Affordable simulation software helps Sitec accelerate complex assemblies

The company selected Visual Components software, and says it will shorten the process of bidding, building and implementing its complete assembly and hybrid industrial assembly systems. Sitec’s range is based on flexible modules, but the company says that new methods of simulating, visualising and testing increasingly complicated configurations and variants had become necessary, particularly at the planning and design stages. “We use SolidWorks for product design and, based on our CAD data, we wanted to build a reusable library of simulation models,” explains Nico Nebel, a Sitec application engineer. “Each model would represent a product family with a set of parameters to cover the wide range of modularity and functions. We would then be able to quickly assemble a layout to evaluate a proposed system’s performance and ultimately speed the order to the development process.” He says that 11 software suppliers were singled out and, after careful screening, four were shortlisted, including VC. VC’s software scored highest in the evaluation and hence the selection. Sitec says it made the decision based on several factors. First, the integrated software offered the best and most comprehensive functionality at a price far lower than larger suppliers. However, support from local VAR Dualis, both in creating a pre-sales reference model and providing other assistance, also influenced the decision. “The ‘drag-and-drop’ technology of Visual Components, in combination with the intelligent ‘plug and play’ modularity of its software library – the only supplier able to offer this – means the simulation of various layouts and variations may be produced rapidly after the model library has been created,” says Nebel. He also mentions the fact that the software directly supports marketing and sales departments. “When working with customers, the presentation of the simulation model is almost photographic in quality… During simulation, the line speed, camera position and zoom may be easily changed [and] using its add-on Media Toolkit, high-resolution images and videos can be generated.”