SOLIDWORKS 2015 IS COMING NEW products & Success stories
Experience 3D with PLM Group for a multitude of different purposes mainly to generate efficiency. Our ambition for the coming years is to remain the leading Nordic/Baltic SolidWorks reseller while also becoming a strong pLM partner with a practical bottom-up methodology. We will present our latest offering to our largest customers during Q4 2014. We are really excited to demonstrate a number of new and exciting products to you during Q4, including SOLIDWORKS Electrical, SolidWorks Mechanical conceptual and EXALEAD Onepart from Dassault Systemès. You can get a sneak preview of these software in this edition of pLMagazine. All of the products will be introduced during our SolidWorks 2015 launch events in October and November.
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In addition to the new products we will be demonstrating a host of new features and functions in our existing product portfolio. In the 2015 release of SolidWorks you will see a number of powerful new features, substantial performance boosts, and an enhanced user experience. this year we will also add a separate track for company management, where we are presenting how we can together realize hidden opportunities in the whole value chain.
would like to use this opportunity to present myself as the new CEO of PLM Group and say thank you to Jess G. Frandsen for his vast and unremitting daily work over the last 20 years building pLM Group from scratch into the company it is today. Jess remains as the chairman of the board in pLM Group, while I maintain the company’s daily operations.
During the past few years we have been experiencing growing interest in 3D printers among our customers. We perceive 3D printing as a natural development of our basis and history within 3D and this spring we decided that the products have now become technically ready, prices has become acceptable and many of our customers are showing interest in being able to benefit from the potential in 3D printing.
Since the mid-90’s, we in pLM Group have helped our customers to make their product development processes more effective based on software from SolidWorks. today we are cooperating with more than 4.000 Nordic and Baltic customers producing and administrating enormous amounts of 3D models. Engineering departments primarily use these 3D models, but we are recognizing a huge potential among our customers to benefit from the models throughout their whole value chain.
During the summer we signed a reseller agreement with the worlds leading 3D printer company, 3D Systems, covering all the Nordic and Baltic countries and our daughter company 3D printing was founded. At the moment we are staffing the company and preparing for full operations in the beginning of 2015.
pLM Group has developed a number of concepts based on pLM application software targeted directly at increasing both our customers’ competitiveness and profitability. For this, we focus on a comprehensive use of their existing 3D models
Hope to see you at the SolidWorks 2015 launch events! Jan Lundström, CEO
Content Experience 3D with PLM Group
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SOLIDWORKS Electrical
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SOLIDWORKS Mechanical Conceptual
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3D Printing
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Exalead OnePart
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Jan Lundström, CEO
the quick and easy shortcut to creating complex electrical systems. Annica Lindfors, technical consultant A new way to jump-start your design process Ola claesson, technical consultant
pLM Group places 3D printing on the top of the agenda Henrik Larsen, product Sales Manager Smart reuse of parts saves costly time and creates efficiency Raimo Hemteg, technical consultant
Drawingless manufacturing already in 2015?
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PLM Group Training offering
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Sarlin Furnaces AB
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Kvejborg ApS
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Turku University of Applied Sciences
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KWH Mirka Oy Ab
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Phase One
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Steel ApS
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DECK Engineering
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charles Nilsson, product Marketing Manager
Make the best out of your software by training yourself into a skilled professional Strengthening sales and customer relations with SolidWorks Simulation per Lundström, Sales Engineer, Sarlin Furnaces Secret in SolidWorks makes 3D-scanning easy and cheap Soren Kvejborg, cEO, Kvejborg ApS unique project cooperation between Finnish university and FMS company Jussi Liikkanen, project Manager, technology Industry RDI-team, tuAS Simulation provides efficient cooling system in half the time caj Nordström,chief Engineer, KWH Mirka Oy Ab HostpLM streamlines International Development at phase One Anders Arvad Raabo, Mechanical Design Engineer, phase One Development speed doubled and access to new customers improved Steffen Hovmand, cEO, Steel ApS SolidWorks boosts complex offshore and energy projects Alar Jõgi, project engineer and cAD administrator, DEcK Engineering
NEW products
“SOLIDWORKS Electrical is a very comprehensive and flexible program that includes all components and its functions to reuse for example, symbols and circuits. The flexibility is reflected in terms of design tools. For instance, you can build your project with all components before you start to create drawings,” explains technical consultant Annica Lindfors, PLM Group, adding: “Along with the database, the flexibility of the program gives the user full control over both design and documentation.” Annica Lindfors, Technical consultant
The quick and easy shortcut to creating complex electrical systems SOLIDWORKS Electrical simplifies the creation and reuse of embedded electrical systems. With SOLIDWORKS Electrical 3D, circuits can be directly integrated into mechanical 3D models of products.
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y using SOLIDWORKS Electrical, design and documentation of your electrical schematics can be supplemented with SOLIDWORKS Electrical 3D to deliver very flexible and userfriendly software tools that reduce development time significantly for both machines and other products, which include electrical circuits and systems. SOLIDWORKS Electrical contains schematic tools for planning of electrical systems. The software features a comprehensive database of thousands of symbols and more than half a million manufactured parts that can be incorporated into a circuit.
Eliminate costly time waste with design reuse With SOLIDWORKS Electrical’s options to copy and reuse parts of existing circuits in the current project or in new projects, the development time for new products can be significantly reduced. There is also the possibility for the members of the design teams to work concurrently together to ensure faster development of new products. The software’s built-in automated management tools streamline the design of complex PLC connections making it is easy to generate drawings, wire lists, “from-to” lists and other documentation for production. * SOLIDWORKS 3D requires that you are using SolidWorks CAD.
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3D electrical design with SOLIDWORKS With SOLIDWORKS Electrical 3D* it is possible to easily integrate schematics from SOLIDWORKS Electrical into the common 3D model of a machine or other product. The software allows designers to place 3D models of all electrical systems in the common 3D model and run wires / cables / harnesses in 3D to connect all electrical equipment. This enables you to determine the specific locations and paths to accurately determine the lengths of wires / cables / wires before equipment is built. This ensures consistent
manufacturing while reducing both scrap wastage and additional costs. 2D schematics and 3D models are synchronized bi-directionally in real time, so any changes are automatically updated. “The ability to work together and design a multiuser environment where the whole project is constantly updated saves time and ensures the quality of the design,” Annica Lindfors emphasizes: “If a member of the design team makes a change, such as adding a component, this is instantly updated with all participants in the project. The fact that the electrical and mechanical engineers can cooperate in the joint project being updated in real time, brings the design work to the next level,”.
NEW products
A new way to jump-start your design process 98 percent of companies are cooperating with external partners on the conceptual design, but this is time consuming. SOLIDWORKS Mechanical Conceptual ties the parties closely together, reducing development time and costs.
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volving a concept is where SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual really begins to speed up the design process. You can easily capture ideas and design iterations with amazing flexibility directly in a digital model without pre-planning product structure. With the new software, you’re using familiar tools and concepts, so you can focus on ideas, not on the software. On average a conceptual mechanical design goes through six design iterations and typically takes up one-third of the development time for a new mechanical product. With one stroke, SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual removes a lot of the time spent at this stage of the development process. The software ties the company’s design team together with external partners in a common development environment based on robust, secure and intelligent design data that can be accessed anywhere, at any time, by all the project stakeholders. The software also allows them to communicate via well-known social media. “The input you get from the other brilliant minds in your project team is extremely important. They might have a different point of view or knowledge in other areas of the product that could contribute to the idea that has just started to take its first stumbling steps,” says technical consultant Ola Claesson, PLM Group.
Flexible and instinctive development SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual complements SolidWorks 3D CAD with a super flexible and instinctive development environment that combines the advantages of history-based parametric and direct modeling. This enables development, testing and presenting design concepts without the need for a predefined rigid product structure. Moreover, it is possible to perform motion simulations and strength calculations in the 3D model without the need for additional applications. “One of the keys to a streamlined concept process is that you are allowed to work in an environment that gives you the freedom to innovate, without
Ola Claesson, Technical consultant
the obligations to build an assembly structure and save files all around the hard drive. Another key is that you should be able to play around with iterations in a way that you can easily get back to a previous idea and develop it further,” explains Ola Claesson.
Collaboration in the Cloud Cooperation between participants is based on cloud computing, where all participants in the development process have secure access to the latest updated and consolidated data in the cloud. “A concept is a comprehensive and fundamental idea. A concept may also refer to an imaginary solution to a given problem.” Source: Wikipedia
“SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual opens the possibility to all project participants - both internally as well as customers and retailers - to give their feedback on the best path forward. Working in a project team, it is of course vital that you get updated in real time when a team member makes a design change,” says Ola Claesson.
www.plmgroup.eu 5
NEW products
PLM Group places 3D printing on the top of the agenda PLM Group has signed a reseller agreement with the world’s leading supplier of solutions for 3D printing, 3D Systems. PLM Group subsidiary, 3D Printing, will be selling the printers in the Nordics.
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n the beginning of 2015 PLM Group will introduce the entire portfolio of 3D printing solutions from the world’s leading supplier of 3D printing solutions, 3D Systems. PLM Group has established the subsidiary 3D Printing, that will be responsible for sale, con-
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sulting, marketing and support of the products from 3D Systems to the Nordic markets. With over 30 years in the business of 3D printing, 3D Systems is a pioneer that over the years has invented and commercialized some of the most
advanced and widely used 3D printing technologies. Today, 3D Systems offers a very comprehensive range of 3D printers, materials, 3D scanners and software.
NEW pRODuctS
Increased focus on 3D printing “We see a rapidly growing interest among Nordic companies to be able to benefit from the capabilities of 3D printing making it possible for them to bring new and exciting products to the marketplace faster then ever before. the printers from 3D Systems provides companies with fast access to physical prototypes and parts giving them a comprehensive 3D experience of look, feel, and function of their new products. Furthermore, the easeof-use of both the printers and software frees the engineers from technical barriers allowing them to focus their attention on being creative.” explains cEO Jan Lundström, pLM Group, adding: “We perceive 3D printing as a natural supplement to our basis and history within 3D. In the spring we decided that the products have now become technically ready and prices has become acceptable so now the time has come for us to place 3D printing on the top of our agenda.”
Personal and professional 3D printers the printers from 3D Systems range from personal desktop machines to highly sophisticated production solutions. On the software side, 3D Systems delivers solutions in areas such as 3D printing and scanning, free-form modeling and inspection. custom made parts are also offered through the cloud-based service On Demand parts. With the printers it is possible to produce highly detailed and life-like 3D consumer and professional parts as well as assemblies in materials such as plastics, metals, ceramics and edibles. the parts and assemblies can be used by engineers, manufacturers, architects, industrial designers, physicians / pharmaceutical industry as well as virtually any creative dreamer.
www.plmgroup.eu
3D printing of ready made parts the printers from 3D Systems today are being used by many of the world’s leading companies in the automobile and aerospace industry who, at a rapidly growing rate, are producing ready made parts with 3D printing. Also medical applications like personalized surgery and the development of new devices is an area where 3D printing in recent years has gained ground. the same applies to the field of construction and architecture as well as a within a wide range of consumer, electronics and fashion products.
NEW pRODuctS
“Independent studies show that designers use up to 40 percent of their time searching for information. Additionally up to 80 percent of the work carried out in a development project is the same or similar to work carried out on previous developments. With Exalead OnePart this idle time can be significantly reduced or eliminated altogether,” says Technical Consultant Raimo Hemteg, PLM Group.
Raimo Hemteg, technical consultant
Smart reuse of parts saves costly time and creates efficiency Exalead OnePart saves valuable time in the development process by allowing creative use of existing parts. this shortens time-to-market and increases the quality of new products.
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hy spend costly time reinventing the wheel? By using Exalead Onepart from Dassault Systemes SolidWorks to locate and reuse information about existing parts rather than always designing from scratch it is possible to increase both productivity and efficiency in a major way. When it comes to reuse of existing parts and information, companies are often giving up simply because they can not locate them. they are often designed by different people and are scattered around in different systems, so it requires major detective work to find them again. Instead, the companies choose to spend costly and unnecessary time to design the parts again, which directly violates the rapidly growing demand for greater efficiency and higher productivity.
An intelligent search engine Exalead Onepart is an intelligent search engine system, which can ensure the reuse of part designs and the related information. the user-friendly web application allows the designer to look at and compare geometry, volume, weight and characteristics, as well as access hidden information about them. Via a simple query in the application’s search box it is possible to look through the total information that already exists about a specific part. Different categories of employees in the company, such as managers, engineers, technicians and procurement specialists can use Exalead Onepart to easily and quickly find and reuse existing parts,
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product designs and other information that is already possessed by the company. this even applies if the information is not in the obvious pDM or PLM repositories.
Exalead OnePart shortens time-to-market With the search results it is possible to optimize the reuse of parts and associated information, accelerating product development, shortening time-to-market and minimizing unnecessary design time as well as material, manufacturing and storage costs.
Exalead Onepart increases the productivity of the company’s knowledge workers and reduces the cost of education because they can easily and quickly access existing knowledge and apply it into the new framework. the benefits of reuse of existing 2D and 3D information is also derived from the fact that the existing information is usually already robust, proven and quality assured. Re-using with Exalead Onepart can accelerate the ramp-up of new development projects, reduce response and delivery times, increase quality and reduce risks. this all leads to reduced costs and frees up staff for more productive tasks.
Come to see what´s new in SOLIDWORKS 2015 Welcome to SolidWorks 2015 launch events - Inspire Innovation SOLIDWORKS 2015 is coming this October! come and see what’s new in the software, network with other users, and talk to your local pLM Group experts at a SOLIDWORKS 2015 launch event near you. It is an exciting release that helps you speed through your designs with powerful new features, substantial performance boosts, and an enhanced user experience. We’re excited to present SOLIDWORKS® 2015 new features like simplified geometry creation, faster simulation analysis, enhanced cost analysis, and improved integration with downstream processes. SOLIDWORKS 2015 will enable you to jump-start your creativity and Inspire Innovation.
You will learn how to: Improve Your Everyday productivity Optimize Your Work process Reduce Operational costs Solve More Design challenges take maximum out of the new products from SOLIDWORKS like SolidWorks Electrical, 3D printing, SolidWorks Mechanical conseptual, SolidWorks MBD.
Pick up the SolidWorks 2015 event near you and register today: 21.10 21.10 22.10 23.10 23.10
Malmö, Sweden tampere, Finland Roskilde, Denmark turku, Finland Brædstrup, Denmark
23.10 tallinn, Estonia 28.10 Riga, Latvia 05.11 Västerås, Sweden 12.11 Jönköping, Sweden 9
NEW products
Charles Nilsson, Product Marketing Manager
“My opinion is that changing to Drawingless manufacturing is happening now. I can see the products of our 4000 customers becoming more and more complex and costs need to be reduced. This demands better and faster collaboration. We now have tools that are connected to gather information from different sources and store this in a common file. This technology is now available for all types of companies, not only larger companies. Combined with more powerful tablets, laptops and software supporting highly compressed 3D format, there are now no obstacles to perusing this approach. Operations need to start trusting the engineering master model to increase the collaboration.�
Drawingless manufacturing already in 2015? Charles Nilsson, Product Marketing Manager
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here have long been discussions and opinions on skipping the 2D drawings to communicate only with 3D data and connected design data. The benefits can clearly be seen where the 3D model is the master carrying all the needed information throughout the development process while the receivers downstream in the organization get all the information needed. There is no confusion about manufacturing on correct versions and no extra documents/databases/systems that hold crucial information that is frequently the source of errors.
But is this really needed? Why not stick with 2D drawings? Common questions of the concept include: - Are there strong tools that support creating this product definition models in 3D? - Is the communication format usable and can receivers read the information? In 2015 we will see more and more mid-sized companies moving away from 2Drawings and storing the product definition in the form of digital 3D models like Motion Based Definition (MBD) instead. This will save both time and money. 10
NEW pRODuctS
Description of SolidWorks MBD in SolidWorks 2015: SolidWorks MBD enables customers to go drawingless In SOLIDWORKS 2015, a new native plug-in will be available called SolidWorks MBD. Model Base Definition (MBD) is a term coined by the u.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and defines a complete product Definition inside native 3D cAD, which captures Design Intent (3D GD&t, tolerance, Inspection data). this Design Intent is often referred as pMI (product and Manufacturing Information). The concept of MBD is as follows: 1. Establishes 3D cAD model as the master model, including the complete product definition required for all downstream processes including manufacturing. 2. the reuse of 3D Model Based Definition data as opposed to recreation during the product development process. 3. the elimination of costly and redundant 2D Drawings and 2D technical Data packages 4. An affordable 3D MBD deployment method based on open and readily available standards.
SolidWorks MBD quick facts: Separately purchased Add-on for SolidWorks 2015 or later Will enable capturing 3D data and product Manufacturing Information (pMI) through new 3D View functionality customize 3D output templates via the new Live report editor publish data to eDrawings or 3D pDF
the MBD workflow is “Define, Organize, and publish”. Define is where you set up your 3D model, Organize is where you add all the needed manufacturing information, tolerances, BOMs etc,. publish is where you use pre-defined pDM templates to publish your data to the downstream organization to use.
Enable Drawingless Operations With Model Based Design Model Based Enterprise is a fully integrated and collaborative environment founded on 3D product definition detailed and shared across the enterprise
After Sales Sales § marketing Engineering
production
purchasing
3D DATA
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PLM Group Training offering Make the best out of your software by training yourself into a skilled professional
Jacob Lokke, Production Technologist, B & E Steel A/S: ”It was a great course and the money was well spent. Without the course I would have had to use working hours to train myself and I would not have learned about the various functions of SolidWorks as deeply, quickly and thoroughly.“ ”It was really well planned education and not just a teach-yourself course. We learned a lot of basic things about SolidWorks and the teachers were very good both at demonstrating the features of SolidWorks and in helping me to do practical drawings. I would highly recommend others starting to using SolidWorks to participate in a similar course.” “I got a lot of practical and relevant tips and tricks how to get started with CAD software. Without the training, there would still be options and features in SolidWorks I would not have known.”
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here is no doubt that good training pays dividends. At the SolidWorks certified training centre, we believe that the best way to maximize productivity and get the best return on your investment is to ensure your staff is trained properly. Our unique training programs are designed to maximize your success. Whether you are investing in a new cAD system, upgrading your existing system, or are simply increasing the number of cAD engineers in your team, the learning process takes additional time and if this is not structured properly, it can lead to lower productivity. Often more time is wasted trying to fix broken models that were done incorrectly than would have initially been spent on proper training. training is vital for success! pLM Group provides you with fully certified and accredited SolidWorks instructors who are experienced engineers. the focus
of each pLM Group training course is on the fundamental skills and concepts central to the successful use of the soft ware. We also tailor our courses to meet your company’s specific needs and can provide the necessary workstations for the attendees to use at the training sessions. Every person who attends a training course with pLM Group is asked to provide feedback, which we use to help maintain our highest standards. In the past three years 99% of our students have been satisfied with the training they received. Our promise allows you to attend the same training course again, completely free of charge, within a year of the original course date it if you do not feel confident in your ability to use the soft ware properly.
classroom trainings
customized training
Improve your productivity and knowledge of SolidWorks and SolidWorks partner products with certified Instructor led classroom trainings. pLM Group spends considerable resources to ensure that our instructors are the best in class and our offerings are the most comprehensive. Our trainings are delivered at either one of our training facilities or on-site at your company premises. trainings are available in English, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Estonian and Russian.
A customized training option provides the opportunity for your company to receive detailed attention to the learning and development needs specific to your company. pLM Group will work with you to assess the learning needs of your employees and collaborate to prepare development and delivery strategy that meets your needs. Our goal in customization is to build customized content with objectives that are tied to your organization's strategic plan to enhance skills, increase productivity and drive revenue growth.
Learning by doing
Industry specific trainings
Learn the skills required in your Industry Specific courses designed to get the most out of your SolidWorks products and obtain the skills required for the specific industry you are working in. Industry training courses are broken down into three phases - core training, Advanced training and Expert training.
training agreements
Get all-inclusive access to all scheduled trainings A training Agreement is the perfect ongoing training opportunity for both new and existing customers. It is partnership that the company has with pLM Group that shows a company takes seriously the desire to use the software provided to the best effect possible. We love strengthening relationships! With a training Agreement, the company gets inclusive access to all our scheduled trainings. You can access the latest knowledge and get the right conditions to stay ahead of your competitors. this way your educational costs are fixed and under control.
company specific customized training path
A customized training can help you save time and become more and more methodical in the way of working by using pLM Group solutions. You choose whether you want to place the program, in one of our classrooms or at your workplace.
competence Mapping Identify the knowledge level of your team
With our competence mapping service, we will identify the current knowledge of each team member create a customized training scheme for individuals or groups within your company. After the trainings are completed, we validate the team members newly gained knowledge with an examination. What you will get: current status of knowledge within your staff of team members. A tailor made training plan for your users and/or groups of users. SolidWorks certified professional status of your team members. An internal presentation of the overall result.
training benefits: Get certified in SolidWorks Design Better products Increase Efficiency Learn Advance techniques Enhance Design Skills Save time & Money Reduce Frustration Improve Job performance
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Sarlin Furnaces AB
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arlin Furnaces AB is a division of the Finnish Sarlin Group. the company has 30 employees at its offices in Västerås and Gothenburg Sweden. Sarlin Furnaces develops, manufactures, modernizes and services furnaces and delivers accessories used in a wide variety of industrial metallurgical processes.
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Per Lundström, Sales Engineer, Sarlin Furnaces: “Above all, the simulation results constitute a huge advantage to us in the sales process. We can engage our customers deeper with their own processes and develop together solutions that meet their needs for both quantity and quality.” “It is fruitful and profitable for both parties to discuss a solution based on 3D models and simulation results. It is a great way to enter into a dialogue with our customers and their commitment to a development project is a very important sales tool for us” “Simulation brings us much closer to the physical world during the design process. When we compare our solutions to actual physical results, we can see that we have been very accurate in our predictions. This means that we dare to issue promises around new solutions to our customers earlier in the development process.”
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More accurate prediction of physical properties of custom designed industrial furnaces Reduction of errors in development work Better sales documentation
SOLutION: • • •
Design with SolidWorks Simulation with SolidWorks Flow Simulation Management of product information with SolidWorks Enterprise pDM
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Better products closer cooperation with customers during the design process More effective sales processes Fewer design errors Better technical documentation
www.sarlin.se
Strengthening sales and customer relations with SolidWorks Simulation Leveraging Flow Simulation, Sarlin Furnaces AB is able to create better products, boost effective sales communication and work more closely with its customers developing new solutions.
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olidWorks Flow Simulation plays a crucial role in the development of new industrial furnace solutions with the Swedish manufacturer Sarlin Furnaces. By simulating a variety of physical properties, it has become possible to predict how the furnaces will behave in the real world before they are physically constructed while offering precise adaptability to customer requirements.
Simulation as a sales tool “Above all, the simulation results constitute a huge advantage to us in the sales process. using the results of simulations we are able to engage our customers deeper with their own processes and develop solutions together that meet their needs for both quantity and quality,” says sales engineer per Lundström, Sarlin Furnaces. “It is fruitful and profitable for both parties to discuss a solution based on 3D models and simulation results. It is a great way to enter into a dialogue with our customers and their commitment to a development project is a very important sales tool for us,” he explains.
Competitive factor customers usually order new furnaces from Sarlin Furnaces based on a need to increase their capacity, but it is becoming more normal that factors such as
energy savings, smaller carbon Dioxide footprint as well as quality assurance and traceability of products also influence the acquisition of new furnace solutions. In the sales process, Sarlin Furnaces often needs to be able to demonstrate a wide range of properties of its products. In this context SolidWorks Flow Simulation has become very important. the furnaces are designed as 3D models in SolidWorks and then Flow Simulation is used for both analysis and visualization of properties, such as heat flow and transfer as well as heating and cooling time. “using 3D models and simulation has become an increasingly important competitive factor for us, which helps to give us a technical edge over the competition,” says per Lundström.
Design insights drives innovation Normally, new furnaces are developed to meet the customer’s specific needs and Sarlin Furnaces therefore have to develop unique solutions. this means, for example, that it is necessary to test various concepts against each other to find exactly the right concept and design for each project. “Flow Simulation gives us big savings because we discover potential problems earlier, which means
less errors throughout the development process. previously we had to calculate many things manually resulting in both a higher risk of making errors and much less accurate results,” says per Lundström. He adds that 3D modeling and simulation also allows to provide an estimate of both the price of the finished solution and the repayment period earlier in the process: “Simulation brings us much closer to the physical world during the design process. When we compare our solutions to actual physical results, we can see that we have been very accurate in our predictions. this means that we dare to issue promises around new solutions to our customers earlier in the development process.”
Powerful documentation per Lundström also emphasizes that Sarlin Furnaces’ technical documentation of the company’s products has been significantly improved with 3D models and simulation: “We have much better documentation than previously. We can find and re-purpose the files, parts and drawings easily now and we can share design information and automate workflows. If a machine, for example, has a technical problem after 15 years, we have a much better drawing base in our SolidWorks Enterprise pDM-system to easily go back and see what we did when the design was done. this was very difficult in the past.”
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Kvejborg ApS
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he one-man consulting firm Kvejborg was founded in 2009 based in the Danish village Koldby in Northern Jutland. the firm specializes in 3D laser scanning, 3D measurement, Reverse Engineering and robotic solutions. Among the references are major Danish companies FLSmidth, Bang & Olufsen, the Danish Armed Forces and the German aviation giant Lufthansa. Furthermore Kvejborg cooperates with the German scan business Laser Scanning Europe.
cHALLENGES: • Quick and easy access to 3D scanning and importing the scanning data into SolidWorks
• Expensive and complex special software
SOLutION: • Applying the SolidWorks premium module Scanto3D to simple Reverse Engineering tasks
RESuLt: • Easy to communicate with potential customers about 3D scanning
• New business opportunities
www.kvejborg.dk
Soren Kvejborg, CEO: “So far many companies have given up on 3D scanning because of the cost of the special software needed for post processing of the scanning data. However, by using the ScanTo3D module in SolidWorks, they can solve many scan tasks avoiding the costly investment in expensive software dedicated for post processing.”
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Secret in SolidWorks makes 3D-scanning easy and cheap using Scanto3D in SolidWorks premium, it becomes easy and inexpensive to process and use data from 3D scans, but few companies either know or use the capabilities. “My company would not have been where it is today without SolidWorks, and the software has in fact been the foundation for my business. I have not yet come across design tasks I could not solve with SolidWorks. The CAD software also makes it much easier to get into a conversation with potential customers, because they typically know the CAD software on beforehand.” Scanto3D is an integrated module of SolidWorks premium that few companies know about and even fewer actually use. the module makes it much easier to get a cheap jump start using 3D scanning. So far the interest in using 3D scanning among Danish companies has been limited but is now growing quickly as they discover the potential
benefits. At the same time only a few SolidWorks premium users has discovered that they actually can import and process 3D scan data directly in their cAD software, explains Søren Kvejborg, one of the leading specialists in 3D scanning. the last four years Søren Kvejborg has been the owner of the one-man consulting firm Kvejborg ApS, based in the village of Koldby in the Nothern Jutland region of Denmark. Kvejborg ApS specializes in 3D laser scanning and measurement, Reverse Engineering and robotic solutions. the company is also selling 3D scanners, measuring machines and 3D printers as well as specialized software.
Cheaper access to 3D scanning “So far many companies have given up on 3D scanning because of the cost of the special software needed for post processing of the scanning data. By using the Scanto3D module in SolidWorks instead, they can solve many scan tasks while avoiding the costly investment in expensive software dedicated for post processing,” explains Kvejborg. He adds: “If you want to use specialized scanning software, it is necessary to continuously keep both the software and the knowledge about how to use it updated and this is too big an effort for most companies. With the Scanto3D module, they can just use the cAD software they are working with every day instead. that is a huge advantage for them.”
More scanning business Søren Kvejborg is an experienced user of SolidWorks and has been using the cAD system intensely ever since he founded his company. He estimates that 80 percent of Danish companies in design and manufacturing today are using SolidWorks: “My company would not have been where it is today without SolidWorks, and the software has in fact been the foundation for my business. I have not yet come across design tasks I could not solve with SolidWorks. the cAD software also makes it much easier to get into a conversation with potential customers, because they typically know the cAD software on beforehand,” he explains.
Keen interest in 3D scanning and SolidWorks Søren Kvejborg has high expectations that his expertise in using SolidWorks Scanto3D to process data from 3D scans will give his company more business in the future: “When I recently spoke at pLM Group’s introductory conference about SolidWorks 2014, there were only a few of those present who knew anything about Scanto3D, but after my speech there was great interest from many of the participating companies. they approached me to learn more about opportunities in both 3D scanning and the module in the SolidWorks premium,” he says.
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Turku University of Applied Sciences
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astems is headquartered in the Finnish city of tampere with offices worldwide and a total of about 530 employees. the company develops, manufactures and supplies flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) and robot cells that automates the production and finishing processes within metal working companies. Fastems works with all the major suppliers of machine tools and integrates their products into its automation solutions. turku university of Applied Sciences (tuAS ) in located in the Southwestern Finnish town of turku with 9,500 students and 800 teachers. the university’s technology Industry RDI-team offers to participate in research and development projects with companies. Every year about 1,500 students graduates from tuAS majoring in a comprehensive variety of scientific areas.
cHALLENGE:
Jussi Liikkanen, Project Manager, Technology Industry RDI-team, TUAS:
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Jussi Liikkanen, Project Manager, Technology Industry RDI-team, TUAS: “It is very important for us to engage ourselves into these kind of projects with companies to get a picture of what type of engineers and skills businesses are looking for. It gives also valuable information about how we could do adjustments to our education programs.”
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“The project has made it easier for Fastems to find the right employees in the future, because it has given them a great opportunity to meet our students and learn about their skills. The company also gets the opportunity to give their input to our education programmes and raise its profile in the students’ awareness.”
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Fastems needed to demonstrate a fully functional FMS system via a smaller model at trade fairs and exhibitions worldwide
SOLutION: •
• •
project collaboration with tuAS technology Industry RDI-team building the world’s first fully functional scale model of an FMS system SolidWorks and SolidWorks Enterprise pDM were the backbone of the development work using SolidWorks Simulation for both strength calculations and motion study communication via eDrawings and visualizations in photoView 360
RESuLt: • • • •
the development project taught the students to apply their knowledge in practice the model of the working FMS system could be presented at trade fairs worldwide tuAS got input for optimizing their engineering education Fastems had the opportunity to get to know students and their skills and to provide input to the future of engineering education at tuAS
www.tuas.fi
Unique project cooperation between Finnish university and FMS company Finnish university tuAS and the FMS company Fastems have leveraged SolidWorks to develop the world’s first fully funtional scale model of a FMS System.
G
uests at the EMO machine tool exhibition in Hanover and a big metal industry exhibition in Russia last year had the opportunity to watch the world’s first 1:10 scale model of a fully functional flexible manufacturing system (FMS) from the Finnish FMS and robotics company Fastems. the model is the result of a collaboration project between Fastems and the turku university of Applied Sciences (tuAS) technology Industry RDI-team in the Finnish city of turku. Fastems asked the university to develop and produce a scale model, which is an exact copy of one of Fastems’ FMS systems. “It is very important for us to engage ourselves in these kind of projects with companies to get a picture of what type of engineers and the skills businesses are looking for. It also gives valuable information about how we could do adjustments to our education programs,” explains project manager Jussi Liikkanen, tuAS, who has been heading mechanical side of the development project. “the project has made it easier for Fastems to find the right employees in the future, because it has given them a great opportunity to meet our students and learn about their skills. the company also gets the opportunity to give their input to our education programs and raise its profile in the students’ awareness.”
Backbone provided by Enterprise PDM the complete scale model of the FMS system was designed in SolidWorks based on SolidWorks models from Fastems. the students were divided into three teams for project management, development and production. the development team used SolidWorks for mechanical design, simulation and visualization. the backbone of the team’s work has been SolidWorks Enterprise PDM. “the students in the design team used the pDMsystem as their common collaboration tool for accessing project information and communication. the system insured that they always had easy access to the data they needed and that the information was always up to date,” explains Jussi Liikkanen.
Overcoming modeling and technical challenges Like with all 3D cAD systems, it was not possible to just downscale Fastems’ existing SolidWorks models to one tenth of the size, so the students needed to rebuild the 3D scale models of the FMS system and its equipment from scratch. “Fastems’ models were used only as the basis for the students’ design work. the visible parts of course had to look exactly like the original system, but the technical inside of the model is very different from the original and the big challenge was not just modeling but developing techniques to make for instance the mechanical elevator and forklift work properly in such a small scale,” Jussi Liikkanen points out. the result of the development work is a fully functional and lookalike scale model complete with control panel as in Fastems’ commercial systems.
SolidWorks Simulation ensures strength the development team has been doing comprehensive simulations using SolidWorks Simulation to optimize the strength of the structures and simulate motion of the FMS system’s moving parts. “the reason we have been using simulation this intensively was partly because the structures of the scale model are so small that we needed to know if they were solid enough and furthermore to analyze the movements of moving parts of the system,” explains Jussi Liikkanen.
3D printing from SolidWorks models tuAS has used SolidWorks to design the many sheet metal and machined parts that goes into the model. Furthermore a large part of the model consists of 3D printed components and the university has developed and built its own 3D printers as student project that can print components in plastics and plaster respectively based on SolidWorks models. the relatively small 3D printed parts have been glued together to make up the complete structures of the model. photoView 360 was used to produce a series of photorealistic renderings of the model, which has been used for communication with Fastems and later as marketing material. the students have been
using eDrawings and email for the communication between the project management, engineering and manufacturing teams. the communication with Fastems during the project was mainly done by email and telephone occasionally supplemented with meetings at the university.
Looking for partners Jussi Liikkanen describes the cooperation with Fastems as very beneficial for both parties: “Both Fastems and we have been very pleased with the cooperation that has worked very smoothly and is continued,” he says, adding: “We are looking for more development partners. However projects and timetables are challenging, studies are integrated to projects and students are able to work in really challenging projects.”
Reuse of SolidWorks models saves time the students are now in the process of developing additional FMS models for Fastems. the models will have their future residence worldwide and will be used in Fastems marketing work and exhibited at trade fairs. “the development and production of the new models are much easier because we now have all the SolidWorks models from the first project stored in our pDM system and can reuse them. the new models are modified versions of the first model, where the modifications are based on feedback from Fastems and tests of the system,” explains Jussi Liikkanen.
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KWH Mirka Oy Ab
K
WH Mirka Oy Ab with about 1,000 employees was founded in 1943 in Helsinki. today the company is part of the KWH group. the company’s main product is abrasives and in addition the company develops and produces a wide range of world leading power tools for sanding and polishing. today KWH Mirka has subsidiaries in around 15 countries and a turnover of around 200 million EuR.
cHALLENGES: • to reduce the working temperature in an existing electrical sanding machine
• Optimization of air flow was previously based on experience and guesswork rather than on the physical facts
SOLutION: •
Introduction of SolidWorks Flow Simulation in product development
RESuLtS: • Development time of the fan system in the • • •
machine was cut in half Elimination of multiple physical prototypes Substantial cost savings in development work A better product with efficient cooling and greater durability
www.mirka.com
Caj Nordström, Chief Engineer, KWH Mirka Oy Ab: “In certain conditions some users had the experience that one of our electrical sanding machines became too warm during operation so we decided to develop a new and more efficient fan system for the machine. Using SolidWorks Flow Simulation to simulate the air flow through the machine we completed the development project in half the time compared to similar earlier projects and ended up with a much better product.” “The development project has been a great success. We introduced SolidWorks Flow Simulation using few resources. We then simulated the existing design and quickly found multiple locations in the machine where the air flow and thus cooling could be improved. It would have been virtually impossible without simulation.”
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Simulation provides efficient cooling system in half the time Finnish company KWH Mirka has saved a lot of both time and money using SolidWorks Flow Simulation to simulate airflow during the development of a new fan system for an electrical sander. “In certain conditions some users had the experience that one of our electrical sanding machines became too warm during operation so we decided to develop a new and more efficient fan system for the machine. using SolidWorks Flow Simulation to simulate the air flow through the machine, we completed the development project in half the time compared to similar earlier projects and ended up with a much better product.” So says caj Nordström, who is in charge of the development of Mirka’s wide range of worldrenowned power tools for sanding and polishing. the tools are used in connection with the company’s main products which are abrasives for sanding and polishing within for example, automotive, boat and furniture industries as well as a wide variety of other types of settings. KWH Mirka uses SolidWorks to design all its new power tools in 3D and employs three licenses of the cAD-soft ware. the company also uses SolidWorks to design its internal production machinery for abrasives. Effective cooling systems play a key role for both the work environment and the durability of Mirka’s electric tools. Since the machines are often used in prett y warm environments it
is necessary that the cooling systems are very effective so users avoid working with tools that are too hot. previously when Mirka was developing a cooling system for a new machine, the development team based on experience more or less had to guess how to make the most effective design, explains caj Nordström: “It took quite some time and meant that we had to make multiple physical prototypes for testing and verifying the cooling capacity of the system. With SolidWorks Flow Simulation in the latest development project, we could quickly simulate and analyze the air flow and optimize the design without the need for a number of physical prototypes.” caj Nordström estimates that the development of the fan system was completed in half the time compared to previous similar projects, thus being far more cost effective. “the development project has been a great success. We introduced SolidWorks Flow Simulation using few resources. With the soft ware we then simulated the existing design and quickly found multiple locations in the machine where the air flow and thus cooling, could be improved. It would have been virtually impossible without simulation.”
He adds that the development team used a single physical prototype of the new optimized design of the sanding machine to prove that the results from the simulations were accurate and that they resulted in a much more efficient cooling as expected. KWH Mirka also uses SolidWorks Simulation for both static and dynamic calculations of strength during the development of the mechanisms of its random orbital sanders and polishers, where the individual components are constantly exposed to alternating loads. With these simulations, the designs of the mechanisms are optimized both in terms of strength and material consumption. Recently, KWH Mirka has purchased SolidWorks Enterprise pDM to manage all its technical information. the company is in the process of implementing the system in the department for the development of electric tools. “We are implementing the pDM system because we have a growing need to keep track of all of our technical information about products to make sure that we are always using the most recent versions of cAD models and other types of information,” says caj Nordström.
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Phase One
P
hase One specializes in equipment and software for professional digital imaging. the company was founded in 1993 in copenhagen and currently has 120 employees in Denmark. the Israeli subsidiary Leaf and the partially-owned Japanese affiliate Mamiya, brings the combined number of employees to a total of around 250. phase One has subsidiaries in New York, London, cologne, tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney and tel Aviv.
cHALLENGE: • • •
Managing the technical documentation within large international development projects prevent loss of cAD information due to errors during the exchange of files problems surrounding the international implementation of a pDM system
SOLutION: • •
Introduction of a host based pDM solution with HostPLM HostpLM is used to manage all information about physical parts
RESuLt: • • • • •
Reduced development time Effective and accurate communication around design projects both internally and with the Japanese partner plug-n’-play deployment of pLM in Denmark and Japan without the need for extensive external consultancy Secure access to design information and technical documentation around the world prevention of time-consuming and costly losses of design and documentation data
www.phaseone.com
Anders Arvad Raabo, Mechanical Design Engineer, Phase One: “With HostPLM we are able to access our CAD-files and technical documentation no matter where we are geographically. We are able to look at each others’ work while all the storage and sharing of our technical documentation has been completely secured against data loss and corruption.” “We frequently visit our partners and suppliers around the world and in this context it is wonderful that we can access the system no matter where we are.” “The implementation of the system was completely plug-n’-play. We installed one HostPLM Box in Denmark and one with Mamiyai. We actually just sent the box to Japan, installed users and made a little bit of customization, and then we were up and running.” “One of the major advantages of using HostPLM is that the system requires no extra internal IT management resources, due to the fact that it is a host-based solution where PLM Group is responsible for the entire operation of the system.”
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HostPLM streamlines International Development at Phase One professional digital photography technology company phase One has leveraged the power of HostpLM to coordinate its international development with HostpLM. “With HostpLM we are able to access our cAD-files and technical documentation no matter where we are geographically. We are able to look at each others’ work and all the storage and sharing of our technical documentation has been completely secured against data loss and corruption,” explains Anders Arvad Raabo, Mechanical Design Engineer, Phase One.
“We develop everything using SolidWorks. the internal structure of the products are very complex with a vast number of details. In addition to the design work, we also use SolidWorks to vizualize the assembly of the products,” says Anders Arvad Raabo.
the Danish company uses HostpLM from pLM Group to coordinate its international development work carried out in Denmark, Japan and Israel. phase One owns the Israeli Company Leaf that develops and manufactures digital camera backs, and has a large stake in the Japanese camera and lens company Mamiya, which is partnering with phase One in a series of major development projects.
previously cAD files were sent back and forth both locally and internationally by email, and the engineers ran the risk of losing several weeks of work if something went wrong in the process: “With HostpLM, the risk has been completely eliminated and the system ensures that we always have access to the right information. Moreover, we frequently visit our partners and suppliers around the world and in this context it is wonderful that we can access the system no matter where we are,” says Anders Arvad Raabo.
Developed exclusively in SolidWorks
Plug-and-play deployment of HostPLM
phase One has used SolidWorks for 20 years and has three cAD licenses. Leaf and Mamiya each have three licenses and the cAD software is also used for production of all technical documentation of physical parts within the three companies.
A couple of years ago phase One purchased SolidWorks Enterprise pDM and installed the system in Denmark. In a large joint development project with Mamiya, it was imperative that both parties were using the pDM system, but problems coordinating
the international implementation of the system soon emerged. this was partly due to Mamiya using external It consultants who had no experience with implementing the pDM software. the implementation project became too comprehensive. Meanwhile pLM Group launched HostpLM and Anders Arvad Raabo quickly realized that it was an obvious alternative solution for phase One: “the implementation of the system was completely plugn’-play. We installed one HostpLM Box in Denmark and one with Mamiya. We actually just sent the box to Japan, installed users and made a little bit of customization and then we were up and running,” says Anders Arvad Raabo. “It’s fantastic that we can easily create a new user within the system without any help from external consultants.” He also notes that one of the major advantages using HostpLM is that the system requires no extra internal It management resources, due to the fact that it is a host-based solution where pLM Group is responsible for the entire operation of the system.
HostPLM is spreading its wings the initial idea was to use HostpLM to coordinate and manage cAD design work done in SolidWorks, but soon it turned out that the system was also able to handle files associated with the electronic design work carried out in the Electronic cAD system OrcAD. “We started out with two HostpLM licenses, but since then the number has risen to six. All the files that relate to our physical parts, which are both mechanical and electronical parts, are currently handled in the system,” explains Anders Arvad Raabo. He points out that phase One sees great potential for the future use of the system: “until now, we are using HostpLM in a rather primitive way where we do not fully exploit the capabilities of the system. For example, the system makes it possible to streamline our workflows so they become more effective than today. this is one of the areas we are looking into right now,” he says.
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Steel
S
teel ApS, headquartered in the town of Nakskov on the Danish island Lolland was founded in 2004 by the brothers Karsten and Steffen Hovmand. the company employs between 15 and 25 employees in the development, production and assembly of custom solutions designed especially for the treatment of waste water and vacuum sewerage systems. customers are large private companies and public utilities in Denmark. On the Danish market, Steel ApS is representing the German company Bilfinger Water technology specializing in sewerage, wastewater treatment and water treatment as well as Eisenbau - Heilbronn, who are producing rot and biogas tanks.
Steffen Hovmand, CEO, Steel ApS: “In retrospect, we should have introduced SolidWorks several years ago, but we feared the transition from a 2D drawing system to 3D CAD. The fear has turned out to be completely unfounded. Our time savings were massive with more than 50 percent of our development time and has given us a powerful new sales tool that has given us access to new potential customers.” “The CAD software is also an incredibly powerful sales tool because both our existing and potential customers can much more easily grasp the ideas in our solutions when we present them as photo-realistic 3D visualizations. We are emerging as a more professional company and the customers are easier to convince that we can solve the more technically challenging tasks.” “I would strongly recommend that companies attend a basic course when they start using SolidWorks. They can later supplement with advanced courses if required. SolidWorks is a very comprehensive system that can solve a great variety of tasks.” 24
cHALLENGES: • too long development cycle • Better sales tools to demonstrate the ability to solve complex development tasks
• Risk of inconsistency in production drawings as a result of customer requests for changes
• Need for simulation of structures in order to optimize them
SOLutION: • Introducing SolidWorks premium • use of simulation with SolidWorks premium • 3D visualizations with photoView 360 as an efficient sales tool
RESuLt: • Development time reduced by more than 50 percent
• Improved quality and consistency of production drawings
• Improved access to potential new customers with 3D visualization
• Overall improvement of the company’s professional image
www.steel-engineering.dk
Development speed doubled and access to new customers improved Implemention of SolidWorks reduces Danish forging company Steel ApS development time by more than 50 percent while also gaining new customers with more advanced tasks. “In retrospect, we should have introduced SolidWorks several years ago, but we feared the transition from a 2D drawing system to 3D cAD. the fear has turned out to be completely unfounded. We’ve got huge time savings of more than 50 percent of our development time and have also gotten a great new sales tool that has given us access to new potential customers,” explains cEO Steffen Hovmand from industrial forging company Steel ApS in Nakskov. the company is utilizing SolidWorks premium to create customized solutions within machines and equipment for waste water treatment and vacuum sewerage. Still, more than two thirds of revenue is generated from tasks like forging solutions for industry, plumbing, galleries, technical equipment for specialized solutions and renovation tasks.
Internal and external benefits with 3D CAD Steel ApS implemented SolidWorks well over a year ago and is now using 3D cAD software internally for development and production and not least externally in its marketing work. “Internally, SolidWorks helped to give our employees better overview and a much better understanding of our designs, helping to increase productivity,” Steffen Hovmand explains. “the cAD software is also an incredibly powerful sales tool because both our existing and potential customers can much more easily grasp the ideas in our solutions when we present them as photo-
realistic 3D visualizations. We are emerging as a more professional company and the customers are more easily convinced that we can solve the more technically challenging tasks,” adds Hovmand. Steel ApS mainly uses SolidWorks to develop welded sheet metal and tubing structures in steel and aluminum. In addition, the company uses the simulation module in premium to test the strength of the structures and optimize them, which according to Steffen Hovmand, has greatly contributed to the significant time savings in development work.
Easy to make customer changes in SolidWorks As Steel ApS specializes in customized solutions, it is quite often necessary to make changes in the structures based on special customer requests, explains Steffen Hovmand: “this gives us the really big time savings. the cAD software has made it both easy and quick to make customer changes in structures. When we previously made changes we risked losing the texture of the subscription base. Now everything is updated and consistent because the changes automatically are reflected in the entire 3D model.” In the Danish marketplace, Steel ApS represents two German companies specializing in equipment for sewage treatment and biogas equipment. Steel ApS often uses 3D files downloaded from the two companies directly as part of its designs in SolidWorks and this also saves development time.
Basic SolidWorks training is a great idea Design work at Steel ApS is mainly conducted by Steffen Hovmand. He emphasizes that the cAD software is both easy to get started with and very easy to use in everyday life. Last year he participated in a basic SolidWorks training course conducted by pLM Group. He points out that the course has greatly contributed to the company’s quick and large benefits from using the cAD software. “I strongly recommend that companies take a basic course, when they start using SolidWorks. they can then supplement with advanced courses when required. It is a very broad system that can solve a variety of tasks,” he says.
Effective CAD hotline Steel ApS has also chosen to subscribe to the hotline assistance explains Steffen Hovmand: “At first I was skeptical, but we’ve had incredibly positive experience being able to call pLM Group if we encountere problems we could not solve ourselves. We have immediately received highly qualified help or we are guided on to other specialists who can help us. this has contributed to our time savings,” he stresses. After the introduction of SolidWorks, Steel ApS has invested in a cNc controlled plasma cutting system that cuts based on files retrieved from the cAD software. “this has optimized our production further and ensured high accuracy and good quality of the parts,” says Steffen Hovmand.
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DECK Engineering
D
EcK Engineering with 10 employees based in the Estonian capital tallinn was founded in 2013 as an engineering consulting company. the company is focused on providing solutions and consulting services in the field of engineering for development and production companies worldwide and with the goal to become a strategic partner for its customers. DEcK Engineering is sharing innovation and know-how with the company E-profiil, which employs 245 employees in tallinn with the production of large and complex steel structures and equipment for offshore oil and gas industry and the energy sector. the main customers are located in Norway but the export goes to Nederland and Germany as well. products are shipped worldwide.
cHALLENGES: • Increase the efficiency in development and
Alar Jõgi, project engineer and CAD administrator, DECK Engineering and E-Profiil: “The efficiency in new projects has improved by 10-15 percent and in copying existing projects the efficiency gain is between 20 and 40 percent, which allows E-Profiil to take in more projects. Parts and assemblies that have been used before are much more simple to reuse and for instance the time savings copying project data and changing metadata are significant.” “Although we only recently have implemented SolidWorks Enterprise PDM, we already see the great advantages of having all information centralized in one place and in the fact that the information is always completely updated and consistent. This makes it much faster for us to start up new projects.”
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production of equipment for the offshore oil and gas and energy sectors • Better forecasting and management of product quality
SOLutION: • comprehensive implementation of SolidWorks and SolidWorks Enterprise pDM
• the use of simulation for both complex stress calculations and the handling of very large steel structures • use of cAD to optimize the allocation of existing production areas • using simulation to detect possible quality problems early in the development process
RESuLt: • Significant time savings and efficiencies in the development and production projects
• Much easier to handle large and complex physical products using simulation of movements
• use of production areas are optimized significantly through the use of 3D cAD models combined with a virtual factory model • product quality is improved using both simulation in the early development stages and comparison of the virtual 3D cAD models with laser scanned images of the physical product
www.deck.ee
SolidWorks boosts complex offshore and energy projects DEcK Engineering and offshore and energy company E-profiil improve development and production of steel structures with 3D cAD and simulation.
t
he newly established Estonian engineering consulting firm DEcK Engineering works closely with its partner E-profiil on Epc projects (Engineering, procurement and construction). the projects are related to advanced development and production of offshore equipment for oil and gas as well as other energy-related projects and products. E-profiil specializes in the manufacture of very large steel structures and equipment for the offshore oil and gas industry.
SolidWorks: The natural CAD/PDM solution the two companies also cooperate very closely around the cAD and pDM, which has achieved significant efficiency gains with SolidWorks and SolidWorks Enterprise pDM. DEcK Engineering has recently implemented the pDM system and now E-profiil too has started to implement the system. Alar Jõgi, who is employed as a project engineer in DEcK Engineering is also serving as common cAD administrator for the two companies. Mr. Jõgi tells of their cAD usage: “Last year when we founded DEcK Engineering, we were looking for a cAD system that could increase our efficiency in development projects. A few years ago E-profiil had replaced its existing 2D cAD system with SolidWorks from pLM Group. Furthermore, the cAD software is widely used and we reckoned that
we could get good support from pLM Group, which made the well integrated solutions from SolidWorks and pLM Group the natural choice.” DEcK Engineering currently has five licenses of SolidWorks and six Enterprise pDM licenses. the cAD software is used for mechanical design and 3D modeling, simulation of manufacturing and handling processes, stress analysis, Epc projects and to develop solutions for manufacturing of products such as jigs, fixtures and supports as well as doing factory layout. DEcK Engineering’s 10 engineers are also doing conceptual 3D visualizations based on customer sketches, study projects and feasibility studies.
Expanded project capacity At E-profiil, who has 15 SolidWorks licenses, the measurable benefits using the solution are very obvious. “the efficiency in new projects has improved by 10-15 percent and in copying existing projects the efficiency gain is between 20 and 40 percent, which allows E-profiil to take in more projects,” explains Jõgi: “parts and assemblies that have been used before are much more simple to reuse and for instance the time savings copying project data and changing metadata are significant.” Alar Jõgi emphasizes that DEcK Engineering has already achieved significant gains by using SolidWorks. “By using SolidWorks we have even gained a number of additional advantages we
had not foreseen when we implemented the cAD software. this for instance applies to simulation, which makes it possible for us to detect any space problems relating to both production and physical handling of the often very large structures.”
Improved product quality In addition, E- profiil has increased the quality of its products because problems are detected earlier in the development process and also because the actual physical products can be compared to the 3D models using inspection with 3D laser scanning. the 3D-models from the cAD software makes it possible to simulate the allocation of production areas in a virtual factory model to optimize production space for both existing and new tasks. As the products already exist as 3D models, E-profiil can simulate the complex physical handling of the often very large structures and use the 3D models for the design of jigs, supports and fixtures. Alar Jõgi stresses that DEcK Engineering is very interested in getting in touch with particularly Danish and Norwegian offshore oil and gas as well as energy companies: “Although we are working very closely with E-profiil, we already perform projects with a number of other companies within our areas of expertise and our efficient use of our well integrated SolidWorks cAD, simulation and pDM solution allows us to look for even more partners.”
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