New ANSYS SpaceClaim 2015 Release: Enhanced 3D Printing and Geometric Manipulation

The acquisition of SpaceClaim by ANSYS has made it evident that users will see enhancements in the area of simulation support and edits within SpaceClaim. Recently, ANSYS released SpaceClaim 2015 with support not just for simulation but also expansion of functionality for 3D printing. ANSYS believes, 3D printing will continue to see growth. The SpaceClaim 2015 includes new functionality in the following areas:

·         3D printing preparation

·         Simulation support

·         Concept design and general modelling improvements

·         Manufacturing preparation functions

·         Sheet-metal function enhancements

·         Detailing

·         Interoperability advances

The new functionalities in SpaceClaim 205 repair, optimize and modify the STL files for 3D printing. Users can repair holes, sharps, smoothen features to separate or join them. The new print analysis tools analyze thickness and overhang. SpaceClaim 2015 includes mesh-to-mesh deviation analysis, volume and area measurement.

The new simulation prep upgrades provides the ability to wrap solid geometry or surfaces around curved parts. User should expect better integration of SpaceClaim with ANSYS Workbench and direct connection to ANSYS HFSS (high frequency structural simulator), a finite element method solver for electromagnetic structures.

The new release has new import information, including layers, materials, JT facets only, and PDF faceted curves for optimal model editing. With the introduction of multi-threaded import in SpaceClaim for more file formats (JT, CATIA CGR) users can expect faster imports. Users can now map CATIA Geometric sets to SpaceClaim groups on file import. SpaceClaim 2015 has updated version support for Inventor 2015, NX 9, Parasolid 26, Solid Edge ST6 and SolidWorks 2014.

Some of the important manufacturing preparation enhancements in SpaceClaim 2015 include support for Mastercam 8X, edges tool for extracting the wireframe version of a part and a curve table tool for generating associative table of curve data for export. Users can automatically generate basic tool paths from revolved geometry.

ANSYS has worked on improving performance of SpaceClaim with its 2015 release and addresses the requirements raised by its customers. The release focuses on supporting the workflow of virtual prototypes to complex 3-D printouts. ANSYS’ core strength is in simulation, and the new release will enable engineers to focus their time and expertise on simulation analysis, while making geometry preparation faster and more automated.

For more information, visit www.ansys.com