Important Announcement About the Future of RCS
ASME began an initiative called the Reshape Project a few years back, which included a few different goals. One of the primary objectives of this initiative was to consolidate "common rules" that existed in Section VIII Div. 1 and Section VIII Div. 2 to a single location. This is being achieved by keeping the relevant sections in Div. 2, and utilizing a design by reference approach in Div. 1. The relevant sections of Div. 1 are being replaced with much more abbreviated versions that essentially just refer the designer to the appropriate section in Div. 2.
The first portions of this initiative were included in the 2023 edition of ASME. The primary portion that impacted RCS was Part UHX, which now references the designer to Div. 2 4.18. This change was largely cosmetic, and was successfully implemented in the previous RCS update. There were large differences in the layout and wording between the Div. 1 and Div. 2 sections, but the actual formulas and methodologies were essentially the same.
In the 2025 edition, ASME has continued with this initiative to include several additional sections in the consolidation efforts. The result of this is a shortened Div. 1 Code, with more references to Div. 2. ASME has stated that this is both for easier updates, and also to encourage more companies to get familiar with Div. 2 design and encourage the use of Div. 2 more often.
When ASME released the 2025 updates, RCS began work immediately on incorporating the changes into our software. As we progressed, we became increasingly concerned with the complexity of the changes, and the difficulty in the modifications that would be required. There are some fairly modest changes to tubesheet design and the inclusion of test pressure scenarios, but the major changes are the other sections that are migrating to Div. 2. The most significant is flange design (formerly Appendix 2 of Div. 1, now 4.16 of Div. 2.) As we progressed through the updates, it became increasingly apparent that, while there were many similarities to Appendix 2, 4.16 is not identical and will not yield the same flange design results. The flange design logic in RCS is very old, and has evolved over decades. There are countless change codes and many thousands of lines of code to go through.
After much deliberation and with much sadness, we have made the very difficult decision to not continue with updates to the RCS software. The complexity of this ASME update was a major factor, but was not the only factor. RCS has seen a slow but steady decline in our user base over the years, and that is a major contributor to this decision as well. Lastly, Michael is ready for true retirement, and simply does not wish to undertake the difficulties of tackling this update at this point in his career. Ultimately, we concluded that this update did not make sense financially.
So what does this mean for RCS users?
· First, effective immediately, we will no longer be invoicing users for their annual (or in some cases monthly) renewal.
· Second, and equally important: not all is lost. If RCS is heavily incorporated into your company's processes, you can likely continue to use it - quite possibly for many years to come. While we will no longer be providing updates to the software, it will NOT cease to function. We have had discussions with numerous users over the years, and have found that, more often than not, most companies have a variety of products at their disposal. We hope that the majority of our users already have licenses for at least one other mechanical design product, and can continue performing their calculations with other products. If that is not the case for your company, you will likely need to consider evaluating other products sooner rather than later.
· While we are not keeping RCS up to date with the latest ASME changes, the software still has the ability to perform a number of very useful tasks. If your company uses the estimating program, BOM generation, inquiry / purchasing programs, drawing generation, or other utility programs, they will all continue to operate, and now will do so free of charge. The ONLY aspect of RCS that will be impacted by this decision is the actual ASME Code calculations. In fact, the majority of the calculations will still be compliant with ASME, but with each subsequent ASME update, RCS will fall a bit further out of line with the changes. We know that each company uses RCS in their own way, and I believe that a fair number of companies use RCS primarily for reasons OTHER than calculations (i.e., purely for drawing generation, or purely for estimating, etc.) If that is the case for your company, you should find there are no issues with continuing your use of the software .
We would like to thank each and every user and company that has used this software, many of you for multiple decades. We do not intend to completely shut down or close our doors immediately and will do our best to respond to questions and emails we will receive in response to this announcement. At this point, there is no official timeline on a permanent “close of business” for RCS, but since we are no longer generating income, we will obviously be reduced to a very part-time business model. We do not want to leave any customers hanging, and will make every effort to assist in any way we can.
Thanks,
Matthew and Michael Kindschi
RCS
About Us
Ray Computer Services, Inc. (RCS) is a Tulsa, Oklahoma based company that produces and distributes a software package called RCSWin, which is used in the mechanical design of shell and tube heat exchangers. RCS has been around for 35 years, and is a proven leader in the shell and tube industry. Don Gabbard was the founder and owner of RCS until he passed away in 2014. RCS began as a small set of in-house calculations and programs that Don wrote while employed at a local manufacturing company. Over time, the list of capabilities and features grew to the point that it was a fairly robust application, and Don convinced them to let him market his product and begin selling it. Don continued to expand the capabilities of RCS while also marketing the software to numerous other mechanical designers, fabrication shops, and engineering contractors. RCS has operated out of multiple different locations over the years, but has always been based in Jenks, which is a suburb of the Tulsa, Oklahoma area.
When Don first began the company, he realized he needed a name, so he came up with the RCS acronym based off of his childrens' names: Rachel, Chris, and Stacey. Soon after, he realized it needed a more professional sound, so he used his middle name, and kept the same acronym, and Ray Computer Services was born. RCS was first created in the DOS days, and when the conversion to Windows took place, RCS became RCSWin, and that name has stuck ever since. Over the years, RCS has been operated out of multiple different offices and locations, but has always been based in Jenks, a suburb of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Over time, the capabilities and features within the RCS software grew to include more and more aspects of the design process. This included an expansion of the types of calculations offered, but also included an expansion into areas other than just calculations. One of the biggest selling points of the RCS software is the ability to generate a complete set of fabrication detail drawings based of off the design. These drawings are available in both a native format that can be viewed within RCS, and more importantly, as DXF files that can be exported and opened directly in any CADD program. The ability to rapidly produce a complete set of drawings is one of the biggest selling points of the RCS system. Below is a brief summary of some of the main features of the RCS software. Browse to the Capabilities and Features page for a more comprehensive overview of RCS's abilities, including screen shots and detailed information.
- Mechanical design calculations per ASME Section VIII Division 1 and TEMA for all major components, including cylinders and tubes, heads, cones, nozzles and nozzle reinforcement, flanges, floating heads, UHX tubesheet calculations, supports, exchanger weights, center of gravity, and numerous other details.
- Interactive graphical editor that allows users to move and relocate various components on their design.
- A full scale 3D graphical model of the exchanger, both as a solid (external) model, and a complete 3D internal model.
- Ability to generate a complete set of detail drawings for fabrication of each exchanger, which can be exported to any CADD program
- Bill of Material program that can build a complete BOM off of each design.
- Estimating program that is extremely detailed and customizable, which generates both estimated costs, and estimated hours for any given design.
- Graphical input screens for flanges and floating heads that allow the user to pictorially specify each dimension. Very useful for matching existing geometry on a duplicate exchanger.
- Inquiry and Purchase Order programs that can build inquiries and POs off of BOMs from any design. Parts from multiple designs can be combined into a single inquiry or PO.
- CNC drill file creation from any tube layout. CNC drill files can be customized and templates can be set up to conform to various different drill formats.
- Access to material properties for any material defined within ASME Section II Part D, as well as the ability to manually enter physical properties for any material desired.
- Ability to select from a list of defined gasket types, or add any other type of gasket to your database, which can be kept and accessed as needed.
- Interface with HTRI. RCS can import data from an HTRI .DBO file and use this geometry as a basis for an RCS design. RCS can also link directly with HTRI using the HTRI automation server. This is a bi-directional interface that allows users to read from HTRI Xist files and write back to them as well. Note that this requires both an RCS and HTRI license to be present on the same machine.
- Many of the calculations available for a full design are also available as standalone utilities, without having to specify an entire exchanger. This is a very useful feature for running calculations on parts and pieces, such as replacement shells or channels, or doing a quick check on the required thickness of a cylinder or tubes, etc.
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