Design Engineering October 2012

12 Inside Creo 2.0: How does PTC’s latest CAD package stack up?

20 3D prototype of 2010 Olympic Torch lights up Winter Games

22 VAR Spotlight: The 2012 listing of Canadian MCAD resellers

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12-10-12 10:27 AM

Contents | Volume 58, No. 5

IN THE NEWS

5

8 Kim Allen to lead

Engineers Canada

8 Vector acquires

20-20 Technologies

8 Creaform adds CFD services

8 Magellan acquires John Huddleston Engineering

8 Canadian inventors short-listed for Dyson Award

10 NSERC launches research chair in coatings engineering

10 Autodesk unveils

Columns

12

16 CAD Beat Quebec-based Services Précicad trims weight from aluminum, electric utility transport with Siemens NX analysis software 26 Hardwire Epson strives for share of technical print market with wide-format SureColor T-Series release

16

28 Idea Generator The latest in industrial products including motors, power transmission and linear motion components

Simulation 360

10 Canadian

researchers induce superconductivity with Scotch tape

11 MapleSoft releases MapleSim 6

Features 12 Inside Creo 2.0 Sub-D modeling, Options Modeler add to rapid improvement of PTC’s latest MCAD release

20

20 Olympic Mettle Axis Prototype’s 3D prints of Vancouver Olympic Torch light up 2010 Winter Games

READER SERVICES Annual Subscription Rate In Canada: $52.95 (1 year)

$71.95 (2 year) Outside Canada: $99.95 (1 year) Single Copy In Canada: $10.00 Outside Canada: $22.00 Directory Rates In Canada: $27.00 Outside Canada: $45.00 Reader Service Contact Information ecallaghan@bizinfogroup.ca T: Toronto 416 442 5600 X 3538 Elsewhere -866-543-7888 Mail: Business Information Group Design Engineering Circulation Dept 80 Valleybrook Drive North York, ON M3B 2S9

22 MCAD VAR Directory A comprehensive listing of Canada’s MCAD resellers

22

32 Canadian Innovator A Canadian human-powered helicopter moves ever upward in the quest to take home the coveted Sikorsky Prize

26

32

Printed in Canada

October | 2012

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12-10-16 1:54 PM

6 EditorialViewpoint

Deadly Design

www.design-engineering.com

I

n September, 3D printer maker Stratasys made headlines when it rescinded the lease of one of its uPrint machines to Defense Distributed, a Texas-based organization that promotes universal gun ownership. Started by University of Texas law student, Cody Wilson, the group is currently developing the design of a fully 3D printable handgun, or “Wiki Weapon,” made from ABS plastic and eventually producible on cheap DIY printers such as the RepRap. In its letter of termination, legal counsel for Stratasys argued that since Defense Distributed lacked a Federal Firearms Manufacturer’s License, the company wouldn’t knowingly allow its machinery to be used for an illegal purpose. In response, the group argued that it wasn’t manufacturing anything; it was simply using the printer to help develop and refine the CAD data it eventually intends to distribute freely on the Internet.

Why bother, given the relative ease with which one can buy firearms, in the U.S. at least? The group argues that freedom requires the means to defend it. If restrictive gun laws curtail those means, then a 3D printable gun that sidesteps regulation would force governments to reconsider gun control in general.

At this point, the group hasn’t published any designs as yet and, given the current choice of build material, their goal seems a bit far-fetched. According to Stratasys, the heat deflection temperature of ABS Plus at 264 psi tops out at 82C (180F).

Considering that the pressures and temperatures generated inside a gun barrel firing .22 caliber ammunition can reach upwards of 1000ºC and thousands of psi, the designers at Defense Distributed may have slightly under-engineered their Wiki Weapon. One senses a potential Darwin Award winner in the making.

But for the sake of argument, let’s say the group is successful in its aims and cheap, plastic weapons are as simple to get as printing an STL file. While Defense Distributed refers to its Wiki Weapons as “defense systems,” it’s easy to see the unintended consequences. What could be more appealing to a criminal than an untraceable weapon that’s easy to produce and just as easy to utterly destroy thereby leaving behind no ballistics evidence? Throw in some 3D printed bullets and the weapon would skip through metal detectors as well.

Currently, there are no laws against a private U.S. citizen fabricating a gun for personal use, provided they aren’t otherwise barred by law from owning a firearm. Presumably, up until now, it wasn’t an issue, given the high degree of technical and metalworking knowledge necessary.

But now that 3D printing has the potential to democratize manufacturing capability to the extent that anyone could one day produce a deadly weapon as simply as hitting Ctrl+P on their keyboard, what responsibility do RP machine makers have in monitoring what their products are being used to produce?

In other words, is CAD data simply a form of free speech or, given the ease of 3D printing, the same as the physical object that engineering data meticulously details? It’s a thorny legal question and probably also academic. Once the design for a working 3D gun is freely available, that trigger has been pulled and there’s no getting the slug back in the chamber.

Mike McLeod

@

I enjoy hearing from you so please contact me at MMcLeod@design-engineering.com and your letter could be published in an upcoming issue.

October | 2012

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Editor Michael McLeod (416) 442-5600 ext. 3231 mmcleod@design-engineering.com Publisher Alan Macpherson (416) 510-6756 AMacPherson@design-engineering.com Group Editorial Director Lisa Wichmann (416) 510-5101 LWichmann@canadianmanufacturing.com Accounts Manager Laura Gergley (416) 510-5230 lgergley@design-engineering.com Technical Field Editor Pat Jones, P. Eng. Art Director Kathy Smith (416) 442-5600 ext. 3215 KSmith@plant.ca Market Production Manager Jessica Jubb (416) 510-5194 jjubb@bizinfogroup.ca Circulation Manager Cindi Holder (416) 442-5600 ext. 3544 CHolder@bizinfogroup.ca BIG Magazines LP Executive Publisher Tim Dimopoulos Vice-President of Canadian Publishing, Alex Papanou President of Business Information Group, Bruce Creighton Publications Mail Agreement #40069240 ISSN: 0011-9342 (Print), 1929-6452 (Online) Privacy Notice: From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Phone: 1-800-668-2374 Fax: 416-442-2191 E-mail: privacyofficer@businessinformationgroup.ca.

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Contents of this publication are protected by copyright and must not be reprinted in whole or in part without permission of the publisher. DE receives unsolicited features and materials (including letters to the editor) from time to time. DE, its affiliates and assignees may use, reproduce, publish, re-publish, distribute, store and archive such submissions in whole or in part in any form or medium whatsoever, without compensation of any sort. DE accepts no responsibility or liability for claims made for any product or service reported or advertised in this issue. DE is indexed in the Canadian Business Index by Micromedia Ltd., Toronto, and is available on-line in the Canadian Business & Current Affairs Database. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.

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12-10-12 2:31 PM

8 DesignNews Up Front Kim Allen to lead Engineers Canada Engineers Canada has selected Kim Allen, FEC, P.Eng., as CEO. Most recently, Allen served as chief executive officer of Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO).

Allen has also served as a past member of the Ontario Minister Kim Allen of Citizenship and Immigration’s Roundtable; director with Yves Laundry Foundation; and chair of the Licensing and Occupations Bridging Working Group of the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council. He currently sits on the boards of the Certified Management Accountants, Ontario Energy Network and the Fairness Commissioner’s Advisory Committee. www.engineerscanada.ca

Vector acquires 20-20 Technologies Vector Capital Corporation announced the successful acquisition of Québec-based engineering software company 20-20 Technologies Inc. for approximately $77 million. 20-20 Technologies is a provider of computer-aided design, business and manufacturing software tailored for the interior design and furniture industries. Company founder Jean Mignault will continue as board member and chief of strategic direction. www.2020technologies.com

Creaform adds CFD services Creaform celebrated its 10th anniversary by announcing that it is extending its 3D engineering services with the addition of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. The company’s thermofluid simulation capabilities include: Liquids, gas, flow mixing and multi-phases; turbulence modeling; moving bodies and FSI analysis; heat transfer and thermal modeling. www.creaform3d.com

Magellan acquires John Huddleston Engineering Mississauga’s Magellan Aerospace acquired John Huddleston Engineering Limited (JHE), a European supplier of precision machined aerospace components. According to the company, JHE has made investments in the latest high speed 5-axis machining equipment and has been a strategic supplier to Magellan of precision machined structural components. www.bristol.ca October | 2012

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Canadian inventors short-listed for Dyson Award

4

3

3 ‘Out of Thin Air’ is one of three Canadian contenders for the James Dyson Award.

T

hree Canadian inventors have made the top 50 list of international candidates vying to win the James Dyson Award. Open to university students and recent graduates from 18 countries, the annual award recognizes one budding inventor with a £10,000 prize.

Toronto’s Michal Prywata and Thiago Caires were the 2011 Canadian National Winners for their AMO Arm — a prosthetic limb controlled by brain signals. This year, the Canadian contenders’ entries also include a solution for the handicapped as well as two solutions for remote and/ or developing communities.

For example, Vancouver, BC’s Mendel Skulski (Carleton University) and his Out of Thin Air water harvesting device is designed as a more efficient use of relief effort cargo space. Leveraging Miura-Ori origami, a flexible bladder reservoir and a collapsible frame, the OOTA can be packed into an approximately .5m3 box, or about the same space as two days of water for 15 people.

Once assembled, however, the device can produce approximately 225 litres of clean drinking water per day, given ample humidity levels. To harvest moisture, the OOTA uses cleverly folded sheets of a polymer modeled on the fog-basking Namibian desert beetle, as well as anodized aluminum foil for radiative cooling.

Similarly, Vancouver’s Kevin Kung and his MIT teammates have entered their Koriolis Centrifuge powered by an electric hand drill. The device is designed to spin human blood to diagnose fatal diseases like anaemia, which is responsible for around 40 percent of maternal deaths during childbirth. Constructed from readily-available materials, the Koriolis is a cheap ($160) alternative to the expensive or bulky centrifuges presently available.

Finally, Gatineau, QC’s Tanya Nazywalskyj, from the Humber College School of Applied Technology, has designed the ISO PLAY playground that accommodates both paraplegic and able-bodied children. The space features wheelchair accessible slides, swings and bungee rope climbers.

The successful entries will now progress to the international final before the winner is announced on November 8, 2012. www.jamesdysonaward.org www.design-engineering.com

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DesignNews NSERC launches research chair in coatings engineering Polytechnique Montréal, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and seven industry partners recently launched the NSERC Multisectorial Industrial Research Chair in Coatings and Surface Engineering (MIC-CSE).

Research at MIC-CSE will focus on developing a new generation of non-polluting manufacturing technologies for nano-structured coating materials. These processes make it possible to add successive layers of nanometre-thick films and thicker coating architectures using various materials (metals, ceramics, polymers, nanoparticles or others) on to flat surfaces as well as on three-dimensional objects.

In addition, application of these “molecular millefeuilles” aims to lend a range of functional characteristics to the surfaces, including anti-glare, anti-erosion, anti-fog, “smart” optical reflectivity or emissivity, luminescence and sterility, among other properties. As Canada’s second-largest NSERC industrial research chair, the MIC-CSE will have a budget of $5.35 million over five years. www.polymtl.ca

Autodesk unveils Simulation 360 Autodesk, Inc. announced Autodesk Simulation 360—a pay-as-you-go, cloud-based set of simulation tools. The portfolio includes a range of mechanical, fluid flow, thermal and plastic injection molding tools as well as direct geometry exchange; meshing tools; material libraries; and solver technology to improve simulation accuracy. Core packages include Autodesk Simulation Mechanical 360; Autodesk Simulation CFD 360; and Autodesk Simulation Moldflow Insight 360. Licensing and services are handled through users’ Autodesk 360 accounts.

The service works via a thin-client executable that handles importing models, defining materials, applying loads, setting boundary conditions and viewing results. Meshing and analysis are off-loaded from the user’s local computer and are instead handled in the cloud.

At the entry level, Autodesk Simulation 360’s Cloud Capacity Pack costs US$100 for 10 jobs, including mechanical and

Autodesk Simulation 360 is a cloud-based set of simulation tools including mechanical, fluid flow, thermal and injection molding.

October | 2012

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CFD capabilities. For heavier users, the service costs US$3,600 per user annually for 120 jobs or $7,200 for an unlimited number of jobs. The Ultimate edition costs US$10,000 but includes 120 jobs and throws in Autodesk Moldflow for per user per year. www.autodesk.com/simulation-360

U of T’s Ken Burch of the Department of Physics and Institute for Optical Sciences (Photo by Diana Tyszko)

Canadian researchers induce superconductivity with Scotch tape Leave it to Canada to come up with a “Red Green” fix for a high physics problem like super conductivity. An international team, led by University of Toronto physicists, has developed a technique using Scotch tape to induce high-temperature superconductivity in a semiconductor.

High-temperature superconductors — materials that conduct electricity without resistance—could be the basis for next generation devices like quantum computers, say researchers.

Problem is, only certain compounds of iron, copper and oxygen, called cuprates, possess high-temperature superconducting properties, but were thought to be impossible to incorporate with semi-conductors.

For example, inducing the proximity effect—in which superconductivity in one material is transferred to a semiconductor—has been difficult because the fundamental quantum mechanics require the materials to be in nearly perfect contact. The solution, says University of Toronto physicist, Ken Burch, was as close at hand as the utility drawer, namely, two-sided Scotch-brand poster tape.

“Who would have thought simply sticking things together can generate entirely new effects?” said Burch, who is team leader for the research project.

The team used Scotch poster tape and glass slides to place high-temperature superconductors in proximity with a special type of semi-conductor known as a topological insulator, which behaves a like semi-conductor in bulk, but are metallic at the surface.

Other than its simplicity, the importance of the team’s achievement is that superconductivity was induced in the www.design-engineering.com

12-10-12 10:53 AM

DesignNews 11 semiconductor using higher temperature liquid nitrogen rather than the previously required and more expensive, liquid helium.

This, in turn, may lead to potentially much more powerful optical computers that use light, rather than electricity. www.optics.utoronto.ca

MapleSim 6 released Waterloo’s Maplesoft announced the lastest release of MapleSim, with tighter Modelica integration, as well as more simulation, analysis and connectivity capabilities.

Based on the open standard Modelica modeling language for describing physical models and components, MapleSim 6 makes it easier for engineers to take control of their modeling and analysis, the company says.

For example, MapleSim 6 includes a view that shows the corresponding Modelica code for any subsystem or component. By looking at the code, engineers can tell what their model is doing, and more easily correct or improve its behavior. Other Modelica features include the ability to open and save to the Modelica file format.

In addition, MapleSim’s Connector for FMI exports MapleSim models in a standard format understood by other FMI-compliant tools.

Other MapleSim add-on products include the MapleSim Connector for B&R Automation Studio, which transfers

www.design-engineering.com

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Maplesoft’s MapleSim 6 features tight Modelica integration as well as expanded simulation, analysis and connectivity capabilities.

physical models to the B&R software suite. The MapleSim Connector for VI-CarRealTime allows engineers to incorporate high-fidelity, multidomain MapleSim models into the real-time vehicle simulation environment.

MapleSim 6 also supports the ability to call external controller code directly from within MapleSim and includes a new “snapshots” feature that lets users start experiments from any time-step and initial condition without having to rerun the model every time. The release also provides the ability to run batch simulations and optimizations in parallel, taking advantage of multiple CPUs to complete the computations faster. www.maplesoft.com

October | 2012

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12 CADReport

Inside Creo 2.0

Sub-D modeling, Options Modeler add to rapid improvement of PTC’s latest MCAD release.

by Ralph Grabowski

W

hen it was first released last year, Creo 1.0 was something borrowed and something new. PTC took the code of its Pro/Engineer, ProductView, and CoCreate programs, and then gave them a modern interface, modularized them into a dozen programs, established a new universal file format so they could talk to each other, and changed the name to Creo.

PTC was enthusiastic about the make-over, but then Creo suffered version-1.0-problems experienced by pretty much all new software, some of which I detailed in my review a year ago. Over time, Creo would get better with fi xes and more functions, they promised. And so, here we are at version 2.0, making it time to take a look at what PTC’s programmers improved.

What Creo 2.0 Adds Perhaps the most exciting function added to Creo 2 is subdivision modeling, which PTC names “FreeStyle.” Sub-D modeling is not new to the CAD industry, but is typically more popular with industrial designers, the people who sculpt the plastic bodies of hair dryers and digital cameras. (Sub-D gets its name from the way surface faces are subdivided where needed to create grips, bulges and edges.)

To try it out, I clicked FreeStyle in the Model ribbon, and then added a primitive shape to the drawing area, such as a cube. Then I worked on it, like a lump of clay, using tools from the ribbon to distort faces, edges and vertices by dragging them into the shape I wanted (see figure 1).

In Creo 2.0, sketching now starts instantly when I pick a plane, eliminating the need to select Sketching commands first. Holding down the Alt key lets me add 3D references;

letting go of the key returns you to sketching. As well, PTC added more sketching commands, like centered and slanted rectangles.

When I change the sketch, the model updates in real-time.

This is due to PTC working with AMD and nVidia to get Creo to take advantage of functions hardwired into FirePro and Quadro graphics boards. For instance, native anti-aliasing reduces the artifacts that sometimes occur during panning and zooming. I didn’t benchmark it, but PTC says that in areas like dynamic viewing, order-independent transparency and real-time rendering, Creo 2.0 displays graphics some five to ten times faster than Pro/E or Creo 1.0.

When it comes to cross-sections, users can now pick any plane or point on an object, and it becomes the reference for a new cross section—as a pop-up window shows the 2D profile. Track Changes allows accept and reject changes to be made in Creo Direct. The Measure Tool finally lets me take multiple measurement points, after which I can copy the measurement data to other documents via the Windows Clipboard.

PTC has also added a lot of functions to sheet metal design, such as the ability to preview a flat pattern, make form features from sketches, add bends between two walls and detect overlapping geometry.

A New Add-on App for Creo 2.0 It’s helpful to know that Creo is not one program, but consists of two core programs, plus many extensions. The core programs are Creo Parametric for Pro/E-like history-based parametric modeling, and Creo Direct for direct modeling.

I find the naming system confusing, but I finally figured out that if a product name contains “Element,” then this is a new name for the old software. For example, Creo Element Direct is the new name for the continuing CoCreate.

Initially, PTC offered nine add-on apps, named Schematics, Simulate, View MCAD, View ECAD, Illustrate Sketch, and Layout. The company promised to add more every year, saying it has an internal road map sketched out to the release of Creo 4.0 in 2014.

This year’s addition is just one app, but possibly the most advanced one. Creo Options Modeler (initially named AnyBOM) is known in other CAD systems as a configurator or as engineer-to-order software. PTC prefers to describe their’s as assembly-to-order or configureto-order. I was given a demo of it prior to its Figure 1: Designing organic shapes using sub-division surfaces in Creo 2.0’s new release, and so I’ll give an overview of its capaFreeStyle function bilities here.

October | 2012

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www.design-engineering.com

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14 CADReport Options Modeler is meant ultimately for sales teams to configure products that meet customer specifications.

Once it is set up, the add-on makes it easy to generate multiple variations of a single product. A simple example is a conveyor belt system that can have different lengths and heights: Enter several values, and Options Modeler accesses parameterized 3D models to generate 2D drawings, BOMs and spec docs.

Specifically, Options Modeler digs into the databases of PTC’s Windchill PLM software and Creo Parametric CAD software. (This is something that direct modeling software fails at.) It’ll also access 3D models from other CAD systems, such as Solidworks, but it works better with Creo, naturally. For instance, changes made by Options Modeler are linked back to the model in Creo.

You need to program Options Modeler to create configurations, which PTC calls “modules.” In the example shown to me, a configuration model generated Figure 2: Variant Builder is the part of Creo Options Modeler that lets you a variety of styles of motorized dirt bike: A bike frame pick and choose parts to assemble products to order. module defined several types of frames; the front wheel module specified front wheel styles, as well as specifying where lets every module read (and write) only the data it needs. in the frame(s) to locate. The same holds true for the rear wheel After Options Modeler is set up, you would be able to module, and so on. By choosing frame A, the wheels and other choose a part in Creo, and a small window would display a components were added correctly. There is a severe amount of list of all the variants names obtained from Windchill—pretty integration involved, thanks to Creo’s universal format that much instantly, it appeared to me. I mentioned the need to

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CADReport 15 program Options Modeler. You do this by specifying configurations in either Creo or in Windchill, and then writing rules with AND and OR statements.

PTC provides a configuration designer (named Variant Builder) that displays three panes: (a) Options List pane shows all the modules, such as bike frames, wheels, and so on; (b) Model Tree pane shows which parts are selected; and (c) Model Graphics pane previews the output as a 3D model.

When you make changes to the configurations, the Model Graphics pane shows the changes, as well as checking for interferences (see figure 2).

Installation and Tutoring Creo 1.0 used Pro/E’s installation system, which set up a license server on my computer. While running, Creo checked it every so often to make sure it was still legal. The system proved to be a nightmare on my notebook computer; PTC tech support finally figured out the cause: The license server shut down every time the notebook entered sleep mode.

In Creo 2.0, PTC promised me a better installation system, such as adding a 30-day demo mode, something not offered before. To get the 30-day demo from www.ptc.com, I found I needed to register twice: Once to get the download link, and then again to create a PTC account before Creo would finish installing. Perhaps the two registrations could be combined in Creo 3.0?

NORD TupH. Surface protection reinvented!

Once it was installed, the software operates properly, overcoming the sudden shutdowns I experienced with 1.0. For new users, PTC provides a complimentary video learning library hosted by Learning Exchange at http://learningexchange.ptc.com/go/creo1_trial.

Creo also integrates training on the desktop, but then I found I needed to enter my account data for a third time (!) to access the built-in training materials. Some of the training material admitted it hadn’t been updated for 2.0 yet.

While Creo operates on Windows primarily, PTC is beginning to support other operating systems. The free Creo Sketch, for instance, now also runs on OS X, and Windchill Mobile for iOS displays 3D models and associated PLM data.

Rapid Evolution This is no longer the PTC of old that told its customers what they needed. With the second release of Creo, PTC greatly improved the usability of its new generation of MCAD software. Pro/E was considered tough to learn, and even though it still provides the core of Creo Parametric, the new and still-improving user interface hides the difficult-to-use parts and makes it easier to use for new comers. This year’s additions of FreeStyle and Options Modeler show PTC working hard to make Creo the all-encompassing 3D design system that obviates the need for other design tools.

DE http://creo.ptc.com

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www.nord.com

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I e a

16 CADBeat

Light Cargo

T r

Quebec-based Services Précicad trims weight from aluminum, electric utility transport with Siemens NX analysis software.

S

ervices Précicad Inc. (Précicad) is a multidisciplinary team of engineers, industrial designers, technicians and drafters providing consulting services for product development, with special emphasis on industrial design, mechanical design and finite element analysis (FEA). Clients include Designed for Aluminerie Alouette by engineering firm Services Précicad, the all aluminum, Cirque de Soleil, Garant, RioTinto Alcan, electric Kargo shuttles people and equipment in the Quebec-based smelter’s facility.

SigmaDek, Volvo Buses and GE Hydro.

Another Précicad client is Aluminerie Alouette, a Canadian tions for nearly a decade, supported by the Siemens PLM aluminum smelter that came to Précicad with an interesting Software reseller, MAYA Simulation, which provides specialrequest. Part of the smelting process involves the injection of ized training, continuous application and technology support, direct current (DC) into alumina powder. The current creates a flexible commercial terms and more. strong static magnetic field—so strong that regular internal After meeting with Aluminerie Alouette and making sure combustion engines can’t operate in some areas of a smelting they understood all the requirements for the vehicle, Précifacility. Aluminerie Alouette uses electric utility vehicles in those cad engineers used SolidWorks to model the vehicle geomplaces to transport people and equipment. etry. Then they imported the SolidWorks assembly model Until recently, however, those vehicles were made of steel. into NX CAE, where they simplified the geometry, created Naturally, Aluminerie Alouette, which produces aluminum, the finite element mesh, applied loads and indicated boundthought it would be better to have electric vehicles made of ary conditions. aluminum. In addition to showcasing Aluminerie Alouette’s “There’s no problem importing the SolidWorks data, and product, they could design the vehicles for easier recycling— it’s really fast to do the FEA preprocessing work in NX CAE,” an important consideration for a company that cares about says Stephane Arsenault, head of Précicad’s FEA department. the environment.

“It took a couple of days to analyze smaller components and Précicad’s challenge was to design and manufacture a small about a week to analyze the entire assembly.” fleet of electrically powered utility vehicles with bodies and Some of the load cases that the engineers evaluated included frames made of aluminum instead of steel. Aluminerie Alou- gravity, braking, turning and acceleration. The engineers ette requested a load-carrying capacity of 1,000 pounds. In followed an iterative process in which they went back and terms of timing, the smelter was at the point where it needed forth between design and analysis, using analysis results to to replace its existing vehicles, so Précicad agreed to have a optimize the design. working model ready within six months to a year.

“NX CAE is really fast and, in the same day, we could do many iterations, such as evaluating different material thickIntegrated design and analysis nesses,” Arsenault explains. Rather than going back into SolidPrécicad has a number of computer-aided design (CAD) Works, the engineers often made the geometry modifications solutions. For the modeling work on this project, the company using NX synchronous technology, working directly with the decided to use SolidWorks software from Dassault Systèmes NX analysis model. “That saved us a lot of time,” Arsenault Solidworks Corporation. Because finite element analysis (FEA) adds. “The user interface is friendly, and it’s so much easier to would be critical to the development of the vehicle, NX soft- modify geometry compared to even a few years ago.” ware from Siemens PLM Software also played an important Précicad also used NX Thermal analysis software on this role in the project, particularly NX CAE, NX Nastran and project, using the application to research ways of making the NX Thermal software for FEA. Précicad has used these solu- vehicle battery operate more effectively in cold weather.

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www.design-engineering.com

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18

CADBeat Optimizing weight and production costs Using NX on this project enabled Précicad to create a utility vehicle that was ready on time and more than met its requirements. Précicad had a working prototype ready to show the customer in 6 months.

The vehicle they created met its load-carrying capacity of 1,000 pounds (although in the current design that has been increased to 1,500 pounds). That vehicle weighs only 1,500 pounds, which is half the weight of the customer’s steel-framed vehicles. The weight Précicad was able to eliminate through the material change and the use of NX CAE is paying off by allowing the battery to run longer before it needs to be recharged.

Another design improvement achieved with NX CAE significantly reduced production costs. “Our original structure was mostly welded, but that was very costly for us,” says Stephan Lachevrotière, head of Précicad’s design and modeling department. “With the help of FEA, we designed our own extrusion and reduced the number of welds by 60 percent.”

With fewer welds and more mechanical connections, the vehicle, which is called Kargo, is easily dismantled for recycling.

16-19-DES.indd 18

Précicad leveraged Siemens PLM’s NX CAE, Nastran and Thermal to halve the Kargo’s weight and reduce weld count by 60 percent.

In fact, in the user’s manual, Précicad describes what can be done with each part of the vehicle at the end of its life. The Specialty Vehicles and Transportation Equipment Manufacturers’ Association awarded its grand prize for innovation to Précicad for the Kargo project. Précicad decided to continue manufacturing the vehicle and to make it available for other industrial applications. The Kargo is available in four configurations: The base model, one with dropped sides, one with a tilting platform, and one with an enclosed cargo box. DE www.precicad.com www.siemens.com/nx

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20 RapidPrototyping

Olympic Mettle Axis Prototype’s 3D prints of Vancouver Olympic Torch light up 2010 Winter Games.

I

n 2007, when the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) chose Bombardier Aerospace to design and build the now iconic torch for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the engineers knew they were on a fairly tight deadline. To be ready for the start of the October 2009 torch relay, the company had to fabricate and hand assemble more the 12,000 torches for each torchbearer in the 45,000-kilometre journey.

Before that, of course, the company’s team of industrial designers and engineers would have to sculpt a uniquely Canadian design from scratch, devise a one-of-a-kind burner system that would stay lit in arctic temperatures and extensively test the mechanism before any construction could begin.

While that may seem like child’s play for a team of engineers accustomed to developing something as complex as a commercial aircraft, there are no industry standards or cumulative engineering knowledge for torch design. Other than taking apart past Olympic torches to glean some design insight, the team was on a make-it-up-as-you-go-along race to the relay’s starting line.

Accustomed to mission critical time lines, the company made its production targets on time but there was one stakeholder who wasn’t factored into the overall project, says Vincent Laithier, sales director of Montreal-based additive manufacturing service bureau, Axis Prototypes. “[Bombardier] was under pressure from major sponsors, like RBC and Coke, to get the first torches done as quickly as possible, so they could showcase the torches in their Olympic ad campaigns,” he recalls. “At the time, [Bombardier] was having some backlog with the moulds of the real torches, so they had us rapid prototype the entire casing except for the October | 2012

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internal metal parts.”

Initially, Laithier says Axis’ crew output the stand-in torches using the company’s SLA rapid prototyping machines but quickly discovered that models weren’t strong enough. In addition, the sponsors wanted to light the prototyped torches, but the epoxybased build material would melt under those conditions.

“At that time, we had just started using a new fire-retardant SLS material that meets the Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 25.853 standard, meaning it’s self-extinguishing and doesn’t emit smoke or produce toxicity when it burns,” Laithier says.

“With the SLS material, we incorporated the burning mechanism and worked with Bombardier’s engineers on a daily basis to get the display prototypes to a functional state.”

In addition, the 3D prototyped torches also had to be indistinguishable from the real thing, especially considering the multi-million-dollar ad campaigns and exacting standards of the International Olympic Committee. To create an exact facsimile, Axis plated some of the plastic internal components to look like brushed aluminum; applied automotive paint color-matched to the exact Pantone hue and affi xed the final production decals.

“It was a big home run for us,” Laithier says. “People were running with them, lighting them and acting like they were the real thing, but nobody knew the torches they were working with were 3D printed.”

“That is a major value add that we bring to our customers,” he adds. “Not everyone can finish, color match and apply decals and such to make a product—whether its an Olympic torch, the bumper for a car or a bike frame—to look so much like real thing, you can’t tell the difference.”

DE www.axisproto.com www.design-engineering.com

12-10-12 6:51 AM

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22 VARlistings

MCAD VAR Directory

I

t has been a challenging time for those in the CAD software business over the last five years. The global economic recession lead to the closing or downsizing of manufacturing plants and engineering firms across North America. As a result, many companies were left with more CAD seats than needed, leading software sales to flat line.

In response, resellers have moved to diversify, adding ancillary design tools such as 3D printers, 3D scanners or an assortment of analysis and engineering support software to their offerings. Even so, some VARs have adopted a consolidation strategy to stay competitive, merging with or acquired competitors. Since the last time Design Engineering compiled its listing of MCAD software resellers in Canada, a number of familiar names have disappeared from the market or grown through acquisition.

Most notable was the merger of Rand Worldwide (aka IMAGINiT

Autodesk Alberta BRT Tech 246 Stewart Green SW, Ste. 1730 Calgary, AB T3H 3C8 Tel: (888) 753-1119 www.BRTtech.com Cansel – Calgary 236 - 40th Ave. NE Calgary, AB T2E 2M7 Tel: (403) 243-1836 www.cansel.ca Cansel – Edmonton 14308 – 118th Avenue Edmonton, AB T5L 2M5 Tel: (780) 437-7406 www.cansel.ca

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Technologies) and Avatech Solutions in the summer of 2010, which created the largest global Autodesk reseller. Including its 10 offices in Canada, the combined company now maintains 47 offices worldwide including Canada, the U.S., Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.

Other deals included Vancouver-based Cansel’s acquisition of Autodraft in October 2010 and Eastern Canada leader Le Group BusCom a year later. On a similar scale was U.S.-based PTC reseller TriStar’s acquisition of Quebec’s BRT Solutions. Many of that company’s key players “changed teams” and formed BRT Tech, an Autodesk reseller based out of Quebec City.

As with the original 2009 listing, the intent of this MCAD reseller directory is to shine a spot line on the front line troops who not only sell MCAD software but, more importantly, implement, service and train customers in the design packages they use everyday to drive their business.

IMAGINiT Technologies – Calgary 142, 12143 - 40th St. SE Calgary, Alberta T2Z 4E6 Tel: (403) 219-0660 www.imaginit.com

Solid Engineering Solutions Inc. 4620 Manilla Rd. SE Calgary, Alberta T2G 4B7 Tel: (877) 447-6543 www.solideng.ca

Cansel – North Vancouver #303, 255 West 1st St., North Vancouver, BC V7M 3G8 Tel: (604) 984-3332 www.cansel.ca

IMAGINiT Technologies – Edmonton #412-10525, 170th St. N.W. Edmonton, Alberta T5P 4W2 Tel: (780) 408-3440 www.imaginit.com

British Columbia

Cansel – Vernon 2916 - 29th St. Vernon, BC V1T 5A6 Tel: (250) 542-5177 www.cansel.ca

Simutech Group – Calgary 1600, 144 - 4th Ave. SW Calgary, Alberta T2P 3N4 Tel: (403) 514-8212 www.simutechgroup.com

AutomationForce, Inc. Vancouver #201- 1037 West Broadway Vancouver, BC V6H 1E3 Tel: (604) 435-3200 www.automationforce.com Cansel – Vancouver (Head Office) 3751 Napier St. Burnaby, BC V5C 3E4 Tel: (604) 299-5794 www.cansel.ca

IMAGINiT Technologies – Vancouver 10691 Shellbridge Way, Ste. 180 Richmond, B.C. V6X 2W9 Tel: (604) 270-7660 www.imaginit.com

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VARlistings Neutronics Solutions – Vancouver 4170 Still Creek Dr., Ste. 200 Burnaby, BC V5C 6C6 Tel: (604) 299-4647 www.neutronics.ca Solid Engineering Solutions Inc. - Vancouver #1308 Ketch Court Coquitlam, B.C. V3K 6W1 Tel: (604) 435-3200 www.solideng.ca

Manitoba Cansel – Winnipeg 1555 Dublin Ave., Unit 4 Winnipeg, MB R3E 3M8 Tel: (204) 783-0580 www.cansel.ca IMAGINiT Technologies – Winnipeg 530 Century St., Unit 222 Winnipeg, MB R3H 0Y4 Tel: (204) 783-4166 www.imaginit.com

Newfoundland Cansel – St John’s 210 Kenmount Rd. St. John’s, NL A1B 3P9 Tel: (709) 722-8772 www.cansel.ca

New Brunswick

Ontario

Cansel – Dieppe 515 Kennedy St., Unit 6 Dieppe, NB E1A 7R9 Tel: (506) 862-0020 www.cansel.ca

AutomationForce Inc. 460 Brant St., Third floor Burlington, ON L7R 4B6 Tel: (289) 288-5279 www.automationforce.com

Cansel – Saint John 533 Westmorland Saint John, NB E2J 2G5 Tel: (506) 648-9611 www.cansel.ca

Cansel – Toronto #2 - 81 Kelfield St. Etobicoke, ON M9W 5A3 Tel: (416) 249-9595 www.cansel.ca

Neutronics Solutions - Ottawa (Head Office) 245 Stafford Road, Ste. 301 Ottawa, ON K2H 9E8 Tel: (613) 599-1263 www.neutronics.ca

Nova Scotia

Cansel – Ottawa 2414 Holly Lane Ottawa, ON K1V 7P1 Tel: (613) 731-4703 www.cansel.ca

Simutech Group - Canada 50 Ronson Dr., Ste. 120 Toronto, ON M9W 1B3 Tel: (416) 249-1471 www.simutechgroup.com

IMAGINiT Technologies – London 1069 Wellington Road South, Unit 109 London, ON N6E 2H6 Tel: (519) 690-2009 www.imaginit.com

SolidCAD - Richmond Hill (Head Office) 165 East Beaver Creek Rd., Unit 15 Richmond Hill, ON L4B 2N2 Tel: (905) 474-1499 www.solidcad.ca

IMAGINiT Technologies – Ottawa 2039 Robertson Road, Suite 245 Ottawa, ON K2H 8R2 Tel: (613) 695-5500 www.imaginit.com

SolidCAD - Burlington 3380 South Service Rd., Upper Level Burlington, ON L7N 3J5 Tel: (905) 331-9670 www.solidcad.ca

Cansel – Dartmouth 100 Ilsley Ave., Unit C & D Dartmouth, NS B3B 1L3 Tel: (902) 429-5002 www.cansel.ca Cansel – Halifax 2700 Robie St. Halifax, NS B3K 4N8 Tel: (902) 429-6547 www.cansel.ca IMAGINiT Technologies – Halifax 48 Trider Crescent, Ste. 5A Dartmouth, NS B3B 1R6 Tel: (902) 468-2425 www.imaginit.com

23

IMAGINiT Technologies – Toronto 151 Courtneypark Drive West, Ste. 201 Mississauga, ON L5W 1Y5 Tel: (905) 602-8783 www.imaginit.com

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www.design-engineering.com

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VARlistings SolidCAD - Brampton 225 Queen St. W Brampton, ON L6Y 1M6 Tel: (905) 970-1824 www.solidcad.ca SolidCAD - Toronto 65 International Blvd., Ste. 106 Toronto, ON M9W 6L9 Tel: (905) 474-1499 www.solidcad.ca Solid Engineering Solutions Inc. 460 Brant Street, Third Floor Burlington, ON L7L 2W9 Tel: (289) 288-5279 www.solideng.ca

Quebec BRT Tech 8268 Boulevard Pie-IX Montréal, QC L4W 4P1 (888) 753-1119 www.BRTtech.com Cansel – Montréal 2295 rue Guénette Ville St-Laurent, QC H4R 2E9 Tel: (514) 336-1010 www.cansel.ca Cansel – Montréal (BusCom) 1450, rue City Councillors, Bureau 850 Montréal, QC H3A 2E5 Tel: (514) 848-1110 www.cansel.ca Cansel – Quebec 1775 boulevard Wilfrid-Hamel Québec, QC G1N 3Y9 Tel: (418) 687-6262 www.cansel.ca Neutronics Solutions - Montréal 189 Hymus Boulevard, Ste. 504 Pointe-Claire, QC H9R 1E9 Tel: (514) 428-5838 www.neutronics.ca Simutech Group - Montréal 550 chemin du Golf, Ste. 100 Ile des Soeurs Verdun, QC H3E1A8 Tel: (514) 761-061 www.simutechgroup.com

Saskatchewan Cansel – Regina 340 McDonald St., McDonald Business Centre Regina, SK S4N 6E2 Tel: (306) 359-0555 www.cansel.ca IMAGINiT Technologies – Regina 1919 Rose St., Room 106 Regina, SK S4P 3P1 Tel: (306) 757-1550 www.imaginit.com

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IMAGINiT Technologies – Saskatoon 2301 Faithful Ave., Unit 2 Saskatoon, SK S7K 1T9 Tel: (306) 931-0868 www.imaginit.com

TriStar - Toronto/Windsor Tel: (416) 272-2446 www.tristar.com

Quebec

Ontario

Averna Technologies Inc. 87 Prince St., Ste. 510 Montréal, QC H3C 2M7 Tel: (514) 842-7577 www.averna.com

Adaptive Corp.

4576 Yonge St., Ste. 413 Toronto, ON M4Y 1Z3 Tel: (416) 223-4601 www.adaptivecorp.com

PTC Corporation - Montréal 3333 Cote Vertu, Ste. 620 Montréal, QC H4R 2N1 Tel: (514) 333-4010 www.ptc.com

AscendBridge Solutions Inc. Markham 50 Acadia Avenue, Ste. 123 Markham, ON L3R 0B3 Tel: (905) 944-0047 www.ascendbridge.com

TriStar - Montréal Tel: (514) 743-8119 www.tristar.com

Aventec 8901 Woodbine Ave., Suite 113 Markham, Ontario L3R 9Y4 Tel: (905) 305-1711 www.aventec.com

Edge Design Systems Inc. 5940 MacLeod Trail South, Ste. 500 Calgary, AB T2H 2G4 Tel: (587) 952-5038 www.edgecanada.ca

Tata Technologies Inc. 4510 Rhodes Drive, Unit 200 Windsor, ON N8W 5K5 Tel: (519) 944-0106 www.tatatechnologies.com

Ontario

Dassault Systèmes

Siemens PLM Alberta

Designfusion - Bromont 1400 Boul. de l’Innovation, Ste. 201 Bromont, QC J2L 0J8 Tel: (450) 534-5682 www.designfusion.ca Designfusion - Quebec City Complexe Jules-Dallaire - Tour Norton Rose 7e étage, 2828 Boulevard Laurier, Ste. 782 Québec, QC G1V 0B9 Tel: (418) 834-5225 www.designfusion.ca GEDAMS 4100, boul. Matte Brossard, QC J4Y 2Z2 Tel: (450) 619-1218 www.gedams.com Maya HTT LTD. 4999 St. Catherine St. West, Ste. 400 Montreal, QC H3Z 1T3 Tel: (514) 369-5706 www.mayahtt.com Simulika Solutions & Consulting 4190-M Seré St-Laurent, QC H4T 1A6 Tel: (514) 461-2265 www.simulika.com

Quebec

Designfusion 305 Milner Ave, Ste. 308 Toronto, ON M1B 3V4 Tel: (416) 267-5542 www.designfusion.ca

Inceptra - Montreal, QC 393 rue St-Jacques ouest, Ste. 300 Montreal, QC H2Y 1N9 Tel: (514) 683-6093 www.inceptra.com

Kelvin Technologies Inc. 1351 Matheson Blvd. East, Unit 3 Mississauga, ON L4W 2A1 Tel: (905) 238-7060 www.kelvintech.com

Automated Design Systems Calgary 3359 - 27 St. N.E., Ste. 230 Calgary, AB T1Y 5E4 Tel: (888) 239-4988 www.automated-design.ca

Mecanica Solutions Inc. 6300 Côte-de-Liesse, Ste. 200 St-Laurent, QC H4T 1E3 Tel: (514) 340-1818 www.mecanicasolutions.com

Longterm Technology Services, Inc. 150 Dufferin Ave., Ste. 804 London, ON N6A 5N6 Tel: (226) 777-0162 www.longtermtec.com

Automated Design Systems Edmonton 4808 - 87th Street N.W., Ste. 250 Edmonton, AB T6E 5W3 Tel: (888) 239-4988 www.automated-design.ca

Proto 3000, Inc. 171 Marycroft Ave., Ste. 101-B Vaughan, ON L4L 5Y3 Tel: (888) 503-8338 www.p3ksolutions.com

Hawk Ridge Systems - Calgary #220 – 11012 Macleod Trail South Calgary, AB T2J 6A5 Tel: (866) 587-6803 www.hawkridgesys.com

Tata Technologies Canada Inc. 4510 Rhodes Dr., Unit 200 Windsor, ON N8W 5K5 Tel: (519) 944-0106 www.tatatechnologies.com

Hawk Ridge Systems - Edmonton 4208 – 97th St. NW, Ste. 110 Edmonton, AB T6E 5Z9 Tel: (780) 438-5980 www.hawkridgesys.com

NTS Canada 2583 Boul. Chomedey Laval, QC H7T 2R2 Tel: (450) 238-1448 www.ntsconsulting.ca Processia Solutions Canada 3131 St-Martin West, Ste. 220 Laval, Quebec H7T 2Z5 Tel: (450) 786-0400 www.processia.com

PTC

Quebec

Ontario

Designfusion - Montreal 4 Place du Commerce, Bureau 512 Ile des Soeurs, QC H3E 1J4 Tel: (514) 761-5682 www.designfusion.ca

PTC Corp - Toronto 24 Duncan Street, Ste. 400 Toronto, ON M5V 2B8 Tel: (416) 561-1759 www.ptc.com

Solidworks Alberta

British Columbia Automated Design Systems Surrey 18525- 53rd Ave Surrey, BC V3S 7A4 Tel: (866) 946-5641 www.automated-design.ca

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VARlistings Hawk Ridge Systems - Richmond 10451 Shellbridge Way, Ste. 204 Richmond, BC V6X 2W8 Tel: (604) 241-4223 www.hawkridgesys.com

Nova Scotia Javelin Technologies – Dartmouth 10 Morris Drive, Unit 9 Dartmouth, NS B3B 1K8 Tel: (902) 468-2469 www.javelin-tech.com

Manitoba Automated Design Systems Winnipeg 108 - 1479 Buffalo Place Winnipeg, MB R3T 1L7 Tel: (204) 474-0982 www.automated-design.ca

Ontario CAD MicroSolutions - Toronto 65 International Blvd., Ste. 103 Toronto, ON M9W 6L9 Tel: (416) 213-0533 www.cadmicro.com

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FEA Training Consultants Inc. Toronto 1107 Lorne Park Road, Ste. 202 Mississauga, ON L5H 3A1 Tel: (905) 990-0094 www.fea-tc.com Javelin Technologies - Toronto 3457 Superior Court, Unit #1 Oakville, Ontario L6L 0C4 Tel: (905) 815-1906 www.javelin-tech.com

Quebec PBI CADCAM - Montréal Bur 21, 115C de Vaudreuil Boucherville, Québec J4B 1K7 Tel: (450) 449-2525 x221 www.pbicadcam.com

Saskatchewan Automated Design Systems Saskatoon 202 - 2366 Avenue C Saskatoon, SK S7L 5X5 Tel: (204) 474-0982 www.automated-design.ca

SpaceClaim British Columbia Peak Solutions 5891 144 St. Surrey Surrey, BC V3S 8B2 Tel: (604) 628-1885 www.peakllc.net

Ontario

SolidXperts - Montréal 10 000 Henri-Bourassa blvd. West Montréal, QC H4S 1R5 Tel: (877) 876-5439 www.solidxperts.com

FocalPoint Engineering 45 Tobin Place Woodstock, ON N4S 8N4 Tel: (519) 320-1489 www.focalpoint-eng.com

SolidXperts - Québec 1173 Charest Blvd. West, Ste. 350 Québec, QC G1N 2C9 Tel: (877) 876-5439 www.solidxperts.com

Futurescape 1171 Ambleside Drive, Ste 2408 Ottawa, ON K2B 8E1 Tel: (613) 457-5042 www.futurescape.ca

25

Schindler Technologies Corporation 100 Golden Tulip Crescent Markham ON L6C 1W4 Tel: (888) 688-6835 www.schindler.ca

Quebec GMF Canada 211 boul. Brien P-8, Ste 326 Repentigny, QC J6A 0A4 Tel: (514) 764-4075 www.gmfcanada.com

This list comprises only companies that sell CAD suites for the manufacturing market. In addition, the listing order is alphabetical and is not intended to suggest preference or market leadership.

Finally, all efforts have been made to verify the correct contact information for each company. Any omissions are purely accidental. If we overlooked your company, please contact us so we will be sure to include you in any subsequent listings.

DE

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26 Hardwire

Printer Play Epson strives for share of technical print market with wide-format SureColor T-Series release.

F

or more than a decade as the dominant player in the professional photography and commercial print space, Epson announced that it will be making an aggressive play for the engineering/architectural market as well. In October, the company announced its T-Series line of wide-format printers, which it hopes will grab 20 percent of the technical printing market away from HP by 2015.

“We’ve never built a printer specifically for the engineering/scientific market or architects before,” says Tim Check, product manager, Professional Imaging Group at Epson America. “But about three years ago, we decided it was the right time to build a wide-format plotter from the ground up, free of any legacy technology and that’s targeted at small-to-medium-sized businesses.”

To reach its target, the company says its SureColor printers are the culmination of years of customer feedback resulting in the fastest, most versatile and easiest-to-use wide-format printer on the market. For example, each printer in the T-Series—T3000 (24-inch), T5000 (36-inch)

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and T7000 (44-inch)—prints up to 2,880 x 1,440 dpi and feature Epson’s UltraChrome XD pigment-based ink technology for smudge and water-proof output, on virtually any grade of paper.

For ease-of-use, Check says the T-Series has the smallest footprint of any similar sized printer available. Its front-loading roll feeder allows for straight-through input and output of inexpensive 20 lbs. stock up to 1.5 mm posterboard, without the need for a spindle. In addition, its side-mounted power and data ports allow the printers to sit flush against a wall.

Available in 110 mL, 350 mL, and a highEpson’s 44-inch SureColor T-Series plotters print three times faster than comperable printers and feature Epson’s MicroPiezo TFP tech for line precision down to .018mm.

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capacity 700 mL sizes, the printers’ front-loading ink cartridges lower printing costs and simplifies servicing. In addition to standard CMYK pigments, the printers also include a PK black for photographic-quality prints. Check says the T-Series also incorporate Epson’s MicroPiezo TFP print head technology, which is capable of accurately plotting line widths down to 0.018 mm thickness.

For all its precision, Check says the T-Series doesn’t sacrifice printing speed. In fact, the printer line is up to three times faster than similar printers. The reason, in part, is that the T-Series leverages Epson’s Precision XD printer language, which allows print jobs to be processed on the user’s fast PC rather than by a comparatively slow Postscript processor. As a result, the Epson printers output up to 115 A1/D size plots per hour at everyday speed modes.

Officially announced in September, Epson’s T-Series wideformat printers will retail at US$2,995 for the 24-inch SureColor T3000; $3,995 for the 36-inch SureColor T5000 and the $4,995 for the 44-inch SureColor T7000. First deliveries are scheduled for November 2012.

DE www.epson.com

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28 IdeaGenerator Uptime, all the time ®

ÖLFLEX cables can stop electrical failures before they stop your packaging lines.

Automation Programmable Controllers WAGO announced that its Ethernet 2.0 WAGO-I/O-SYSTEM modules and controllers now carry both ATEX and IECEx certifications for high-temperature and hazardous locations.

This opens additional controllers, such as the ETHERNET 2.0 SD Card capable 750-880, to Ex applications operating between 0°C to +60°C. In addition, specialty modules with the certifications also feature asset management, controlto-machine wiring and Bluetooth to upstream oil and gas, pipelines and mining applications. www.wago.us

Industrial PC

Keep Running with LAPP ÖLFLEX® goes the distance in production environments • Engineered insulation & jacket • Unmatched flexibility • Easy to route and install • VFD connections without failure

Download a free technical paper on VFD cable from our packaging resource center at www.lappusa.com/canada/ packaging.

Beckhoff Automation has introduced its CX2000 Embedded PC series equipped with 32-nm, Sandy Bridge series Intel processors.

Units include the fanless CX2020 with a 1.4 GHz, single core Celeron; CX2030 with a dualcore, 1.5 GHz i7 processor; and the CX2040 with a quad-core, 2.1 GHz i7 processor. The CX series also features one DVI port, four USB ports and two independent Ethernet ports. A factory-configurable internal slot referred to as a ‘magic interface’ can optionally perform the functions as Fieldbus master or slave EtherCAT (slave), PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, PROFIBUS, CANopen and DeviceNet, as well as serial interfaces (RS232/RS422/RS485). The Embedded PC’s operating systems integrate a graphic core as well as faster DDR3 memory. www.beckhoffautomation.com

Industrial Ethernet Switch Rockwell Automation introduced its Allen-Bradley Stratix 5700 layer 2 managed industrial Ethernet switch, available with six, 10 and 20 fixed-port configurations. The hardware embeds features such as: IEEE-1588 time synchronization, QoS (prioritization) and Resilient Ethernet Protocol. The Stratix 5700 switch comes with dual power inputs, input and output alarms, console port, fiber-ready SFP slots, DIN rail mount and an operating temperature range of -40 to 60 C. Model options include: Two gig ports, SD flash card, conformal coating and two different software configurations for a total of 20 different models to best match machine and end-user applications. www.rockwellautomation.com

Motors DC Motors

877-799-5277

Baldor Electric Company has expanded its line of DC motors to now offer the widest variety of permanent magnet and wound field industrial DC motors, ranging from 1/50 to 500 hp, and customdesigned motors up to 3000 hp. According to the company, its DMI DC motor is the most power dense DC motor design on the global market. The laminated frame IEC product has ratings up to 1400 Kw and, with its smaller footprint, can be used in a variety of applications where space is an issue. www.baldor.com October | 2012

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IdeaGenerator 29 Stainless Steel Servo Motor Beckhoff Automation has introduced its AM8800 stainless steel servo motor series with single cable technology and a stainless steel finish.

The otherwise necessary feedback cable is eliminated, since the encoder information is transmitted digitally via two cores of the motor cable. The motor is supplemented by an all-stainless-steel housing in AISI 316L, which was designed according to FDA guidelines, and a stainless steel motor shaft. The series encompasses three sizes, with a power range from 1 to 8 Nm standstill torque. The stainless steel housing is equipped with IP 67 protection or IP 69K optionally. AM8800 motors can also be provided with a sealing air connection to prevent condensation inside the motor. www.beckhoffautomation.com/am8800

Brushless DC Motor KNF introduced a small brushless DC motor (Type BL30) as standard and readily available for integration into a wide range of liquid and gas diaphragm pumps for OEM applications. The motor (with an outside diameter of 32mm) is designed to fit within standard compressor housings. The BL30 motor can be supplied in 12V or 24V versions configured either as 2-wire (for power input) or 4-wire solutions (for power input, tachometer output, and speed control signal input). All provide protection against reverse polarity, over-voltage, and over-temperature. The motors additionally are IP54 rated. www.knfUSA.com

and center members. They also feature ISO 4762 CL12.9 corrosion resistant socket head cap screws. A total of twelve sizes of standard off-the-shelf ServoClass couplings are now available in both inch and metric bores. www.zero-max.com

Taper Bearing Baldor Electric introduced its Dodge Type EXL tapered roller bearing that incorporates a cartridge-style inner unit into a split ductile iron housing with standard Type E mounting dimensions. The split-housing design allows the inner unit to swivel freely in the housing allowing up to +/- 4 degrees of static misalignment. According to the company, standard Type E products offer virtually no misalignment and are not available in an expansion design. The Type EXL design is available in two- and four-bolt pillow blocks and utilizes the same inner unit for both expansion and non-expansion housings. Bore sizes range from 1-3/16 to 5 inches. www.baldor.com

Power Transmission Couplings Zero-Max has added single and double disc couplings to its ServoClass coupling line. The addition of the SD025R and SC025R models handle 5 to 14 mm bore diameters and torque up to 4 Nm. Providing high torsional stiffness, the couplings are designed to handle high speed reversing loads and precise positioning requirements at speeds up to 10,000 rpm.

RoHS compliant, these new ServoClass couplings are designed with 304 stainless steel disc packs and aluminum clamp style hubs www.design-engineering.com

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30 IdeaGenerator Mounting Shaft Collars Stafford Manufacturing introduced its Accu-Mount Collars that can be customized for securing sprockets, pulleys, lever arms and other drive components. They feature four mounting holes as well as one solid square and flat side along with a centering hub and second side that securely clamps to a shaft. Available in steel, stainless steel and aluminum, the collars come in 11 sizes from 1/2- to 2-inch I.D. and can be customized with different mounting hole patterns or special configurations. The split collars also have a smooth bore to protect expensive shafts and can be supplied with or without a keyway. www.staffordmfg.com

Linear Motion Pneumatic Air Cylinders AutomationDirect has added its E-Series dual rod-guided air cylinders to its NITRA pneumatic product line. Interchangeable with other brands, the double-acting cylinders are constructed with

extruded aluminum housing and switch mounting tracks, dual chrome-plated stainless steel guide rods and bronze bushings. The cylinders feature a maximum operating pressure of 142 psi and are available in eight bore sizes from 12mm to 63mm. Depending on bore size, the E-Series is available with stroke lengths from 10mm to 250mm. www.autoamtiondirect.com/air-cylinders

Linear Scales HEIDENHAIN released its LF 485 and 185 incremental models to replace its LF 481 and 183 linear scales. From a grating period of 8 µm, the models’ interferential scanning principle produces scanning signals with a signal period of 4 µm.

In addition, accuracy grades down to ± 2 µm are possible. The overall length of the LF 185 is 20 mm shorter than its predecessor, but the measuring length is the same. Similarly, the LF 485 can replace the LF 481, as well as the LS 487 or LC 415. www.heidenhain.us

HS35 Motor Feedback Encoder Rugged, Accurate, Programmable Unparalleled Flexibility

Cryogenically Serviceable Epoxy Adhesive Two Component EP21TCHT-1 • Thermally conductive/electrically insulative • Cures at room temperature • NASA low outgassing approved • Halogen free

IP67 design withstands temperatures -40 to +100C Industry leading precision and shock handling

Field programmable resolution and output voltage

154 Hobart Street, Hackensack, NJ 07601 USA +1.201.343.8983 • main@masterbond.com

www.masterbond.com

Baumer Inc. · 4046 Mainway Drive · Burlington · Ontario · L7M 4B9 Phone 905-335-8444 · sales.ca@baumer.com · www.baumer.ca

October | 2012

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IdeaGenerator 31 Sensors and Switches Current Sensing Switch NK Technologies introduced its ASXP Current Sensing Switch available with a user-adjustable setpoint from 1-80A. For use with 24VAC/DC or 120VAC supplies, the switches feature an operation range between 40 and 100 hertz. They also have a solid-core enclosure and LED indicators for trip point contact status. In motor protection applications, the sensors provide electronic proof-of-operation and detect current draw changes in the motor caused by pumps running dry or

impending bearing failure. They also deliver quicker response times than Class 10 overload relays. www.nktechnologies.com

CCD Image Sensor Teledyne DALSA announced a family of 60 million pixel, large format full-frame CCD image sensors.

The FTF9168 image sensors offer an optical format of 54 x 40 mm2 with 60 million active pixels (8956H x 6708V) and a greater than 95 percent fill factor. In addition, the sensors feature micro lenses with wide angular response; dynamic range of greater than 70dB and a data rate up to 25 MHz per output. www.teledynedalsa.com

DesignSolutions OMEGA Introduces State Data Logger OM-CP-STATE101A Omega’s new state data logger is an advanced, low cost, battery powered data logger that records input transitions or contact closures from external sources such as transducers or state initiators. This CE compliant product offers a 10 year battery life, 4 Hz reading rate, a multiple start/stop function, ultra-high speed download capability, 406,323 reading storage capacity, optional memory wrap, battery life indicator, optional protection and more. Ideal for HVAC, chemical and environmental.

Contact: info@omega.ca Visit us at: www.omega.ca

ARC POWER® Catalog “B217” BRECOflex CO., L.L.C. offers state of-the-art polyurethane timing belts with the patented “ARC” tooth design. ARC POWER® timing belts are available in open ended, welded and truly endless with steel cord tension members and is offered in AT10 and AT15 tooth profile. ARC POWER® is ideal for linear drives, conveying and power transmission applications.

Contact: info@brecoflex.com Visit us at: www.brecoflex.com

Ideas To Improve Production Efficiency! Look to Seal Master Inflatable Seals.

Sealing is just one of many tasks for custom-built, fabric-reinforced elastomeric inflatable seals. Simple, versatile and with close tolerance capability, they’re ideal for use as actuators, brakes, valves, clutches, wipers and for other innovative applications. Backed by in-depth technical/customer service, they’ll replace cumbersome, hard-to-maintain proccessing and handling components to lessen downtime. Ask about our RSVP Design Assistance program Contact: info@sealmaster.com Visit us at: www.sealmaster.com

Clippard Offers Miniature Pneumatic Products Catalog for Scientific/Medical Applications A leader in miniature pneumatics, Clippard provides the scientific/medical industry a variety of products and solutions. The product range is illustrated in a color brochure featuring the most complete line of miniature fluid power products for the medical, pharmaceutical analytical and dental fields. To get your copy today please visit our website at the address printed below.

Contact: sales@clippard.com Visit us at: www.clippard.com/scientific-a

To advertise your solution in this section call Alan Macpherson at 416.510.6756 www.design-engineering.com

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L

CanadianInnovator

Lift-off A Canadian human-powered helicopter moves ever upward in the quest to take home the coveted Sikorsky Prize.

By Treena Hein

T

aking flight using only human muscle power took an exciting step forward this summer, with several strong attempts to win the Igor I. Sikorsky Human-Powered Helicopter Competition. Unclaimed since its inception in 1980, the Sikorsky Prize requires a human to hover three meters off the ground for at least a minute within a ten square-metre area. It’s also the third largest monetary prize ($250,000) in aviation history. To date, there have been over 30 serious attempts to win it, but only three teams have achieved brief periods of flight, so far.

The Canadian contender is called the Atlas, which features four independent rotors connected by a large truss structure. At its centre, Dr. Todd Reichert—Atlas project manager, pilot and national level speed skater—provides the power atop a specially designed bike frame designed by Toronto’s Cervéllo. Like the bike, carbon fibre is a key component, used in the drive train, the truss and the main spars of the rotors. The rotor ribs of the Atlas are polystyrene-balsa wood with a mylar skin. The controls are on the handlebars of the bike, with collective and pitch actuated through end-shifters, and the vehicle’s roll adjusted with the brake levers.

The team behind the Atlas is known as ‘AeroVelo,’ a group of students and professionals supported by donations from individuals, research grants and corporate sponsors. Core members, such as aerospace engineer Cameron Robertson, have been working together since 2006 on the world record-setting Snowbird Human-Powered Ornithopter (flapping wing aircraft) as well as several high-speed bicycle designs. Fellow team member, Dr. James Delaurier, is the man who spearheaded the successful Canadian motorized ornithopter flights a few years ago.

Design The Atlas uses four rotors, a design that requires low amounts of muscle power, strong stability and greater ease of construction in comparison to other models. Optimal structure design specifics were hammered out by Robertson using custom finite element analysis (FEM) code with 12 degrees of freedom (written by undergraduate engineering team member Trefor Evans). This program determined the forces on every part of the structure October | 2012

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Toronto-based AeroVelo’s human-powered helicopter, the Atlas, is one of three contenders seeking to claim the 30-year-old, $250,000 Igor I. Sikorsky Prize.

under a given loading condition.

“Then, from the internal forces that are calculated from the displacements given by the FEM, you conduct a failure analysis,” Robertson says. “That includes failure of wires, buckling and several modes of material failure of each layer of carbon in every tube.” The final configuration was designed to satisfy a total of 2615 failure modes.

The Atlas also needed a truss structure, which would reduce the overall weight through allowing the material failure of the structure to be closer to the buckling failure of the long unsupported beams. “Carbon fibre tubes are very thin, and most of our tube designs are large-diameter and therefore prone to buckling,” explains Robertson. “Using smaller tubes was the answer to prevent the walls from buckling before the carbon fibre fails in compression.”

Given a set of roughly 30 design variables, including rotor geometry, lift coefficient, spar diameter and tube thickness, the program then computed the total mass of the proposed aircraft design, the required flight power and the stresses in all the various components. Reichert then employed a computational optimizer to determine the design that would minimize the required power—the lightest possible structure which passed all of the failure tests.

This optimizer turned out to have a lot of trouble analyzing all the discontinuities (the non-realistic design solutions) that popped up, and Reichert eventually used a gradient-based optimizer. “It provided the robustness and speed to get the job done, converging every time and working about 100 times faster,” he says. “The downside was that I had to optimize the discontinuous variables by hand.” After many design tweaks and 240 optimizations, a solution was arrived upon—a final structure with a weight below the team’s estimate at the start of the project. www.design-engineering.com

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E-Vac® Vacuum Generators are compressed air powered vacuum pumps that provide instantaneous response and are most commonly used for pick and place operations.

These single stage vacuum pumps are a low cost venturi available in a variety of sizes and flows along with a selection of vacuum cups suitable for a wide range of applications.

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Adjustable E-Vac vacuum generators permit easy adjustment by simply loosening the locknut and turning the exhaust to increase or decrease the level of vacuum and vacuum flow. Four models are ideal for porous and non-porous applications.

Modular E-Vac vacuum generators use a compact block design for convenient mounting which is ideal for use on existing machinery. Fourteen models for porous and non-porous applications are available.

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In-Line E-Vac® Vacuum Generator In-Line E-Vac vacuum generators are cylindrical and compact. They can be threaded directly onto a compressed air line or held in place with a mounting clip.

Fourteen models for porous and non-porous applications are available.

Vacuum Cups, Fittings, Tubing, & More EXAIR can provide the accessories you need to build your vacuum system.

If you would like to discuss an application, contact an Application Engineer at

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CanadianInnovator Controls The controls for the Atlas are fundamentally different than the controls of a regular helicopter. “In our design, there are canards at the tips of the rotors that use the aero-elastic twist of the rotor to increase and decrease lift on the entire blade, more at the tip than at the root,” Robertson notes. “So, the challenge was to find a method of actuating the rotors that didn’t require too much additional force from the pilot, or too much weight in the mechanism. It was all novel and never seen before for a helicopter like this.”

Robertson says the next greatest difficulty was balancing the required control authority with structural flexing. “When you change the control surface orientation to change the lift of the rotor, the entire rotor flexes up or down with the change in lift,” he notes. “Sometimes this flexing is substantial, meaning that the tips of the rotors collide with the ground or bracing wires throughout the structure, which is a serious risk.”

Another thorny challenge was deciding how large to make the entire helicopter. “Bigger is better, but of course, the larger the structure, the more inconvenient and difficult to deal with,” says Robertson. “The rotor spool was also a big challenge. It’s a very large and lightweight structure that involved many iterations.”

One thing that wasn’t a problem was creating a well-prepared

ELECTRICAL AUTOMATION ENGINEER PLC, HMI AND CONTROLS DESIGNER Minimum of 5 years experience in factory automation and BS in Electrical Engineering.

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If this ad fits your experience and is something you are truly interested in, please send your CV with references in confidence to: Tensor Machinery Ltd. l 1570 – 52nd Avenue l Lachine, Quebec l H8T 2X9 l E-mail to headoffice@tensorfiber.com

October | 2012

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and experienced team. “Members were recruited from the University of Toronto Human-Powered Vehicles Team,” says Robertson. “These students were familiar with composite materials and advanced computational design techniques, which they use each year to make streamlined bikes capable of 120 km/h speeds.

We expected getting an Atlas team together to be more of a challenge, but everyone we approached was extremely enthusiastic and everyone did unbelievably well.”

During this summer’s testing round, Atlas achieved flights of 15 seconds and a height of about 0.5 m. “We need to develop more familiarity with the controls and how the helicopter handles, and we also need to do additional trimming and tuning of the structure,” Robertson says. “We also need to find a new test location that is less damaging to the helicopter during crash landings that’s also available on weekends, now that the student part of the team is back in school.”

Robertson says there were a few reasons why the Sikorsky Prize attracted the attention of AeroVelo. “The difficulty of the design problem itself was a pull, and the multidisciplinary approach is an excellent opportunity to work with and mentor other engineers,” he explains. “Working on the entire system is complex and a large task, yet simple enough that everyone can have an excellent grasp of the design of the whole. It’s lots of fun.” DE www.aerovelo.com

Advertisers Index Advertiser

Website

Automation Direct

www.automationdirect.com

Baldor Electric Company

www.baldor.com

36

Baumer Electric Inc.

www.baumer.ca

30

Bosch Rexroth Canada

www.boschrexroth.ca

19

Clippard Instrument

www.clippard.com

9

Daemar Inc.

www.daemar.com

35

Drive Products Inc.

www.driveproducts.com

25

Encoder Products Co.

www.encoder.com

29

Exair Corp.

www.exair.com

33

GTC Falcon Inc

www.gtcfalcon.com

23

JEC Composites

www.jeccomposites.com

27

LAPP Group Canada

www.lappusa.com/canada/

28

Master Bond Inc.

www.masterbond.com

30

Myostat Motion Control Inc. www.myostat.ca

Page 7

11

Nord Gear Ltd.

www.nord.com

Omega Engineering Inc.

www.omega.ca

14,15

Parker Hannifin Corp.

www.parker.com/medical

13

Proto Labs Inc.

www.protolabs.com

21

Rosta Inc.

www.rostainc.com

26

RotoPrecision Inc.

www.rotoprecision.ca

18

Schaeffler Canada Inc.

www.ina.com

Schneider Electric Canada

www.schneider-electric.com

Siemens Canada

www.siemens.ca

Tensor Machinery Ltd.

www.tensorfiber.com

3

4 17 2 34

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For decades, ABB variable speed drives and Baldor motors have set the standard for quality, reliability and energy savings. Now, industrial customers in the U.S. can buy these products and receive expert support from a single source. Call 479-646-4711 to locate the district office nearest you.

Two trusted names. One local source for sales and support. Only from ABB and Baldor. baldor.com

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