Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation Division and a leading global provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and services, today announced the release of Syncrofit™ software version 2012 (Syncrofit 2012) and Quality Planning Environment™ (QPE) software version 2012 (QPE 2012).Both products were developed by Vistagy, which was acquired by Siemens on December 7, 2011, and is now a business segment within Siemens PLM Software.

Syncrofit 2012 is the only production-proven, CAD-integrated, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solution for managing the complexities of airframe assemblies, and QPE 2012 enables major aerospace original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers to automate the process of identifying engineering characteristics and transferring them to quality plans for first article inspection. The new versions continue to deliver key functionality to increase productivity, eliminate error-induced engineering change orders, and facilitate the seamless flow of airframe engineering data throughout the enterprise.

The new version of Syncrofit software, which is used for designing large aerostructures and assemblies, enhances visualization of fastener data in complex assemblies, improves system performance when working on large assemblies, and deploys a fastener management solution that works seamlessly with existing PLM systems and enterprise databases.

Syncrofit 2012 enhances productivity by reducing the time it takes for system updates and eliminating the need to hunt through large assemblies for information and then manually enter that data into the CAD model. It is tightly integrated into industry-leading, commercial 3D CAD systems and works in conjunction with premier PLM systems so users spend less time entering data and interacting with multiple systems. Syncrofit also connects to industry standard Oracle and SQL Server databases, thus eliminating the need to support non-standard databases and the associated costs of maintaining and updating them.

The new version of QPE software, which is used to develop plans to assess aerostructure quality, enables major OEMs and suppliers to automate the process of identifying engineering characteristics and transferring them to quality plans for first article inspection—providing a faster, easier, and more accurate method than traditional means.

QPE reduces the time it takes to develop inspection plans for metallic detail parts, composite parts, and assemblies by up to 90 percent. It facilitates the extraction of relevant design characteristics automatically from the 3D definition; ensures traceability of characteristics from the 3D definition into quality plans, and creates outputs in a variety of formats, such as Excel and PDF, which conform to AS9102 standards.

"The aerospace world is in the midst of a major transition to model-based design," said Steve Peck, director of product and market strategy for Syncrofit and QPE. "Syncrofit 2012 and QPE 2012 are enabling firms to unlock the full potential that digital design has to offer. These latest product releases incorporate new functionality to help fill the gaps in airframe assembly and first article inspection that just can't be addressed by CAD or PLM alone."

The business segment of Siemens PLM Software containing the former Vistagy operation is a leading global provider of industry-specific engineering software and services that creates rich product descriptions for better-informed decision making early in the design cycle and enhances commercial 3D CAD platforms, such as Catia®, Creo Elements/ProTM and NXTM, by applying specialized process knowledge and domain expertise to help solve some of the world's most complex engineering problems. As a result, customers significantly increase their reuse of engineering data and ultimately reduce cost, improve quality, and cut time to market. Today these products are utilized by hundreds of leading manufacturers in the aerospace, automotive, and wind energy industries, including Bombardier Aerospace, General Motors, and Sinomatech Wind Power Blade Co.