Anyone fluent in Unigraphics out there

[slang]

This isnt the place that I would expect to find loads of people that are using or have used the engineering program "UG" but if anyone is out there, give me the scoop. What's new? What's hot, what rev are we on now?

Anyone? Mech engineers....designers...db managers....cnc programmers...anyone?

The job market for UG is back, although not white hot. Now all I have to do to get back into the loop to real cash again is catch a refresher course and fill in the time since my last UG gig (dec 2001). That's a toughy.

[TheSnake]

I just graduated with a double major in mechanical engineering and nuclear engineering, and am now in grad school for nuclear engineering. I have a good amount of experience with SolidWorks and Cosmos, and when I belonged to ASME, I recieved a monthly mechanical engineering magazine. I know that SolidWorks is pretty popular right now and was regularly mentioned in the mag. As far as Unigraphics goes, I don't really know anyone that uses it, so I guess what I am saying, is that before you try and learn UG make sure that people are really looking for that skill.

[slang]

I appreciate your reply snake. I have heard wonderful things about solidworks but have never used it. As I know this program though, it's more for standalone products and not generally used for large assemblies.

As for UG, it's used everywhere. It's use at GM alone is more than 10,000 seats. Pratt & Whitney, Boeing, Catarpillar, Ingersoll-rand......and thousands of smaller companies that develop pricise and or complex products.....all use UG. It's the most suited cad system for the simultaneous development of large assemblies.

I have more than 10k hours using it and have made hundreds of thousands of dollars working for companies that make everything from automotive sub-systems to medical implants to power tools to injection molded plastic parts to military combat vehicles.

I've been away from working with it though. Away for more than 2 years and I need to know whats new with the program. I need to know someone inside somewhere, one of my old cohorts maybe, to get back into the game. Someone here might also be able to help a slang in need.

I was just hoping on the outside chance that someone here might be working with it now and be able to give me some pointers on getting back in. It looks like a massive refresher course might do the trick. That's going to cost about 5k though. Their traning is not cheap but the certs give you a lot credibility.

If you intend to work with large companies after you graduate, you may ( or may not ) want to look into the capabilites of UG. Not only does it have excellent modeling features, but also has an integrated file manager. It's definately a high end system and the majority of high tech manufacturers that I know of use ProE or Unigraphics.

[Roosta]

Hi. I work in the UK for an Indianapolis based machine tool manufacturer called Hurco. Personally, i've not seen anyone over here using Unigraphics. Was it called something else for the UK market? If so, I may know people that use it...

[TheSnake]

ProE is very popular also. While I don't have any inside information about Unigraphics, my guess is that if you've only been away from it for 2 years that not much is different. New programs are a lot like new editions of textbooks, where they author makes a few minor changes so they can sell new copies (and make tons more money) that aren't really any different from the last edition. $5000 is a lot of money to dump into a training course, most of which will probably be stuff that you know already since you've worked with it for so many hours already. You have to remember our brains are great at "recalling" information; that is, while you may think you are rusty now, I bet if you sit down with the program, after a few hours it will all come rushing back.

[slang]

Roosta,

The program is called UG everywhere as far as I know. The company website listed many of the companies from all over the world that use their product a few years ago. Now it's been bought out or reorganized and I cant even find the actual home website. It seems logical that it's called something else, a slight variation must be. How hard should it be to google "unigraphics" and get the company's main website?

Whatever.

Snake,

In the 90s, the first questions a perspective employer would ask were, "what's the last rev you worked on.....and how many hours do you have on that rev". Everything else was secondary, even if you worked at that company before. What's that you say....you worked for our competitor? What's that....before that you worked for us? That's nice....what was the latest rev you worked on and how many hours did accumulate on it? Everything else was secondary. Oh, you have a doctorate in engineering from MIT, that's nice....what's the latest rev and how many hours?

Having the latest rev was key. That might not be the case now since the market has been soft for a couple of years. This software is so freakin complex and works with so many other sensitive programs that the file standards must be in total comliance or there will be problems using the main data files with the tangent programs.

The intended use of the system is to be everything to everyone. Machinists using the cnc from the models, the stress engineers using the same models, the detailers and designers making drawings from them, the project engineers using the database manager to track and manage progress and deadlines, even the production planners and the finance people were in the loop using this same system....all at the same time.

The more a company is using these tangent capabilities, the more important having the model and assembly files orgranized and compliant is. If there are problems at one level, there are likely problems at all levels.

So, there is a possiblity that I might get into a company as a direct hire, but even that will be a challenge. Hopefully, I'm wrong and someone will see my resume and instantly want to hire me, but I dont think so. What have you done lately will most likely be the first question, or problem to overcome.

There is also the fact that there are a large number of young graduates that are truely more capapble overall to handle a design or engineering position. On top of that, they would probably be willing to work for less and be more hip than us "old guys".

But then again, what do I know.

[slang]

Searches for engineering/design related work using all different forms of cad systems is producing encouraging results

This is the breakdown from Yahoo hot jobs. The seach word "unigraphics" returns 45 entries. The makeup of the entries suggests things are picking up.

July - 2 total
Aug - 2 total
Sept - 22 total
Oct - 19 total.....in the first 3 days

If you are an engineer, designer, toolmaker, or ball-twiddler with 5+ years of recent UG experience and willing to do contract work, go kiss your wallet. Console it, caress it and tell it there will be money inside it soon. The rates for the jobs listed so far are between 15 and 45 bucks an hour. It's too early to say for certain that the jobs will actually pick up in a substancial way, but wow, this looks encouraging.

The resume requests from jobshops arent specific about the product or contract, but some of the bigger requests ( 20 or more positons available ) are labeled "defense" or "military".

And if you are one of these contractor types, I probably know you. There are only about 500 of these folks that drift from one side of the country to the other.

So....once you get in somewhere.....help slang out. Throw me a rope!

Does this really surprise me? No, Bush needs a boom for re-election! SHOW MEEEE the jobs buddy!

[slang]

Almost exactly the same results on other UG specific job boards. The key phrases seem to be "US citizenship required", "Airframe expereince required",
and "flight system experience required".

Hot damn. I haven't felt this good since I quit the shitjob.

And Snake,

It seems in the downtime that companies have not upgraded to the newer versions. It seems the with the lack of real work, they didnt upgrade, so the latest version doesnt look like a solid requirement.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Relocate to a non-carry state?

[slang]

Non-Kerry? Maybe but aside from Texas and a few south eastern states, will likely be some metro hell.

Which is worse, starving in heaven or working in hell. No win on this one.

[slang]

Fifteen new nationwide listings for Mon Oct 4. Duplicate listings by several jobshops for one company's position? No. Additional postitions.

Hope this keeps up for another month. Once the most desireable candidates are hired up, people can't get years of experience with just a class. If this continues, even if you just know how to say Unigraphics, you'll be qualified to make $20 an hour using it.

Help is on the way!!!

The key phrase today is "Familiarity with C17, Apache, Longbow a plus."

[xoxoxoBruce]

"Familiarity with C17, Apache, Longbow a plus."

St Louis, Mesa or Longbeach?

[zippyt]

Good luck slangmister !!!!

[slang]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Mesa

AZ

[slang]

Originally Posted by zippyt

Good luck slangmister !!!!

Thanks Zippyt. I had all but given up on working with UG again until just recently.

The market for UG people had flatlined until last month when there were some positions opening. Now it seems like there might be more than some opening up.