PTC Adds Phil Fernandez to Board

NEEDHAM, MA, USA, Feb 26, 2016 - PTC (Nasdaq: PTC) announced the appointment of Phil Fernandez to its Board of Directors effective March 2, 2016. The addition of Fernandez as an independent director will expand PTC’s Board to eight members.

Fernandez is Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Marketo, Inc., a leading provider of engagement marketing software and solutions, a position he has held since January 2006. In this role, he sets the vision for the company and drives operational excellence and Marketo’s commitment to its core values. Marketo was recently named a leader by Gartner Inc. in the Magic Quadrants for Digital Marketing Hubs and CRM Lead Management.

Prior to co-founding Marketo, Fernandez served as President and Chief Operating Officer for Epiphany, Inc., a marketing software company acquired by SSA Global Technologies, Inc. Earlier, he was COO at Red Brick Systems and held leadership positions at Metaphor Computer Systems, Stanford University Medical Center, and Masstor Systems.

“Phil has amassed more than thirty years’ experience building and leading breakout technology companies in Silicon Valley and brings deep expertise in both digital marketing and subscription-based pricing to our board of directors,” said Jim Heppelmann, president and CEO, PTC. “His wealth of experience and expertise in establishing market leadership will make him a strong asset to our team. We are excited to welcome him and look forward to his contributions to PTC’s board.”

Fernandez is a well-known writer and speaker on topics related to digital marketing, marketing automation, big data, and entrepreneurialism, and is the author of Revenue Disruption (Wiley, 2012), which delivers bold new strategies for any company to transform its sales and marketing to accelerate revenue growth.

“PTC has again demonstrated itself to be a technology innovator with its leadership in the Internet of Things,” offered Fernandez. “I look forward to helping the company capitalize on its tremendous market opportunities.”

About PTC

PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) is a global provider of technology platforms and solutions that transform how companies create, operate, and service the “things” in the Internet of Things (IoT). The company’s next-generation ThingWorx technology platform gives developers the tools they need to capture, analyze, and capitalize on the vast amounts of data being generated by smart, connected products and systems. The company’s field-proven solutions are deployed in more than 26,000 businesses worldwide to generate a product or service advantage. For more information, visit http://www.ptc.com/.

3D Systems Announces Delay in Filing of Form 10-K

ROCK HILL, SC, USA, Feb 26, 2016 - 3D Systems Corporation (NYSE: DDD) announced that it will delay filing its annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015. The company will file a Form 12b-25, Notification of Late Filing, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which allows the company to extend the deadline to file its Form 10-K to March 15, 2016. The company noted that the delay in filing is related to the completion of work related to the goodwill and intangible asset impairment charge. The delayed filing has no impact on 3D Systems’ customers or the operations of the business.

Consistent with its prior announcement, the company expects to record a non-cash goodwill and intangibles impairment charge in the fourth quarter of 2015 in the range of $510 million to $570 million. These impairment charges will not impact the company’s future business activities or cash flows. As of December 31, 2015, the company closed the quarter with approximately $156 million of cash on hand and had no borrowings under its $150 million revolving credit facility.

Additionally, the company reaffirms its expectation to report revenue for the fourth quarter of approximately $183 million and that the previously disclosed charge related to inventory write downs and purchase commitments in connection with its shift away from consumer products will be approximately $27 million.

Excluding the goodwill and intangibles impairment charge, the company expects to report that operating expenses decreased sequentially to approximately $90 million.

In connection with the extension for its Form 10-K filing, the company will postpone its previously announced February 29, 2016 conference call and webcast to discuss fourth quarter and full year 2015 results. The company will reschedule its fourth quarter and full year 2015 conference call and webcast to coincide with its filing of its Form 10-K, which it expects to be on or before the extended deadline.

These are preliminary results and estimates based on current expectations and are subject to year-end closing adjustments and completion of goodwill and intangibles impairment testing. Actual results may differ.

About 3D Systems

3D Systems provides comprehensive 3D products and services, including 3D printers, print materials, on-demand parts services and digital design tools. Its ecosystem supports advanced applications from the product design shop to the factory floor to the operating room. 3D Systems’ precision healthcare capabilities include simulation, Virtual Surgical Planning, and printing of medical and dental devices as well as patient-specific surgical instruments. As the originator of 3D printing and a shaper of future 3D solutions, 3D Systems has spent its 30 year history enabling professionals and companies to optimize their designs, transform their workflows, bring innovative products to market and drive new business models. For more information, visit www.3dsystems.com.

Chinese Toy Maker Goldlok Selects ZW3D

GUANGZHOU, China, Feb 24, 2016 - ZW3D, one of the world's leading suppliers of advanced CAD/CAM solutions for the manufacturing industry, announced that it has been chosen by Goldlok Toys Holdings Co., Ltd. (Goldlok), a professional Chinese toy maker.

Established in 1989, Goldlok specializes in creating quality, price-competitive, battery-operated toys, such as electric trains, robots, jets & planes, etc. Their products are mainly exported to East Asia, America, Europe & Australia, etc.

The Need

In a bid to further expand their export business, Goldlok invests a lot in upgrading their tools in designing & manufacturing toys of high quality. Thus, optimizing the 3D design platform was a must-taken move.

The Solution

After careful evaluation, Goldlok finally replaced their original solution with ZW3D for its amazing data interoperability, efficient CAD/CAM integration, and high performance-price ratio.

Goldlok has set up its own brand names with a collection of over 1,000 kinds of toys for both boys & girls. The development of toys requires the cooperation of various departments, like Art Department, Structure Design Department, Mold-making Department, etc., so the efficiency of data interoperability is crucial for Goldlok. The embedded file translator of ZW3D definitely eases the tension with its strong data compatibility, smoothing the interaction both internally and externally.

Goldlok is reputed for its one-stop shop service. Ranging from creation of design concepts, production, lab test to package design and shipment, Goldlok makes sure that its customers’ needs are well catered to. ZW3D provides a truly all-in-one 3D CAD/CAM solution to streamline their work. From importing the 2D image designed by the Art Department, creating the 3D modeling, designing the structures, to generating the mold, etc., every single step can be perfectly operated in ZW3D.

“ZW3D software, with a customer-friendly price, can completely replace the original imported 3D platform. No obstacle and loss showed up when we randomly transited the drawing data, which makes the interaction amongst departments more convenient,” said Mr. Lee, Engineer in Goldlok’s Design Department. “The latest toy cart, from designing to producing, was accomplished wholly in ZW3D. “

About Goldlok

Based in Hong Kong, Goldlok is a modern enterprise that integrates toy (including learning tablet, robot, electric train, etc.) designing, manufacturing and marketing. With development and accumulation for decades, the influence of its Goldlok brand has grown a lot.

Goldlok has its vertically integrated production bases in China, with a total area of 400,000 sq. ft, 1,500 skillful staff & 90 advanced injection machines and numerous top-quality computerized mold-cutting machinery, to cater to volume production at a competitive cost. For more information, visit http://www.goldlok.com.

About ZW3D CAD/CAM

ZW3D is cost-effective CAD/CAM software for 3D modeling, mold design, and machining, which takes engineers from concept to finished product in one easy-to-use, single collaborative environment. For more information, visit http://www.zwsoft.com/ZW3D/ or follow ZWSOFT on facebook.

GRAITEC Releases Advance Design 2016 SP1

BIEVRES, France, Feb 23, 2016 - GRAITEC announces the release of Service Pack 1 for GRAITEC Advance Design 2016. Advance Design 2016 SP1 offers more than 140 improvements and corrections. The main new features in this release are the the moving loads generator (that enables the user to create traffic loads on road bridges according to EN1991-2 - Section 4) and a new cross library for Precast Concrete Bridge Beams. For more information, click on the relevant videos below:

• Traffic Loading Video
• Precast Concrete Beams Video
• Advance Design YouTube Channel

Advance Design 2016 SP1 is now also available with a new user interface language: Bulgarian.

For What’s New document, click here

Any customer under maintenance contract can download Service Pack 1 from the GRAITEC Advantage website at www.graitec.com/advantage..

COMSOL Conference 2015 User Presentations Available

BURLINGTON, MA, USA, Feb 19, 2016 - COMSOL Conference 2015, the largest event for multiphysics simulation, brought together thousands of engineers, researchers, and designers worldwide to share how the COMSOL Multiphysics software and its Application Builder are being used in multiphysics simulation and custom application design around the world. Experts produced over 750 user-contributed papers, posters, and presentations highlighting R&D projects and best practices in electrical, mechanical, fluid, and chemical engineering. The presentations are available at www.comsol.com/2015-user-presentations.

Best Paper and Best Poster Awards

The impressive R&D and application development work of COMSOL Conference 2015 presenters was recognized with Best Paper and Best Poster awards, including:

BOSTON: Best Paper Awards

• “Structural Analysis of the Advanced Divertor eXperiment's Propposed Vacuum Vessel,” by J. Doody, R. Vieira, B. LaBombard, R. Leccacorvi, J. Irby, R. Granetz, Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
• “Modeling of a Multilayered Propellant Extrusion in Concentric Cylinders,” by S. Durand, C. Dubois, and P. Lafleur, École Polytechnique de Montréal , V. Panchal, D. Park, US Army ARDEC, P. Paradis and D. Lepage, General Dynamics OTS Canada.
• “Numerical Modeling of 3D Electrowetting Droplet Actuation and Cooling of a Hotspot,” by M. M. Nahar, H. Moon, G. S. Bindiganavane , J. Nikapitiya, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington.

BOSTON: Best Poster Awards

• “PA Loudspeaker System Design Using Multiphysics Simulation,” by R. Balistreri, QSC Audio Products LLC
• “Assessment of Squeeze-off Location for Small Diameter Polyethylene (PE) Pipe and Tubing,” by O. Lever and E. Lever, Gas Technology Institute, Energy Delivery & Utilization
• “Computer Simulation of Microwave Heating of Initially Frozen Sandwiches Using COMSOL Multiphysics® Application Builder,” by D. Fu, Tyson Foods, L. Wang, Simulprocess, J. Liao, S. Dus, K. Bearson, Tyson Foods.
• “Remote Sensing of Electromagnetically Penetrable Objects: Landmine and IED Detection,” by R. Eze, City University of New York, LaGuardia Community College, G. Sivulka, Regis High School (chosen by popular vote during the conference).

Award-winning user presentations from Boston, USA; Grenoble, France; Pune, India; and Beijing, China are available at here. 

COMSOL Conference 2016 Dates & Locations

Save the date for the COMSOL Conference 2016. It will make multiple stops:

• Boston, USA: October 7-9
• Munich, Germany: October 12-14
• Bangalore, India: October 20-21
• Curitiba, Brazil: October 20-21
• Shanghai, China: to be announced
• Taipei, Taiwan:November 11
• Seoul, South Korea: November 25
• Tokyo, Japan: December 9

About COMSOL

COMSOL is a global provider of simulation software for product design and research to technical enterprises, research labs, and universities. Its COMSOL Multiphysics product is an integrated software environment for creating physics-based models and simulation apps. A particular strength is its ability to account for coupled or multiphysics phenomena. Add-on products expand the simulation platform for electrical, mechanical, fluid flow, and chemical applications. Interfacing tools enable the integration of COMSOL Multiphysics simulations with all major technical computing and CAD tools on the CAE market. Simulation experts rely on the COMSOL Server product to deploy apps to their design teams, manufacturing departments, test laboratories, and customers throughout the world. Founded in 1986, COMSOL employs more than 400 people in 22 offices worldwide and extends its reach with a network of distributors. For more information, visit www.comsol.com.

Delcam Releases PowerINSPECT 2016

BIRMINGHAM, UK, Feb 18, 2016 - Delcam has released the 2016 version of its PowerINSPECT inspection software, the world’s leading hardware-independent 3D inspection solution. The new release includes greatly enhanced options for section measurement, more comprehensive collision avoidance, improved point cloud inspection, the ability to add notes to reports, and improved user control of CNC surface inspection routines.

Section inspection has been improved with easier creation of sections, better visualisation and enhanced reporting. The enhanced options for section editing in PowerINSPECT 2016 include a slider that can be used to move the section through the part with real-time updating of the CAD view. A specific value for the section intersection can still be entered if required. 

New graphics options help with visualisation and reporting. In the CAD view, the default option highlights the section cut and displays a semi-transparent representation of the material in the foreground, providing an accurate 3D visualisation of the section in place on the part. During section creation the shading is updated dynamically as the section moves through the model. Alternatively, the near side can be hidden completely, or the complete CAD model can be shown in a solid colour as before. 

Once the desired section has been chosen, the inspection path can be generated automatically. The points generated can be edited if necessary. The section can also be viewed and reported as a 2D true view of the section profile that is currently selected. 

As with other PowerINSPECT measurements, the results of the section inspection can be viewed as spot confetti, deviation lines or vector lines. The results can be displayed either on their own or as part of a larger inspection sequence.

Automatic collision detection was introduced in PowerINSPECT 2015, with probe paths adjusted automatically when a direct move between inspection features would result in a collision. A new collision-free mode extends this capability by automatically creating links between inspection features as necessary. If a potential collision is detected, the software automatically creates and calculates a new linking path that avoids the obstacle. Collision avoidance is recalculated when the order of the inspection sequences is adjusted in the sequence tree. 

Intermediate paths can still be created or updated manually. This is required when the CAD model does not include complete information about the physical reality, for example if clamps or fixtures used to hold the part are not included in the CAD data.

PowerINSPECT 2016 has improved reporting with the ability to include additional user-defined information. New ‘Report Note’ items allow the user to insert additional observations, including text and pictures. As with all other items in the report, the notes can be shown, hidden and re-ordered within the report.

The formatting of labels has also been enhanced, particularly for GD&T items. New options have been added to the dialog for session settings to enable further control of the label display. Furthermore, the label sizes can be edited in the session settings and grid lines can be displayed for clearer reporting.

A number of enhancements have been added for inspections based on point clouds. Firstly, point clouds can be imported from DMT and STL triangle files. Scanning acquisition performance is improved and points can be saved from a point-cloud scan each time there is a pause during the scan. Several point-cloud items can also now be created in a single point-cloud session without having to leave the full-screen acquisition view.

CNC surface inspection has been improved, making it easier to produce consistent results across a batch of components. New surface inspection groups provide better user control of point naming, and the positioning, contents and formatting of report images. It is also possible to reference CNC surface inspection groups directly in RPS alignments.

Finally, there are significant usability improvements for the CAD File Manager. It is now possible to import one or more CAD files by dragging and dropping them into the main graphics window. The highlighting and visualization of individual objects in CAD models is further improved, making it easier to identify named objects and levels.

For video demonstrations of the new options, visit http://www.delcam.tv/pi2016/LZ/en/index.asp.

IronCAD Offers Mechanical Add-on to Improve Design Efficiency

ATLANTA, GA, USA, Feb 18, 2016 - IronCAD, a leading provider of design productivity solutions, announced their powerful, new IronCAD Mechanical add-on which offers a complete library of intelligent tools such as standard fasteners, steel sections, pipes, flanges and a wide set of utilities that are all aimed to increase productivity in the design process. Because knowledge and rules are built directly into the tools, typical day-to-day tasks such as Bill of Materials generation, component placement and sizing are much simpler significantly reducing design time and effort.

IronCAD Mechanical delivers fast in-place design improvements but also features a specialized mechanical dialog to address all the details required to create custom or standard components and assemblies. Users have new dialog forms for all standard components (such as screws, bearings, gears, etc.) which graphically guides fabricators in the creation of assemblies with all appropriate settings like plate holes and clearances. Fastener Assemblies allow the creation of fasteners and holes that can be applied to multiple parts with precise settings for depths that follow engineering size standards. Plus, IronCAD Mechanical provides assembly associativity so when fasteners and plates are re-positioned or re-sized all the holes and clearances are automatically updated.

IronCAD Mechanical offers significant productivity gains when creating, for example pipe layouts and steel sections. Users select a mechanical pipe from the catalog, verify the industrial information in the dialog and then drop the pipe into place. These components utilize Smart eBehaviors that add intelligent behaviors such as positioning, orientation, constraints, sizing, or customized actions. For example, when other components are dropped onto the pipe, they automatically connect and size according to the previous pipe size making it faster to configure piping layouts. Fabricators also have access to specialized tools for trimming, welding and splitting components.

IronCAD has announced that the base level proven functionality will be included free of charge to all customers beyond the standard 30 day trial period (includes Fasteners, Custom Holes, Bearings, Steels, O-rings, and Boss Threads).

Cary O'Connor, Vice President of Marketing at IronCAD, stated, "IronCAD Mechanical brings new power to our Design Collaboration Suite customers. By putting Smart eBehavior right at our customer's fingertips, we've made it easy to create mechanical assemblies, weldments and much more."

Availability

IronCAD Mechanical is immediately available to all active support customers at http://www.ironcad.com/icmechanical.

About IronCAD

Based in Atlanta, GA, IronCAD is a leading provider of 3D Design Productivity Solutions that deliver the highest levels of customer satisfaction and productivity. Individual components of this solution can be used standalone, complementary within an existing design environment, or can be used together to collaborate effectively throughout the enterprise to extend productivity. Its flagship product IRONCAD has won many industry awards for its innovative technology and leads the industry in its ease of use and design productivity. IronCAD products are being used successfully by thousands of customers worldwide. For more information on IronCAD, call 1-800-339-7304 or visit www.ironcad.com.

Bricsys BricsCAD V16.2 Enhances User Interface, 3D Modeling

GENT, Belgium, Feb 18, 2016 - Bricsys announces the release of a major update to greatly enhance BricsCAD V16, its flagship 3D design software. The innovative CAD system builds on the world standard .dwg format to provide 2D drafting, 3D modeling, sheet metal design, and BIM architecture in a single platform. The update includes improvements in 3D modeling and UI.

Improved User Interface

• BricsCAD’s unique Quad cursor gains a new tabbed layout designed to give our users faster access to groups within the Quad. Atop the Quad cursor is a new information field that reports data about selected entities or over which the cursor is currently hovering.
• When the Quad cursor hovers over multiple entities, our users now press the Tab key to cycle them, with the current entity type displayed by the Quad. Holding down the Ctrl key while in selection mode can now be used to highlight sub-entities of associative arrays, mleaders, and polylines.
• When the new rollover tips function is activated, then the additional properties of the entities are displayed. This is helpful when users need to check properties, such as the lengths of edges on 3D solids.
• Any length, area, or volume property is now displayed using the preferred units through the new PropUnits variable. The units defined by the InsUnits variable are used as the base units for unit conversions.
• Hyperlinks contained in drawings are now exported in PDF files.

Greater 3D Usability

BricsCAD V16.2 now allows our users to place dynamic UCS on curved faces. Unlike all other CAD systems, DUCS is no longer restricted to flat faces.

A new 3dOsMode variable controls entity snapping to various kinds of geometry on 3D solids. Along with BricsCAD’s 3D parametric constraints, the new option is helpful when our users construct and edit 3D solid models.

The SectionPlane and BimSection entities are extended with a new Clip Display status.

Pricing and Availability

BricsCAD V16.2 is a free update to our customers, and is available in many languages on the Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. The English version for Windows is available for download today. Additional languages and platforms will be released in the weeks to come. The free download from www.bricsys.com/bricscad provides a 30-day trial of all functions of the Platinum edition.

With BricsCAD you get more for less. Pricing of BricsCAD V16 starts at just €450/$550. Other editions and additional solutions offer sheet metal design, BIM planning, and 3D data exchange are all based on the .dwg format.

About Bricsys

Bricsys is a global provider of dwg engineering design software brought to market under the BricsCAD brand. With relentless commitment to the success of the BricsCAD community, Bricsys is focused on providing an industrial strength CAD software platform and industry leading support at a compelling price to customers in the AEC, GIS, civil engineering, process and power, and mechanical CAD markets. Founded in 2002, Bricsys is a founding member of the Open Design Alliance. For more information, visit http://www.bricsys.com.