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PTC Drives Flexible, Collaborative Manufacturing Engineering

Founded in 1985, PTC (Parametric Technology Corporation, Needham, MA, )(www.ptc.com)(Nasdaq:PMTC) develops, markets, and supports collaborative product commerce (CPC) and flexible engineering solutions that streamline engineering processes, enhance product quality, optimize product information management, and reduce cost and time-to-market. PTC's products are available via their electronic store at the company's Web site, and through direct and indirect sales forces.
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The CPC arena encompasses many previously isolated markets that address various phases of the product life cycle, such as product data management (PDM); component and supplier management (CSM); visualization and digital mock-up; computer-aided design, manufacturing, and engineering (CAD/CAM/CAE); enterprise application integration (EAI); program and project management; manufacturing planning and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO).

Historically, PTC primarily focused on providing mechanical CAD/CAM/CAE solutions through its flagship Pro/ENGINEER® design software; and the company remains committed to providing industry-leading flexible engineering solutions based on such software. PTC's MCAD business unit offers flexible engineering solutions that boost the market opportunities for design and engineering organizations by compressing the time and distance between product manufacturers and their customers and suppliers.

However, PTC perceives that there is escalating demand for CPC solutions from manufacturers who, to remain competitive, must deliver more custom-tailored goods faster and at lower prices, while, increasingly, relying on geographically dispersed and dynamic supply chains. To exploit this opportunity, PTC has expanded its focus to encompass CPC solutions provided by their Web-based Windchill® information management software. The expanded focus enables PTC to boost the business impact derived from their flexible engineering solutions, and gives customers the additional tools required to elevate their products into enterprise assets and to leverage into new business opportunities.

PTC's Windchill Solutions business unit is focused on providing CPC solutions that address the various phases of the product life cycle (from concept and definition to production, service, maintenance, and retirement), and allow manufacturers to collaborate over the Internet with their customers, suppliers, and partners throughout the product development and delivery process.

PTC is extending its B2B strategy to include a family of solutions that use the Web-based Windchill architecture to parallel critical B2B functions in manufacturing organizations. Such extended Windchill B2B solutions include design chain collaboration, design to order, supply chain management, e-catalog, and product lifetime support.

PTC's Windchill Netmarkets addresses collaborative opportunities associated with Internet exchanges and manufacturing-related public, industry-sponsored, and private exchanges and marketplaces. Such exchanges and marketplaces are empowered to offer collaborative product development services that span enterprise, geographical, and system boundaries, and differentiate them from procurement-only exchanges.

The scalable Windchill Netmarkets solution allows all members of a globally dispersed design chain to readily connect on a project-by-project basis and to tap key collaborative product development capabilities in a secure, scalable environment. Windchill Netmarkets is capable of managing diverse types of information involved in product development, such as specifications, design notes, manufacturing plans, part definitions, bill of materials, software modules, and 2D and 3D product information generated by disparate electrical and mechanical CAD authoring tools.

In its white paper, Collaborative Design Chain Management The Next Wave of Opportunity for B2B Trading Exchanges, PTC notes that, as manufacturers increasingly outsource the design, development, and production of their products, they "increasingly take on the role of systems integrators, blending the collaborative contributions of an entire network of 'design chain' partners to bring a new product to life."

The trend toward design chain outsourcing and the parallel evolution of B2B exchanges are driving key opportunities for exchanges to provide enhanced collaborative product development capabilities for managing the design chain. "Exchanges that fail to deliver higher-value services that link together collaborative B2B business processes in the design and supply chain will not survive. Likewise, to remain competitive, manufacturing companies must seek out ways to improve the product development process with their globally- and organizationally-distributed design chains. Collaborative product development services hosted in the exchange environment enable both parties to achieve their vital objectives."

PTC's CPC software solutions are built around Windchill's federated, Web-based architecture and enable manufacturers to leverage the Internet in their product development and delivery processes (which encompass customer-driven engineer-to-order through development, manufacturing and retirement).

One Windchill capability allows direct links with the engineering team using CAD/CAM and PDM (product data management) tools, optimizes the product innovation and design environment to reduce concept-to-design cycle times and enhance team collaboration.

In June, PTC announced the availability of Windchill Release 5.0, which provides key enhancements for deploying Web-based B2B collaborative product commerce solutions.

Enhancements in Windchill Release 5.0 that promote secure collaboration based on Internet standards, include: new support for Oracle 8i Release 2 and Java2; new support for Excalibur Technologies' (Vienna, VA) RetrievalWare® search engine; new subscription capability; new password protected electronic signatures; new integrated corporate and personal calendaring; and native support for wireless mark-up language (WML), rendering vital product-related information more accessible to individuals using wireless devices.

The following enhancements to Windchill 5.0 strengthen the manufacturer's ability to develop and manage a complete product representation independent of engineering authoring systems: new integration to Mentor Graphics (Wilsonsonville, OR), in addition to new Workgroup Manager for CATIA®, Unigraphics®, and CADAM® enhanced Workgroup Manager for Pro/ENGINEER®, CADDS®, AutoCAD®, and Helix(tm); enhanced productivity through content replication; rich design interrogation capabilities through the new ProductView Realizer option; and new visualization support for Cadence and Mentor Graphics formats within ProductView.

Enhancements to Windchill 5.0 that boost the efficiency of the extended enterprise by tightening relationships between product development and other organizations in the value chain include: new integration with BaanERP, in addition to existing solutions for Oracle® MFG. and SAP; a new replacement part feature that address local supply issues; and a new as maintained product structure feature which facilitates servicing products directly.

In December, PTC will ship Windchill 5.1, which features new collaborative sourcing capabilities that address challenging B2B integration requirements of trading partners. Such CPC solutions are based on the RosettaNet standard.

PTC's mechanical CAD/CAM/CAE software solutions encompass a wide spectrum of engineering disciplines vital to the development of varied manufactured products, ranging from consumer products to jet aircraft. The modular structure of PTC's software code allows the functional capabilities used in existing CAD/CAD/CAE products to be accessed and used in new software modules, thereby reducing the amount of new code required to develop additional CAD/CAM/CAE products and allowing PTC to respond faster to customer requests and needs.

Tom Shoemaker, director of marketing programs, MCAD business unit, explained that PTC's MCAD/CAM/CAE solutions address key prevailing needs of discrete manufacturers by enabling them to introduce products quicker than the competition, achieve mass customization and reuse of design data, and more readily collaborate with all members of the product design chain. High growth markets for PTC's MCAD/CAM/CAE software include heavy equipment, aerospace, electronics, as well as shipbuilding.

Pro/ENGINEER®--PTC's cornerstone mechanical design automation suite for 3D solid modeling, which is built on PTC's popular feature-based, associative parametric solid modeling kernel--provides a flexible engineering infrastructure for product development across a wide range of manufacturing industries, and offers next-generation behavioral modeling technology which streamlines the CAD process.

Pro/ENGINEER is well-ensconced in discrete manufacturing (including the automotive, aerospace, consumer products, and electronics industries), where the industrial-strength solution has proven its ability to streamline product design and development. For example, during 1996-'98, Pro/ENGINEER helped Boeing Rocketdyne reduce the development time for a rocket engine from ten to three years; and it has enabled Sony to achieve a 30% reduction in design time and an 80% reduction in drafting errors for a system that inspects read/write heads on VCRs.

PTC notes that behavioral modeling mechanical design automation technology allows organizations to "take a smarter, more objective-driven and process-wide approach to product development." This approach boosts one's opportunities in the marketplace, where product requirements are becoming more volatile and organizations need to develop more differentiated and customer-responsive products.

The behavioral modeling process rests on smart models that encapsulate design and process intelligence and the range of engineering specifications required to define a product; objective-driven design capabilities that optimize each product design to address multiple objectives and changing market needs; and an extensible environment for integrating different engineering tools across unique engineering processes.

Smart model designs, which contain the specification and process information required to adapt to their environment, are created using next-generation feature-based modeling techniques that capture geometry, specifications, design intent, and process knowledge at the feature level. A behavior modeling strategy accommodates a set of adaptive process features (application features that describe process information, and behavioral features containing engineering and functional specifications) that transcend the traditional core geometric features and further specify the intent and performance of the design.

In March, PTC introduced Pro/ENGINEER 2000i2, which has a list price of $5,995 for core modeling capabilities and provides enhancements in responsiveness, innovation, and connectivity. Pro/ENGINNER 2000i2, which is Windows 2000 certified, offers improvements in selection, sketching, assemblies, feature creation, entity modification, design configuration, and model tree operations. Pro/ENGINEER 2000i2 facilitates Six Sigma design, allows multi-objective design studies within behavioral modeling, and enables the blending of design criteria to create innovative, robust products. The parallel processing of complex design exploration and synthesis problems can be delegated to any number of desktop computers and/or data center servers across the Internet.

In Pro/ENGINEER 2000i2, design features adapt to major changes by intelligently interpreting placement and construction intent, facilitating engineering productivity, design reuse, and automatic customization of standard products. Proprietary shape characterization and search technology allows users to rapidly find similar designs created by anyone, anywhere in the enterprise. New remote 3D data streaming and proprietary multi-threaded graphics technology provides rapid visual browsing from local disks or across the Internet, allowing ultra-large assemblies to be quickly visually navigated for selection of sub-components.

Pro/ENGINEER 2000i2 offers enhanced associative topology bus (ATB) technology, facilitating data exchange between PRO/ENGINEER and CADDS® 5i, ICEM Surf(tm), CDRS(tm), Pro/DESKTOP(tm), and now CATIA®. Such improvements as high-order Bezier surface support, server-side automation, and data management integration facilitate the ability to operate effectively in a heterogeneous design environment and to communicate with suppliers and customers using diverse MCAD systems.

In September, PTC introduced Pro/ENGINEER Shipbuilding Solutions, which was developed to meet the design engineering needs of the shipbuilding industry and will purportedly be the first tool that provides the CAD/CAM shipbuilding market with a feature-based, parametric solid modeler that is fully integrated with an enterprise data management system. Pro/ENGINEER Shipbuilding Solutions is available for demonstration and pilot activities; and full customer shipments are planned for spring 2001 to coincide with the next release of Pro/ENGINEER. Shipbuilding Solutions will start at around $10,000.

"Working with partners like Hyundai Heavy Industries, BAE Systems (Farnborough, England), and Ingalls (Pascagoula, MS), PTC has over 20 years of experience bringing innovative design solutions to the shipbuilding industry with products like CADDS 5i and MEDUSA®," stated Jon Stevenson, PTC's executive vice president and general manager, MCAD Solutions.

"With the release of Pro/ENGINEER Shipbuilding Solutions," Stevenson continued, "the shipbuilding industry will have access to Pro/ENGINEER parametric design solutions for designing whole ships. Customers will also be able to combine the industry-leading design functionality of Pro/ENGINEER with the Web-based collaboration capabilities of Windchill to provide an integrated enterprise environment for ship design and manufacturing. This powerful combination provides complete next-generation shipbuilding solutions designed to address rapid change and iterative designing across the enterprise, encompassing all departments within the corporation, as well as suppliers and customers."

"A shipbuilding-specific engineering solution requires an understanding of the design and engineering of ships, as well as an appreciation of the magnitude of the task at hand," noted Bruce Hays, senior naval architect at Proteus Engineering (Stevensville, MD), a provider of high-end ship and yacht design and analysis software and services. Proteus has partnered with PTC to distribute and implement the latter's new shipbuilding solution. "PTC has demonstrated a real commitment to the proper development of such a tool and a desire to be a partner with shipbuilders for the long term."

Built on the Pro/ENGINEER CAD foundation, Pro/ENGINEER Shipbuilding Solutions provides such functionality for shipbuilders and naval engineers as solid modeling, assembly management, advanced applications (e.g., routed systems, simulation), and a modern user interface. Moreover, Pro/ENGINEER Shipbuilding Solutions will feature new functionality for hull and outfitting design, such as conceptual hull definition, steelwork generation, and rules-based pipe routing.

Pro/ENGINEER Shipbuilding Solutions will provide feature-based, parametric, associative modeling software with customized interfaces and functionality specifically developed for the shipbuilding industry. The system will allow for design change propagation and management, which reduces costly rework. Users will be able to work in an assembly-centric design environment to create fully modifiable components.

Additional products encompassed in the PTC flexible engineering solutions include: Pro/MECHANICA® Pro/DESKTOP(tm); DIVISION(tm); ICEM Surf(tm) and CDRS(tm); InPart(tm); CADDSۑi; and MEDUSA®.

The Pro/MECHANICA CAE software--which is used in the same industries as those for Pro/E--directly simulates the native CAD model geometry to produce a precise simulation. Users are able to evaluate and optimize the performance of product designs in real-world situations, reducing the need for expensive physical prototypes and boosting product quality.

Pro/MECHANICA 2000i2 includes PTC's solid modeling kernel, which provides complex geometry capture and creation, driving design changes directly from the simulation results. Such software offers smart simulation. Truly associative structural connection features allow simulations of welded structures, facilitating parametric studies and optimization of large complex designs. Pro/MECHANICA harnesses the solving savvy of specialized tools, such as MSC/NASTRAN(tm) to streamline multi-functional collaboration. PTC's adaptive solution technology works in concert with the new solver to rapidly provide an accurate FEA solution. Pricing of Pro/MECHANICA 2000i2 with either structural simulation, motion simulation, or thermal simulation capabilities starts at $9,995.

The Pro/DESKTOP entry-level desktop modeling tool offers feature-based modeling, conceptual design and drafting. When integrated with Pro/ENGINEER, Pro/DESKTOP provides a scalable, interoperable suite of associative design solutions that address the needs of users throughout the product development continuum.

The DIVISION suite of visualization solutions range from 2D and 3D viewing and redlining to digital virtual mock-up, behavior simulation, and total-body virtual reality immersion.

ICEM Surf is a Class A surface modeling product that is widely used by automotive manufacturers for modeling high quality, Class A surfaces. It is also used in the industrial design, tool design, and consumer product markets. The CDRS set of integrated tools, used in such applications as consumer products (e.g., electric shavers), allow for creating realistic images with free-form surfaces that can be utilized throughout the product design cycle to evaluate, explore, and communicate ideas to management and clients.

In May, PTC released the ICEM 2000i2 styling and surfacing solutions, which includes new releases of ICEM Surf, CDRS, and 3DPAINT(tm). ICEM 2000i2 provides enhanced capabilities in rendering, usability, modeling, and feedback to improve user productivity and the product development process.

For example, The new ICEM Surf Rendering module provides considerable flexibility when applying lights, backgrounds, and environmental effects to a virtual model. In CDRS 2000i2, orthogonal rendering allows for rendering a model in any isometric, orthographic, or perspective view. 3DPAINT 2000i2 provides, for example, the ability to apply a custom paper texture to the canvas, simulating painting on rough paper. Pricing for ICEM Surf and CDRS 2000i2 start at $27,000 and $15,000, respectively.

The InPart Internet-based library of CAD parts contains 2D and 3D geometry, technical specifications, and component selection software that allows mechanical engineers to download nearly one million certified part designs via the Internet.

PTC's CADDS 5i 3D mechanical design software, acquired in the Computervision merger, provides product development tools spanning concept, design, analysis, drafting, and manufacturing, and is used in the design and engineering of airplanes, ships, and automobiles.

MEDUSA is a 2D detailing and design documentation solution with specific applications focused on plant design and electrical and process related diagrams. MEDUSA 2000i provides such enhanced capabilities as a raster backdrop on the NT hardware platform, and a new interface for the MEDUSA plant design system that allows piping Isometric Production via the ISOGEN software package.

In 1999, PTC implemented a reorganization of its sales and professional services organizations. The initiative was designed to refocus the direct sales and services organizations on larger accounts, requiring a shift from geography-based, product-specific sales and services to named-account, solution-oriented sales/services. As part of the reorganization, PTC signed a multi-year agreement under which Rand A Technology Corporation (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) becomes a master distributor of PTC's core mechanical design products to small businesses throughout North America and Europe. In 2000, PTC added an MCAD channel partner program.

For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2000, PTC had revenues of $928.4 million, of which about $378.6 million was license revenue and about $549.8 million was service revenue. Pro forma net income (excluding nonrecurring charges and the amortization of intangible assets) was $38.9 million, or $0.14 per diluted share. The net loss was about $(4.0) million or $(0.01) per diluted share.

PTC's MCAD revenue for Q 4 2000 was $183.4 million, reflecting quarterly sequential growth. MCAD sales for the fourth quarter included major deals with Tyco International, Maytag, and Embraer. Jump starting the Windchill product line has contributed to some flatness in the MCAD business. As of the end of November 2000, the installed base for PTC's MCAD solutions totals 251,000 seats, of which 21,000 were added in the past year.

For FY 2001, PTC projects total revenue of about $1 billion, of which about $750 million will be attributed to the MCAD business unit. Revenues for Windchill are expected to reach $250 million, from $174.7 million in FY 2000.

Worldwide end-user spending for mechanical CAD/CAM, CAE software and services is projected to reach $6.1 billion in 2000, representing a 5.4% increase over the prior year, according to Daratech, Inc.'s (Cambridge, MA, ) latest data. Global developer revenue for MCAD/CAM, CAE software and related services is forecast to rise 3.6% to reach $5.1 billion in 2000.

PTC's revenue derived from end-user spending for MCAD/CAM, CAE software and related services is projected at $774.7 million in 2000, compared to an estimated $950.0 million in 1999, according to Daratech. PTC's developer revenue for MCAD/CAM, CAE software and related services is projected at $726.3 million in 2000, compared to $931.4 million in 1999.

Worldwide end-user spending for mechanical CAE software and related services is projected by Daratech to reach $1.050 billion in 2000, representing a 14.1% increase over the prior year. Global developer revenue for MCAE software and related services is projected to reach about $840 million in 2000, representing a 12.5% increase over the prior year.

PTC's revenue from end-user spending for MCAE software and related services is projected at $50.4 million in 2000, compared to an estimated $52.2 million in 1999. PTC's developer revenue for MCAE software and related services is projected at $47.2 million in 2000, compared to $51.2 million in 1999.

SafeShip Provides Vital Web-Enabled Packaging and Handling Information

Historically, shippers and consumers have not had ready access to comprehensive data about the quality of package handling during shipping and distribution. The metrics used for carrier selection have been typically limited to price and delivery. Moreover, engineers have often had to design packages for their transport environment without adequate knowledge of how the packages were handled and the environmental forces they are subjected to.

SafeShip (TM) International (Verona, NJ, )(www.safeshipinternational.com), formed in March 2000, is spearheading an enhanced paradigm for packaging design and product handling/transport--relative quality. A single-source provider of an Internet-enabled information technology service for evaluating the global transportation network of carriers and transportation modes, SafeShip provides statistically valid engineering data for package design/testing and for evaluating carrier service quality. The privately held company's unique data service was debuted at the Parcel Logistics Expo, held in Chicago, IL from October 3-5.

SafeShip uses leading environmental data recording technology, the Internet, and patent-pending processes and methods to define relative handling quality for the global distribution system and deliver quality handling information to one's PC. Such information enables shippers to select a carrier and delivery option based on the relative quality of their package handling. Packaging engineers are able to improve the design of their packages for the transport environment, and carriers can identify areas where improvements may be needed.

Key benefits derived from using SafeShip's products, which can be accessed via various service contract subscriptions, include: improved supply chain performance and quality control; optimal yet cost-effective packaging design; enhanced risk management; more informed decisions with respect to carrier selection; reduced warranty expense and fewer returned goods; improved customer satisfaction and retention by minimizing the possibility of shipping and handling damage; and greater return-on-investment and profitability. Moreover, users of SafeShip's offerings gain a competitive edge by ensuring that their products are packaged and shipped safely; and they are able to choose their carrier and mode based on quality as well as price and delivery.

SafeShip's products for shippers include SafeShip It! (TM), SafeDesign (TM), and SafeStats (TM). Moreover, the SafeShip Partners Program (TM) allows subscribers to ensure that their suppliers safely deliver critical components used in manufacturing, assembly, or elsewhere. It is also available to select affiliated industry professional service providers (e.g., package design and testing firms), as well as packaging material suppliers. The manufacturers that use the SafeShip Partners Program ask their suppliers to use SafeShip It!

SafeShip It! is a transactional service to be used anytime one wants to ship a product safely. Shippers/consumers can query Safe Ship It! for carrier and mode ranking based on a shipment's size and weight. For as little as $1.50, within seconds, SafeShip It! will provide a carrier and mode handling quality ranking for a given package size, weight, and route.

SafeDesign provides package designers with engineering-level data in the form of graphs and charts that allows them to design packaging that is more suite

d to a particular environment or content. SafeDesign's relational database provides detailed scientific and technical information on packages during shipping and distribution, and allows users to customize their queries based on their particular needs.

Environmental data is available for such parameters as package drop and impact (drop height and drop orientation), vibration exposure, time-at-temperature (indicates temperature exposure during shipment for temperature-sensitive products), ambient temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure during shipping, power spectral densities, and time-in-transit statistics. Soon, data will be available on dynamic and compressive loads. Engineering data may be selected based on package size and weight, carrier, mode, and source/destination of shipment.

SafeStats provide comparative statistical handling quality data among various carriers, modes, and routes based on package size and weight. Users can compare and analyze carrier quality data to more effectively manage carrier and mode selection, packaging design, and materials costs. SafeStats provides 12 quality measures, including bump (drop or impact) count, biggest bumps encountered during shipment, total force and energy of all bumps, bump orientation, vibration during shipment, temperature variance-over-time from ambient room temperature, relative humidity variance-over-time from ambient room %RH, atmospheric pressure variance-over-time from ambient sea level pressure, time-in-transit by route, and day of shipment quality (daily fluctuations in the various bump quality measures).

SafePassage (TM) provides subscribing carriers access to detailed data on their system that has been collected by SafeShip International, including all of the individual shipment files for their routes. SafePassage includes date and time stamp information on all individual test-leg shipment samples. The information may indexed against an industry composite. A carrier can obtain this information only for their system, not with respect to a competitor's.

Applying leading accelerometer technology (as well as technology for sensing other variables, such as temperature, relative humidity, and pressure), SafeShip has developed patent-pending engineering, statistical, and mathematical algorithms to create specific quality measures (QMs) (TM). The company notes that the data is derived from the largest ongoing statistical sampling of the shipping and handling industry ever conducted.

Data sampling is performed using a special shipping and receiving network set up exclusively by SafeShip personnel to provide unbiased, accurate handling data. SafeShip does not maintain a special relationship with any carrier, packaging materials vendor, or industry association. The sampling method is designed to be scientifically uniform across all carriers and modes reported.

Measurements are certified for accuracy and traceable to NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD) standards. The International Safe Transit Association (ISTA, East Lansing, MI) certifies laboratory test procedures for compliance with Association Laboratory Standards for packaging and pre-shipment testing. SafeShip--which strives to ensure the objectivity, accuracy, and integrity of the data collected--is ISO 9002 pending.

Greg Hoshal, CEO, and chief technologist for SafeShip International, noted that, heretofore, there has not been available any substantive, valid handling quality information about the shipping and handling industry that is carrier- and mode-specific. He explained that SafeShip's product offerings are beneficial to any company that makes a product which is sensitive to environmental conditions during shipping, such as computers/computer peripherals (e.g., high density disk drives), electronics, medical/biological/pharmaceutical products, scientific instruments, perishables, food, glassware, artwork, collectibles, furniture, etc.

SafeShip's "smart packs", containing recording and measuring instrumentation, are being shipped globally to collect the quality handling data, which is retrieved by SafeShip's shipping and receiving network for analysis. At present, the smart packs (instrumented packages) are primarily being deployed in the parcel distribution environment (which includes major parcel shippers, such as UPS and the U.S. Postal Service). The tri-axial accelerometers used in SafeShip's instrumented packages provide information on vibration and drop and impact.

Companies that are keenly interested in SafeShip's offerings include computer/computer peripherals manufacturers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and Japanese manufacturers of high-technology products and consumer products. SafeShip's Web site has already garnered hundreds of registrants. In the future, SafeShip plans to distribute its offerings via media other than the Internet, such as CD-ROM.

Civilian, global demand for acceleration sensors totaled $720.3 million in 1998 and is projected to reach about $1.3 billion in 2008, representing an average annual growth rate of about 6.1%, according to Intechno Consulting's (Basel, Switzerland, +) Sensor Markets 2008 report.

Exa® to Advance CFD Solutions

In an arrangement that promises to boost opportunities for more advanced, user-friendly CFD software, Drs. Steven Orszag of Yale University and Victor Yakhot of Boston University have signed multi-year collaboration and intellectual property agreements with Exa® Corporation (Lexington, MA, )(www.exa.com), a manufacturer of PowerFLOW® software and provider of e-CFD (TM) Internet services for computational fluid dynamics (CFD). These highly knowledgeable individuals will collaborate with Exa's chief scientist, Dr. Hudong Chen, and Exa's chief technology officer, Dr. Shiyi Chen, to propel research research and development for Exa's future products and services.

"Exa PowerFlOW has the unique ability to perform 3D time-dependent simulations--the only way to succeed in this industry," declared Dr. Yakhot. "By working together with other well-known physicists and Exa's R&D staff, we are defining today the future of computer-aided engineering (CAE) physics and integrating our cutting-edge developments into PowerFLOW."

"Exa realizes that collaboration is key to the future development of this technology, and has created a truly unique team that will impact the industry with its novel and highly effective methods for accurate and efficient solutions to engineering problems," stated Dr. Orszag.

"Exa continues its commitment to strive for the highest quality research, development, and validation efforts for our products and services," noted Stephen Remondi, Exa's president and CEO. "The key to success in this competitive industry is to have proven, accurate physics behind your code. We have the best team in place to meet this goal."

Dr. Orszag joined Yale as professor mathematics and chair of applied mathematics at Yale University, having joined Yale in 1998. From 1984-'98, he was Hamrick professor of engineering and professor of applied and computational mathematics at Princeton University. He received a Ph.D. in astrophysics from Princeton and then joined the faculty at M.I.T., where he was professor of applied mathematics until 1984.

Dr. Orszag's research interests include numerical analysis, applied mathematics, and fluid dynamics. His key contributions include the development of spectral numerical methods; purportedly the first numerical simulations of three-dimensional turbulent flows; development of dynamic renormalization group methods for turbulence; development of accelerated methods for molecular dynamics; and the simulation of electronic chip lithography and manufacturing.

Dr. Orszag has garnered numerous awards, including an AIAA Fluids and Plasmadynamics award, Otto Laporte award of the American Physical Society, and a G.I. Taylor medal of the SES. He has written over 300 papers and nine books; and is a co-author of Advanced Mathematical Models for Scientists and Engineers and the forthcoming Partial Differential Equations for Scientists and Engineers.

Having received a Ph.D. in physics from Moscow State University in 1971, Dr. Yakhot is currently a professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at Boston University. Previously, he was a senior research scientist at Princeton University, and senior scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel.

Areas where Dr. Yakhot has made key research contributions include renormalization for derivation of turbulence models, theory of probability densities in turbulent flows, theory of premixed turbulent combustion, and rapid distortion effects in two-equation models for turbulence. He has published over 120 papers in the fields of quantum energy transfer in solids, kinetics of phase transformation, critical phenomena, turbulence theory and engineering modeling. Dr. Yakhot was awarded a Zaks prize in chemical physics and is invited keynote speaker at physics meetings.

Michael Kayat, vice president, sales and marketing, explained that a key focus area for Exa is the development and implementation of highly advanced, time-accurate turbulence models, which fit very well with Exa's Lattice Boltzman approach to CFD. The latter is a physics-based, natural approach to describing the gases and liquids to be modeled.

With time-accurate turbulence modeling capability, Exa's PowerFLOW software will provide enhanced accuracy for varied applications (such as aeroacoustics, aerodynamics, and those involving very complex geometries), and extend PowerFLOW's range of applications from small scale to large scale modeling. Applications that can benefit from PowerFLOW's time-accurate turbulence modeling capability include electronic cooling, heat transfer, automotive design, engine design, powertrain components, HVAC/climate control components, flow and thermal management of the engine compartment, hydrodynamics of ships, and buildings and bridges.

Exa is presently shipping PowerFLOW 3.2, which has time-turbulence modeling capability. A new release of PowerFLOW is slated for Q1 2001.

Founded in 1991, Exa Corporation develops and markets software and services that enable engineers to analyze complex fluid flow simulation problems. Fluid flow analysis investigates how fluids, such as air, gases and liquids, move in, around, and through solid objects (such as automobiles, airplanes, buildings, electronics, heavy equipment, offshore platforms, vehicle components, ducts, trains, trucks, etc.).

Exa's PowerFLOW software, which uses Exa's patented DIGITAL PHYSICS® technology, provides such benefits as reduced product design cycles and accelerated time-to-market, enhanced ability to create competitive designs and handle complex geometry, parallel scalability (the ability to scale up to as many CPUs as required for performing complex simulations very quickly), accurate fluid flow results, and ease of use.

Unlike traditional CFD tools, which are based on Navier-Stokes differential equations and generate complex meshes that must be tuned manually, Exa's fluid flow simulation software is easily integrated into the design process and automatically generates meshes around any type of geometry. Their software allows CFD to be integrated into the mainstream of the design process, thereby boosting the market opportunities for more user-friendly CFD tools.

PowerFLOW streamlines the process of fluid flow analysis and allows design engineers to make time-critical product design improvements part of the concurrent engineering process. Exa's approach to fluid flow simulation is purportedly not susceptible to instabilities and numerical diffusion caused by partial differential equations that are typically used in other commercial codes.

Engineers encounter vital fluid flow problems, such as air flow over automobile and airplane surfaces while measuring lift, drag, yaw, and motion; the movement of fluids and heat transfer in nuclear reactors; and spray cooling and humidification. According to Exa, which will have sales of about $7 million for 2000, fluid flow measurement for such applications and additional ones represents around a $1.9 billion market, based on existing and potential uses.

Kayat noted that key growth markets for PowerFLOW include automotive design, maritime, AEC (architecture, engineering, & construction), electronic component design (e.g., telecommunications switches), and complex component studies (e.g., brake cooling, HVAC systems, transmission systems).

Exa's e-CFD Internet service--in which PowerFLOW is offered as an interactive pay-as-you-go service via Exa's Web server and major application service providers--is aimed at small-to-medium sized companies, as well as large companies who want to boost their simulation capabilities or outsource simulation. The price per CPU hour starts at about $10. Clients can also obtain a license for PowerFLOW and use their own computers.

Worldwide developer revenue for mechanical CAE software and related services totaled $739 million in 1999, and is forecast to reach $833 million in 2000, representing an increase of about 12.7%, according to Daratech, Inc.'s (Cambridge, MA, ) latest data. Global end-user spending for MCAE software tools and related services totaled $908 million in 1999, and is forecasted to rise at about a 23.7% rate to reach $1.030 billion in 2000.

STEP Tools Advances Product Data Exchange in Manufacturing

STEP Tools, Inc. (Troy, NY, ) (www.steptools.com)--a supplier of STEP software toolsets (based on ISO standards) for application software developers, design firms, and manufacturing companies in diverse industries--is spearheading key advances in product data exchange in the manufacturing arena. The company's STEP-enabling software leverages STEP technology to enhance the managing, sharing, and exchange of vital engineering product data inside and outside the manufacturing enterprise.

In August, STEP Tools reported that they will subcontract software development services for Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA, Albuquerque, NM)(www.ara.com). STEP Tools will collaborate with ARA to develop STEP (Standard for Product Data Exchange) data translators for NASA's NextGRADE prototype Graphical User Interface (GUI). Developed by ARA for NASA, the NextGRADE GUI is a Windows¨-based environment for rapid modeling, assembly, and analysis of intelligent component models for system simulation. The work supports NASA's Intelligent Synthesis Environment (ISE) Initiative.

STEP Tools will implement an AP 209 data translator for the project. In addition to 3D model data, the translator must also be able to import analysis results data from the STEP file. STEP Tools will initially develop a specification for the mappings between the NextGRADE data structures and the STEP AP 209 entity types. They will use their ST-Developer (TM) v8.0 software product to execute the mapping process and deliver source code for a bi-directional STEP AP 209-to-NextGRADE translator. Using sample files from the customer, STEP Tools plans to work with ARA to test the bi-directional data translator in all scenarios.

Dr. Martin Hardwick, STEP Tools' president and CEO, stated that the bi-directional AP 209 translator for NextGRADE will be ready by September 1, 2000. The contract for developing the initial translator is valued at $36,000. He explained that NextGRADE GUI will be used for CAE (computer-aided engineering) applications, such as static linear analysis and computing nodes and frequencies.

Hardwick noted that the initial deployment of STEP software was in the CAD arena, fueled by the acceptance and proliferation of the AP 203 data translator. STEP software is expanding into CAE applications, with the proliferation of the AP 209 translator. The acceptance and proliferation of the AP 224 translator is driving opportunities for STEP software in the CAM (computer-aided manufacturing)/NC (numercial control) arena; and STEP software is expanding in the ECAD arena (including printed circuit board aplications), with the increasing acceptance and adoption of the AP 210 data translator.

Founded in 1979, ARA is an international research and engineering company that provides technical solutions to complex, challenging problems in the physical sciences. They have expertise in defense technologies, civil technologies, computer software and simulation, systems analysis, environmental technologies, and testing and measurement. ARA also offers sophisticated technical products for environmental site characterization, pavement analysis, and robotics.

In addition, STEP Tools reported that usage of their free online data translation service reached a milestone of 10,000 STEP data translations on Friday, August 18th. STEP Tools was among the initial companies to introduce an online interactive application in January 1995. The free STEP translation program has boosted awareness of the emerging international STEP standard in the manufacturing sector.

STEP translation traffic has increased 150% over the past year. The STEP online translator is, moreover, an integral part of STEP Tools' ST-Repository (TM) product data management software, which streamlines the management of engineering data using the eXtensibe Markup Language (XML).

Clients can use these Web services for sharing product data with internal and external customers and suppliers. End-users have the capability to translate and observe virtually any CAD model in any file format. CAD users can explore a range of translation options at STEP Tools' Web site (www.steptools.com/translate). STEP online transaction service also includes popular graphic data formats and allows users to directly upload files without using FTP (File Transfer Protocol).

STEP Tools is driving the proliferation of STEP technology in manufacturing by facilitating the seamless exchange of product data between CAD and CAM systems down to machine tool controls.

In 1984, the STEP data standard was initiated as an ISO (International Standards Organization) project. In 1991, STEP Tools reportedly became the first software vendor to market an integrated suite of tools and libraries that cover all aspects of STEP implementation and minimize the effort to enable applications and databases to comply with ISO 10303 STEP. In 1994, STEP Tools worked with Ford and AlliedSignal to demonstrate that STEP could be employed to transfer solid model data among CAD systems. STEP became a full ISO standard in 1995; and since then STEP Tools has been helping CAD vendors and key manufacturers to implement STEP.

In October 1999, STEP Tools reported that it had garnered a $2 million Advanced Technology Program (ATP) award from NIST (National Institute of Science and Technology), an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department's Technology Administration. The ATP award funds STEP Tools' "Model Driven Intelligent Control of Manufacturing" project to develop software and databases for an integrated design-to-manufacturing system that will allow numerically controlled machine tools to be controlled by product design data.

To help STEP Tools commercialize the results of the project, the State of New York earmarked $150,000, to be issued at the completion of the research program in 2002, for hiring new employees and bringing new products to market. Subcontractors for the project include Bridgeport Machines, Honeywell, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

The three-year ATP project, dubbed "Super Model," will lay the groundwork for next-generation manufacturing, resulting in improvements in design flexibility, reduced time-to-market, and enhanced quality of manufactured parts. The goal is to build a database containing all the information required to make a part. Such a "super model" must include design information (e.g., geometry), manufacturing planning information (e.g., form features), and manufacturing strategy information (e.g., tool selection). A super model database for building, storing, and delivering the required information to shop floor users and tools would provide key benefits, including a 35% reduction in the cost of process planning and a 75% reduction in the cost of shop floor control.

The extremely comprehensive super model database will be defined by the STEP and STEP-NC standards; and data will be sent to the database by CAD, CAM, and process planning tools. Heretofore, STEP has been implemented as a data exchange process. As the super model emerges, the tools must be able to add their information to an existing database. A major deliverable of the project will entail convenient libraries that make it sensible for downstream manufacturing tools to annotate and extend information defined by upstream design tools.

For the first year of the ATP project, the goal is to build a STEP and STEP-NC database containing three types of manufacturing features and to use the database to drive a machine tool controller. The target for the second year is to build a database that contains all the features defined by the STEP-NC milling schema and to use this database to manufacture the STEP-NC test part. In the third year, the aim is to build and manufacture a database for another machining process, such as turning, EDM (electrical discharge machine), or grinding.

In November '99, STEP Tools began the creation of an Industrial Review Board (IRB), composed of Fortune 500 companies, CAD and CAM software developers, machine tool manufacturers, job shops, and industry experts and consultants, to advise and participate in the Super Model project.

The IRB will also meet with a companion group of organizations comprising the Verification, Implementation and Promotion (VIP) board. VIP members will run projects to verify that STEP-NC is a superior data standard for their manufacturing processes; and the VIP board will take advantage of the technologies being developed by STEP Tools for the super model. Unlike the IRB, the VIP is expected to continue after the conclusion of the Super Model project.

IRB members represent varied industrial sectors, including: NIST; The Boeing Company; IBM Corp.; IBM-NIIIP Project Office; IBM Software; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; NASA/GSFC; Lockheed Martin Technical Aircraft Systems; General Motors Powertrain; GE Fanuc Automation; General Electric CR&D; General Dynamics Land Systems; National Center for Manufacturing Sciences; RMC and Associates; CIMPlus, Inc.; Monarch Machine Tool Company; Hurco Companies, Inc.; Benet Laboratories; Caterpillar, Inc.; DaimlerChrysler; Jet Propulsion Laboratory; and the U.S. Army. The board also includes subcontractors Honeywell FM&T, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Bridgeport Machine Tools, and Liberty Consulting.

IRB participants from the CAD/CAM software industry include CADKEY Corporation, Unigraphics Solutions, Gibbs & Associates, CNC (MasterCAM) Software, Inc.; Alibre, Inc.; and CAMsoft Corporation Manufacturing companies from New York's Hudson Valley who are part of the IRB include Cambridge Valley Machining, Inc., Dutchess Precision Industries, Fala Technologies, Otto-Tech Machine Company, Inc., Tech Industries, LoDolce Machine Company, and The Design EDGE. The kick-off IRB meeting for the ATP Super Model project was held last December.

Form November 31-December 1, 2000, STEP Tools, along with the IRB, will host the first U.S. demonstration of direct e-manufacturing on a CNC milling machine using STEP product data. The machine tool controller will manufacture a part directly from a STEP model, instead of the traditional verbose and inflexible M&G codes which hark back to the 1950s.

Founded in 1991, STEP Tools, Inc. is spearheading software development for the ISO STEP community, and has amassed over 300 customer sites worldwide. STEP Tools' product line is used by leading firms to leverage STEP technology to facilitate the sharing of engineering product information. Over one million end-users utilize product data applications built with ST-Developer, STEP Tools' flagship product, priced from $6,500 to $12,125. ST-Developer is used in the development of STEP translators for Unigraphics Solutions, CADKEY, Bentley Microstation, 3D-Eye/Trispectives, SGI Alias Wavefront, Hitachi Zosen, Bridgeport Controls, Tecnomatix, and Boeing DCAC/MRM.

In response to the increasing international popularity of the STEP standard, STEP Tools has developed ST-Repository (TM), a product data server, priced at $78,000 that is designed to manage the expanding number of STEP product databases within mid-sized to large companies who have implemented ISO 10303 standardization.

STEP Tools offers ten software solutions in several languages that offer the following key benefits: flexibility afforded by the EXPRESS information modeling language; integration with existing tools and database systems; cross-platform portability; and ease of use for streamlined development. Porgrammers using STEP Tools' products can reduce by up to 75% the effort required to implement STEP applications and translations. In 1999, STEP Tools had sales of about $1.75 million, and the company expects sales for 2000 to reach $2 million.

Global revenues for the computer numerical controls market totaled about $2.4 billion in 1998 and are expected to rise at a 2% compound annual rate to approach $2.7 billion in 2005, according to Frost & Sullivan's World Computer Numerical Controller Markets report (5796-10). Revenues for 2000 are projected at about $2.3 billion.

Unit shipments for the world CNC market totaled about 128,200 in 1998 and are anticipated to reach 155,400 in 2005, representing a compound annual rate of around 3%. Unit shipments for 200 are pegged at about 127,900.

The worldwide NC software and related services market at the vendor level increased 6.8% to reach $716 million in 1999 and is projected to rise 11.5% in 2000 to reach $853 million in 2005, according to CIMdata's (Ann Arbor, MI, ) NC Software and Related Services Market Assessment Report Version 9. In 1999, the geographical distribution of the NC software and services market at the vendor level was: North America--32%; Europe--35%; Asia-Pacific--30%; and the rest of the world--3%.

CADKEY® Boosts Opportunities in Interoperable PC-Based MCAD

In June, CADKEY Corporation (Marlborough, MA, )(www.cadkey.com) reported that their CADKEY PARAMETRICS(TM) module, which enhances the company's hybrid (feature-based and freeform) approach to solid modeling, is now being shipped into the CAD marketplace. Moreover, CADKEY announced the signing of five new e-partners whose software and training products are available at www.cadkey.com/webstore; and they added seven VARs (value-added resellers) in the U.S.

CADKEY PARAMETRICS, positioned as an optional modeling technique, retails for $1,195 and is available for Windows 95/98/NT 4/2000. The product was designed for users seeking to leverage CADKEY's hybrid design functionality and improve productivity with feature-based modeling or constraint based sketching tools.

"CADKEY PARAMETRICS paired with CADKEY 99 (and the upcoming CADKEY v20) advances our hybrid approach to mechanical design and interoperability, which is the classic CADKEY trademark," stated Robert W. Bean, CADKEY Corporation's president and CEO. "From 2D layouts to 3D models--freeform and feature-based solids, surfaces, and wireframe--any phase of product definition can be addressed and any modeling technique can be use at any time. CADKEY PARAMETRICS completes the industry's most fully-resourced PC-CAD solution for product development and manufacturing applications. With a 'no competition' price point, there is no better value in the marketplace today."

A survey conducted by D.H. Brown Associates (Port Chester, NY, ) determined that a blend of CAD tools (including 2D, 3D wireframe, surfacing, and hybrid parametric solid modeling) is required to complete most design tasks in key market segments (such as companies moving from 2D CAD only toward more sophisticated CAD tools).

In contrast to "single-solution" feature-based parametric modelers, CADKEY PARAMETRICS expands CADKEY's hybrid modeling power by supporting unique hybrid combinations of feature-based and free-form solid modeling. The user is able to leverage the power and simplicity of Boolean modeling, while exploiting parametric history-based techniques. Solid or surface components of a hybrid model remain editable with CADKEY's local operators and surface modeling tools. CADKEY notes that this is a significant advancement in the mid-range mechanical CAD market.

Designers experienced in parametric modeling discover that complex models with hundreds of features become difficult to handle, due to congestion in the feature tree. In many situations, a significant number of features do not require parametric editing or definition. CADKEY PARAMETRICS addresses this dilemma by allowing sets of features to be defined as a single non-parametric solid feature.

CADKEY PARAMETRICS strengthens CADKEY's interoperability and enhances its array of features designed for optimum data handling and compatibility. Such key attributes of CADKEY include anhybrid modeling environment that encompasses parametrics capabilities; effective data translators; core technology based on pure geometry; and an extensive set of design, edit, and validation tools for the PC-CAD industry. CADKEY allows manufacturers and mold makers to import CAD data and manipulate the data as if it were created natively. Interoperability tools, such as solid body healing and tolerant edge support, help repair less precise "imported" model geometry.

With CADKEY PARAMETRICS, users can readily convert existing or imported wireframe data into sketches and automatically constrain them. The ability to create adjustable parametric solid models from wireframe data enables the user to transition smoothly from 2D drafting to 3D modeling without sacrificing years of hard work. CADKEY notes that single-solution solid modelers, typically, do not provide forward compatibility of design data and require the user to start the design from scratch.

Contract manufacturers are able to create features in mold cavities by subtracting the volume of an imported non-parametric solid. The features will update automatically if the imported solid is replaced or modified. The position of features, such as water lines dependent on a cavity, will also update appropriately or provide feedback if conflicts arise. Such capability allows contract manufacturers to swiftly re-apply value-added changes to a customer's design when a new version is received.

CADKEY PARAMETRICS facilitates the editing of solids by providing full access to the values used in each model's creation and the interactions between sets of features and parts. To the change the radius of a complex, multi-edge fillet feature, one simply selects a blend face and types in a new radius. Modification of a group of parts with mating relationships is driven by a single variable. Moreover, CADKEY's feature-based modeling provides "suppression" functionality, which accelerates the display of large parametric models by temporarily turning-off individual or categories of detail-level features, such as fillets or small holes that do not significantly influence the visual clarity of the model.

The creation of a set of prints for a family of parts can be automated by modeling and detailing a single parametric model. Adjusting the design parameters transforms the model and causes the layout to be updated automatically. This approach prevents errors, saves time in redrawing other members of the family, and allows changes to be propagated through the whole family at once.

CADKEY PARAMETRICS' special sketching tools improve two-dimensional drawing and can be used to enhance 2D drafting as profiles for modeling. Sketch entities and dimensions utilize animated "click and drag" placement and editing capabilities, resulting in enhanced visualization and a reduced number of menu selections. Dimension and geometric constraints (e.g., coincident, parallel, tangent, and equal size) hold or drive the desired form of sketch profile during editing.

Bean told Manufacturing Automation that CADKEY PARAMETRICS is unique in that it allows users to mix freeform modeling and parametric modeling in the same model. Such capability allows the user to perform modeling very rapidly with freeform tools and to add parametrics to design elements of a part that need to be controlled by certain parameters or variables. CADKEY PARAMETRICS is mainly aimed at product designers who work with a family of parts that have the same shape and style but have varying size. CADKEY is targeting shipping 8,000 units of CADKEY PARAMETRICS over the next twelve months.

CADKEY Corp. recently announced that their Webstore has topped 100 products in less than nine months from both e-Partners as well as their own expanded product lines. The new CADKEY e-Partners announced in June are: Arbor Image (Ann Arbor, MI); Tri-Tech Solutions (Raleigh, NC); Geomate Corporation (San Jose, CA); Tech Ed Concepts (Pembroke, NH); and Albright Design Solutions (Lake Forest, CA).

At CADKEY's Webstore, users can purchase online raster-to-vector conversion solutions from Arbor Image, GrafiCalc software for interactive mechanical engineering calculations, and the Cadspell spell checker for CADKEY notes and labels. Additional new Webstore products include Tri-Tech Solutions' RevEng reverse engineering software and their SurfINSPECT inspection tool integrated with CADKEY for evaluating surface deviations. The latest edition in the training area is Tech Ed Concept's Engineering Your Future, a handbook focusing on the study and practice of engineering, which is beneficial for students or those considering a career change.

Arbor Image's Draftsman 2000, priced starting at $395, is a 32-bit raster-to-vector conversion program that provides such features as automatic raster-to-vector conversion, optical character recognition, heads-up digitizing, and raster and vector editing. For archivers, vector-to-raster conversion is provided. Draftsman 2000 imports color, gray, and black and white images. Scans of prints, sketches, and silhouettes are rapidly converted into vector drawings that look like the original image. The images are imported into CADKEY via DXF, IGES, PLT, and other popular vector formats.

Arbor Image's Draftman's Cutting Shop, priced at $1,195, is a 32-bit raster-to-vector conversion program for cutting applications. The program imports color, gray, and black and white images; and scans of sketches and profiles are rapidly converted into "ready to cut" vector drawings. Any TrueType font is instantly outlined with long lines and arcs. Vectors are exported via DXF, PLT, IGES, and other formats supported by CADKEY.

Geomate's GrafiCalc software package, priced at $129, is designed to help the engineer conceptualize, analyze, visualize, and optimize a broad range of geometry-based design challenges. Once the user defines associative geometry and calculations, they can vary the design parameters and observe the solution unfold interactively. GrafiCalc, which supports the bidirectional exchange of CADKEY geometry and solid models, allows the engineer to, for example, explore and solve complex geometric calculations, kinematics, force analysis, linkage analysis, mechanism calculation, stress and deflection calculations, and load distribution.

The RevEng reverse engineering software, priced at $3,995 and developed by Tri-Tech Solutions to run within CADKEY, streamlines the creation of useful CAD models by digitizing unknown parts and samples. Using an interactive digitizing process, RevEng converts a physical model to a feature-based CAD model. RevEng--which works with manual, DCC, and portable coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), as well as desktop 3D digitizers--creates native CAD geometry that can be merged with existing geometry and is fully editable using standard CADKEY design tools.

Tri-Tech Solution's SurfINSPECT program, which works within CADKEY for evaluating surface deviations, creates graphical and text reports for identifying manufacturing problems and errors. The intuitive interface allows the user to identify automatic probe compensation values and plus and minus tolerances. Text reports provide surface nominal XYZ location, surface actual XYZ location, and 3D deviation; while graphical reports furnish color-coded whisker displays for visual analysis and plotting of inspection results. SurfINSPECT, which is priced at $2,500 and requires CADKEY's FastSURF¨ software, is well-suited for the mold, stamping, and other industries that need to inspect the freeform surfaces in their product and tooling designs.

Including the addition of seven VARs, announced in early June, CADKEY has finalized agreements with 12 new VARs since January 2000. Moreover, several contracts are pending as of the final fiscal quarter ended June 30th. CADKEY Corporation--which has over 100 resellers, distributors, and sub-distributors serving a user base spanning more than 40 countries--has been reinforcing their distribution channel in the light of the release of CADKEY PARAMETRICS and the forthcoming release of CADKEY 20.

OptiPro Systems (Ontario, NY) has re-established its position as a CADKEY dealership in the northeastern U.S. The company also manufacturers, sells, and services computer numerically controlled (CNC) optical machining centers and CNC machines. Magoon and Associates (North Granby, CT) is now a full service VAR in the New England area. The Computer Source of LA, Inc. (Kenner, LA) will market CADKEY products in the southwestern U.S.

All Set Manufacturing Solutions (Folsom, CA) and Acuity, Inc. (Portland, OR) are new West Coast VARs. Mid-West Tech (Madrid, IA) and Cincinnati CAD (Milford, OH) have reinstated their CADKEY dealership status, joining a large network of VARs serving Midwestern CADKEY customers.

The seven full-service companies will resell and market the entire line of CADKEY MCAD software, and offer engineering and manufacturing technical support, applications training, consulting, and specialized CADKEY software development.

In addition, CADKEY reported in July that Tech Ed Concepts (TEC), their national academic VAR, distributed over 10,000 seats of CADKEY to all levels of educational institutions with technical curriculums in the 1999-2000 academic year. CADKEY's Engineers of the Future grant program has contributed software to schools and universities valued at over $2.5 million.

"The interest in teaching three-dimensional design is at an all-time high," stated Richard Amarosa, TEC's president. "Schools have been very proactive in buying software that helps students ramp up to current workforce standards. This trend has snowballed into a significant increase of 25% in student licensing and CADKEY academic distribution. It is evident that educators are becoming more aware of how CADKEY's hybrid modeling satisfies these requirements in the classroom..."

In March, TEC introduced CAD LAB 2000, an academic training program for teaching the fundamentals of mechanical drafting and 3D solid modeling. Sales of CAD LAB 2000 have exceeded expectations, reaching 350 seats in less than three months. Driven by the success of CAD LAB 2000, TEC will launch CAD LAB 1000--a CADKEY-based curriculum for teaching the basics of 2D and 3D graphic design and visualization to any level of school or student-- in September.

CADKEY Corporation is gearing up to release three Windows¨-based translators that will allow CADKEY users to directly translate Catia¨, Pro/E¨, and Unigraphics¨ files. The new Catia translator, to be released in early autumn, will provide two-way translation of geometry and topology data for Catia (*.model/*.exp) files, and will support bi-directional conversion of solid and surface entities. The Pro/E translator (to be released in early autumn) and the Unigraphics translator (which is in beta testing and will be released this summer) will allow these native files to be directly imported into CADKEY, thereby supporting a uni-directional conversion of solid and surface entities. The price for each type of translator will be $995.

Bean noted that Unigraphics and Catia files are heavily used by key automakers and their tier one suppliers. A CADKEY user equipped with the Catia or Unigraphics translator can readily interface with (and work with the models from) tier one suppliers and major automakers.

CADKEY Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets the CADKEY and CADKEY-integrated 2D/3D PC-CAD product lines--CADKEY DESIGN SUITE (TM), CADKEY¨ 99, CADKEY PARAMETRICS (TM), CADKEY WIREFRAME (TM), FastSURF¨, DRAFT-PAK¨, CADKEY POWER-PAK (TM), and CADKEY TRUE TEXT (TM)--for diverse engineering applications. Over 265,000 copies of CADKEY software have been shipped worldwide.

CADKEY's MCAD software products use pure geometry to achieve a higher level of interoperability. The user is able to edit an IGES or a STEP file as if the file were created in CADKEY. Bean highlighted that the enhanced interoperability of CADKEY allows design firms to work with an expanding base of customers who use a variety of file formats.

Within 12 months, CADKEY Corp. will introduce new versions of FastSURF, DRAFT-PAK, and CADKEY (v20) that are based on a new architecture and a new set of code that will leverage the interoperability, ease of use, stability, and speed of these products. The Hoops architecture, licensed from Tech Soft America (Alameda, CA), takes advantage of the graphics chips used in new high-performance "Wintel" computers, and will allow for faster display of graphics, posting 2D drawings or 3D models to the Web, and handling very large assemblies. The new code base, redesigned in C++, will provide increased stability and speed.

In the interim, CADKEY 19, to be released this fall, uses the ACIS¨ 6.2 solid modeling kernel.

For FY 2000, ended June 30, 2000, CADKEY Corp.'s sales are expected to rise 10% to $7.7 million. Major industries for CADKEY products include mold making, tool & die, progressive die, automotive (e.g., second and third tier suppliers), aerospace, and machine design.

At the end of '99, the installed base of mid-range modelers totaled about 178,700 units, according to Daratech (Cambridge, MA, ). The mid-range modeler installed base is forecast to reach 314,000 units at the end of 2000 and 482,000 units at the end of 2001.

Worldwide mechanical CAD/CAM/CAE/PDM software revenues totaled $3.432 billion in 1999, according to Dataquest (San Jose, CA, ).

FloWorks® Streamlines Fluid Flow Analysis for the Design Engineer

FloWorks®--developed by NIKA (Sottrum, Germany), which maintains U.S operations in San Francisco, CA (NIKA-USA LLC, ) (www.floworks.com)--addresses a key need in the marketplace for a cost-effective, convenient desktop fluid flow simulation and analysis

tool that is expressly designed for design engineers. FloWorks--the only fully integrated, goal-oriented fluid flow simulation program for SolidWorks®--embodies a new breed of simulation software, referred to as engineering fluid dynamics (EFD). In contrast to traditional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, which is designed for the fluid dynamics specialist, Windows®-based FloWorks is designed specifically for the design engineer who is not necessarily an expert in fluid simulation.

Nazita Fadakar, vice president of marketing at NIKA-USA, noted that FloWorks is heavily integrated into CAD and easy to use, allowing design engineers to very rapidly create designs and analyze them without having to transfer the data to the analysis code. In contrast to competing products, FloWorks is not merely a CFD or FEA (finite element analysis) package that has been "dumbed-down" for the design engineer. She also mentioned that FloWorks makes fluid flow analysis and simulation affordable for small and medium-size companies.

The FloWorks EFD solution is goal-oriented. Based on user input, the software will set up the appropriate analysis parameters and generate an appropriate mesh automatically. This capability frees the designer from having to translate his/her engineering goals into numerical conversion criteria, iteration numbers, and relaxation factors. Moreover, in contrast to other simulation programs, FloWorks is described as a brand new code based on 55+ man-years of fluid research.

At the end of May, it was reported that FloWorks was certified as a Gold Product for SolidWorks 2000. The certification represents the highest level of integration awarded by SolidWorks Corporation (Concord, MA), a Dassault Systemes S.A. (Nasdaq: DASTY) company. SolidWorks awards Certified Gold Product status to third-party programs that feature three primary characteristics: single window integration; full associativity; and the ability to pass SolidWorks' rigorous testing and certification process.

"We are once again very pleased to welcome FloWorks as a Certified Gold Product," stated Brian Houle, SolidWorks' gold product manager. FloWorks provides our customers with the best-in-class, fully integrated, and easy to use fluid analysis solution. Since FloWorks was first released in 1999, engineers have increasingly experienced the benefits of comprehensive fluid simulation and the commitment to excellence which has guided the development of NIKA's flagship product.

"FloWorks launched the field of fluid analysis for designers, and we are happy to have again met SolidWorks' demanding criteria," stated Mike Harrison, NIKA-USA LLC's chief executive officer. "By making accurate desktop analysis easy to use and affordable, we speak both the language of the engineer and the CEO." "FloWorks is very impressive in its ease-of-use and is a great tool for design engineers who want to increase their productivity," remarked Richard Jones, senior design engineer at ResMed (San Diego, CA), a developer manufacturer, and marketer of medical equipment for diagnosing and treating sleep-disordered breathing.

"We are currently using FloWorks to reduce both the lead time to develop an inertial type air cleaner as well as optimize the air cleaner's performance," stated David Rachels, manager aeropower engineering at Purolator-Facet. "Using FloWorks, we can analyze many different air cleaner configurations to discover what design variables are significant and quantify the effect of each variable on performance. This information enables us to achieve a higher performing design more quickly than ever."

FloWorks--which offers true single-window SolidWorks integration, and provides rapid, affordable analysis of SolidWorks design geometry--helps engineers resolve key design issues, such as how fluids flow, and their effect on the solids with which they come into contact. Removing the guesswork from commercial fluid flow simulation and leaving the design geometry as a solid model, FloWorks empowers design engineers who are not typically experts in this engineering specialty.

FloWorks, as an EFD application, was initially and exclusively developed for integration into SolidWorks. No standalone version is available, and FloWorks does not support other solid modeling packages. By focusing on a single modeling environment, full, uncompromised access to all the capabilities of SolidWorks is achieved. Other CAD/CAM companies have expressed an interest in integrating FloWorks into their offerings.

NIKA notes that performing fluid flow simulations using a solid model as the geometry source can cause a dilemma; i.e., everything in the solid model is useless and everything that is required is not there (the empty space within or around the solid model). The recommended work-around method employed by CFD vendors is to model the "empty" or negative space separately, or to convert the solid model into a surface model and delete the unwanted surfaces. Both work-around approaches entail additional labor and negate the benefits of the parameterized, feature-based solid model.

FloWorks, as an EFD code, detects the "empty" space in SolidWorks assemblies as the fluid region by itself and automatically distinguishes between fluid and various solid areas. There is geometry format transfer in the background. FloWorks uses the original model information from the SolidWorks model, thereby retaining the advantages of SolidWorks' feature-based modeling.

Solving partial differential equations can consume time and computer memory, without guaranteeing a converged, high-quality solution. Due to its underlying mathematical algorithms (e.g., 3rd order methods, special new boundary layer treatments, sophisticated turbulence transition modeling), combined with the exclusive focus on the Windows operating system, FloWorks provides quality analysis results in an optimal time while consuming low computing resources. Such capabilities dovetail with contemporary concurrent engineering environments by ensuring rapid turnaround times.

Most CFD programs in the marketplace, NIKA, notes, were originally developed for use on workstations running under a Unix operating system, or on mainframes. While those codes have been ported to the Windows platform, they are encumbered by legacy issues associated with the mainframe and Unix era. FloWorks is touted as the first commercial fluid simulation software that was exclusively designed for use on PCs running under the Windows operating system. Therefore, FloWorks benefits from contemporary technology without suffering from such issues as old program parts or backward compatibility.

Priced at $7,000 per seat, FloWorks is available through select SolidWorks resellers. SolidWorks users in North America are welcome to attend a series of live seminars conducted over the Internet. They may register at www.floworks.com/emeet/.

Fadakar explained that FloWorks is aimed at markets where SolidWorks has a strong presence. FloWorks delivers a fluid simulation solution to engineers who use SolidWorks to design engines, valves, computer chassis, hydraulics, pumps, HVAC, electronic cooling, and other complicated assemblies.

Representative markets/applications for FloWorks include valve manufacturers; nozzles; piping; land-, air-, and marine-vehicle designers; manufacturers of hydraulic/pneumatic systems; HVAC equipment manufacturers; the chemical process and oil industries; designers of electronic devices (e.g., computers, audio/video); and biomedical instruments. In the automotive area, FloWorks is used, for example, in designing HVAC cooling and heating systems.

FloWorks has been finding acceptance in a broad range of industries and applications; and the product is being embraced at the same rate in Europe as in the U.S., Fadakar stated. FloWorks is used by engineers at such companies as Ametek Aerospace, Baker Hughes, Delphi Automotive, Intel, NASA Ames, ResMed, Neumag, Purolator-Facet, Swagelok, TRW Automotive, TechTronic Industries, and The Johnson Corporation.

SolidWorks Corporation, founded in 1993, develops and markets mechanical design software for Windows and brings production solid modeling to the engineer's desktop. The company's products are distributed through a network of 230 resellers selling in 70 countries. In four years of shipping product, SolidWorks has sold over 48,000 seats of commercial software to more than 15,000 customers, and more than 40,000 seats to over 2,600 academic institutions.

Founded in 1999, NIKA provides design engineers with sophisticated desktop fluid flow analysis tools that are tightly integrated with the original solid model. The company believes that desktop-based fluid flow analysis is a vital element of concurrent engineering. They note that the iterative design processes that drive contemporary product and system development require tools that design engineers can readily use to access design concepts using their own workstations.

Analysis tools need to be integrated with the primary mechanical design system to enable engineers to rapidly and efficiently validate and test ideas. The engineer only needs to send to the design specialist iterations that are at more advanced and less exploratory. NIKA's analysis tools reduce product design cycle time by combining the performance of Windows hardware with modern software architecture. In contrast, they note that most simulation programs are based on 20-25 year old legacy code.

Over the past five years, the Windows platform has reshaped design engineering by providing the degree of performance and processing power at the workstation level that was previously only available through Unix machines and supercomputers. However, despite the increasing adoption of Windows as the platform of choice for design engineers, the majority of fluid analysis software tools are merely patchwork versions that have been ported from the Unix or Cray platforms on which they were originally developed in the 1970s.

Such older analysis programs, originally developed for scientists or engineers who specialize in fluid flow simulation and analysis, tend to be quite difficult to use and are designed for those with expert knowledge in the field.

Propelled by intensifying time-to-market pressure in product design, enhanced software tools and faster hardware have brought formerly specialist engineering functions much closer to the core design process. While this process shift has not dismissed the importance of the specialist, simulation tools like FloWorks enable engineers to perform more effective and frequent design validation.

The advantageous price/performance ratio afforded by the Windows platform fuels opportunities for fluid flow simulation to expand beyond the aerospace, railway transportation, and automobile industries, which have traditionally been the primary users of this technology. Beneficiaries will include manufacturers in such industries as hydraulics, pneumatics, pumps, electronics, semiconductor, and food and beverages, as well as small to medium-sized companies that find traditional analysis programs too cumbersome and expensive.

Moreover, by providing engineers with a fundamental analysis of the flows of gases and liquids, heat transfer, and other forces acting on immersed or surrounding fluids, FloWorks will streamline design time and development cost in such applications as power plants; land, air, and marine vehicles; municipal infrastructure; semiconductor manufacturing; medical instruments; and civil engineering.

Worldwide developer revenue for mechanical CAE (computer-aided engineering) software and related services totaled about $773 million in 1999 and is forecast to reach $869 million in 2000, representing a growth of about 12.4% from the prior year, according to Daratech (Cambridge, MA, ). Worldwide end-user spending for MCAE software tools and related services totaled about $945 million in 1999, and is projected to rise at about a 12.7% rate to reach $1.065 billion in 2000.

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