Panasonic Partners for New Product Innovation
Panasonic's Home Appliances Company and its Kitchen Appliance Business Unit (BU) team up with Dassault Systemes (DS) and IBM to support the development of more convenient and safer home appliances and accelerate the introduction of induced heating (IH) appliances, such as flat cooktops, into the Japanese market.
IH appliances are produced and developed by Panasonic's Kitchen Appliance BU and they are gaining popularity as an alternative to gas-heated appliances. These appliances generate heat through a process known as Joule heating or the transfer of heat to the bottom of a cooking pan through an electromagnetic field. Heating efficiency levels are over 90 percent since heat is transmitted directly to the cooking area safely without any air pollution as this method avoids cooking food using direct fire.
IH appliances are produced and developed by Panasonic's Kitchen Appliance BU and they are gaining popularity as an alternative to gas-heated appliances. These appliances generate heat through a process known as Joule heating or the transfer of heat to the bottom of a cooking pan through an electromagnetic field. Heating efficiency levels are over 90 percent since heat is transmitted directly to the cooking area safely without any air pollution as this method avoids cooking food using direct fire.
IBM and Dassault Systemes are helping Panasonic's Kitchen Appliance BU use CATIA software, a 3D virtual design platform, for the digital development of product design plans used in the manufacturing of more energy-efficient, electrical appliances with features that can help consumers.
"Compared to other software design products, CATIA has a rich set of design functions needed for products requiring sophisticated surface and shape designs such as our electric cooking heaters," says Yasushi Morimoto, team leader, Kitchen Appliance BU, Home Appliances Company, Panasonic Corporation. "Seamless integration between CAD, CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) and CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) drove our decision to choose Dassault Systemes 3D platform. Our goal is to expand into new product development areas by enhancing collaboration among internal units, realizing global collaborative design, and improving perfection of design through expanding utilization of CAE," adds Morimoto.