|
USP Structural Connectors and Structural Soft Join Hands to Provide Fast,
Simple Solutions for Lateral Design and Bracing
BURNSVILLE, Minn., January 8, 2010 - USP Structural Connectors, a Gibraltar company (NASDAQ: ROCK), and Structural Soft announced today that they are entered into a joint agreement to offer engineers a powerful new lateral bracing design software tool &mdash LateralWorx 2010 &mdash featuring USP connector products such as hold downs, strap ties, coil straps, angle clips, mudsill anchors, screws, etc. Developed specifically for wood-framed structures, this versatile program for single- and multi-family homes and light commercial buildings offers engineers significant time savings in calculating lateral loads and designing shear walls. The software's unique features include its ability to design with multiple plate heights and diaphragms, difficult shear transfer and plan irregularities.
Engineers use a familiar CAD interface to import architectural plans for lateral analysis and design. The program then outputs a complete calculation report, exports shear wall layouts, and connector schedules to CAD. After calculating the building's lateral loads, the software can easily design shear walls featuring USP connector products. Design calculations are made based on requirements for wind and seismic loads according to the 2006 IBC and ASCE 7-05.
"Very few programs are available today for lateral design of wood buildings and they have significant limitations. Consequently, most engineers still use spreadsheets and manual calculations," says Sal Akhter, Vice President of Business Development for Structural Soft. "LateralWorx was developed from the ground up, specifically for wood buildings and with ease of use and design efficiency in mind. It also helps balance cost and performance by offering multiple design options with just a few clicks."
According to Brian Haena, Director of Technical Sales - West for USP Structural Connectors, "LateralWorx is a strong complement to USP's line of structural connector products. We're excited about the possibilities this software presents to engineers who want to develop more refined lateral solutions and save time doing it."
"Not only is LateralWorx simple to use," adds Akhter, "but it's fast. Calculations that might take hours with other programs and even longer by manual calculations and spread sheets, can be done in a mere fraction of that time with this new program &mdash complete with shear wall layout plans and connector schedules."
About USP Structural Connectors
USP Structural Connectors, a Gibraltar company (NASDAQ: ROCK), is a leading manufacturer of structural connectors, epoxy and mechanical anchors for use in the residential and commercial building industries throughout the United States and Canada. USP's product line of construction hardware encompasses over 4,000 finished parts for residential construction, commercial construction and retail/do-it-yourself markets; as well as a complete line of connectors for the Engineered Lumber and Plated Truss industries. Learn more at: www.uspconnectors.com.
About Structural Soft
Structural Soft develops industry leading, state of the art engineering analysis and design software specifically for wood frame residential and light commercial structures. Structural Soft solutions use standards based CAD tools and the latest in Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology to enable quick modeling, efficient design and production of construction documents. Products range from lateral and gravity loads analysis to complete whole house design platform. Learn more at: www.structuralsoft.com.
For more information, contact:
Marty Ruch (USP Structural Connectors)
Director of Marketing and Retail Sales
(952) 898-8688
Email
Sal Akhter (Structural Soft)
Vice President of Business Development
(408) 205-9936
Email
|
Literature & Links for Canada
