Siemens’ product lifecycle management (PLM) business has launched its new Simcenter portfolio, a suite of simulation software and test solutions that help companies address the modern engineering challenges of today’s complex products.
Simcenter combines simulation and physical testing with intelligent reporting and data analytics to help produce digital twins that more accurately predict product performance throughout all stages of the product development process. As a result, engineering organizations can confidently deliver innovations faster and with less cost. Within this portfolio, Siemens is also introducing Simcenter 3D, a next generation 3D CAE solution built on the Siemens’ NX software platform and combining the capabilities of several solutions to cover a wide range of simulation disciplines and industry applications.
With the introduction of Simcenter, Siemens is taking the next step forward in its digitalization strategy and predictive engineering analytics vision, which foresees the transformation of design simulation and verification into an analytical tool critical to systems-driven product development.
“Manufacturers are under a great deal of pressure to evolve their product engineering practices to meet new challenges, or risk becoming obsolete,” said Peter Bilello, President, CIMdata, Inc. “Through its Simcenter portfolio and predictive engineering analytics vision, Siemens is proactively addressing these challenges by utilizing its strong collection of existing technology combined with its acquisition of LMS and, more recently, CD-adapco. As a result, Siemens is able to continue helping its customers solve the engineering challenges for today’s products while setting the stage for the new generation of future products.”
Many of today’s products involve complex product development environments, combining mechanical functions with electronics, software and controls. Engineering departments must develop smart products that integrate these various aspects, utilizing new materials and manufacturing methods, and deliver these designs within ever shorter design cycles. This requires current engineering practices for product performance verification to evolve into a more predictive role to support digitalization and systems-driven product development.
Simcenter is designed to address these challenges and realize Siemens’ predictive engineering analytics vision by combining multiple technologies in simulation and test. This includes computational solid mechanics (CSM) and finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), multibody dynamics, controls, physical testing, visualization, multidisciplinary design exploration, and data analytics. These technologies are then managed in a PLM context, using Siemens’ Teamcenter software, to support the engineering and development of complex systems.
Industrial IoT
Within Simcenter, the applications will also leverage the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) through the integration of sensor-based data with high-fidelity, physics-based simulations, allowing manufacturers to build and maintain digital twins of their products and to keep them in-sync with the physical product in use. This is of crucial importance to making more useful and realistic predictions of product performance that will enable these products to adapt to changing usage conditions, extend their useful life, and accommodate product degradation.
“Siemens’ predictive engineering analytics vision and digitalization solution strategy looks at product performance information more holistically to address the tremendous challenge that manufacturers face in engineering modern sophisticated products and systems,” said Chuck Grindstaff, President and Chief Executive Officer, Siemens PLM Software. “With Simcenter we are taking the next step in our journey to implement that strategy, building on the significant investments Siemens has made in recent years through internal R&D, strategic acquisitions of industry leaders such as LMS and CD-adapco, and continuing with future developments and expansion.”
“Within the Simcenter portfolio, Simcenter 3D delivers a unified, scalable, open and extensible environment for 3D CAE with connections to design, 1D simulation, test, and data management,” said Dr. Jan Leuridan, Senior Vice President for Simulation and Test Solutions for Siemens PLM Software. “By combining the capabilities of NX CAE, LMS Virtual.Lab and LMS Samtech we are bringing to market a comprehensive 3D CAE solution that addresses the needs of CAE analysts as well as discipline specialists.”