CATIA Version 4 Release 2.2 available

"Maintaining competitiveness in the development and manufacturing of machined parts is of increasing importance for cost effective airframe development at Saab. Smooth and soft toolpath can be produced which is the cornerstone for High Speed Milling, increasing the quality of the finished part and decreasing the lifecycle cost of the machine. Also, all manufacturing steps are integrated into one smooth operation. These key-factors introduced by CATIA Version 4 Release 2.2 permit cost-effective manufacturing, and contribute to the creation of toolpath with higher quality and in shorter time'', says Johan Lofling, Methodology CAD Applications, Integrated Product Development from Saab .

For industrial processes requiring creation of complex shapes, such as in automotive panels, die faces, engine design and even ship hulls, CATIA now offers new functionality to accelerate design. The expanded wireframe and surface feature set and improved associativity mechanisms within the CATIA Generative shape Modeling product increase the capacity to capture design intent and accelerate design productivity. In addition, concurrent design of complex solid parts is significantly accelerated. CATIA Version 4 Release 2.2 also helps to promote best design practices based on 3D tolerances, with qualitative and quantitative control over design quality, through the enhanced spectrum of 3D tolerancing features.

For the aerospace and automotive industries, the CATIA composite product provides an integrated and dedicated environment to address all steps from design to manufacturing for complex parts made with fabrics and/or tapes. Powerful tools are delivered in CATIA Version 4 Release 2.2 including "dart'' feature for quick modification of the geometry of the plies. The "insert creation and management'' has been improved with the integration of the "generative honeycomb'' feature. Increased productivity in preparation for composite manufacturing is delivered through full support of the part thickness in flattening and fiber analysis operations, as well as manufacturability checking.

Improving design and lifecycle management, CATIA Version 4 Release 2.2 further optimizes customer shipbuilding & plant design processes. It provides an evolution from hull conceptual design to detail design, using the advanced capabilities from CATIA Generative Shape Modeling. In addition, it extends end user productivity through accelerated access to catalogs, enhanced structural sections, twisted profile and cutout improvements, and enhanced drawing production capabilities.