases, there are tools available to facilitate the assessment. Eco-Indicator 99 is a method by which manufacturers—using a simple set of inventory tables and standard impact data for materials and processes—can perform lifecycle sustainability assessments.

There are several software packages on the market that streamlines the process by calculating an impact score, which is determined by looking at the individual impact of a product’s materials, manufacturing process, transportation mode, distance traveled, power usage, power source, and disposal method.

The Bottom Line

Though revamping product design processes to address sustainability issues can be expensive and time-consuming, some companies will find their efforts to be rewarding. A study of over 2,500 executives in Europe, North America and Asia conducted by Forrester Research found that while companies are not prioritizing sustainability, many are reaping its benefits. The results of the study indicated that while sustainability isn’t at the top of executives’ business priorities, the benefits of implementing “green” strategies could help them achieve their existing objectives.

Manufacturers will ultimately realize that they can retain more customers—identified in the study as a top priority—by keeping packaging to a minimum and by openly identifying the materials used in their products.  Beefing up recycling efforts can cut waste management costs. Using safer materials reduces the chance of costly recalls and the possibility of even more costly litigation.

There is growing evidence that an increasing number of manufacturers are moving onto “greener” pastures. According to the 2010 TerraChoice study, the percentage of products examined for the study that were determined to be truly “green” has increased from 2% in 2009 to 4.5% in 2010, and there were 73% more “green” products on the market in 2010 than in 2009.

Creo 1.0: Is Maintenance Support Worth My Bucks, Euros, or Yens with Creo 1.0?

By Geoff Hedges | Published: June 30, 2011

For many, paying software maintenance is about ensuring access to the next major release—new features, enhancements, platform support, etc. It’s an idea largely unique to software. Imagine paying extra for your car so that the 2012, 2013, 2014 models are delivered to your door.

The funny thing is, with a car, you’d know pretty much what to expect with each release: improved mileage and safety, new tires, maybe even LED headlights—usually delivered by late summer. But with software, features and timing can be less concrete, making some reserved about the value of maintenance contracts. That’s why I asked James Winokur, Director of Global Maintenance Support at PTC, to tell us what you can expect with a PTC Maintenance plan.




GH: What does PTC do with customers’ Maintenance plan payments?

Winokur: Maintenance really is an investment in the ongoing development and support of  the products customers use, adding key capabilities and enhancements to improve productivity in both software and support. When people invest in software and maintenance, they are joining a community of like-minded people, all driving to continuous improvement.

GH: What are PTC Maintenance customers getting beyond the latest release?

Winokur: We probably shouldn’t skip over the “latest release.”  This is a unique time at PTC—especially with Creo – we’re planning to deliver a stream of major releases in a relatively short time.  PTC Maintenance customers will benefit not only from enhancements but also from incredible new technology.

GH: And what else will Maintenance customers get?

Winokur: Expert support, of course. We focus a lot of our attention on ensuring our customers stay productive and get the most out of the products they are using.  We deliver VideoTech Tips; live web-based sessions with product experts; online resources such as suggested techniques, technical documentation, and personalized technical alerts; and of course technical expertise.  We have more than 450 technical support engineers at PTC. They operate around the world, providing 24 x 5 support using a single global database.  Many more people provide expertise at our resellers, who, in turn, can rely on PTC for help. 

GH: Will Maintenance change with Creo and its apps?

Winokur: Just as our products are evolving,  we also are creating a new experience with our support resources.  We started some time ago with a direct connection to support resources via the product’s Help menus, then we added a Knowledgebase Search within the LearningConnector tool, and now we have invested in a new capability to deliver more timely, relevant, and higher quality technical documentation.  We are calling it “Product Support 1.1”  to indicate a fresh start and new plans for the future.  With Creo 1.0, we’re updating the LearningConnector content and Technical Support is focused on delivering a better, faster, web-based, self-service experience.

GH: How can users keep up-to-date with what’s happening in PTC Maintenance?

Winokur: Two ways: First, sign-up for The Maintenance Minute – we highlight new releases, common issues and their fixes, and productivity-enhancing tools as they are updated or launched.  It’s a regular email delivered in 11 languages. Second, sign-up for the Technical Support Alerts so you can receive personalized support-oriented notices about specific maintenance releases or updates to cases you have logged. You’ll also see fixes from other customers that may interest you.

GH: Where can users find out more about what they get for Maintenance?

Winokur: The Global Maintenance Support home page is the best place to start.  Look for featured links to items such as Maintenance Support Offerings or The SMaRT Tool.

GH: What is the SMaRT Tool?

Winokur:  The Software Maintenance Resource Training Tool is an online tutorial to explain exactly what customers are entitled to,  how to access those entitlements, and even some best practices for using those entitlements.  It’s easy to navigate. It includes both documents and short videos.

GH: Why do you think it’s a great time for current customers to sign up for Maintenance?

Winokur:  Here are four good reasons:

1. There is going to be a lot of new technology that Mainentance customers will be entitled to over the next several years.  By re-activiating, you can update to Creo 1.0 and get on the path to the bigger story around product development.
2. Once you re-activate, you will have an opportunity to take advantage of brand new apps, extensions, and functionality. 
3. Let’s face it, if you let your software become dated – not just from PTC –you run the risk of becoming incompatible with other applications, hardware, operating systems, browsers etc. 
4. And with any CAD software, there’s just a lot of different ways to do things.  We can help customers understand the best ways to achieve their objectives.

Creo Customers: RKS Harnesses Emotion and Creo to Build Hot Guitar

By Geoff Hedges | Published: June 21, 2011

If design firm RKS is right, your guitar defines you. It signals your aspirations, affirms your identity, and brings meaning to your life. And if you think that all sounds a bit overboard, you’re clearly not a guitar player. People can form emotional connections to their musical instruments and, according to RKS, everything else—from security cameras to water bottles. RKS has spent decades researching how those bonds form. “It’s not just how you feel about the design or experience,” says John Kiehle. “It’s how the product makes you feel about yourself.”

RKS uses a unique approach to concept design that harnesses the power of emotion in consumer behavior. The Psycho Aesthetics method draws on the writings of Joseph Campbell and Abraham Maslow to ensure all of RKS designs pack an emotional punch. It also draws on Creo to ensure those concepts get captured and manufactured.



Does it work? RKS is consistently regarded as one of the top 10 industrial design firms in North America,
with clients like Amana, Nokia, JBL, and RKS Guitars.

Creo Customers: Engineering the near-impossible shot

By Geoff Hedges | Published: July 29, 2011

When I first heard about rifles that shoot around corners, I envisioned a gun barrel bent 90 degrees. An unlikely and nearly impossible scenario, of course, but I saw a lot of cartoons as a child. The reality is far more high tech and interesting. Modern troops use thermal scopes at the end of their gun barrels. The scopes send a signal to a small display attached to a soldier’s helmet. That means a soldier can blindly position a weapon around the corner and then aim using the monitor. And since the scope uses thermal sensors, dark, fog, and dust aren’t barriers to shooting straight either.

Who designs this stuff?

Guys like Tom Premosch, a senior mechanical engineer. He says the whole thing–sensors, cabling, displays– is done with Creo design software. Learn more about how Creo unlocks innovation for Premosch and his team in this brief interview from a recent PlanetPTC  gathering:

Creo Customers: Student Racing Team Develops Hot Wheels

By Geoff Hedges | Published: June 15, 2011

What happens when you ask students to build a racecar? They build a competitive-level racecar that goes from 0 to 60 in just 3.5 seconds, weighs just 470 pounds, and has a 90 hp power plant.

Tyler Neff, Graduate Student at Colorado State University, and Chief Engineer of the Ram Racing  Formula SAE team shows what students can accomplish with the right tools. Get the story behind RAM Racing’s made-from-scratch competitive-level racecar designed with Creo.

Formula SAE® is a student design competition organized by SAE International (formerly Society of Automotive Engineers).  The concept behind Formula SAE is that a fictional manufacturing company has contracted a design team to develop a small Formula-style race car. The prototype race car is to be evaluated for its potential as a production item. The target marketing group for the race car is the non-professional weekend autocross racer. Each student team designs, builds and tests a prototype based on a series of rules whose purpose is both to ensure onsite event operations and promote clever problem solving.

Formula SAE promotes careers and excellence in engineering as it encompasses all aspects of the automotive industry including research, design, manufacturing, testing, developing, marketing, management and finances. Formula SAE takes students out of the classroom and allows them to apply textbook theories to real work experiences.

Today, the competition has expanded and includes a number of spin off events. In the United States there are two locations: California and Michigan; Michigan being the largest event and longest running. Internationally, as part of the Official Formula SAE Series utilizing the Formula SAE Rules Copyright under signed agreement are:

• Formula SAE Australasia
• Formula SAE Brazil
• Formula SAE Italy
• Formula Student (UK)
• Formula Student Germany

Congratulations to Tyler Neff and all the Formula SAE teams!
Image courtesy of  Ram Racing, The Colorado State Formula SAE team

Creo 1.0: Assembly enhancements demo’d

By Geoff Hedges | Published: July 28, 2011

With Creo 1.0, we’ve introduced assembly enhancements for our parametric-based app, compared to Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 5.0. In this demonstration, John Buchowski, Vice President of Creo Product Management at PTC,  shows key assembly additions for Creo Parametric:

• A 3D dragger for positioning parts
• Google-like search
• Change tracking for comparing revisions
• Real-time, interactive performance

Creo Customer: World’s Tallest Mobile Crane designed with PTC’s Creo software

By thomasroser | Published: July 28, 2011

How do you mount a 90-ton turbine housing or a rotor blade with a diameter of 50m to a wind turbine tower at a height of over 100m? With the world’s tallest and strongest  mobile crane – the Liebherr LTM 11200-9.1.


This record breaking crane is designed and manufactured by Liebherr, Germany. And being part of the design team also requires you to be tall and strong.

I talked to Werner Knehr at Liebherr, who’s been intimately involved in this project, to find out more about the challenges. He explained that while many aspects of mobile crane design are expertly understood by the team at Liebherr, the LTM 11200-9.1 project pushed everything to the limits. From balancing the forward and rearward moments, requirements for forward and rear-axle steering, and multiple axle chassis, to ensuring the total weight of the crane remained under the maximum allowed weight limit for roads in countries across the world.

To address all those challenges, different design alternatives were explored and frequent and unplanned design changes were needed to reach the optimal solution. And that’s where PTC’s Creo design solutions came in. Using Creo’s direct modeling tools, the team was able to re-use and re-design existing parts from previous design projects, address unforeseeable design changes to help reduce weight, optimize the torsion of the telescopic cranes, and even respond to new requirements resulting from new markets and applications. Mr. Knehr summarizes “the Creo software speeds up our design process and makes it much more effective.”

Image courtesy of Liebherr Group

And one final point worth mentioning, Liebherr uses both PTC’s Creo direct and parametric tools across the company, best matching the modeling approach with the product design strategy of each of its business groups. In a future blog, We will be looking at how Liebherr design cranes for offshore use, for example, on oil rigs, using Creo’s parametric approach. And if like me, looking at this crane brings out the child in you, you too can own your own Liebherr LTM 11200-9.1, as a 1:50 scale model!

Creo 1.0 in the Multi-CAD, Multi-tool Workplace

By Geoff Hedges | Published: June 1, 2011

With Creo 1.0, PTC offers the parametric and direct modeling approaches to 3D design all in one product suite.  If you work in a multi-CAD environment or if you use multiple tools, Creo could lead to significant changes in the way you work—and I mean that in a good way.

The traditional multi-CAD experience

According to Aberdeen group, about 82% of you use multiple CAD tools in order to accommodate customers, suppliers, and other supply chain partners.  In fact, Aberdeen found many companies using up to 5 different CAD tools. Software vendors have worked hard to make a more interoperable environment for manufacturers. But the truth is, you can’t find one tool that will allow you to import, modify, and then incorporate your changes back to the original design. That’s because in a traditional parametric environment, you lose design intelligence when you export a model out of its native format.  The result is frustration, lost time as teams recreate models from scratch, and, well, a bunch of redundant CAD systems all under one roof.

The traditional multi-tool experience

Many engineers struggle with inflexible specialized tools too. You need your models to work with tools for electromechanical design, digital human modeling, associative tooling, etc.  As with incompatible CAD systems, when the specialized tools don’t work together you get lost time, redundant work, redundant tools, and frustration.

The Creo 1.0 experience

With Creo 1.0, you can move designs from one vendor’s system to PTC without having to start over again. You can launch the model in the Creo Direct App and make whatever changes you like without worrying about interdependencies. Behind the scenes, Creo 1.0 is applying your changes using a common data model that works in a parametric or direct environment. That means you can feely move imported models between Creo Direct and Creo Parametric, without ever losing design intelligence.

In fact, you don’t even have to use the direct app if you’re an expert parametric user. Creo 1.0 offers an extension, Creo Flexible Modeling Extension (FMX), that can give you direct-like capabilities in Creo Parametric.  So, load any model in Creo Parametric and modify it using FMX, as easily as if you were working with a direct modeler. In addition, Creo offers the broadest range of interoperable design, visualization, and illustration capabilities on the market. Plus, the Creo suite includes a huge range of tools in apps that all work together.  You won’t need to use redundant, incompatible tools to get your job done. And, since all the tools and apps are based on the same interface, you won’t have to learn a new tool for every job you perform. Working in a multi-CAD, multi-tool environment is just one process that gets easier when you can switch between parametric and direct modeling. I’ll tell you about several more in the weeks ahead.

Ball Bounce Engineering

Have you ever thought about how high a ball is supposed to bounce off a playing surface? And how a court can provide grip for your shoes, yet not be so rough that falls tear your skin? Designers at Sport Court share their secrets in this episode.

Share your Views on Concept Design

By Geoff Hedges | Published: July 27, 2011

[Skimmer alert! Reading to the end matters too. Survey and iPad giveaway below.]

Products often start with concept design. And in many ways, they can end with concept design too. That’s why we plan to devote much of our energy over the coming weeks and months talking specifically about just this stage of product development and Creo.

Here’s why we think it matters:

• A total of 70% of engineering managers interviewed[i] recently named accelerating new product development (NPD) and innovation among one of their three key initiatives during the coming years. This is by far the most significant engineering initiative.
• When asked where Creo can help with their initiatives, more than 80% identified conceptual design.
• When companies contact us about Creo, 90%[ii] of the time they want to discuss improving product development at the concept design stage.
• Unless you have a dedicated research and development facility, most new innovation in product design takes place during the concept design phase.
• Consistently, researchers[iii] have found that 60-80% of a product’s final features and costs are decided and committed very early in the NPD process, during early stages of design.

Add your data: Take our survey

We have a lot of data, but we don’t know everything. That’s why we’d like to know about concept design in your work. Whether you drive the conceptual design, manage the team or process, or even manage the company and business, tell us how you do it today.
Take our 20-minute survey. Here are two good reasons to participate:

• We’ll enter you in a drawing to win one of an five Ipads 2! Makse sure you complete the survey by July 31, 2011.
• We’ll share the results of the survey in the coming weeks ahead of everyone else.

[i] Results from survey of 52 manufacturers participating in PTC’s Board of Customer Advisors meetings, 2011.
[ii] Visit reports from PTC’s Technical Sales Experts with respect to Creo.
[iii]  AMR Research, 2005. “By the earliest design stage, 60 to 75% of total development cost is fixed, reducing management’s ability to adjust the rollout strategy as market conditions change.”

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How Can Manufacturers Shift to Mass Customization?

By barb schmitz | Published: March 3, 2011

 

In today’s tough, recession-weary markets, manufacturers are increasingly being forced to react and respond to the growing individualization of demand. In order to compete, manufacturers must adopt strategies that embrace a closer reaction to their customers’ needs while also being mindful of the increasing competitive pressures that dictate that costs must continue to decrease. The reality today is consumers are dictating play; they want what they want and at a price they are want to pay.

Mass customization is a new paradigm that encompasses the technologies and systems needed to deliver products that meet individual customers’ needs with near mass production efficiency.  In order to accomplish this, companies must adopt a flexible, demand-oriented strategy to provide a range of custom options. Efficiency is a key strategy as mass customization is as much a business practice as it is a technology practice.

To be successful at mass customization, companies must harness technologies that revamp their speed, flexibility, and efficiency at minimum expense. Combined with organizational changes to focus on the unique needs of various customer segments, these technologies help companies affordably deliver customized versions of their products to profitable niche markets. They must also drive down the costs associated with addressing smaller markets by creating greater economies of scale at smaller volumes along the supply chain.

Implementing mass customization demands new processes and services—new capabilities that are not in place in most organizations. Although introducing a level of customizability into any product typically increases costs, made-to-order products can actually reduce waste by basing production costs upon actual demand. Design and tooling costs have also decreased in recent years, making it more practical to produce smaller product batches or prototypes.

To succeed, companies must design products that create enough customer value to justify any additional customization expenses. Manufacturers also must develop modular components that can be combined late in the manufacturing and delivery process to create a wider variety of configurable end products.  On the manufacturing side, flexibility is key. Manufacturing systems need to be modified to produce families of products while at the same time minimizing setup and changeover times.

Lesson One: Customers Rule

Flexibility in manufacturing processes and open communication with customers are two critical components of effective mass customization. In fact, maintaining close contact with customers to gauge their needs and receive feedback about a customized product is crucial in the mass customization process, and can also assist with innovation and new product development. There’s no doubt that customers will play at key role in any company’s effort to mass-customize products.

In fact, many innovative products originated in the customer’s domain—including many success stories in mass customization offerings that are a result of an innovative customer becoming an entrepreneur.  To succeed at mass customization, manufacturers need to reach out to their customers to obtain input and feedback in order to optimize a company’s innovation process. Internal corporate processes must be changed so customers can become integral partners in the process.

Most successful mass customizers today are companies that have started with on-demand business models, rather than traditional manufacturers that are experimenting with shifting from mass production to mass customization. Traditional manufacturers must focus on finding a successful business model for their size and scale, and look at efficiencies as their efforts grow.

Guiding customers through customization

Companies currently implementing mass customization must provide their customers with guidance through the creation process. A recent survey conducted by MIT of 500 mass customization companies revealed that nearly two-thirds of the surveyed companies didn’t provide users with any guidance through the creation process. Effectively that means that nearly 66% of mass customizers are providing customized products without providing any expertise, such as color matches, compatibility checks, or guided recommendations.

Ideally, manufacturers offering customizable products should provide customers with a product configurator that presents them with many choices while also providing guidance and assistance. During the customization process, also referred to as co-creation, a manufacturer must be able to offer expertise and make suggestions during the selection process just as a sales person would do in person or over the phone. In some cases this means removing options.

Let’s look at Dell Computer for an example of this. We talked last month about the company’s successful online, build-to-order PC and server programs. When customers sit down to order a customized computer, the Dell web site allows them to choose from a list of compatible video cards, as well as a few up-sell options. The reality is that there are literally hundreds of video card options, but Dell only shows the appropriate matches for each specific base product. Omitting options simplifies the process and eliminates any possible incompatibility issues, though the customers still feel they are creating a product fully customized for them.

Improving Product Quality

By barb schmitz | Published: June 29, 2011

 

Product development engineers and designers are human, and as we all know, to err is human, right? Unfortunately in the increasingly competitive world of product design, making errors in the design of a new product can cost a company plenty in the form of costly reworks, expensive recalls, lost development time, lost revenue and possibly customers, if bad products make their way to market. Increased liability and warranty costs add to the pressure manufacturers face to reduce errors.

One way to head off potential problems is to shift design verification and validation methods from the end of the design process to the beginning of development, when errors are fixed with the least expense and effort. At this point, designs still reside in digital form so they are easily changeable and should be iterated continuously to assure the design is fully optimized. After all, design validation is most useful when there is time in the development cycle to integrate the results back into the design.

Sometimes this is difficult to do, however, because performing a complete design validation is a detailed, methodical, and time-consuming task. The key is to use design methodologies and tools that focus on ‘what if’ type analysis early in the design cycle, without derailing development schedules. Design verification and validation are both crucial steps in ensuring that a new product will ultimately meet, or possibly exceed, customers’ needs and expectations.

Integrating verification and validation early in the design cycle delivers significant returns: improved product quality, reduced prototyping costs, and shortened design cycles. Design verification assures that products fulfill the requirements specified for them, while validation confirms that a product will fulfill its intended use or purpose. In other words, verification assures that the product was built correctly, while validation assures that the manufacturer built the right product.

Both processes—verification and validation—provide periodic confirmation that the design is headed in the right direction, reducing the chance of designs making a wrong turn, in terms of meeting design requirements and specifications, which could lead to further errors down the line when changes come at a much higher cost, both in terms of time and money.  Verification and validation provide engineers with a variety of possible feedback or output that they can incorporate back into the design. This feedback might include whether or not the design met requirements or specifications; descriptions of failure modes; summarized test results; and recommendations for improvement.

The first step is to determine the means by which the requirements will be validated. For some manufacturers, especially those who manufacture electromechanical products, this step will involve identifying the testing required for mechanical, electrical, and embedded software as well as the system as a whole. Testing facilities and resources must then be secured, and physical tests run or digital models developed and simulations run.

Design requirements are translated into a set of test cases with loads and constraints that can either be measured physically or digitally across all functional domains (electrical, mechanical, and software). Once the tests and simulations are run, the results of both the physical or digital tests are documented in reports, indicating whether the product satisfied both its requirements and specifications.

Implementing verification and validation techniques—either digitally or physically—early in the design process enables engineers to ask the “what if” questions when the answers bear the most fruit. Having the answers to all those questions empowers engineers to make the best decisions that guide designs in the right direction from the start and ultimately result in better, higher-quality products.

Improving Concept Design with Direct Modeling Software – Try it for FREE

By Geoff Hedges | Published: August 10, 2011

 

 

 

 

We always say that direct modeling software is easy to use. But it’s even easier to get. Extraordinarily easy. Creo Elements/Direct Modeling Express–the same software used by manufacturers all over the world to design new products–is free. The Express version of the software works for assemblies up to 60 parts and is available for download now.

If you’re new to this blog or CAD design, we’ve talked at length about the differences between parametric and direct modeling software  here and here.  But if you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick list of good reasons to download Creo Elements/Direct Modeling Express, the free direct modeling software today:

1. This is NOT a trial version. Start using our direct modeling software, keep using our direct modeling software. It’s really free!
2. It’s full-blown CAD software. Explore some of these links to see what American Wave, WAGIC, Sports Court, Fritsch, and NASA have done with the commercial version.
3. It’s easier to learn than parametric CAD systems, because you work by dragging and shaping the geometry directly. That means you can start designing today.
4. Creo Elements/ Direct Modeling Express, because it’s so much easier to use, is a great tool for anyone interested in product development. Whether you’re a home hobbyist, garage entrepreneur, or on a large corporate team, you can participate in the design process from concept design to tooling without being a CAD specialist.
5. Creo Elements/Direct Modeling Express is a standalone app; it may be all you ever need to craft your next great design. But just in case, it also plays well with all of Creo’s other apps

Click here to register and download: www.icc-group.es

Protecting Intellectual Property

By barb schmitz | Published: March 22, 2011

 

All businesses have trade secrets; information that they would rather keep confidential that is valuable to a company’s growth and competitive advantage. This could include technical information (formulas, designs, tools, manufacturing processes, and computer source codes) as well as business secrets (customer and employee lists, financial and accounting data, and product and marketing plans). Such information can be critical to the success of a business; however, many companies do little to protect it.

 

Many changes in the business community have made protecting intellectual property (IP) more challenging. Today’s business environment is extremely dynamic and increasingly competitive on a global level. For manufacturers, this new globalized economy requires managing extended supply chains in which outside partners and suppliers perform critical functions, from product design and manufacturing to product support, from various locations throughout the world.

In order to remain competitive, manufacturers are also increasingly turning to outsourcing and off-shoring, making protecting design data even more problematic and it more essential for them to have a well established strategy for managing supply chain risk. In addition, rapid technology changes and today’s increasingly mobile workforce both add to the complexities of IP protection.  The risk of having IP stolen or in some way compromised is among the greatest risk that manufacturers face today.

IP theft can result in counterfeited versions of a company’s products being designed, manufactured and sold on the black market. Whether it’s actually outright theft of IP or possibly an unintentional “leakage” of valuable information by an employee or supply chain partner, it carries a hefty cost. The World Customs Organization estimates that IP theft impact on the global economy accounts for $500-$600 billion in lost sales each year, or 5-7% of world trade. The FBI estimates that in the U.S. alone, counterfeiting and piracy accounts for over $200 billion is lost sales each year.

IP Protection in Product Development

Because of all the complexities mentioned above, IP contained in products and product designs is increasingly at risk. In order to enable truly collaborative design, companies are opening themselves up to heightened risk of IP theft. Implementing the organizational structures, business processes, and technologies that support “IP friendly” collaboration are essential to protect design IP. Companies must also document IP, establish legal protection, and safeguard product data by enhancing IP security and digital rights management.

One way in which manufacturers are combating the risks of IP theft is through the implementation of product lifecycle management (PLM) software. PLM systems enable companies to create a central repository, or vault, in which data from multiple systems across an extended global supply chain, is safely kept. The PLM platform becomes the mechanism by which product data is shared among the extended design team members.

The PLM system can determine whether a person is authorized to access the data they are attempting to access, in essence protecting IP while also streamlining the product development process. With this type of system in place, all requests for product data—regardless of where it originates within the company or supply chain—are managed by this single system. Multinational project teams can then collaborate effectively while obeying any relevant export control regulations, commercial IP laws, and security protocols of all countries involved.

While IP theft is still a huge concern for global manufacturers, it’s a risk they can mitigate with proper diligence from an organizational and technology standpoint. With the right processes and systems in place, manufacturers can safely compete in the global market while also protecting their most valuable assets.