Mechatronics and Kinetics in XVL
According to Wikipedia, “Mechatronics (or Mechanical and Electronics Engineering) is the combination of mechanical engineering, electronic engineering and Computer engineering.“
The careful blend of control systems, control electronics, mechanical systems, mechanical design, digital control systems, and electro-mechanics makes for highly sophisticated machinery, and very complex design processes, where even the slightest interference from adjacent parts can render a system unworkable.
Any design engineer in the mechatronics space needs to ensure the greatest accuracy of both the parts, and assembly, with great care being taken over the motion of moving parts, and potential interference by any aspect of the system.
Add to the highly complex nature of mechatronics design the need to keep manufacturing processes at optimum levels of efficiency, productivity and profitability, and you find that good software applications to support this market become very important.
Lattice Technology’s Digital manufacturing solutions work in concert with existing CAD, ERP, PLM and digital manufacturing technologies to reinvigorate an automotive organization’s divisional, company-wide and global efforts. By working hand-in-hand with all major 3D CAD systems, the XVL applications leverage and streamline the digital workflow – delivering affordable tools for design review, digital assembly, motion simulation, process simulation, 3D parts lists, illustration and digital instructions.
The XVL Studio and Lattice3D Reporter tools allow product engineers to truly leverage 3D CAD data for faster, more effective product design, while reducing costs for manufacturing companies.
Lattice Technology Digital Manufacturing Solutions deliver the following tools that work directly on 3D CAD assemblies, and parts.
- Design Review – be able to pan, rotate, view and zoom data. Use XVL Studio to perform mathematically accurate rapid static and dynamic interference, clearance, gap and contact checks on entire assemblies, and create visual and text-based reports automatically into Excel spreadsheets.
- Motion Simulation – test, simulate and animate motion for kinetics and mechatronics, and check for clearances and interference in XVL Studio. Report automatically using both visual graphics and related list data in Microsoft Excel.
- Process Simulation – simulate and animate production lines and processes in XVL Studio. Check for clearances and interferences early in the design process.
- Digital Assembly – rapidly create and test assemblies digitally early in design in XVL Studio. Reuse this work for instruction animations and ‘how-to’ guides directly from the 3D data 3D Parts lists – be able to refer directly between parts lists and BOMs and the specific 3D data in Microsoft Excel using Lattice 3D Reporter. Improve productivity by having accurate visual 3D models with each parts list that can be used by anyone using the free XVL Player software.
- Illustration – generate realistic illustrations for print and online instruction books, build 3D animations for instructions, using XVL Studio, and also be able to post this data directly into html using the easy Lattice3D Reporter application.
- XVL formats – XVL compresses 3D data by anywhere between 50 to 200 times smaller, with no loss of accuracy. This means that 3D digital assemblies that were previously enormous become easily handled, transmitted and opened in XVL, with their full and accurate integrity from the original design.
- Security. Control access to your 3D data, using NIST (AES) encryption and 3 levels of password protection.
- Understand and verify all 3D designs faster. Confirm that production processes will work within the environment before the physical prototypes are created.
- Faster time-to-market. Deliver a fully working production process faster and more accurately
- Reduce errors in design. Save money by noticeably reducing the amount of errors earlier in the design process savng money and time in manufacturing.
- Leverage existing IT systems and processes. XVL applications can be integrated directly within PLM, digital manufacturing and ERP systems.
- Leverage 3D data. By using existing 3D data assets, so digital manufacturing processes become fully leveraged throughout an organization
- Build on existing standards Integration of 3D and interactive parts lists into Excel spreadsheets via XVL maintain the use of MS Office standards for communication of data and reports.
- Free 3D viewing for all- Free XVL viewers allows all parties to freely view, review, measure and assess 3D data in XVL.