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THE PEOPLE WHO POWER DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AT LIVEWORX 2023

Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A – 2023 EAC Product Development Solutions, an award-winning PTC Solutions Partner and Global Services Provider, returns to Boston May 15-18 for LiveWorx 2023 with seven presentations covering today’s most impactful solutions in the manufacturing space.

EAC partners with companies to help them navigate their digital transformation journey by providing extensive capabilities that span the entirety of the manufacturing process, including solutions such as Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Simulation, Additive Manufacturing, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Augmented Reality (AR) and more.

“We are excited to be a part of LiveWorx 2023 and to have the opportunity to showcase our latest technology solutions,” said EAC’s Chris Woerther, VP of Business Development. Our team of experts is looking forward to connecting with attendees and sharing how our solutions can help businesses succeed in the digital age.

LiveWorx 2023, the world’s premier digital transformation conference, brings together innovators, forward-thinkers, and experts to explore the latest technologies in digital transformation. EAC provides the essential services, support, and strategic expertise that manufacturing companies need to extract the maximum value from technology investments.

As such, EAC has been selected to present seven sessions at LiveWorx 2023:

[AR1088B] – Creo Illustrate for AR Developers

Monday, May 15 2:15 PM – 2:45 PM EDT | Breakout Session 102 B

Clay Helberg, EAC Solution Architect, will provide insights into Creo Illustrate, a powerful tool for creating engaging augmented reality (AR) content, and the key insights you should know to get the best use for authoring.

[PL1842B] – Minimum Windchill Implementation to Achieve Significant ROI

Monday, May 15 3:10 PM – 3:40 PM EDT | Breakout Session 105

During this session, Chris Woerther, EAC Vice President of Business Development, will present how to achieve strong ROI by expanding Windchill usage to other departments and the shop floor to share product data and create a closed-loop change process with minimum implementation. 

[AR18431] – AR and Expert Capture – How Easy it Can Really Be to Get Strong ROI

Tuesday, May 16 8:15 AM – 8:30 AM EDT | IgniteTalX Stage 1

Todd Liebenow, EAC Senior Application Engineer, will discuss the significance of Augmented Reality in capturing, standardizing, and sharing workforce knowledge, including how it improves efficiency and speeds up onboarding and training for new employees. 

[CA1179B – Why Model-Based Definition?

Tuesday, May 16 2:50 PM – 3:20 PM EDT | Breakout Session 205 A 

During this presentation, Stephen Pralle, EAC Application Engineer, will explain what model-based definition is, why it is beneficial, and how to implement this strategy into the product development process. 

[PL18451] – Assessing Your Business Practices to Find Optimization Opportunities

Wednesday, May 17 8:15AM – 8:30AM EDT | IgniteTalX Stage 2

Scott Dufresne, EAC Business Development Manager, will discuss the significant business benefits assessments achieve and how they identify areas of improvement in design, management, operations, and service sectors. 

[CA11801] – Rapids Prototyping Made Simple with Creo Additive Manufacturing

Wednesday, May 17 2:45 PM – 3:00 PM EDT | IgniteTalX Silent Stage 

Stephen Pralle, EAC Applications Engineer, will present the power of Creo and Additive Manufacturing together for earlier design success that enables faster time-to-market. 

[CA1181I] – Simulation-Driven Design with Creo Simulation Live

Thursday, May 18 10:15 AM – 10:30 AM EDT | IgniteTalX Silent Stage 

Stephen Pralle, EAC Application Engineer, will showcase the powerful capabilities of PTC’s Creo Simulation Live (CSL) to easily leverage simulation earlier in the design process with real-time feedback to save time and boost innovation. 

Attendees will have the chance to speak with EAC industry experts and leaders to explore the best-fit solutions to drive business growth and achieve their strategic goals. 

Check out our Digital Transformation blog featured on the PTC LiveWorx page:

EAC will be available throughout the conference at Booth No. 700. 

Liveworx is happening at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on May 15-18, 2023. To plan your agenda and attend EAC’s live sessions, visit www.liveworx.com. 

For more information about EAC Product Development Solutions, visit www.eacpds.com. 

Media Contacts

EAC Senior Marketing Manager 

Jessica Magelssen – jmagelssen@eacpds.com 

PTC Senior Director, Global Corporate Communications 

Greg Payne – gpayne@ptc.com 

Creo file of part being designed

PTC Creo: Explained

PTC Creo is a powerful 3D modeling and simulation software that helps engineers and designers to create virtual prototypes of their products. The software is used in many industries, such as aerospace, automotive, medical devices, consumer electronics and more.
PTC Creo provides users with a wide range of features including:

  • Modeling capabilities for creating complex shapes using parametric geometry or direct modeling tools

  • Test your designs before they’re manufactured

  • An integrated environment where you can work on multiple projects simultaneously without having to switch between different programs

The Benefits of PTC Creo

This powerful 3D CAD software offers advanced tools for product development, including:

  • Cost-effectiveness – The ability to create high quality products at lower costs through an improved design process. This effective simulation tool saves you money on

  • Improved accuracy – The ability to create accurate designs faster with less manual intervention.

  • Speed of design – A streamlined workflow enables you to quickly move from concept to reality by automating repetitive tasks so you can focus on what matters most – your ideas!

Creo Parametric CAD design with dimensions

Creo Parametric

One of the key features of PTC Creo is its parametric design capabilities. This means that users can create models that are based on a set of parameters, such as dimensions or material properties. If any of these parameters change, the model will automatically update to reflect the new values. This can save a lot of time and effort in the design process, as designers don’t have to manually update every aspect of the model.

Creo Simulation

PTC Creo also includes a range of simulation tools using Creo Simulate or Simulate Live, which allow designers to test their models under various conditions. For example, they can simulate how a product will perform under different loads or temperatures. This can help to identify any potential issues before the product is manufactured, saving time and money in the long run on prototype waste.

You save time and money on production runs of components made from materials such as steel or plastic resin molds. There is no worrying about unexpected costs due to mistakes made during manufacturing process because of pre-printing simulation with Creo. Without simulation, there could be overproduction waste due poor quality control measures and lack of environmental testing.

Another useful feature of PTC Creo is its collaboration tools. With this software, multiple users can work on the same model simultaneously. This can be especially helpful for large design projects, where different teams may be responsible for different aspects of the design.

So, who uses PTC Creo?

As we mentioned earlier, it’s used in a wide range of industries. For example, automotive designers may use it to create models for car parts or assemblies. Aerospace engineers may use it to design aircraft components. And manufacturers may use it to create models of production equipment.

The PTC Creo User Interface

The user interface is where you’ll spend most of your time in PTC Creo. It’s made up of four main sections: Design Tools, 3D Model Creation, Drag-and-Drop Feature and the Model Browser.
The Design Tools section is where you can access all the tools needed for creating your models and assemblies. These include sketching tools for drawing 2D sketches on planes or surfaces; editing tools such as move, copy/paste and rotate; drawing aids like grids; dimensioning tools that let you add dimensions to your designs; assembly creation options that allow users to create assemblies from parts imported into Creo Elements/Pro by means of an external CAD system (such as AutoCAD) or built within Creo Elements/Pro itself; plus many more features!

Support Resources

Tutorials:
PTC has a library of tutorials for all levels, from beginner to advanced. The videos are short and easy to follow, so you can learn the basics in no time.

Documentation:
If you need more detailed information or want to dive into the details of your project, there’s plenty of documentation available on EAC’s website. You can search through the Creo Help Center or look at specific guides that cover topics like creating parts or assemblies in Creo Parametric 3D CAD software.

Creo Experts:
If you have questions about how something works in Creo, ask them here! Our PTC Creo experts are ready to help with any questions, issues or if you want to know how you can optimize your usage of the CAD program.

Conclusion

Creo is a powerful, flexible CAD/CAM software package. It’s used by manufacturers across a variety of industries to create parts and assemblies that are accurate, efficient and cost-effective.
Creo offers an extensive range of capabilities for product development teams:

  • Conceptualize your ideas with intuitive 3D modeling tools that help you quickly visualize your designs before building them in the virtual world.

  • Use parametric design capabilities to create variations on existing models so you can test different options quickly and easily without having to start from scratch each time (and potentially waste time).

  • Create fully functional prototypes using built-in simulation tools that allow you to see how parts will function together before they’re even built!

Connect with one of our experts to see where Creo could positively impact your business processes. If you’re looking to learn more, check out how Creo helped Merrick and the race to space.

EAC’s been in the engineering and design technology world for a long time. Over the years we’ve carefully cultivated our product portfolio to meet the ever-changing needs of people and companies that design, manufacture, and service products. Our partnerships with PTC and ANSYS allow us to offer a few different design simulation and analysis solutions to our customers.
Design simulation, Computer Aided Engineering (CAE), Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and many other terms all fall into the “simulation and analysis” bucket. These tools help engineers and designers create virtual prototypes of their products. This helps groups rapidly prove, or disprove, design ideas in a digital space – reducing the time and money spent on physical prototypes, and increasing confidence in designs.

“If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ‘em all” does not apply to simulation software. Different tools offer different benefits, accuracy, speed, and ease-of-use. Here’s a quick overview of some of the tools we offer. Contact our sales group to learn more about pricing, full capabilities, and packaging.

Option 1) PTC Creo Simulate

Simulate is a fantastic tool that’s fully integrated into PTC Creo Parametric CAD software. It offers fantastic meshing capabilities and accurate simulation results directly within a user’s familiar CAD software interface. All you need to do select the PTC Creo Simulate tab and you’re off and running. This is great for designers and engineers looking to test the stresses and loads under which a product will operate in ‘real world’ conditions. Based on your simulation and analysis results, you can either fix design flaws or forestall them. If you’re already using PTC Creo you should explore PTC Creo Simulate. Because, why would you ever manufacture a product without testing and analyzing it first? Creo Simulate comes in two flavors – Simulate and Advanced Simulate. They come with two different price points. One or the other might be the best option for your company. It really comes down to whether you need to simulate materials with linear or non-linear properties.

Option 2) ANSYS Discovery Live

ANSYS Discovery Live blows my mind. This tool was released in late 2017 and delivers functionality never seen before. Discovery Live uses ANSYS Discovery SpaceClaim to pull in IGES, STEP, and CAD models. Then the interface guides users through applying materials and some constraints – and Boom! It runs the simulation…in real-time…right in front of you. I’m talking about the ability to run wind-tunnel testing in real-time! Discovery Live is different from PTC Creo Simulate and most other simulation tools. It uses the Graphics Card (GPU) to run the simulation. This means it doesn’t occupy your core processor and RAM to while solving. You get better computer performance and instantaneous results for structural, thermal, fluid flow, wind tunnel, structural/fluid interaction, and more. Discovery Live is a great tool for engineers and designers that want to test a lot of design options quickly. The price is incredibly reasonable for a tool this powerful. You can see pricing and compare Discovery Live to AIM here.

Option 3) ANSYS Discovery AIM

Sometimes simulating real-world conditions requires more features and control than tools like PTC Creo Simulate, Solidworks Simulation, or Discovery Live might offer. ANSYS Discovery AIM is a great option when that’s the case. ANSYS Discovery AIM is a “multi-physics” simulation tool. What does that mean? Multi-Physics or Multiphysics refers to the ability to combine properties and solvers to simulate product usage. “Physics” in the simulation world refers to the kinds of simulation you are running – e.g. electromagnetic, thermal, structural, radio frequency, fluid flow, etc. AIM is a workflow driven multi-physics tool. It guides users through the steps necessary to complete a successful simulation. This is the perfect option when companies want a robust solution, but may not have experienced analysts on staff. Much like how PTC Creo Simulate maintains a familiar interface to make simulations easier; AIM uses guided workflows to make detailed upfront simulation accessible to engineers and designers.

Option 4) Dedicated ANSYS analysis software

When product simulation and analysis goes to the next level you need the ANSYS flagship products. These are sometimes known as the ANSYS Workbench products. Unlike PTC Creo Simulate or the Discovery software, each of these tools focus on one area of simulation…and deliver results you can take to the bank (or the regulatory agency). They are more complicated and come with a higher price point, but the results are unmatched. ANSYS’ comprehensive software suite spans the entire range of physics, providing access to virtually any field of engineering simulation that a design process requires. Organizations around the world trust ANSYS to deliver the best value for their engineering simulation software investment. If you need to test a specific physic – fluids, structures, electronics, semiconductors, or embedded software – this is the option for you. Contact us to learn more about a specific solution’s pricing and functionality. Also, if you’re a start-up make sure you ask us about special offers available through the start-up/entrepreneur program.

So there you have it. My layman’s take on a variety of simulation options. I hope you found this helpful. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or would like to see a demonstration of any of these tools.

If you are an OEM supplier to a major fortune 500 manufacturing company it probably took you a while to become their supplier. You had to prove to them that you could deliver a quality product on time, at a fair price.

Now that you have won their business it is probably equally as important to maintain that business as it was to win it in the first place. Your company probably has a nice cash flow and your employees are enjoying a nice secure job because of this win. However, the most important thing that will keep your customer coming back to you is quality.

Most major manufacturing companies realized years ago that the sooner that you can discover flaws or issues in the design phase, the easier and more cost-effective it is to fix the problem.

They found out that after completing the design process in CAD, they could move on to using simulation software, like ANSYS, to simulate prototypes. By simulating their prototypes they are able to run multiple simulations of their prototypes at one time and pick out the prototype that met their requirements to move forward and begin manufacturing.

Over the years these huge corporations have saved millions of dollars in time-savings and reduced the amount of times projects have to be constructed.

In the interest of time-savings and cost-savings, I suggest you consider looking into a simulation tool yourself. As your customer will appreciate knowing that their supplier realizes how important a quality product is. Who would you rather buy from? A company that has thoroughly tested their product or one that hadn’t?

If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of simulating your products early and often, learn more about simulation here.