BOSTON, MA, USA, Jan 20, 2021 – PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) has completed its acquisition of Arena Solutions, the industry’s leading software as a service (SaaS) product lifecycle management (PLM) solution. The combination of Arena Solutions and Onshape, which PTC acquired in 2019, establishes PTC as the leading provider of pure SaaS solutions for the product development market and broadly extends PTC’s presence in the attractive midmarket, where SaaS solutions are becoming the standard.

“Together, Arena Solutions and Onshape will provide a powerful pure SaaS CAD and PLM solution that is positioned to capture the rapidly emerging shift toward SaaS for product design, development, and realization,” said Jim Heppelmann, President and CEO, PTC. “The combined solution will allow manufacturers to improve collaboration and accelerate innovation in the ‘new normal’ created by the global pandemic. With our Creo and Windchill solutions showing strong momentum in the traditional CAD and PLM market, and now the Arena and Onshape solutions leading the way in SaaS, PTC is well positioned to lead the product development market today and into the future.”

According to independent industry analyst firm Gartner, the overall SaaS market is poised to surpass $120 billion in 2021. As the product development market responds to the COVID-19 pandemic, early adopters have realized the impact of key SaaS benefits especially as they relate to digital transformation.

Concurrent with the closing of the Arena Solutions acquisition, PTC has expanded its SaaS business unit, which now includes Arena, Onshape, and PTC’s market-leading Vuforia® augmented reality technology. The expanded business unit will be led by long-time PTC global sales leader Mike DiTullio, reporting directly to PTC’s CEO, Jim Heppelmann. Jamie Pappas, a 25-year PTC sales veteran, has been elevated to succeed DiTullio as head of global sales. Pappas has led regional sales in Asia, Europe and, most recently, North America, driving consistently strong performance in each role.

“The expansion of our SaaS business unit will allow us to focus on integrating the Arena team into PTC and leveraging the tremendous talent and expertise we have across our SaaS portfolio,” continued Heppelmann. “Mike DiTullio has demonstrated his ability to align organizations to drive growth, and I am confident that in this new role he can help us capitalize on our SaaS technology leadership position. Jamie Pappas is an accomplished veteran sales leader within PTC, and I am equally confident in a smooth and seamless transition as he assumes his new role. PTC is fortunate to have such a strong bench of sales and business leadership.”

Arena Solutions ended calendar year 2020 with approximately $50 million in annualized recurring revenue, reflecting double-digit growth over 2019. PTC continues to expect that the transaction will be neutral to PTC’s FY’21 cash flow from operations target of $365 million and free cash flow target of $340 million (which reflects the deduction of approximately $25 million of capital expenditures from cash flow from operations) and accretive to FY’22 and beyond. PTC expects ARR growth for its first quarter of fiscal 2021 ended December 31, 2020 to be near the high end of guidance. Management plans to update investor guidance as part of its fiscal first quarter earnings release on January 27, 2021.

About PTC (NASDAQ: PTC)

PTC enables global manufacturers to realize double-digit impact with software solutions that enable them to accelerate product and service innovation, improve operational efficiency, and increase workforce productivity. In combination with an extensive partner network, PTC provides customers flexibility in how its technology can be deployed to drive digital transformation – on premises, in the cloud, or via its pure SaaS platform. At PTC, we don’t just imagine a better world, we enable it. For more information, visit https://www.ptc.com.

Invitation

CINCINNATI, OH and HOPKINTON, MA, USA, Jan 19, 2021 – Vlier Products, a manufacturer of spring loaded devices, quick-release devices, Vlier lock pins, leveling devices and mechanical components, has partnered with TraceParts to publish its 3D product catalog.

Vlier has been an industry leader for more than 75 years, with its precision-made products serving such industries as aerospace, medical, defense, telecommunications, transportation and more.

“We are excited to publish our products on the TraceParts website and the TraceParts Publishing Network.

The TraceParts platform is an excellent way to introduce our products to a new market, and enhance their reach and visibility to a wider audience.” said Russ Mitchell, Sales & Marketing Manager at Vlier.

We are proud to welcome Vlier to the TraceParts Publishing Network, which includes more than 1,000 industrial catalogs, and we are excited to be working with them on digitizing and delivering their products as 3D product data to millions of engineers and designers worldwide.” said Rob Zesch, President of TraceParts America.

About Vlier

Vlier Products, a unit of Hutchinson Defense & Mobility Systems, has been an industry leader for more than 75 years manufacturing spring loaded devices, quick-release devices, Vlier lock pins, leveling devices and mechanical components. Vlier offers more than 3,300 standard parts in a variety of sizes and materials for aerospace, medical, telecommunications, transportation and more. Every item in their extensive catalog has been engineered to provide the best quality and maximum value in productivity and dependable performance. Working smarter and harder for you, Vlier has the right part for the job. Based out of Massachusetts, Vlier calls upon a global distribution network, making their products readily available worldwide. For more information, visit vlier.com. For more info, visit vlier.com.

TraceParts is one of the world’s leading providers of 3D digital content for engineering. As part of the Trace Group founded in 1990, the company provides powerful web-based solutions, such as CAD part libraries, electronic catalogs and product configurators.

TraceParts offers digital marketing services to help part vendors, 3D printing suppliers, software and computer hardware vendors promote their products and services and generate high-quality B2B sales leads.

The TraceParts portal is available free-of-charge to millions of CAD users worldwide. It provides access to hundreds of supplier catalogs and more than 100 million CAD models and product data-sheets that perfectly meet the specific needs of design, purchasing, manufacturing and maintenance processes and operations.

TROY, MI, USA, Jan 19, 2021 – Altair, (Nasdaq: ALTR) a global technology company providing solutions in data analytics, simulation, and high-performance computing (HPC), today announced that is has signed a memo of understanding (MoU) with Rolls-Royce Germany to collaboratively connect artificial intelligence (AI) and engineering to derive business value across Rolls-Royce’s engineering, testing, and design of aerospace engines.

Industries globally are increasingly seeking ways to leverage data analytics and AI to significantly increase revenues, cut costs, and reduce risks. Forward-thinking organizations like Rolls-Royce Germany are undergoing groundbreaking digital transformations and have identified engineering as a key area. In particular, the collaboration with Altair will address structural analysis and testing, bringing together vast amounts of historical product and in-service data from disparate sources to unlock new AI-driven engineering use cases to drive significant business value.

“As a pioneer of the convergence of data analytics and engineering, it’s a natural fit for Altair to collaborate with Rolls-Royce Germany, an organization that sees the power of technology and the potential of AI to unlock game-changing business value,” said James R. Scapa, founder and chief executive officer, Altair. “The demand for easy-to-use, low/no code, yet flexible AI and machine learning tools has never been greater. It is an honor to be the technology provider of choice to help Rolls-Royce Germany boost its business while also further evolving our data analytics solutions.”

The Altair and Rolls-Royce Germany collaboration will address a wide variety of use cases, including applying data science to the vast amounts of engineering testing data, which can lead to a significantly reduced number of sensors needed. This single use case alone has the potential to reduce recurring costs by millions of Euros.

“We share a common vision on the convergence of AI and engineering to drive significant positive business outcomes. Altair has unique domain expertise and best-in-class, low-code data analytics technology. This collaboration will enable us to bridge the gap between engineering and data science, and empower our engineers to truly be engineers, focused on extracting the benefits of machine learning and AI from our data,” said Dr. Peter Wehle, Head of Innovation and R&T, Rolls-Royce Deutschland. “Ultimately this collaboration will help to democratize our data analytics, enabling our engineers to make better daily data-driven decisions, and transform our business and products.”

Rolls-Royce has been using AI and advanced data analytics at the heart of its business for more than 20 years, including in its world-leading engine health monitoring service, as well as manufacturing. It has recently announced two breakthroughs in AI ethics and trustworthiness, which it will publish for free on its website later this year.

Initially, Rolls-Royce Germany will leverage Altair Knowledge Works – a collaborative end-to-end data analytics platform – to enable engineers to apply machine learning (ML) methods utilizing simulation data, test data, manufacturing data, and operational data. Knowledge Works is designed so users can easily and efficiently access disparate data sources and formats in a low code/no code environment, transform the data, use it to build ML models, and share knowledge discovery across the business.

About Altair (Nasdaq: ALTR)

Altair is a global technology company that provides software and cloud solutions in the areas of data analytics, simulation, and high-performance computing (HPC). Altair enables organizations across broad industry segments to compete more effectively in a connected world while creating a more sustainable future. To learn more, please visit www.altair.com.

MODENA, Italy, Jan 18, 2021 – CRP Meccanica—a 50 years’ leader in high-precision CNC machining services with 20 years’ experience in the field of metal additive technologies—has signed an agreement with VELO3D to be an exclusive distributor for VELO3D’s advanced Supportfree Metal 3D printing systems in the Italian market. It is also empowered to sell the equipment in some other parts of Europe on an account basis, as well as provide after-sales support, service, maintenance, and production backup to customers throughout the region.

“We are leading the revolution in additive manufacturing technology,” says Cevolini. “VELO3D’s Sapphire AM solution is the next generation in metal laser powder bed fusion. It’s a real game-changer for highly exacting industrial fields like aerospace, oil & gas and motorsports. Our company’s international reputation for expertise will help VELO3D transform the Italian and European metal 3D printing markets.”

“CRP Meccanica is unique with its more than half a century of experience serving high-tech industries with precision CNC machining and advanced manufacturing processes,” says Benny Buller, founder and CEO of VELO3D. “Their 20 years working with metal AM technologies have led them to appreciate the significant technological and customer benefits that our Sapphire system represents, so they are an excellent partner for us to support the Italian and greater-European markets.”

“We are ready to embrace this cutting-edge technology, combining it with our expertise in serving the most demanding industrial sectors and delivering extraordinary results,” says Cevolini. “The skills of the CRP companies, combined with VELO3D’s leading AM systems, will give life to an unprecedented, unique technological point of reference in the world.”

VELO3D’s unique additive manufacturing capabilities allow for the production of parts that cannot be made via any other technology—including most current AM systems. It alleviates the designer from the constraints of Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM), meaning that engineers can now get the parts they really need, not just the parts advocated by commodity AM and DfAM practitioners.

Known for enabling the reduction and often elimination of support structures, along with the ability to produce designs with overhangs down to zero degrees, the Sapphire system greatly diminishes the need for extensive secondary processes. This spurs innovation and boosts the performance of such components as shrouded impellers, heat exchangers, and manifolds. VELO3D’s intelligent, integrated suite of software and hardware greatly improve the workflow—end-to-end—with geometric flexibility, responsiveness and agility, accuracy, traceable part quality, decreased production times and reduced cost of parts and ownership.

About CRP Meccanica

Founded in 1970 by Roberto Cevolini and with an entrepreneurial vanguard heritage in motorsport and F1, CRP Meccanica has become the creator of innovative and avant-garde solutions in the field of High-Precision CNC Machining for complex and demanding sectors such as defense, aviation, aerospace, and automotive. It has also built up 20 years’ expertise in the field of metal additive technologies. For further information go to https://www.crpmeccanica.com.

About VELO3D

VELO3D is transforming the analog supply chain to digital manufacturing. As the creator of the industry’s first SupportFree solution for 3D metal printing, their product suite is an end-to-end digital manufacturing solution for producing metal parts. With VELO3D Flow print preparation software, Sapphire printer, and Assure quality assurance software, manufacturers can accelerate product innovation, become more agile and responsive to market needs, and reduce costs. The company is based in Silicon Valley and is privately funded. For more information go to https://www.velo3d.com/

PLANO, TX, USA, Jan 18, 2021 – Siemens Digital Industries Software announces the availability of the latest release of Simcenter 3D software, part of the Simcenter portfolio of simulation and test solutions. Simcenter 3D and the Simcenter portfolio are part of the Xcelerator portfolio, Siemens’ integrated portfolio of software, services and application development platform.

In the 2021.1 release, Simcenter 3D continues to further improve its powerful unified and shared engineering platform for all simulation disciplines to help users gain full value of the benefits that simulation provides in terms of cost, speed and impact to innovation. Introducing new enhancements to the AI (Artificial Intelligence) driven user experience, new simulation types as well as refinements in accuracy and enhanced performance speed, Simcenter 3D 2021.1 can help companies understand true performance of their designs early in their development process.

In many applications, product innovation includes the engineering of the advanced material used in them, which is why new materials are being introduced into the market at unprecedented speed. Cracking is a very important consideration for advanced materials, however micro and meso cracking in advanced materials is difficult to model with the finite element method. Simcenter 3D now includes full representative volume element (RVE) separation and 2D and 3D automatic insertion of cracks or cohesive zones in materials. Macro and microstructural models now allow for full mesh separation for a crack to propagate completely through a material.

“Simcenter Multimech allows us to model microstructural cracks and determine how they would affect the overall part,” states Neraj Jain, group leader in simulation and engineering at the DLR Department of Ceramic Composites and Structures. “Using this tool, we can actually see where a crack is developing, how the crack will change our material, and how it will affect the final microstructure of the material.”

New to Simcenter 3D is an auralization post-processing tool that allows users to listen to simulated pressure results to evaluate sound quality. This allows acoustics engineers to actually hear the noise produced from various vibrating components or products as opposed to having to visually evaluate through charts or graphs.

Evaluate sound performance with auralization: New in Simcenter 3D, pressure results as function of time (bottom right) can be played as an audio file.

Simulation-driven design can drastically lower the time it takes to bring a product to market. For this reason, Simcenter 3D’s thermal analysis capabilities have been scaled into a vertical solution for mold designers and design engineers. The new NX Mold Cooling product uses Simcenter 3D technology to allow designers to rapidly set up and simulate the thermal performance of an injection mold insert directly in NX as they are designing the mold. This allows for easy and rapid thermal analysis of injection mold designs without having to wait for expert analyst feedback.

For additional information and a full list of Simcenter 3D enhancements, please see: https://blogs.sw.siemens.com/simcenter/whats-new-in-simcenter-3d-2021-1/

About Siemens Digital Industries Software

Siemens Digital Industries Software is driving transformation to enable a digital enterprise where engineering, manufacturing and electronics design meet tomorrow. The Xcelerator portfolio helps companies of all sizes create and leverage digital twins that provide organizations with new insights, opportunities and levels of automation to drive innovation. For more information on Siemens Digital Industries Software products and services, visit www.sw.siemens.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Siemens Digital Industries Software – Where today meets tomorrow.

AUGSBURG, Germany, Jan 18, 2021 – More than 800 manufacturer catalogs based on the eCATALOGsolutions technology from CADENAS have really stepped on the gas in 2020: From the beginning of January to the end of December, 666,194,220 CAD & BIM models of well-known component manufacturers were downloaded by engineers, architects and planners worldwide, providing them with a steadily increasing number of valuable sales contacts.

“We have seen a sensational increase in CAD download numbers in recent years. The reason for this is also our visual search engine for manufacturer components 3DfindIT.com, which, in contrast to conventional search engines, is focused on the technical area and effectively supports engineers, architects as well as planners in finding the right component,” says Jürgen Heimbach, CEO of CADENAS GmbH.

Growth of CAD downloads continues to accelerate rapidly

LONDON, UK, Jan 18, 2021 – AVEVA, a global leader engineering and industrial software, announced its 2021 AVEVA Academic Program Competition for North America and Europe, open to residents in the United States, Canada, UK and EU countries. The competition will provide an opportunity for students to participate in an internship at AVEVA or receive a $3,000 cash prize.

AVEVA Academic Program – AVEVA Process Simulation Academic Competition

The AVEVA Academic Program Competition, now in its 3rd year, is designed to provide chemical engineering students with a unique opportunity to develop their process simulation skills. Students are invited to solve real-world engineering problems utilizing AVEVA Process Simulation, an innovative integrated platform covering the complete engineering lifecycle of design, simulation and training, and developed to enable the next generation of engineers. It is easy-to-learn software so students with no prior experience are also encouraged to enter.

The competition plays a significant role in helping to provide growth and development for future engineers. AVEVA Process Simulation promotes attaining organizational efficiencies through the minimization of operating costs, improving designs that reduce process utility costs, and reducing CapEx costs by optimizing equipment size.

Mihaela Hahne, Global Program Manager, Academic at AVEVA, commented: “Building on the success of previous years, the 2021 academic competition is designed to attract aspiring engineers, allowing them to transfer the skills they have learned in the classroom into real-life engineering problems. By offering practical experience through our industry-leading software, AVEVA is empowering the next generation of engineers and ensuring they are well-prepared for working in the industrial sector.”

The 2021 competition will be split into three parts, with deadlines spread across different dates – February 15th, March 15th and April 15th. This provides students the opportunity to enter the competition multiple times, while also supporting their academic coursework, enabling eager participants to tackle a new and different project on three occasions. As a result, contestants can gain a wide range of skills, knowledge and practical experience with AVEVA’s Process Simulation by working on a unique project for each phase. Entrants will be judged on several criteria including the quality, completeness and precision of their project entry, as well as their process engineering and simulation abilities.

Ryan Muir, winner of the 2019 North America AVEVA Simulation Academic Competition, who was hired by AVEVA after his internship, encourages other students to participate in the 2021 competition: “The competition is an exciting, yet challenging opportunity for students to attain some very useful hands-on experience utilizing AVEVA Process Simulation, as well as interact with drivers in simulation. It will also provide a competitive advantage for all those contestants preparing to enter full-time work. As an AVEVA employee today, I have been able to leverage the practical and creative experiences that the competition provided for my career growth and development as a models and applications engineer.”

Previous participants have also gone on to work with AVEVA’s industrial sector customers such as Covestro. Jochen Steimel, Expert Process Simulation Software Lead at Covestro, commented: “AVEVA Process Simulation enables us to predict performance and optimize processes with a high degree of accuracy, enabling our engineers to focus on innovation. It’s inspiring to see AVEVA’s academic competition giving our future colleagues the opportunity to have contact with a next-generation simulation tool before they leave education. Equation-oriented simulation and open-equation modelling will be a key element in the industry of tomorrow, and AVEVA is leading the way in the industry by empowering students with this early insight.”

Participants can access more information and enter the competition online on the AVEVA Academic Program Competition webpages for North America and Europe.

About AVEVA

AVEVA is a global leader in engineering and industrial software driving digital transformation across the entire asset and operations life cycle of capital-intensive industries.  The company’s engineering, planning and operations, asset performance, and monitoring and control solutions deliver proven results to over 16,000 customers across the globe. Its customers are supported by the largest industrial software ecosystem, including 4,200 partners and 5,700 certified developers. AVEVA is headquartered in Cambridge, UK, with over 4,400 employees at 80 locations in over 40 countries. For more details visit www.aveva.com.

BOSTON, MA and DEARBORN, MI, USA, Jan 15, 2021 – Desktop Metal, Inc. (NYSE: DM), a leader in mass production and turnkey additive manufacturing solutions, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire EnvisionTEC, a leading global provider of volume production photopolymer 3D printing solutions for end-use parts, for total consideration of $300 million, consisting of a combination of cash and newly issued Desktop Metal stock. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021, subject to customary closing conditions. Following completion of the acquisition, EnvisionTEC will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Desktop Metal. EnvisionTEC founder Al Siblani will continue to serve as Chief Executive Officer of the EnvisionTEC business.

“I’m thrilled to partner with Al and the EnvisionTEC team to bring significant growth to the additive market,” said Ric Fulop, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Desktop Metal. “EnvisionTEC is a true pioneer and responsible for many of the leading technologies widely used today to produce end-use photopolymer parts through additive manufacturing. Together, Desktop Metal and EnvisionTEC have an opportunity to shape the future of Additive Manufacturing 2.0 and transform how parts are made around the world. I look forward to welcoming EnvisionTEC to the Desktop Metal team to deliver world-class additive manufacturing solutions that help make our customers successful.”

“I am excited and honored to partner with Ric and the Desktop Metal team to deliver end-use parts in both metal and polymers as we implement Ric’s vision on the future of Additive Manufacturing 2.0,” said Siblani. “Bringing the two companies together will deliver a global footprint of customers that can cross-benefit from our combined technology platforms. I believe we have many opportunities to scale the business, disrupt traditional manufacturing, expand our customer base, and create value for our shareholders.”

Acquiring a Category Leader with a History of Innovation

As the original inventor of digital light processing (DLP) 3D printing technology, EnvisionTEC has one of the strongest intellectual property portfolios in the area-wide photopolymer 3D printing market, counting over 140 issued and pending patents, which Desktop Metal believes includes blocking intellectual property. Today, EnvisionTEC has over 5,000 customers across a broad range of industries, including medical devices, jewelry, automotive, aerospace, and bio-fabrication. In addition, the company is a leader in the dental market, more than tripling the number of Envision One dental shipments from 2019 to 2020 and with over 1,000 dental customers now using its printers for end-use parts. Key customers include Cartier, Celgene, Ford, Hasbro, Oral Arts, Stuller, and Smile Direct Club. In addition to extensive customer adoption, EnvisionTEC has a broad library of over 190 materials, featuring photopolymer resins with material properties in-line with or exceeding those of thermoplastics and multiple FDA-listed and 510(K)-cleared resins for the manufacturing of medical devices. The company augments its robust proprietary material development efforts with a selectively open business model, leveraging relationships with major chemical companies such as Henkel Loctite, DSM Somos, Detax, Keystone,  and Arkema to sell third-party, industry-validated resins for use with its additive manufacturing platforms.

Expanding a Unified Product Portfolio Across Metals, Composites, and Polymers

EnvisionTEC brings a compelling product portfolio for producing photopolymers under Desktop Metal’s umbrella, including the new Envision One and Xtreme 8K printing platforms designed for cost-effective volume production. The Xtreme 8K platform, which is expected to begin commercial shipments in the first quarter of 2021, features the largest build area among production-grade DLP printers. The Xtreme 8K leverages patented projection array technology and is capable of delivering build speeds up to 100 times those of legacy thermoplastic 3D printers (1) and at a fraction of the hardware price of comparable solutions. The Envision One platform, which includes models for dental, medical, and industrial segments and for high temperature resins, leverages patented continuous digital light manufacturing (cDLM) and domeless basement technologies to deliver high-speed, end-use parts production with exceptional accuracy.

EnvisionTEC is also a pioneer in digital biofabrication additive manufacturing with its Bioplotter platform, which supports the production of biocompatible parts for medical applications such as bone regeneration, cartilage regeneration, soft tissue fabrication, drug release, and organ printing.

Scaling Distribution and Access to New Verticals Through Complementary Channels

The acquisition more than doubles Desktop Metal’s global distribution network and increases its geographic sales capabilities to 68 countries around the world. EnvisionTEC adds a robust set of vertically-focused partners in the dental and jewelry markets, which Desktop Metal plans to leverage to sell its metal additive manufacturing solutions. In addition, Desktop Metal’s horizontally-focused channel partners will provide an outlet for distributing EnvisionTEC products and scaling its sales, particularly in industrial, education, and R&D segments.

Leveraging Desktop Metal Technology to Advance Digital Casting Solutions

Through this acquisition, Desktop Metal will gain digital casting capabilities via EnvisionTEC’s industrial-scale robotic additive manufacturing (RAM) product platform. EnvisionTEC’s RAM systems, which are available for as little as one-fourth of the price of slower legacy alternatives, use patented technology to produce mold cores and investment casting patterns for foundry applications using either Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) or silica sand. Desktop Metal plans to significantly advance the performance of this platform with the proprietary and patent-pending Single Pass Jetting technology originally developed for its Production System to drive productivity enhancements and improve part economics across builds as large as 1.8 x 0.9 x. 0.9 meters.

About Desktop Metal

Desktop Metal, Inc., based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is accelerating the transformation of manufacturing with an expansive portfolio of 3D printing solutions, from rapid prototyping to mass production. Founded in 2015 by leaders in advanced manufacturing, metallurgy, and robotics, the company is addressing the unmet challenges of speed, cost, and quality to make additive manufacturing an essential tool for engineers and manufacturers around the world. Desktop Metal was selected as one of the world’s 30 most promising Technology Pioneers by the World Economic Forum and named to MIT Technology Review’s list of 50 Smartest Companies. For more information, visit www.desktopmetal.com.

About EnvisionTEC

EnvisionTEC is a leading global provider of professional-grade 3D printing solutions. Founded in 2002 with its pioneering commercial DLP printing technology, EnvisionTEC now sells more than 30 printer configurations based on five distinct technologies that build objects from digital design files. The company’s premium 3D printers serve a variety of medical, professional and industrial markets, and are valued for precision, surface quality, functionality and speed. For more information, visit www.envisiontec.com.