Summary/Reader Response Draft 2

 The webpage “Lifesaving drones designed with CAD software” (SIEMENS, 2019), introduces the use of Siemens NX CAD software to design life-saving drones. Among its many features, The NX CAD software is designed to optimize the design, testing, and manufacturing processes. In terms of design optimization, the software allows its users to use virtual product models rather than the more costly physical prototypes to test the effectiveness of its design. This leads to shortened design time, which lowers the development cost and improves product quality (SIEMENS 2019). According to the article, the Syncrofit feature of the NX CAD software “allows users to make well-informed design decisions for an overall smoother path to design realization” (SIEMENS, n.d). The article mentions that the simulation function of the NX CAD software in the case of designing life-saving drones can perform virtual test flights while simulating the characteristics or properties of the different components. The article also states that the software can quickly perform thickness and stress assessments of the design and determine which parts should be made of higher or lower grade materials, which will reduce the overall weight of the drone. The NX CAD software is better suited for use in product design compared to SolidWorks in terms of its better design optimization,  project management, and simulation capabilities.

One of the features that makes the NX CAD software stand out is its design optimization. This feature allows the user to automate the creation of new design prototypes from an original product without the user having to modify the design by hand. This process is done by generating many versions of a design using rules that were set and run multiple times (Digital Design Solutions, n.d). While SolidWorks has a similar feature called topology optimization which optimizes the design, based on the optimization objective set by the user, such as reducing the mass of the design (Kurowski, 2022). The process then finds the best material allocation to have the best stiffness to mass ratio or minimize displacement (Kurowski, 2022). Compared to SolidWorks, which is only able to optimize a singular design from its original design.,It is not able to create multiple variations of the original design, while NX CAD software is able to create many design prototypes from an original design.

Another feature of the NX CAD software which assists project management in is the bill of materials (BOM) updates, which allows the user to generate the list of materials required to manufacture the product during the design phase. This feature is helpful as the user will be able to foresee if there is a lack of raw materials for production and inform suppliers to acquire more materials beforehand to be able to start production successfully (SIEMENS, n.d). On the other hand, the user can also use the bill of material (BOM) updates to verify if the product design meets the design requirements and changes that need to be made. Additionally during designing while defining thousands or millions of parts in a complex assembly such as an aircraft, NX CAD software ensures that every specification of the design is present (SIEMENS, n.d). So this function of the NX CAD software will ensure that the user will be able to produce the design that meets the requirements and not be hindered by the lack of materials.

Another feature that makes the NX CAD software better compared to other software is its ability to perform more detailed and advanced simulations. For example, in the case of Zipline designing its life-saving drones, it was able to use the NX CAD software to “simulate the heat characteristics of the battery during the flight, or the thermal performance of the drone in the climate of Rwanda” (SIEMENS, 2019). Zipline utilized the heat transfer analysis modules of the NX CAD software. One of the capabilities of the heat transfer analysis module is the ability to simulate heat conductivity, convection, and radiation separately or all at once (Goncharov et al., 2014). Additionally, the module can simulate heat transfer with the environment without the need to model the specific environment by defining specific conditions (Goncharov et al., 2014). Furthermore, the user can specify the thermal properties of a specific material used in the design, and the software and even create multi-layer materials while still maintaining the accuracy of the simulation (Goncharov et al., 2014). On the other hand, SolidWorks can simulate the same types of heat transfer and analyse an assembly of different material properties (Kurowski, 2022). However, SolidWorks is unable to simulate heat transfer with the environment. Hence, the NX CAD software has more advanced simulations compared to SolidWorks.

One problem with the NX CAD software is its cost. According to the SIEMENS website, the basic NX CAD software costs around USD 3093 per year and 10 additional modules ranging from US$ 1866 to US$ 8359 per year (SIEMENS, n.d). Compared to SolidWorks, the premium version of the SolidWorks software costs a one-time fee of US$ 7995 which includes the base version of the software and all its additional modules and an annual maintenance fee of US$ 1995 (Engineering Clicks, 2021). 

However, the higher cost of the NX CAD software is likely due to its higher number and more advanced features compared to SolidWorks. Therefore, with the higher number of advanced features available with the NX CAD software compared to SolidWorks. The benefits of using NX CAD software compared to SolidWorks outweigh the cost in product design.