FIND TOLERANCES
Capability: With ToleranceCalc 5.0, users of any popular computer-aided design system can get quick answers to two questions: Will the product perform as expected when dimensional tolerances are stacked up? Will the product be cost effective to manufacture? The application can be run at any stage of the design process. Given a specific tolerance range, the application returns the sigma quality value. Conversely, given a desired sigma quality value, the application returns the tolerance range that should be allocated to meet the quality goal. These combined capabilities essentially allow users to perform what-if analyses to determine the correct balance between a product's cost and performance.
Hardware: PC running Windows XP or Vista and a drawing exchange-compliant CAD program.
Developer: Geomate Corp., 3474 Nova Scotia Ave., San Jose, CA 95124; (408) 371-6095; fax (408) 371-4251; www.inventbetter.com.
Cost: $295.
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Realistic Design
Capability: The 2-D and 3-D design software IronCAD has been upgraded to version 10. The upgrade includes the Quick Visual Loading feature; with it, users can manipulate camera tools and interact with a model as it loads. Engineers can set specific camera angles before working on a model. A property browser enables engineers to access property information and commands that pertain to selected geometry. Changing the selection level of the geometry changes the property browser's contents. Associative 2-D multisheet layout drawings can be created automatically from parts and assemblies. The upgrade also includes a rendering engine that allows engineers and designers to produce photo-realistic images of their designs.
Hardware: PC running Windows 2000, or XP Professional.
Developer: IronCAD, 700 Galleria Pkwy., Suite 300, Atlanta, GA 30339; (770) 240-3008; www.ironcad.com.
Cost: $3,495.
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Organize the Office
Capability: The document management program Adept 7 can be used to organize, manage, share, and control engineering and business documents between in-house and out-of-house team members. The application houses engineering data in a central repository. The software can be used to automate design, to control engineering changes, and to reuse design data. It also tracks product design to meet certification and regulatory specifications, such as FDA compliance. The application is integrated with SolidWorks 2008 and supports many Autodesk applications as well as Microsoft Excel and Word. The developer also offers Adept Explorer, a Web-based version of the application.
Hardware: PC running Windows 2000, NT, or Vista.
Developers: Synergis Technologies Inc., 472 California Rd., Suite 100, Quakertown, PA 18951; (215) 529-9900; fax (215) 536-9249; www.synergis.com.
Cost: $1,600 per license, with an annual maintenance fee of $425 per license. Adept Explorer is $800 per license with an annual maintenance fee of $225 per license.
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Secure Documents
Capability: The document control application Liquid Machines is now available for SolidWorks 2008 users. With it, engineers can protect the product definitions that are stored as part of the CAD file. Engineers control access and use of their electronic content. Access and usage permissions remain with the data as it travels from machine to machine, within the organization or beyond. Attempts to copy or excerpt it must first be cleared. Owners are informed about who accessed, or attempted to access, their protected information. Derived and mirrored parts will maintain the security settings of their original parts.
Hardware: PC running SolidWorks 2008.
Developer: Liquid Machines, 486 Totten Pond Rd., Waltham, MA 02451; (781) 693-3600; fax (781) 693-3699.
Cost: Starts at $395 per user.
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CAD for Mac
Capability: TurboCAD Mac software has been updated to version three. New features include a built-in tape measure for design measurements and an updated ACIS solid modeling engine. Two-dimensional and three- dimensional versions are available.
Platform: PC running Macintosh OS 10.2 and later.
Developer: International Microcomputers Software Inc., 75 Rowland Way, Suite 340, Novato, CA 94945; (415) 878-4000; fax (415) 897-2544; www.turbocad.com.
Cost: $145, 3-D version; $69, 2-D.
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