SDRC Announces I-DEAS Master Series 7 with Enhanced Collaboration, Manufacturing Capabilities, and Industry-Specific Applications

Strategic Insights -

SDRC, a leading provider of enterprise product development solutions, has announced the release of I-DEAS Master Series 7, a major update to its mechanical design automation software suite. The latest version extends the product development enterprise with web-enabled collaboration, expanded manufacturing capabilities, and industry-specific applications. According to Charles M. Foundyller, president of Daratech, Inc., SDRC's I-DEAS Master Series 7 is a solid release that strengthens the company's claim to a leading position in world-class, enterprise-level product development solutions.

Key Takeaways:

  • I-DEAS Master Series 7 includes web-enabled collaboration features, such as I-DEAS Web Access, which provides secure, native I-DEAS data access to a wider range of users, including manufacturing, marketing, management, and others.
  • The software suite has been enhanced with a new toolpath engine for manufacturing, which delivers a significant increase in performance for surface finishing operations, up to 50x faster.
  • I-DEAS Master Series 7 integrates more 'art-to-part' capabilities within the I-DEAS software, including the strengths of Imageware software products, such as reverse engineering and inspection, and award-winning surfacing capabilities.
  • The release extends SDRC's award-winning VGX technology to several applications, including surfacing extensions and moldbase design, to address industry-specific, process-related design steps.
  • SDRC's manufacturing development team has made significant strides in developing I-DEAS Generative Machining, release 7, with a 500% increase in development resources.
  • I-DEAS Master Series 7 includes industry-specific applications, such as three-axis milling requirements, common in the tool, die and mold market, and provides innovative tools for multi-axis holemaking.
  • SDRC's I-DEAS Master Series 7 has garnered high praise from beta customers, with all expressing satisfaction with the product's reliability and performance.

Statistics:

  • 500% increase in development resources for I-DEAS Generative Machining, release 7.
  • 10x to 50x increase in performance for surface finishing operations.
  • 3-axis milling requirements, common in the tool, die and mold market.
  • 200% increase in surface-based milling operations, such as copymill, flowline, projection, volume clear, and profile.

Sources:

  • SDRC news release dated April 19, 1999
  • SDRC news release dated April 14, 1999
  • Charles M. Foundyller, president of Daratech, Inc.
  • Ron Shrout, senior development specialist, Lexmark International.