Catalog Data Solutions Provides Online Catalog and PTC Pro/ENGINEER Models for 2010 FIRST® Robotics High School Teams

FIRST strives to engage students in grades K-12 in exciting and innovative programs designed around the use of robotics to develop science and technology skills and motivate students to pursue careers in science, technology and engineering. PTC is a sponsor and the highest level supplier - Crown level - of the FIRST Robotics Competition. PTC is also the CAD and Collaboration sponsor for FTC. In addition to Pro/ENGINEER, all participating teams have the opportunity to use Windchill® , PTC’s PLM software for team collaboration, PTC’s Mathcad® for creating and sharing engineering calculation, and PTC’s ProductView™ for visual collaboration.

“The FIRST competition is a highly educational and inspirational experience for all participants - students, coaches, mentors, volunteers and sponsors. FIRST offers practical collaboration and product design opportunities that help to develop the skilled technology workforce of the future” said John Major, CEO of Catalog Data Solutions. “We’re proud to continue our support of PTC’s sponsorship by powering the FRC and FTC Pro/ENGINEER CAD Libraries with our CDS Catalog and CDS ModelServer technology. These online CAD model libraries are for the use of all competing teams and helps FIRST meet its education goals by introducing participants to real world solutions.”

According to Robin Saitz, PTC senior vice president and executive sponsor for PTC’s partnership with FIRST, FIRST teams have only a few weeks to model, build and ship their robots to the regional competitions. With direct access to the FRC and FTC Kit-of-Parts CAD Libraries from within Pro/ENGINEER, FIRST students and mentors can quickly begin the process of designing a robot rather than modeling standard components. This key capability gives them the added advantage of time, allowing them to focus on the unique aspects of their design and quickly considering a number of design alternatives virtually. We are happy to work with CDS to bring these Pro/ENGINEER models to FIRST teams worldwide.”