Latest Release of NX Contains Advanced Technology

The release includes advances in topology optimization, lattices, 3D printing and more.

The latest version of NX released in February 2022, NX 2007 (that’s the release number, not the year of release), has some interesting new ideas and expands on proven technology. The highlights of this release are:

  • NX Topology Optimizer
  • Lattice Structures and Part Orientation Optimization
  • Design Space Explorer
  • Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)

Xcelerator is how Siemens Digital Industry Software refers to its integrated portfolio of software, services and application development platform, of which NX is just a part.

NX represents the mechanical design section of Xcelerator.

Topology optimization and the Design Space Explorer

With topology optimization, you can input constraints and the software will find the least possible mass that will support the loads without breaking or exceeding a certain stress limit. You input to the system using the new Design Space Explorer for the various bodies, the geometry and the design space. Also, you input constraints such as weight, mounting faces, materials and forces. Bodies can be mounting holes or clearance for bolt and shaft insertion. Some are “keep-out” areas, while others are design space, a volume in which the actual part will start to take shape.

NX uses a multi-objective parameter optimization to return only the geometry that supports a load and remove any geometry that does not. This is done using simulation, but it all happens under the hood.

The optimization creates geometry only where needed and allowed by the constraints applied, including material properties, keep-out areas and mounting constraints. It results in an organic-looking structure that is supposed to be optimized for weight and strength.

Geometry optimization returns convergent geometry—that modeling terminology for a combination of facet data and boundary representation (BREP) shapes. The mounting holes and surrounding areas are BREP, which are easily manipulated for manufacturing needs such as adding machining stock for post-3D print machining processes.

3D printing in metal in particular can lead to internal stresses in the part from the heating and cooling of the material, so the 3D-printed part process needs to be optimized for the least possible internal stress. This process has been added to NX 2007.

NX Build Optimizer

When you print metal parts in particular, thermal stresses and distortion can build up in the part as the material is heated and as the part cools. This can be minimized through proper orientation of the part as it is printed. Included with NX 2007 is the NX Build Optimizer, which performs this optimization in the cloud. Your model is uploaded and a cloud application tries hundreds of orientations to find the one with the least thermal distortion.

Lattice Structures

Support structures are often required for 3D printing, especially when parts are positioned using the orientation optimization routines. In this version of NX, you will find the capability to get manual or automatic creation of support lattices.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Siemens has increased the amount of AI and ML used in the software. Select Similar and Selection Prediction commands use 3D shape recognition to find geometrically similar components. This type of function is driven by Siemens’ Geolus Shape Search technology. This can be especially useful when finding similar parts in a library that have been designed previously. You don’t need to know a part number or input metadata search terms.

NX Voice Command Assist allows you to give commands, browse menus, and teach the system words or phrases to invoke common workflows.

Summary

The 2007 release of NX delivers over 1,200 customer enhancement requests. NX uses a continuous release cycle, which enables Siemens to release new functionality to users more frequently in smaller units, which in turn makes the new functionality easier for end users to implement into real workflows. Siemens is careful to ensure that your data is preserved through the updates so that your current software can still read your data as far back as 1984. Under the Continuous Release program, customers receive monthly updates. This removes the stress of making big jumps between major releases. Users often wait to catch up with complex major releases, but the smaller, automated installs of the Continuous Release get newly released software in the hands of end users more quickly and efficiently.