MECAmaster displays on-line a new website with private access to a forum dedicated (on the beginning) to the MECAmaster Assembly for CATIA V5 user community. this forum is still a bêta release, but do not hesitate to join us and register to exchange on your questions regarding MECAmaster use or more generally on the 3D tolerance management with MECAmaster. The regular use of this forum and your feedback will help us to officialize it quicker !!

the webmaster,

MECAmaster, major software editor in 3D tolerances stack-up simulation and analysis, announces the release shortly of a new version integrating calculation functionalities on non-rigid parts.

Cette solution, à mettre en œuvre dés les phases préliminaires d’études sur un projet et déjà pleinement opérationnelle depuis plus de 10 ans dans le domaine des pièces rigides, sera une réponse rapide à l’analyse de concepts et d’architecture par les tolérances en intégrant certaines souplesses et caractéristiques comportementales.

MECAmaster for CATIA V5, software for simulation and analysis of 3D chains of dimensions completely integrated into CATIA V5 will enable from version 7.2 the first possibilities of calculations integrating flexibilities, with higher or smaller stiffness level, on the parts. This solution, innovating, will not use finite element analysis. It will allow from preliminary studies anyone with no specific competences in the field of finite element analysis to express on the modelled functional conditions a result on the form of a bracket [ Min – Max ] of the estimated dispersion.

This solution, designed to be implemented from the preliminary phases of projects and already fully operational for more than 10 years in the field of rigid parts, will be a fast response to the concept and architecture analysis using tolerances even integrating some flexibilities and behavioral characteristics.

Evolutions of MECAmaster V7.1 for CATIA V5 carry on with the changes appeared in the V7.0 version in the field of tolerances definition. The apparition of “contact” datas already allows in a great number of cases a tolerance definition much closer to geométrical tolerancing like ISO for example. This version introduces a new feature generalizing it in many cases, making of tolerance definition an easier step in MECAmaster modelling.

New features in version 7.1

• several bug corrections
• relooking of all MECAmaster windows for a better comfort
• addition of colors in data definition windows to distinguish clearly the zones
• increase of capacity of several text fields (data name, … )
• disctinction of sensitivities (translation/orientation) in text exploitation windows for contacts and groups
• improvement of the Monte-Carlo simulation exploitation (automatic comparison to targets, …)
• automatical detection of CATIA DMU updates impacting MECAmaster model (with a backup possibility)
• rename parts
• new feature : the group:

– generalization of geometrical tolerancing definition on all datas
- datum transfer is easier
- orientation of tolerances on particular axis
- manage a multi-tolerancing on one element
- …

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New features of MECAmaster V7.0:

• several bug corrections
• direct acces to MECAmaster commands with dropdown menus on the toolbar
• possibility to define global information on the model like a title for the study and general informations
• multi-selection improvements (window selection, CTRL+, … )
• geomtrical recognition of simple elements (circle center, middle points, curves/segments middle points, axis, normal to a plane, … )
• data management using “packs”
• statistical calculation and analysis using Monte-Carlo simulation :

- simulation using standard distributions
- simulation using measurement values (with a parts drawing coherence if necessary)
- statistical analysis on simulation results (staistical coefficients, non conformity rates, …)
- dependency analysis between several functional conditions
- …

• data definition using “surface contacts”:

- linkage definition under “surface contact” format
- global geometrical tolerance definition on a surface
- direct and global sensitivity analysis on positions/orientations
- …