GOVERNMENT
New EDS Tool Helps CAD/CAM Users with Earlier Design Flaw Detection
PLANO, TX -- EDS (NYSE: EDS) today announced Unigraphics Quick Stack(TM) -- a new tool from its PLM Solutions line of business enabling users of the company's Unigraphics(R) computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) software to digitally thwart product design problems earlier in the process than ever before. Unigraphics Quick Stack is an easy-to-use, automated, three-dimensional (3D) tolerance stack-up dimensional analysis application. Tolerance stack-up analysis is the time-consuming process of evaluating the effect that worst-case physical dimensions can have on a product assembly. This new integrated offering from EDS' PLM Solutions line of business will enable manufacturers to make better design decisions early in the product development cycle, resulting in significantly reduced costs and improved time-to-market. "Unigraphics Quick Stack offers a major advancement in usability for preliminary 3D stack-up analysis," says Brad Shaffer, staff engineer for GE Aircraft Engines. "Our design engineers were previously performing hand calculations but have since adopted the much more accurate and easy to use Quick Stack. Unlike other analysis tools, Unigraphics Quick Stack provides even a novice user the ability to perform the analysis early in the design phase. "The user, therefore, has much greater ability to predict and avoid potential problems from the very beginning -- versus much later in the product development process." Saves Time, Money Unigraphics Quick Stack is intended for use by all product design engineers, including those without extensive knowledge of dimensional control. Quick Stack users can easily and confidently predict minimum and maximum variation in an assembly and identify key contributors to out-of-tolerance conditions. Because this is achieved by utilizing data embedded in the Unigraphics model, several time-consuming steps typically associated with this process are eliminated. "Unigraphics Quick Stack will benefit manufacturers in various industrial segments, particularly automotive, aerospace and industrial machinery," said Joan Hirsch, vice president of Unigraphics development for EDS PLM Solutions. "Using Quick Stack, users can discover variations in product dimensions early in the design or development phase. Left undetected, dimensional variation problems can cost 10-100 times more for corrections made during manufacturing or in a product recall phase. "With Quick Stack, our customers will avoid the cost increases and time delays associated with discovering dimensional variation problems later in the product development process." Joint Development Effort Unigraphics Quick Stack is the result of a joint development effort between EDS PLM Solutions and Tecnomatix Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: TCNO), a leader in providing e-manufacturing solutions. Unigraphics Quick Stack expands on market leading capabilities of Unigraphics by utilizing the industry-proven Tecnomatix tolerance analysis tool (previously known as Valisys) for its calculation engine. The partnership brings total quality management into product design, resulting in decreased time-to-market and improved overall quality in the final products. "Incorporating Tecnomatix technology into the Unigraphics software brings two leading providers of manufacturing solutions together," says Harel Beit-On, president and CEO of Tecnomatix Technologies. "Quick Stack provides customers with the ability to carry out powerful assembly analysis in their own CAD environment and to maintain high-level quality products." For more information visit www.eds.com or www.tecnomatix.com