A new version of Weidlinger's best-selling software adds memory, wizard tools, and new computational elements.

Mountain View, CA – PZFlex® (www.pzflex.com) announced the release of a new version of its virtual prototyping software for commercial and academic use. PZFlex 2.3 includes new wizard tools and core computation module features, as well as a beta version of a rapid and simplified 1D Modeling Toolkit and expanded post-processing capability. The software brings sophisticated modeling to desktops and is indispensable to a variety of industries. It was originally developed in the 1980s by Weidlinger to model ultrasonic probes.

Design engineers use the software to make accurate predictions about the performance of a product or device, reducing time to market and cost. The products, along with their housings and individual components, can be built, tested, and optimized almost entirely in virtual form. “Our aim is to make life easier for creative engineers in every industry. We’ve taken our knowledge of finite element modeling and typical devices, and we’ve upgraded the software to capture the essence of the problems many product design teams face,” said PZFlex Business Group Director Dr. Paul Reynolds. “The software’s power and accuracy clears the path for advancements in emerging technologies, including wireless, environmental, and medical.”

Materials Systems, Inc. (MSI), a Massachusetts-based manufacturer of sub-systems, components, and advanced materials for defense and commercial systems, uses PZFlex to design and develop transducers for sonar and industrial ultrasound. "The latest version of PZFlex has enabled MSI to develop transducer designs more cost effectively by allowing a greater number of our transducer engineers to use it without the need for advanced training,” said Barry Doust, MSI technical manager.

The FlexLAB platform has been upgraded in PZFlex 2.3 to a true 64-bit environment to increase the memory available for inputting SolidWorks designs and provide more flexible material importation tools. The core computation module has been enhanced to include: acoustic force radiation, shock heating, dielectric loss, volume calculation, simplified model bending and geometry allocation, multiple drive functions, and other features requested by users. The new calculator function allows designers to manipulate Flex histories and other ASCII data more easily.

This release follows the June 2008 introduction of PZFlex Standard, aimed at small to mid-sized businesses (SMB), to complement its best-selling PZFlex Professional software. All PZFlex versions offer seamless interface with SolidWorks, one of the most popular CAD/CAM packages available for designing prototypes and sharing technical drawings with manufacturers. In September 2009, Weidlinger announced the opening of its new UK sales office in Glasgow and the appointment of former Rolls-Royce principal technologist Gerry Harvey, PhD, as PZFlex Sales Manager, Europe.

Discounted pricing for PZFlex is available for academic use. For larger modeling problems, a stand-alone SPFlex module available with PZFlex serves the growing field of medical therapeutics, providing accurate modeling of wave propagation over thousands of wavelengths in all acoustic media (air, water, and tissue). For PZFlex product support and sales, visit www.pzflex.com or e-mail support@pzflex.com or call (650) 230 0210 (US) or +44 (0)141 303 8303 (Europe).

PZFlex® is the registered trademark of virtual prototyping software that is first in world markets for medical therapeutics and sonar. It is the program of choice for all major US and Japanese medical transducer manufacturers, as well as for scientists at prominent academic institutions engaged in studies of diagnostic and therapeutic medical ultrasound. Developed in the 1980s to improve the modeling of ultrasonic probes, PZFlex quickly became the most versatile member of a family of codes (FLEX) used to solve huge wave-propagation problems for the US government. During the past two decades of intensive development, PZFlex® has spawned numerous applications and attracted increasing numbers of clients.