Flomerics

Laser Design Inc. announced that its next-generation line of 3D laser scanning probes has a new member, the SLP-500. The company’s new and improved Surveyor Laser Probes (SLP) are faster and more accurate than their predecessors.

Graco engineers used FloEFD computational fluid dynamics software from the Mechanical Analysis group of Mentor Graphics Corporation to optimize the design of a new plural component spray gun in 1/3 the time that would have been required to produce an acceptable but not optimized design using the trial and error method. “The use of software prototypes made it possible to explore a much wider design space than would have been possible with physical prototypes, said Rick Anderson, Senior Project Engineer at Graco. “It’s important to note that I achieved these results despite the fact that I am a design engineer without any training in CFD.”

Laser Design, Inc., and GKS Inspection Services, welcomed Giles Gaskell to their Michigan team as the Business Development Manager. Gaskell is one of the most experienced professionals in the 3D scanning industry, having worked internationally on projects with many of the world’s leading manufacturers since 1995.

Azonix used FloEFD software from the Mentor Graphics Corporation Mechanical Analysis Division (formerly Flomerics) to reduce the number of thermal prototypes required from up to 12 to 1 on its new Terra embedded computer. “FloEFD computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software enables design engineers without a fluid analysis background to perform thermal simulation,” said James Young, Design Engineer for Azonix. “The result is that we got the design right the first time, only had to make one prototype, and avoided expensive design changes that typically occur in the late stages of the development process.”

The need for safety, security, and the protection of people working in facilities around the world is increasing every day. 3M’s Occupational Health and Environmental Safety (OH&ES) division was tasked with developing a new face shield for welders. About half-way through the design and prototyping phase, 3M realized they needed to improve the aesthetics of the design and needed new CAD data to revise the model.

CCG Facilities Integration Incorporated of Baltimore, Maryland, a leading consulting engineering firm specializing in mission critical facilities, used FloVENT software from the Mentor Graphics Mechanical Analysis Division (formerly Flomerics) to optimize the design of Dupont Fabros Technology’s (DFT’s) ACC4 data center in Ashburn, Virginia. The challenge was to design a system to cool the extremely powerful and hot computing and communications equipment occupying the data center while maintaining a Tier 4 level of functionality – the highest possible. “FloVENT provided the ideal tool for optimizing the performance of ACC4 because of its ability to accurately model the room, the IT equipment and complete cooling system,” said Margaret Sam Sheehan, Director of Mechanical Engineering for CCG.

GKS Inspection Services, a global provider of dimensional inspection, 3D laser scanning, and terrestrial scanning services since 1981, has expanded its roster of capabilities to include Computed Tomography (CT) scanning services and systems sales, which are available at their locations worldwide. High-accuracy CT scanning enables 3D scanning of parts with very complex internal geometry. Visual access is not required for CT scanning so the process is very thorough and nondestructive.

Encore Bits LLC solved a difficult erosion problem in an oilfield drill bit by using FloEFD computational fluid dynamics software from Mentor Graphics Mechanical Analysis (formerly Flomerics) to improve flow around the bit. Salvo made changes in the bit geometry and nozzle configuration that substantially increased its life and enhanced cuttings removal. “CFD helped us understand the problem and guided us as we iterated the design to an optimized solution,” said Vince Salvo, Design Engineer for Encore Bits.

Laser Design Inc. has partnered with 3D Leasing Corp. to finance customer purchases of their high-speed, high-accuracy Surveyor 3D laser scanning systems. The company stated that 3D Leasing Corp. has significant experience in financing 3D measurement and manufacturing equipment. 3D Leasing Corp. offers attractive rates, a fast approval process, and excellent service.

EnSuite offers a complete solution for seamless sharing of product knowledge across the enterprise. All departments in the enterprise including purchasing, manufacturing, quality control, packaging, marketing, customer service and engineering can use EnSuite to access product information stored in the master CAD data file. EnSuite eliminates the need of using expensive CAD systems or viewers and translators to access the product information, irrespective of CAD system in which the data was created.

Philips used FloTHERM thermal simulation software from the Mentor Graphics Mechanical Analysis Division (formerly Flomerics) to develop a mechanical design for its new Aurea 42 inch liquid crystal diode (LCD) television that is 3 to 5 degrees Centigrade better than previous proposed concepts. Genevieve Martin, Project Leader for Philips Applied Technologies, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, used thermal simulation from the early stages of the development process to investigate the effect of different mechanical architecture options. “Thermal simulation enabled us to understand the thermal impact of our design decisions long before prototypes were available,” Martin said. “As a result, we saved a considerable amount of time and money by getting the design right the first time from a thermal standpoint.”

GKS Inspection Services announced it is now offering daily, weekly and monthly rentals of FARO portable measurement equipment. FARO Technologies, Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of portable, 3-D measurement systems used in a wide range of manufacturing, industrial, construction, and forensic applications.

Laser Design Inc. announced that the Rapidform liveScan™ plug-in is now available for Laser Design’s line of Faro portable 3D laser scanners.

Elma Electronic used FloTHERM thermal simulation software from the Mentor Graphics Mechanical Analysis Division (formerly Flomerics) to optimize the design of a new Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture (ATCA) platform that is designed to dissipate up to 300 watts in each of its 14 slots. Elma thermal engineers used FloTHERM’s capability to automatically run a series of flow simulations while varying various dimensions and other parameters to achieve design goals such as maximizing airflow over the boards. “The optimization of the chassis via thermal simulation studies made it possible to beat competitors to market with a highly innovative product,” said Ram Rajan, Thermal Engineer for Elma Electronic.

AECOM consultants used FloVENT computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software from the Mentor Graphics Mechanical Analysis Division (formerly Flomerics) to determine the viability of and guidelines for the use of thermal displacement ventilation (TDV) for schools in Southern California. AECOM used FloVENT CFD software, which is designed specially for building interior spaces, to simulate the use of TDV in various classroom configurations. TDV demonstrated the ability to provide comfortable classrooms at energy consumption levels considerably lower than conventional air conditioning systems.

Laser Design Inc. (LDI), the supplier of 3D laser scanners for more than 20 years, announced that I++ compatible coordinate measuring machine (CMM) motion controllers are now supported on its laser scanning systems. C. Martin Schuster, President of Laser Design, commented, “We have the capability to easily install our high-speed laser scanners and scanning software on new or existing CMM’s supporting the I++ protocol.”

GKS Inspection Services is now offering product design and engineering services. Teaming up with its leading 3D non-contact and contact scanning services used for reverse engineering, dimensional inspection, and large-scale measurement, these new product design and engineering services make GKS a complete product development partner.

Laser Design Inc. was named one of America’s fastest-growing private companies by Inc. Magazine for the second year in a row. The 2008 “Inc. 5,000” award honors 5000 U.S.-based, privately held, independent companies that are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2004 through 2007. Ranked number 3,232 nationally, Laser Design holds 64th place of the fastest-growing companies in the state of Minnesota. Revenue growth in the last 3 years is 105% and the number of employees has more than tripled. “Our competition is stiff in this fast-moving industry, and we are constantly innovating to stay ahead of the curve,” commented C. Martin Schuster, President of Laser Design.

GKS Inspection Services now offers high-accuracy laser tracker services as a complementary measuring tool to its already extensive menu of services which include 3D laser scanning, dimensional inspection, and terrestrial laser scanning. Since the laser tracker is portable and extremely versatile, large parts, assemblies, and machinery used in a wide range of industrial applications can be measured and aligned on-site or wherever is convenient and cost-effective.

CCE has announced that it has added the ability to transform and rotate components in heterogeneous and homogenous assemblies as well as improved markup collaboration capabilities in EnSuite Version 2 – its multi-CAD viewing, translation and productivity software. “In this new version we have raised the bar another notch by providing new capabilities for downstream manipulation of homogeneous or heterogeneous assemblies while also simplifying the process of communicating markup and redlining information by attaching the markup to the CAD file,” said Vinay Wagle, V.P. Sales & Marketing for CCE.