Lifesaving drones operate remotely to deliver essential medical supplies to rural areas (Zipline, 2019). Therefore, the design must be reliable and cost-efficient to manufacture. The NX CAD software designed by Siemens optimises the design, testing and manufacturing processes. These unique features distinguish Siemens from its competitor. Some design optimisation features include 3D Design Validation, Design Interoperability, Product Modelling and many more (Siemens, 2022). Such features allow the user to create an advanced virtual product model rather than costly physical prototypes. This feature will shorten the design time, lowering the development cost and improving product quality (Siemens, 2019). Syncrofit is a feature of the NX CAD software that automates tedious design tasks, and bill of materials (BOM) updates to speed up the procurement process (Siemens, 2019). This speed up the design realisation by a large margin. The webpage also mentions that the software can quickly perform thickness and stress assessments of the design and determine which parts should be made of higher or lower-grade materials, reducing the drone's overall weight (Siemens, 2019). NX CAD's direct competitors are CATIA, Creo and Autodesk Inventor (Wikipedia, 2022). With advanced design, simulation and manufacturing features, the NX CAD software stands out as one of the industry's most reliable and efficient CAD software.
Pertaining to the NX CAD software design and simulation features, the NX CAD software design process is simulation driven. A simulation-driven design will enable users to "synthesise and define the physical design, rather than to simply evaluate and validate final design." (Siemens, 2022). With out-of-the-box CAD-embedded Simulation support, engineers using the NX CAD software can "get immediate feedback on the design and rapidly make adjustments" (Siemens, 2022). "CAD-embedded flow simulation lets the engineers analyse fluid flow within the CAD environment." (Siemens, 2022). In the case of a lifesaving drone, fluid flow simulation can significantly benefit the design process as it can simulate the aerodynamic properties of the current design, allowing design flaws to be spotted before prototyping. The out-of-the-box CAD-embedded also supports "Structural simulation for designers" (Siemens, 2022). Designers are able to view the designs' structural integrity, allowing the designers to determine the area where high stresses may occur quickly. With this feature, designers are able to quickly make changes, such as adding additional materials or increasing the design's thickness, improving the strength of the designs to withstand such stresses (Siemens, 2022). This will allow the designers to optimise their design further to increase the structural strength and remove unnecessary weight. Reducing weight is an essential feature for designing a drone; as mentioned by Zipline, "Each kilogram saved increases the range of the aircraft by five percent." (Siemens, 2019).
One of the unique features of manufacturing is the additive manufacturing features. Additive manufacturing (AM) is a technology that fabricates three-dimensional objects layer by layer. It is commonly used for 3D printing (GE Additive, 2022). Unlike its competitors, which would need to install another slicing software, NX CAD is capable of AM, from print to post-print validation (Siemens, 2022). With "HEEDS", a design space exploration solution that uses NX CAD geometry and Simcentre CAE simulation, the program can generate multiple versions of a part for the best design possible (Siemens, 2022). Other than additive manufacturing features, NX CAD also has Topology Optimisation. Topology optimisation is a process that uses Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) techniques and mathematics to enhance parts for performance improvements. The improved part geometry could be achieved by simply having the user set the allowable design envelops, load conditions, material characteristics and design constraints. With topology optimisation paired with AM, users can manufacture parts that meet the strength requirements while keeping material usage and weight to their minimum, which for the case of designing a drone, is absolutely essential (Siemens, 2022). Syncrofit is also a powerful feature in the NX CAD software. Not only can Syncrofit automate BOM, but its ProjectionWorks export module can also generate all the information and documentation the manufacturers need automatically. Having proper documentation is critical for the manufacturers to assemble the parts correctly. (Siemens, 2022)
However, the NX CAD software has disadvantages compared to its competitors. The most significant disadvantage of the NX CAD software is its price. The yearly subscription fee for the NX CAD software is $3444, and the advance edition costs a whopping $6900 per year. Compared to its competitors, CATIA only costs $2000 per year, Creo costs $2480 per year, and Autodesk Inventor costs $2300 per year (AII3DP, 2022).
Despite the cost of the software, the advanced features that the NX CAD software provides, compared to its competitors, will enable the user to reduce the cost of developing lifesaving drones. Therefore, it will be more cost-effective in the long run than using the other CAD software out in the market.
References
AII3DP. (2022, August 10). The Best CAD Software for professionals. https://all3dp.com/1/best-cad-software/#nx-advanced-designer
GE Additive. (2022). What is additvie manufacturing. https://www.ge.com/additive/additive-manufacturing
Siemens. (2022). Additive Manufacturing. https://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/global/en/products/manufacturing-planning/additive-manufacturing.html
Siemens. (2022). AM Generative Engineering. https://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/global/en/products/manufacturing-planning/generative-engineering.html
Siemens. (2022). Fastening and Joint Manufacturing. https://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/global/en/products/mechanical-design/fastening-and-joint-manufacturing.html
Siemens. (2019). Lifesaving drones designed with CAD software. https://new.siemens.com/global/en/company/stories/industry/lifesaving-drones-designed-with-cad-software.html
Siemens . (2022). Out-of-the-box. https://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/global/en/products/simulation-test/out-of-the-box-cad-embedded-simulation.html
Siemens. (2022). NX for design streamlines and accelerates the product development process. https://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/global/en/products/nx/nx-for-design.html
Siemens. (2022). Simulation driven design. https://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/global/en/products/simulation-test/simulation-driven-design.html
Wikipedia. (2022). Siemens NX. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siemens_NX#Architecture
Zipline. (2019). NX is used to design drones that reliably deliver essential medical supplies to remote locations in Rwanda. https://saratech.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Siemens-PLM-Zipline-Case-Study-NX.pdf
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