Dresden/Germany, 01 September 2009 – ITI, a leader in virtual system engineering based in Germany, today announced their collaboration with National Instruments, a leader in control design and embedded systems, on a pioneer holistic solution for the design and test of mechatronics systems. Throughout all stages of modern system design processes, engineers and scientists can now rely upon a broad variety of seamlessly integrated tools. The connection of SimulationX, a standard multi-domain system simulation software, to the NI real-time testing and simulation platforms LabVIEW and NI VeriStand, heavily increases the productivity in the design cycle and shortens time-to-market of new products. At this year’s NIWeek in Austin, Texas, visitors already had an exclusive preview of this innovative system.
The tightrope between an increasing complexity of machine designs, high-pressure deadlines and limited resources in product development demands a highly efficient, seamlessly integrated development platform. Following intense development work prior to NIWeek, both companies successfully completed a unique solution that enables a more efficient time-to-market system development process. For the first time, all stages in modern system design are fully supported by integrated software and hardware components as well as support and engineering services starting from design, modeling and simulation over test and prototyping through to series production.
To model complex systems, a combination of components from different engineering disciplines in a single simulation model is indispensable. Specific modeling concepts are used which are applicable in as many domains as possible with little to no change to the model. SimulationX by ITI is such a tool for the design, simulation and analysis of mechatronics systems on one software platform. More than 500 elements and over 300 examples from 11 applications model the whole range of technical components and physical effects including mechanics (1D, 2D, 3D), power transmission, hydraulics, pneumatics, electronics, electromechanics, thermal, thermodynamics, magnetics, and controls. Thanks to the comprehensive portfolio of interfaces to CAD, CAE, and CAO programs as well as to Modelica, the integration into NI embedded real-time testing and simulation applications represents an important step in the extension both, of the SimulationX platform and the NI one.
Via an easy-to-handle code export interface, physical SimulationX models can be directly integrated in the graphical NI design platforms that cover the whole product development cycle. Within the NI real-time applications LabVIEW and NI VeriStand, these models can immediately be further used. This enables the application of plant models continuously throughout the whole process from design through to prototyping, allowing a highly flexible, modular, open, cost-saving, and scalable application. The behavior of new mechatronics machines and control devices can thus be analyzed and weak points can be identified at an early development stage. Cost- and time-consuming tests on prototypes can be minimized while simultaneously increasing efficiency in development and saving resources companywide.
“One of the highlights of NIWeek 2009, which attracted a record crowd of more than 3,000, was the presentation of NI VeriStand and the preview of the connection with SimulationX,” said Chris Washington, National Instruments Product Manager, Real-Time Testing. “The addition of this state-of-the-art technology to the NI VeriStand ecosystem will help set new standards in development departments and in the efficient organization of design development processes.” Torsten Blochwitz, ITI Projects Manager, adds: “By using physical modeling approaches, complex mechatronics systems can be models in a fast and reliable way. The integration of SimulationX plant models into NI solutions will enhance the possibilities in the design, prototyping and series production of new machines.”
About ITI
For more than 18 years ITI has been one of the internationally leading companies for the virtual system engineering. The software SimulationX is applied by engineers and scientists at more than 600 well-known companies such as Audi, BMW, Daimler, Volkswagen, Continental, Schaeffler, Siemens, Demag, Husky, Nikon, Mitsubishi and Liebherr. SimulationX is also widely used in academics and research world-wide. Main fields of application are power engineering, Power transmission, fluid power, mechanical engineering, power generation and automotive. Apart from this ITI supports its clients in the field of research and development of high-technology with engineering and consulting services. In the field of real-time and HiL test-system applications ITI provides turnkey projects and references for various companies including CNH, Putzmeister or Hoerbiger. Further information on www.iti.de.
About National Instruments
National Instruments is transforming the way engineers and scientists design, prototype and deploy systems for measurement, automation and embedded applications. NI empowers customers with off-the-shelf software such as NI LabVIEW and modular cost-effective hardware, and sells to a broad base of more than 30,000 different companies worldwide, with no one customer representing more than 3 percent of revenue and no one industry representing more than 15 percent of revenue. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 5,000 employees and direct operations in more than 40 countries. For the past 10 years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America. Further information on www.ni.com
About SimulationX
SimulationX – The Driving Force in System Simulation determines the level of modeling, simulating and optimizing complex technical systems. The software models the interaction of components from a multitude of domains including their mutual interaction and feedback on one platform. This significantly distinguishes SimulationX from any other kind of CAE software (FEM, CFD, MBS). SimulationX is the standard in software for evaluation of the interaction of all components in technical systems. It is the universal CAE tool for modeling, simulating and analyzing physical effects – with ready-to-use model libraries for 1D mechanics, 3D multi-body systems, power transmission, hydraulics, pneumatics, thermodynamics, electrics, electrical drives, magnetic as well as controls – post-processing included. SimulationX fully supports Modelica® language and offers a wide range of open, comprehensive CAx-interfaces. Further information on www.simulationx.com.
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