New: Siemens browser-based functions for manufacturers with Zel X software

Siemens Digital Industries Software recently released Zel X software — a next generation browser-based engineering app for streamlining manufacturing and shop-floor operations. Zel X consolidates software for manufacturing, operations, collaboration, design and simulation into a comprehensive, yet lightweight browser-based solution that delivers value instantly.

“The manufacturing industry is demanding open, flexible toolsets that are not only laser focused on their needs but are instant on and accessible anywhere they need them,” said John Miller, senior vice president, Mainstream Engineering Software for Siemens Digital Industries Software. “Zel X combines Siemens’ expertise and technology leadership across the manufacturing, operations, design, simulation and collaboration domains to deliver next generational capabilities through the browser that the design engineers are demanding. Zel X supports their rapidly changing businesses with instant-on toolsets that offer them the whole process coverage they need to innovate and gain competitive advantage.”

Vuhl is a manufacturer of high-performance automobiles, headquartered in Mexico. The company chose Zel X to round out its suite of Siemens products, supporting integration and collaboration with internal teams and design engineers.

“We serve dozens of different design engineers, and this has become very complex to manage. We were using spreadsheets, Post-It notes on the windows — and all these tools worked but weren’t streamlined [for] communications across the company. With Zel X, we can integrate everything into one solution. Now we can share data not only on the engineering side, but also with the shop floor and the people that are creating carbon fiber parts or assembling sports cars,” said Vuhl cofounder Guillermo Echeverria.

He added his team uses NX, but design engineers have many different CAD systems. With Zel X, all a user needs is a web browser to open, view, and mark files they’re working on.

Built on proven industry technologies and tailored to industry-specific workflows, Zel X lets manufacturers rapidly accelerate digital transformation — from quotation through to delivery of manufactured parts.

Built on Siemens’ established and industry leading technologies, sharing a common architecture with NX, and delivered as part of the Siemens Xcelerator platform, Zel X delivers the following capabilities to businesses in a single, browser-based, integrated solution …

DX operations with Zel X

Realtime monitoring and tracking of project and job statuses with interactive dashboards, and shop floor specific instructions with notifications available on any device. Zel X also includes tools to help with automated Request-for-Quote (RFQ), both inbound from design engineers and outbound to suppliers.

WashTech is an industrial washing company specializing in the design and manufacture of machines for cleaning industrial components and has been using Zel X to help drive its $1.8M in annual sales. As WashTech’s Founder and Director, Mathieu Fresco, explains, “With Zel X, I’m able respond to my clients’ RFQs faster and more accurately. Its browser-based CAD/CAM and resource planning tools help us be agile. the goal is to quote 50% faster and deliver 30% more orders.”

DX design with Zel X

Zel X brings Siemens’ mastery of 3D CAD modeling to the browser, providing streamlined 3D CAD (both direct and history-based modeling) for quoting, manufacturing and fixture designs. Industry leading Parasolid-based data exchange tools combined with Siemens’ 3D AI-based predictive modeling capabilities allow designers and sales engineers to open and edit imported design data to quickly create designs and drawings, modify existing models or make changes to proposals.

Cloud-based simulation capabilities, based on Siemens’ Simcenter solutions, allow anyone involved in the design process to quickly perform, regardless of the device’s computing power, simple analyses to help direct design decisions. Also, part/material selection with optimization. Zel X is also seamlessly scalable and fully compatible with Siemens’ mechanical design and simulation solutions, including NX software, Solid Edge software and Simcenter solutions.

DX manufacturing with Zel X

Zel X delivers the industry’s first integrated, web-based, CAD/CAM toolset. Simplified 3D CAD-based programming makes 2.5 axis CAM accessible for designers and engineering personnel working on simpler, prismatic parts, with the flexibility to adjust setups or edit G-code from any device as plans change. This also frees up other existing CAM licenses for more complex tasks and is scalable to Siemens’ industry leading manufacturing solution, NX CAM

Bob Schuster, owner of Schuster Mechanical, uses Zel X alongside Siemens’ NX software. “The goal for us is to start the work when we get the purchase order. Previously, it was hard to quote and one took best guess. Zel X is going to improve my quoting process to reduce it from weeks to days — even hours. Because I’ve captured all the steps I used on previous jobs and I can reuse them for my next quote. With Zel X and NX together, I can streamline the manufacturing process and improve the relationship with the customer.”

DX collaboration with Zel X

Instant on and available at any time, on any device, Zel X provides cloud-based project storage and collaboration, built on the same Teamcenter-based core platform common to the Siemens Xcelerator portfolio that provides trusted data management capabilities to some of the world leading innovators along with data sharing and collaboration capabilities with the Teamcenter Share app. Zel X enables design engineers to unite their supply chain, including internal teams, design engineers, partners and suppliers on a single source of truth. it’s enhanced with engineering view and markup of data, augmented reality (AR) visualization, task management (including Kanban board capabilities and tracking) – all on top of a robust and secure data and lifecycle management backbone.

“Organizations gain critical visibility when they integrate engineering, manufacturing, procurement, historical data and even toolpaths into one solution. The result is shorter quote and delivery timelines, increased process efficiency, improved product quality and substantial cost savings. Zel X replaces disconnected manual processes and point solutions, and means less administration, no IT overhead, and no additional hardware investments,” said industry analyst and Lifecycle Insights chief analyst and CEO Chad Jackson.

Siemens’ Zel X solution will be available with foundational tools for streamlining design and manufacturing at a Standard level and at an Advanced level which adds simulation, more data management capabilities and design tools. A free 30-day trial is also available. For more information, visit this deep link at sw.siemens.com.