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Wednesday, December 16, 2015

KSEC designs better with Solid Edge

This tobacco processing machine maker moved from 2D to 3D design with Solid Edge (Siemens PLM Software) and gained better fit-and-function analysis. KSEC partnered with Siemens PLM Software and purchased 200 seats of Solid Edge software for use throughout its engineering departments. With Solid Edge, KSEC is now able to show large 3D assembly models rather than 2D paper drawings. "A 3D model communicates a complex assembly far more effectively than drawings. Teams can now quickly visualize design intent, which lets them more effectively evaluate new products at design reviews," said Fu Ya Li, director of the KSEC information center. http://ow.ly/MiRJw



Try Solid Edge for free

Learn how Solid Edge can save you time on design and development at http://allyplm.com/solidedge/ or sign up for an informative webinar at http://allyplm.com/futureofcad/

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Anglo Platinum designs better with Solid Edge

The mining machinery maker moved from 2D to 3D CAD and, with Solid Edge (Siemens PLM Software), reducing mine design time up to 12 months. Drawing/design man hours are saved by using 3D designs and automating the generation of 2D drawings. Anglo Platinum recorded significant savings in engineering, construction and interest costs. "Switching to 3D CAD has helped us reduce the time required to design, fabricate and construct a 200,000-ton-per-month mine complex significantly," said Len Pretorius, general manager for project services at Anglo Platinum.


Try Solid Edge for free

Learn how Solid Edge can save you time on design and development at http://allyplm.com/solidedge/ or sign up for an informative webinar at http://allyplm.com/futureofcad/

Friday, December 4, 2015

NX Tip of the Week December 4


NX Tip of the Week
December 4, 2015

NX - Exporting to a Spreadsheet from Navigator 

Hello everyone,

In this week's Ally PLM Tip of the Week, we will take a look at a how to export content from the Assembly Navigator.  In any navigator window, we can configure the content that shows up in the columns.  Once these columns are configured, we can easily export this information to a spreadsheet for capture.

Here is a short video that demonstrates this tip:


Thank you,
Brandon Carter
Senior Application Engineer
Ally PLM Solutions, Inc.


Want more tips? Sign up HERE to receive our Tip of the Week. 
Register for upcoming free NX webinars or learn more about Ally PLM Solutions.

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

NX Licensing Issue regarding Include Statement

I thought I would share this NX Licensing issue as it was a tough one:

1.       I asked for a new NX license file to install NX on my machine that has the TC Server working on the VM.  I received a license file, but could not get it to work.  I kept getting this (I removed the ip address and servername for privacy…
Flexible License Manager status on Wed 12/2/2015 10:28
[Detecting lmgrd processes...]
Error getting status: License server machine is down or not responding.
See the system administrator about starting the license server system, or
make sure you're referring to the right host (see LM_LICENSE_FILE).
Hostname:      XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX
License path:  28000@servername;
FLEXnet Licensing error:-96,491
For further information, refer to the FLEXnet Licensing documentation,
available at "www.flexerasoftware.com".
____________________________________________________________________________
2.       Looking at the log file I saw this.  With about 30 of the INCLUDE missing things listed. 

10:53:00 (ugslmd) USER_BASED license error for prd_ps_teamcenter_access (INCLUDE missing)
10:53:00 (ugslmd) USER_BASED license error for prd_vkrc1_ps_controller (INCLUDE missing)
10:53:00 (lmgrd) ugslmd using TCP-port 53740
11:04:23 (lmgrd) ugslmd exited with status 58 ()
11:04:23 (lmgrd) Since this is an unknown status, license server
11:04:23 (lmgrd) manager (lmgrd) will attempt to re-start the vendor daemon.
11:04:23 (lmgrd) EXITING DUE TO SIGNAL 1

3.       So I knew that it was reading the license file and the CID had to be right or it would error on that.  I had never seen this before.  I knew this had to do with the Flex options file as INCLUDE is a statement in the options file.  I did some googling and found that this was looking for the options file to have a list of users for these features.   What I did not know was why as this was not the way it was before – GTAC did not know why either.  So, I called the guy I know at Siemens that is the most knowledgeable person on licensing.  He had not seen it either so he talked to the developers.  Here is his response to me.

So what we have found out is that the TCDIST is a user based license and it actually requires an options file.  All of the following lines are because of the missing options file that would have the INCLUDE line in it:

(ugslmd) USER_BASED license error for planner export (INCLUDE missing)

The options file is just a text file and has to be named ugslmd.opt  I have attached the one that I used.  There is one thing that I did find with this is that the file is case sensitive.
You should be able to put this file in your directory and restart the flexlm service and it should start with no errors. You can change the user names to fit your environment and users.

4.       So now I created an Options file and tried to get it to work (see my blog post on Flex options files at http://allyplm.com/knowledgebase/2014/9/26/reserving-a-license-for-an-individual-or-group?rq=options%20flex).  However, NX requires you to use the name ugslmd.opt and you do not need to add it to the license file.  It must be located in the same directory as the license file and they both must be in the Siemens…PLMLicenseSever directory of the license server install.  Here is what is in my options file contained (just a notepad file renamed ugslmd.opt).  You have to have the same amount of Includes as licenses available.  Since, I have 4, I have to have four usernames (replace WindowsUserName with your NX users Windows User Login Name).  When I put in 5, it gave an error saying I had 5 in the log file and the max was 4.

INCLUDE TCDIST USER WindowsUserName1
INCLUDE TCDIST USER WindowsUserName2
INCLUDE TCDIST USER WindowsUserName3
INCLUDE TCDIST USER WindowsUserName4

5.       So, I did a stop, start, reread as I usually do.  I got a license reread failed at the bottom of LMTools.exe.  Talking again with my license guru revealed that in the middle of the log file, you see the following:

11:59:30 (ugslmd) NOTE: Some features are USER_BASED or HOST_BASED
11:59:30 (ugslmd)   If a reread is done, and the INCLUDE list changes for these
11:59:30 (ugslmd)   there is a delay of 12 hours for this to take effect.
11:59:30 (ugslmd)
11:59:30 (ugslmd) Licenses are case sensitive for ugslmd

6.       So, even though it said failed, it was ok.  I loaded NX and was able to open it fine.  It was just that I had to have an options file for the include statements. 


Madison Rye
Application Engineering Manager
Ally PLM Solutions, Inc.

Diamond Systems designs better with Solid Edge

Food processing machinery maker upgrades from 2D to 3D design and cuts change orders by 40 percent with Solid Edge (Siemens PLM Software). The move to 3D also results in first prototypes being ready for field testing and that other preliminary prototypes are no longer needed. With the competition still presenting 2D drawings to customers, Diamond Systems' industry-leading reputation has been ensured.




Try Solid Edge for free

Learn how Solid Edge can save you time on design and development at http://allyplm.com/solidedge/ or sign up for an informative webinar at http://allyplm.com/futureofcad/

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

AMF Canada designs better with Solid Edge

Bakery equipment manufacturer shrinks design time 50 percent and assembly time 20 percent by moving from 2D CAD to 3D Solid Edge (Siemens PLM Software). Sheet metal rework was almost completely eliminated. Because delivery times were met and less overtime was needed, AMF reported a boost in profits. "We saw going to 3D as a blessing,” said Marc Stringer, CAD coordinator at AMF. “With Solid Edge, we can achieve the same level of quality in less time.”


Learn how

http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/about_us/success/case_study.cfm?Component=30590&ComponentTemplate=1481

Try Solid Edge for free

Learn how Solid Edge can save you time on design and development at http://allyplm.com/solidedge/ or sign up for an informative webinar at http://allyplm.com/futureofcad/

Monday, November 23, 2015

Maintenance Release 3 for NX 10.0.3 is now available

Maintenance Release NX 10.0.3 is now available for download from the Siemens PLM download server. NX 10.0.3 is an accumulation of fixes built for installation on top of Windows 64-Bit, Linux 64-Bit and Mac OS images of NX 10.0.0.

To download this Maintenance Release, Maintenance Release Documentation, or to review the README files, select the following link or enter the URL in your browser address window:
https://download.industrysoftware.automation.siemens.com/download.php

From the Product Download page, enter “10.0.3” (including the quotes) in the Search box to see a list of links to the release letter and available release packages.

Alternatively, the release packages can be found using the file navigator by selecting ‘NX’ from the list of products and then navigating through the directory structure by selecting:
Product updates --> Maintenance-release --> NX10 --> [platform].

If you encounter any problems installing this maintenance pack, please contact Ally PLM Solutions www.allyplm.com 513.984.0480.

Tracy Tijan
Marketing Director
Ally PLM Solutions

Friday, November 20, 2015

NX Tip of the Week November 20


NX Tip of the Week
November 20, 2015

NX - Editing the Post Processor in NX CAM

In NX CAM, you can edit the standard post processor list enabling you to add your own post processors to the list. You can also reorder the list according to the posts you use most frequently. This can be very useful because this keeps you from having to browse to a certain post that wasn't in the list when your software was installed.  

Here is a short video that shows the standard post list, adding a post to the list, deleting posts from the list, and re-ordering the post list:


Thank you,

Chad Varney
Application Engineer
Ally PLM Solutions, Inc


Want more tips? Sign up HERE to receive our Tip of the Week.


Register for upcoming free NX webinars or learn more about Ally PLM Solutions.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Toshiba designs better with Solid Edge

This radar and radio systems manufacturer moved from 2D to 3D CAD and cuts design errors 75 percent with Solid Edge (Siemens PLM Software). Fewer design errors translated into saving money (9 million Japanese yen) saved across several projects. Manufacturing time declined 30 percent and overall task time dropped 50 percent across design, manufacturing and validation. “With the implementation of Solid Edge, we began doing all design work in 3D, starting with basic design. One of benefits of this is that it is now easier to communicate design concepts to others in the company,” said Takaya Ogawa, Komukai operations at Toshiba.


Try Solid Edge for free

Learn how Solid Edge can save you time on design and development at http://allyplm.com/solidedge/ or sign up for an informative webinar at http://allyplm.com/futureofcad/

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Announcing Maintenance Pack 3 for Solid Edge ST8

Download the Solid Edge ST8 Microsoft Installer (MSI) Maintenance Pack 3 now. 

Microsoft Installer (MSI) Maintenance Packs:
Beginning with Solid Edge ST8, Maintenance Packs are delivered as and installed using Microsoft Installer (MSI) technology. Solid Edge MSI based Maintenance Packs are installed and tracked as Product Updates. 
  • MSI Product Updates can be applied on top of the base release and or existing Product Update with a lesser version. 
  • MSI Product Updates are all inclusive with fixes delivered in MP3 include all fixes delivered in MP1 and MP2. 
  • MSI Product Updates calculate free disk space before installing. Be paitient - note that there have been cases where the Disk Space Computation can take several minutes to complete. 
  • MSI Product Updates can be uninstalled without having to remove the base Solid Edge product. 
  • Uninstalling a MSI Product Update will restore the installation to the state before the Product Update was applied.
  • PLEASE NOTE: When uninstalling a MSI Product Update, the original source media and the previous Product Update package, if any, must be available to allow the recovery of previous file versions.
  • The current MSI Product Update will be the only Update listed and available for uninstallation. After the current Update is uninstalled, the previous Update will become the current Update, if there were multiple Updates installed.
  • MSI Product Updates are uninstalled via the Control Panel (Uninstall a program –> View installed updates -> Uninstall). 
Solid Edge Maintenance Packs are released for CRITICAL items only. Maintenance Packs are available up to 15 months following the release date of the English version. The release date for Solid Edge ST8 English was 06/05/15, making the Maintenance Pack cutoff date 09/05/16.

Solid Edge - Solid Edge ST8 MP3 or later supports Windows 10 if the Windows 10 “November Refresh” version 1511 (OS Build 10586.0) or later is installed.  Solid Edge does not support the new Windows 10 browser, Microsoft Edge.

Solid Edge Integration to Teamcenter - The Solid Edge integration to Teamcenter 10.1.5 and later have been tested on Windows 10 connected to Teamcenter 10.1 and 11.2 servers and there are no known issues.  Teamcenter plans to announce support of Windows 10 with Teamcenter 10.1.6 and 11.2.2.

Solid Edge SP - ST8 Solid Edge SP cannot support Windows 10 due to the following unresolved PR assigned to Microsoft: PR 7410688 - Win 10 does not show the SESP Preview/Properties Card or Edit Properties. 

ST8 Maintenance Packs can be downloaded from:

The Ally PLM Technical Support Team is available to answer any questions and provide support for all of your needs including Maintenance packs. You can contact the Ally PLM Technical Support Team via email at technical.support@allyplm.com or via phone at (513) 984-0480 Option: 4.

Monday, November 16, 2015

Just Released - Maintenance Pack 04 for NX 10.0.2

Maintenance Pack 4 (MP04) for NX 10.0.2 is now available and you can download it from the Siemens PLM download server.
 
To find the release package(s) for your platform(s) click on the following link or enter the URL in your browser address window. A valid WebKey account is required.:

https://download.industrysoftware.automation.siemens.com/download.php

From the intial page, enter "10.0.2.mp4" (including the quotes) in the Search box to see a list of links to the release letter and available release packages.

Alternatively, the release packages can be found by selecting the 'NX/Unigraphics NX' tab and then navigating through the directory structure by selecting > Product updates > Maintenance-packs > NX10 > [platform].
   
If you encounter any problems installing this maintenance pack, please contact Ally PLM Solutions www.allyplm.com 513.984.0480.

Tracy Tijan
Marketing Director
Ally PLM Solutions

Friday, November 13, 2015

Solid Edge Tip of the Week November 13


Solid Edge Tip of the Week
November 13, 2015

Solid Edge - Document Name Enhancements
A lot of times, the information provided to you in the pathfinder can be lacking:


This can be improved with the document name formula in the Solid Edge options:


Clicking Change brings up the Document Name Formula pop-up:


Here you can add text before or after the [Filename] including other properties of that part file:


You can add properties like the material, project name, author and many other properties making a glance at the pathfinder much more informative:


I hope you found this information useful!

Thanks,
Navjot Gill
Application Engineer
Ally PLM Solutions, Inc.

Want more tips? Sign up HERE to receive our Tip of the Week. 




Register for upcoming free Solid Edge webinars or learn more about Ally PLM Solutions.


Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Ricoh designs better with Solid Edge

Office imaging equipment maker effectively and rapidly moves from 2D to 3D product design with Solid Edge (Siemens PLM Software). The move resulted in greater collaboration with manufacturing and service divisions as well as improved refinement of prototypes. “The biggest reason for selecting Solid Edge was that it was user friendly. It has greatly accelerated the shift to 3D design and reduced product development time and costs," said Etsuro Kuretani, R&D engineer, Ricoh Company Ltd.

Learn how
Try Solid Edge for free

Learn how Solid Edge can save you time on design and development at http://allyplm.com/solidedge/ or sign up for an informative webinar at http://allyplm.com/futureofcad/

Friday, November 6, 2015

Solid Edge Tip of the Week November 6

Solid Edge Tip of the Week
November 6, 2015

Solid Edge - Turning on the List of Blocks in Solid Edge Draft

In this Ally PLM Tip of the Week, we are going to look at the option to display existing blocks on a Solid Edge drawing. If you are not familiar with blocks, they are groups of 2D geometry. Native 2D geometry can be blocked within Solid Edge draft or blocks from .dwg can be read into Solid Edge. 

1) Open a drawing that has blocks. This may be a native Solid Edge file or something opened from AutoCAD:

Blocks:

2) Over in the Library tab, toggle on the "Show Blocks" command:  

3) Notice the Block names will be listed under Active Document:

4) We can also select blocks from other drawings and use them in our active document. Select a dft/dwg from the folder above. Notice the preview of the block in the lower window.  CB Network protect is a block on the Circuit Protectors.dft file:

5) Drag and drop the block into the active drawing: 

6) We can create our own blocks using the block command. To find out more information on the Block command, search the Help or click F1 on the keyboard once in the Block command: 


7) There are sample blocks/block libraries delivered in the installation directory of Solid Edge here:  C:\Program Files\Solid Edge ST?\Sample Blocks:

In this week's Tip of the Week, we looked at how to display blocks in active and selected documents. For more information, check out our Ally PLM Lunch Bytes session on 2D Diagramming and Schematics: http://solidedgevideos.blogspot.com/2012/09/solid-edge-diagrams-and-schematics.html

Brandon Carter
Senior Application Engineer
Ally PLM Solutions, Inc.

Want more tips? Sign up HERE to receive our Tip of the Week.

Register for upcoming free Solid Edge webinars or learn more about Ally PLM Solutions.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

What's New in Teamcenter 11!

The new release of Teamcenter 11 has tons of new enhancements to help you significantly increase your return-on-investment. New features include:

  • New self-service administrative tools enabling suppliers to obtain data without help from OEMs
  • Additional features allowing for better integration with the product development process
  • A new administration data documentation report tool making it easier to facilitate your Teamcenter deployments

Learn more with What's New in Teamcenter 11.2

Victor Taichung Machinery designs better with Solid Edge


Machine tool manufacturer moves from 2D to 3D CAD, reducing design to manufacturing time with Solid Edge (Siemens PLM Software). The move resulted in higher engineering productivity and customer satisfaction. "Using Solid Edge to integrate the design process for our machines has significantly improved our productivity," said Stanly Tsai, project engineer at Victor Taichung.



Learn how

Try Solid Edge for free

Learn how Solid Edge can save you time on design and development at http://allyplm.com/solidedge/ or sign up for an informative webinar at http://allyplm.com/futureofcad/

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Ally PLM's presentation of Design Configuration using Excel and the Variable Table at SEU 2015

Ben Weisenberger gave an outstanding standing-room only presentation, Design Configuration using Excel and the Variable Table, at this year's Solid Edge University 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ben's presentation shows how the variable table and Excel can help make consistent changes among the different parameters.

Watch it now:

Ben Weisenberger is an Application Engineer at Ally PLM Solutions with more than 5 years of Solid Edge experience.

Tracy Tijan
Marketing Director
Ally PLM Solutions

Elephant designs better with Solid Edge

Innovation consultant attains faster, more accurate designs with Solid Edge (Siemens PLM Software). Other results included better decision making at the design stage, problems detected and corrected early, saving development time and an increase in business opportunities. “We are able to get more customers with these visualization tools as we can showcase more options,” said Designer Anand Palsodkar.









Try Solid Edge for free

Learn how Solid Edge can save you time on design and development at http://allyplm.com/solidedge/ or sign up for an informative webinar at http://allyplm.com/futureofcad/


Thursday, October 22, 2015

Hyundai Motor Co. designs better with Solid Edge


The automotive OEM jig and fixture department easily handles large assembly design with Solid Edge (Siemens PLM Software). Hyundai developed libraries and an automation program to enhance the productivity of jig design. The company also can share design libraries with other automotive component suppliers.






Try Solid Edge for free

Learn how Solid Edge can save you time on design and development at http://allyplm.com/solidedge/ or sign up for an informative webinar at http://allyplm.com/futureofcad/

Monday, October 19, 2015

Ally PLM Application Engineer to present at Solid Edge University 2015


Ben Weisenberger, Application Engineering Manager at Ally PLM Solutions Inc., will be presenting at Solid Edge University 2015, the single most important event Solid Edge users can attend.

Ben's presentation entitled Design Configuration using Excel and the Variable Table will help you take the guess work out of changing parameters. Whether it is changing the size of a part, location of a part in the assembly, suppressing features, or managing formulas, the variable table and even Excel can help make consistent changes among the different parameters.

Solid Edge University 2015 provides 2 full days of workshops, presentations and technical sessions. Learn about the speakers and additional presentation descriptions and don't miss Ben's presentation on Tuesday, October 27 at 3:30 PM in Room 237/238.

If you haven't already registered, be sure to register today!

Friday, October 16, 2015

NX Tip of the Week October 16

NX Tip of the Week
October 16, 2015

NX - Using the In Process Workpiece for
Multiple Setups in NX CAM

You can use the In Process Workpiece (IPW) for multiple setups in NX CAM making programming easier and more efficient.  Using the IPW as Blank Geometry can help you visualize the material that has already been cut and also allow NX to create very efficient operations without excessive tool path motion.  The steps below will show the process for using the IPW in a part that requires multiple setups.

1)  The part starts out with the blank defined using a bounding block:

2)  After the operations on the first setup have completed the IPW looks like this:

3)  Now I will use the IPW option to define the blank for the second setup:

4)  Select Source for IPW:

5)  Use the WORKPIECE from the first setup:

6)  Use the Update button to load the IPW from the first setup:

7)  Notice the IPW displays with the operations from the first setup complete:

8)  This shows the second setup operations have been completed and now the IPW is ready for the third setup:


Thank you,
Chad Varney
Application Engineer
Ally PLM Solutions, Inc.

Want more tips? Sign up HERE to receive our Tip of the Week.

Register for upcoming free NX webinars or learn more about Ally PLM Solutions.