Users will discover a wide range of improvements that simplify and streamline the operation of the program, making it possible to focus their attention more fully on the design process. One major improvement enables users to import stored ply definitions into the FiberSIM Composite Engineering Environment, including material name, fiber spacing factor, simulation type as well as additional geometric data such as holes and markers. This feature saves time by eliminating the need to re-enter information when opening a previously created Unigraphics model. The new version also speeds the interactive definition of ply boundaries and holes by automatically chaining curves to define a closed, contiguous boundary. This eliminates the need to define the ply as a single joined curve and greatly reduces the amount of geometry creation that is required to define a composite part.
Additional time is saved by allowing curves to be used in multiple ply boundaries.
Version 3.3 also provides substantially improved batch processing capabilities, generating further gains in productivity. Producibility analysis can now be generated for predefined plies in batch mode, making it possible to quickly evaluate large groups of plies without the need to interactively generate producibility results. Producibility analysis determines areas where manufacturing problems such as wrinkling, bridging and material width limitations might occur, eliminating the need for trial and error on the shop floor. This makes it possible for companies investigating this fast growing composite manufacturing method to more accurately simulate the flow of resin through a mold without the expense and time involved in building and testing a prototype mold. Additional enhancements in the data interface area include the ability to export flat patterns in the popular DXF file format and to generate laser projection data far more quickly than in the previous version.