Editor's Pick: Solid Edge 2019 Released

Dear DE Reader:

As a writer covering Solid Edge for a long time, I've learned a bit about how these people operate and think. Suffice to say, from the start they've combined the wherewithal with an expansive vision thing that ranged well into the future.

Siemens recently released Solid Edge 2019. It seems like a future is now sort of thing, only, knowing this crew, there's more to come in the next eight years.

Now, Solid Edge is a software portfolio for product development from art to part. At its heart is Solid Edge Mechanical with ST for that 3D model creation business. From there, any size outfit can expand their Solid Edge environment into their arena — sheet metal and electrical design, manufacturing, whatever. Solid Edge supports development with things like simulation, built-in rendering, technical documentation and data management functionalities, etc.

The operative word for Solid Edge 2019 is “expands.” Expansion highlights include integrated electrical tools like wiring, harness and printed circuit board design. Generative design gets a boost. Manufacturing sees updated tools for additive and subtractive manufacturing, and there are more ways to integrate simulation tools. New modular plant design solutions offer piping and instrumentation diagram and piping design technologies. Two neat introductions are new requirements management and free secure cloud-based project collaboration.

The requirements management functionality should help your joint manage product design requirements and meet compliance standards. It provides complete traceability and detailed lists of actions performed on tasks. It can provide 3D PDF files to help the non-CAD using honchos and stakeholders see what's what.

The Solid Edge Portal may be the sleeper with future potential. It's a complimentary, secure online service providing CAD management, viewing and collaboration functionalities for controlled project documentation and CAD file sharing. It supports multiple projects and file viewing/exploding and markup. You also get 5GB of file storage free.

That barely scratches the surface of Solid Edge 2019. You can learn more in three ways: first, read today's Editor's Pick of the Week write-up. Second, hit the links at the end of the write-up to the Solid Edge landing pages. Tons of videos, nested web pages and other stuff to learn something. Three, test-drive a demo version. This is good stuff that’s worth the effort.

Thanks, Pal. – Lockwood

Anthony J. Lockwood, Editor at Large, DE