Artist’s concept of the recent landing on Mars of NASA’s Curiosity rover. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labs (JPL) uses NX CAM software from Siemens PLM Software.
Newer systems feature improved design, data management and simulation capabilities to help speed product development for global manufacturing operations
Patrick Waurzyniak Senior Editor
T
he high cost of product lifecycle management (PLM) software was once a barrier to entry for all but the largest of manufacturing operations. But new versions of PLM software and cloud-based systems are bringing the cost down, allowing more companies to benefi t from the technology. Pushing new product designs to market as quickly as possible mandates the use of the latest PLM software tools so that manufacturers can produce their innovative designs as fast and effi ciently as possible. In today’s globally competitive landscape, most major aerospace/defense and automotive manufacturers depend on PLM systems, which include CAD/ CAM design and manufacturing tools, 3-D visualization soft- ware, CAE simulations and product data management (PDM), to direct the many highly complex and interwoven elements of modern manufacturing designs.