Applied CAx
Delivering the best client experience for users of Siemens PLM software
Thanks to our customers, we had another great year and had the honor to be recognized by Siemens PLM Software at their annual conference. We continue to expand our services as we get ready for 2019, whether it's in PLM architecture, CFD support or in additive manufacturing and 3D printing. Need great engineering support? Join us on our journey...
Applied CAx is excited to announce we are now an approved provider of STAR-CCM+. Much more than just a CFD code, STAR-CCM+ is a complete multidisciplinary platform for the simulation of products and designs operating under real-world conditions.
Our CAE team is very familiar with STAR-CCM+ and CD-Adapco from our consulting work through Predictive Engineering. The team is excited at this opportunity to help your company see potential design & workflow enhancements from STAR-CCM+. Potential solutions cover a wide range of physics and engineering disciplines, including:
With this acquisition in 2016, Siemens PLM Software showed their strong investment in high-quality CAE tools. Interested in learning more? Please contact our CAE technical manager, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., (503) 962-0287
“Don’t turn off the machines.” That’s a sign that could be posted across the Pacific NW. When a shop is making aerospace parts in a multi-state operation, the manufacturing team doesn’t get to stop and analyze their methods. But recently Applied CAx helped a great team do just that with a focused site review.
We didn’t just guess in the dark. We crunched the numbers on potential labor and programming hours they could save along the way. Our review team spent the day capturing their processes and set up a high-level overview of their issues.
Seven CNC programmers and manufacturing engineers led us on a tour of their customized 5-axis machines. With an operation split across the west, there were some overarching processes, but each operation had its own programmers with their own culture.
Since then our 3-phase plan has identified the areas where automation development, training, and mentorship can get them to a better place. In phase 1, we see large swaths of areas where NX is being used inefficiently and found the following numbers:
Discover a great opportunity to get hands-on with NX CAM. Learn how the complete CAM solution for machine tool programming, post-processing and machining simulation can maximize your performance.
NX CAM provides a wide range of functionality, from high-speed machining, 5-axis milling, robotics to additive manufacturing. Learn how you can address many tasks with one system. The trial version of the software provides:
JK Machining has been cranking away out of Kalamazoo, Michigan since 1980. The company makes high-production molds designed for 1 million+ cycles, churning out AC outlets, trim bezels, cup holders and other automotive interior components as well as molds for the medical device industry.
These customers expect high quality, better mold-parting lines, better finishes, tighter tolerances, and reasonable costs. Most of all, they want it fast. President of JK Machining, Henry Kalkman, told Modern Machine Shop magazine that his company used to have a 18-22 week window to make a mold.
“Now that’s down to 10 to 12 weeks,” he says. “All of our customers want to get to market faster. Offshore moldmakers have an advantage in cost, and are bringing up their level of quality. They are our main competitors.”
A big part of fabrication is creating tooling fixtures to hold your material in the right position, and our team has been taking full advantage of our 3D printer lately to make fixtures and soft jaws. As all machinists know, the right fixture can speed you up and save you money.
Expanding upon their already sizable Portland presence, Daimler Trucks announced they're opening a new Automated Truck Research and Development Center. The center will be at their company HQ on Portland's Swan Island industrial park, just down the road from Applied CAx's offices.
The center will spearhead a global network of hundreds of engineers, the company says, devoted to the field of automated driving. As a large user of Siemens PLM's NX, we look forward to their ongoing R&D engineering efforts in conjunction with Daimler Trucks locations in Stuttgart, Germany and Bangalore, India.
