Cambridge, Massachusetts (January 25, 2019)
Onshape, the next-generation cloud CAD and data management platform that speeds up product development, has partnered with PennEngineering, a global leader in the fastening industry, to include PEM® hardware as a built-in standard for its 3D CAD models. Onshape will initially include PEM® brand self-clinching nuts and self-clinching standoffs, and plans to add additional PennEngineering products to its Standard Content library in the future.
“Before coming to Onshape, I was a mechanical design engineer for 15 years developing products for heavy industry and military applications,” says UX engineer Peter Yodis, Onshape’s team lead for Standard Content. “We frequently were connecting circuit boards and various electrical components to sheet metal brackets and PEM® fasteners were our go-to standard. We never even considered using anything else.”
“So I’m now thrilled to see PEM® fasteners made available in Onshape,” he adds. “Our customers expect the highest standards, strength and quality materials that PennEngineering is famous for, and they want to be able to easily access the very best parts for their designs. This was an extremely popular request from our customers and we plan to get feedback on which fasteners they’d like us to add next.”
PEM® fasteners are typically used when a component must be readily replaced and where loose nuts and hardware aren’t accessible during the final assembly process. By embedding a threaded nut into a piece of metal mechanically, it saves time and reduces post-manufacturing assembly processes. This efficiency is especially important when producing large quantities of parts.
“Onshape is being used by some of the world’s most innovative companies to streamline their design process and speed up product development,” says Brian Bentrim, VP of Product Engineering & New Product Development at PennEngineering. “We’re delighted to offer engineers and manufacturers the convenience of PEM® fasteners in Onshape’s cloud platform and look forward to developing our partnership further.”
In addition to making PEM® nuts and standoffs available for designs, Onshape has also upgraded its hole feature to automatically create the correct size mounting hole for any PEM® part inserted into an assembly.
“The autosizing feature is unique to Onshape’s Standard Content,” says Yodis. “It’s a tremendous time saver.”
To learn more about Onshape’s integration with PEM® fasteners, watch the PEM® Standard video posted in the latest “What’s New?” blog.