EK4 SteelWorks is the first SolidWorks®

based solution completely dedicated to

the design of steel constructions

Warehouse, Latticed works, Staircases, Bridges and any type of industrial and non industrial constructions

EK4 STEELWORKS streamlines the workflow to

design metallic carpentry with SolidWorks.
Totally and perfectly embedded in SolidWorks, EK4
STEELWORKS has been conceived to accelerate the
modeling, editing and management of structural steel
components and to produce and share Building Information
Modeling data.
EK4 STEELWORKS is designed according to the latest BIM
Building Information Modelling) criteria.
In this way the user can, through the network, create, manage
and share information concerning all the stages of the building
process, including general arrangement, detailed or fabrication
drawings and bill of materials. It includes a SQL database that
allows an advanced and organic management of contracts.
The first stage of the work implies the 3D modeling of the
geometric support which the user can define in different ways,
remaining completely integrated in the SolidWorks
environment.
The user can either work on a parametric wireframe, which
can be covered with the desired building components like
profiles, joints, welding, etc., or use a library of intelligent, The designer is therefore not affected by software limits, he
parametric and associative components. can in fact freely design any type of structure, associate any
In this way the user can quickly model a whole structural behavior useful for the re-use and add the structure to the
subsystem and adapt it to the context in which it has to be EK4 STEELWORKS library, thus making it available for other
used. jobs and/or other users.
For example a truss, a staircase or a brace can be designed Since EK4 STEELWORKS is totally integrated in SolidWorks,
just once and re-used with other parameters. it is always possible to utilize all SolidWorks tools. There is
There is no limit to the customization and re-use of the maximum flexibility in the use of all components, starting from
components designed and managed in the 3D environment. profiles; apart from the industrial ones, even if not commonly
In this way complex wizards or insertion dialog boxes, usually in use, generic sections are provided as well. From here it is
proposed by competitors for the modeling of braces, trusses, possible to couple or arrange profiles in various
staircases, portals or lattices can be abandoned. configurations.
The same flexibility is available in the joint management, as
joints are difficult components to be restrained within pre-
defined configurations
Any type of joint, even custom, freely defined by the user is
added to the model through the same interface.
EK4 STEELWORKS suggests compatible joints featuring the
outlined conditions.
The joints can be displayed in a highly detailed configuration
or in a simpler and lighter way, which allows an easier
EK4 Srl Via I Maggio, 3 37050 Oppeano (VR) Italy

management of the complete model; it is also possible to opt

for an intelligent configuration, able to satisfy the current user
requirements.
The joints libraries, standard and custom, are the right support
for the user along with other personalized files available in
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EK4 STEELWORKS.
These include bolts, ribs, plates and other components of
mutual interest, including complex substructures used in the
same project or in different works.
Two-dimensional Drawings and construction details are also
managed and automatically linked to the model.
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In this way, users can obtain views, plans, sections,

perspectives, assembly drawings, fabrication drawings,
building construction drawings and construction details. To
make this possible, various drawing formats are provided, and
users can create many more.
 The 3D system is largely used in EK4 STEELWORKS, in light The client version can be connected via Web to the server to
of its immediacy and profitable potential. Every change on the work on authorized orders.
model implies an automatic and intelligent adjustment of the Furthermore, the administration tool allows the user to
involved parts, as a result of a parametric and associative organize and classify library components and orders
setting of the structure in EK4 STEELWORKS. All the according to a personalized logic (i.e. calculation code,
necessary geometric checks are performed with the purpose customer or place) and to set access rights for each user.
of offering a full guarantee on quick building and assembling Drawings and constructive 2D details are produced and
of the structure. automatically linked to the model.
EK4 STEELWORKS includes a very powerful SQL engine The drawings can be associated to the model and
allowing multi-user work. It brilliantly solves outsourcing automatically reflect every model update, thus avoiding
management through a check-out/check-in mechanism, human errors.
functioning via Web too.

Layout based design

and management

The Layout assembly provides a straightforward parametric

control of the whole geometry.
EK4 STEELWORKS Layout assembly is an intelligent
component which can be driven by configurations.
Any different configuration can change the model
appearance, therefore geometry typology of a composite
structural element can be modified just by modifying the
active configuration.
EK4 Srl Via I Maggio, 3 37050 Oppeano (VR) Italy

The Layout assembly provides a straightforward parametric

control of the whole geometry.
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The Grid component is another EK4 STEELWORKS tool

useful to enhance user productivity. It creates a parametric
grid, planar or three-dimensional. Like all others EK4
STEELWORKS tools the grid insertion pane is perfectly
embedded into SolidWorks and very easy to use. The user
has to just specify the length and the number of the span in
each direction. The parametric behavior of the grid helps the
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user to change the dimensions of the spans whenever

necessary. In fact sometimes dimensions can change
throughout the development of a project.
The parametric behavior permits to automatically adapt each
part of the structure - built on the grid - to the new geometry.
 Cost-effective components-based design

EK4 STEELWORKS streamlines the SolidWorks

componentsbased design of steel structures.
So why reinventing the wheel? In just few minutes a brand
new job can be created from reused custom components (in
the picture a reusable, fully parametric, stair flight).
The designer can add a parametric and associative behavior
to the models and then the latter could be easily modified to fit
new layout requirements.
All custom components modeled with EK4 STEELWORKS
can be stored in the job or fabricator library, shared and
reused, even through the computer network.
EK4 STEELWORKS enhances designing skills, while
significantly reducing the time from the screen to the market.

Standard and custom joints management

EK4 STEELWORKS features a Standard joint library, dimensions will also change in compliance with the design
including various typical joints. All joints have been verified on code specifications. Moreover, when modifying the profile
the basis of the applicable design code. Standard joints are slope, the joint will automatically adapt to follow the new
smart and flexible, that is to say that, when modifying direction.
associated profiles, joint The user can change any joint parameter at any time, thus
making it a custom joint which can be stored in the custom
joint library. The same can be done with a user joint.
A user joint is an assembly of correlated SolidWorks.
Once a user joint has been created, it can be stored in the
custom joint library.
The pictures display a clear example of how, when changing
the slope between the structural members,
each part of the joint automatically adapts to the new
geometry of the structure.

Advantages to outperform Advantages over

EK4 Srl Via I Maggio, 3 37050 Oppeano (VR) Italy

on the market competitors products

 Easy approach to design: less training, more  Fully embedded in SolidWorks

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guessing  Fully customizable component library

 100% parametric model  Fully parameterized model according to
 Fully scalable and customizable application production needs
 Progressive smart behavior  Smart object management according to the
 Full interoperability with SolidWorks context

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 Layout, modeling and detail configuratio Conceived for job verification and optimization
management  Definition of custom joints
 Compatibility with PDM Works Enterprise and
other add-in applications
 Interoperability
The interoperability pack allows smooth interaction between
EK4 STEELWORKS and any generic FEA software.
Processing the created structural model becomes very easy
thanks to the possibility to export data in SDNF (steel detailing
neutral file) and CIS/2 (CIMsteel Integration Standards)
formats.

Furthermore, EK4 STEELWORKS integrates with

STAAD.Pro®. A structural model can be created within the
STEELWORKS environment and be transferred to STAAD
where structural analysis can be performed. The model can
then be updated inside SteelWorks and vice versa.

Detailing
Marking and drawing management is performed according
to the requirements of the steel construction industry, there-
fore, without exiting the SolidWorks environment, single and
composite marks, workshop drawings, single and composite
marks drawings can be obtained. As it usually happens in
metallic carpentry, workshop drawings are out of scale.

EK4 STEELWORKS™ STANDARDS


EK4 Srl Via I Maggio, 3 37050 Oppeano (VR) Italy

AISC American Institute of Steel Construction

 AS/NZS Australian/New Zealand Standard
 BS British Standards
 ISO International Organization for Standardization
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