Swedish design professor Olaf Diegel has created an unusual marriage between rock guitars and 3D-printing.
SOLIDWORKS 2016 IS COMING
News and success stories
Join us into the next level of engineering and production From a design perspective, each of the previous two stages presented a revolution in how to create drawings and later 3D models. Engineering 4.0 is all about using the 3D models for collaboration and automation within the whole company. Imagine one tightly integrated value chain from procurement to sales working with the same 3D models that are instantly updated, everywhere. Imagine the new opportunities for collaboration around product development, for shorter time to market, for agile operations and for reduction in mistakes and waste. A number of software and concepts exist on the market supporting and enabling Engineering 4.0. Our main software partner SOLIDWORKS offers a comprehensive suite of products and since the beginning of this year; we have added Anark as a strategic supplier within Model Based Enterprise (MBE). A series of webinars about Model Based Definition (MBD) and Model Based Enterprise (MBE) have attracted a massive amount of interest.
Have you heard about Engineering 4.0? For two decades, developing design capabilities for customers has been PLM Group´s main contribution within engineering. We were in fact born into the emerging Engineering 3.0 with 3D CAD, which happened when the digital age in mid-90’s evolved into the information age of today. Helping our customers to develop better products faster is and will always be an essential part of our DNA. Having that said, I am convinced of that Engineering 4.0 will have at least as high impact on our customers as the 2D and later the 3D CAD had – and on our business as well.
3D printing is a natural physical extension of digital 3D models. Since the beginning of the year, we are carrying the complete product program from 3D Systems. We have noticed a rapidly growing interest among our customers, in particular with metal printers being a hot topic. The Nordic and Baltic countries are lagging a few years behind the major European countries, Russia, some Asian countries and the US in adopting both the technology for rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing. We enable you to catch up. During our SOLIDWORKS 2016 launch events we will be demonstrating a lot of new features and functions in our existing product portfolio. In this new exciting release you will see how to make great design happen.
Hope to see you at one of our launch events! Jan Lundström, CEO
Content Join us into the next level of engineering and production
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SOLIDWORKS transforms a lump of clay for modeling of surfaces
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DriveWorks delivers full documentation in minutes rather than days
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Groundbreaking camera for anglers created with SOLIDWORKS and 3D printing
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Jan Lundström, CEO byBO design
LBH Internationel A/S
MOEF A/S
SOLIDWORKS assists recruitment of well-qualified job candidates
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3D printing conquers rock music
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SOLIDWORKS Plastics streamlines the development of natural gas meters
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Successful PDM solution with tightly knit integration of electrical and mechanical CAD
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SOLIDWORKS and simulation help to optimally exploit wind power
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PDM delivers total control with vast amounts of product data
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OÜ Ten Twelve
Olaf Diegel, Professor of product development at Lund University
Flonidan A/S
HTC Sweden AB
Solid Wind Power A/S Swegon ILTO
byBO design
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yBO design with headquarters in the Swedish countryside town of Vetlanda in the Smaaland region, has four employees. The company is founded and owned by Bo Ekström, who is the fourth generation in a Smaalandian family of furniture makers and designers. Among other products, Bo has designed the world-renowned changing table Vegga and the sister product Nathi. The company’s most recent work has been the development of a series of furniture for the disabled.
CHALLENGES: • •
Construction of advanced free-form surfaces Avoid manual reworking of physical prototypes
SOLUTION: •
Introduction of Power Surfacing for SOLIDWORKS
RESULT:
Bo Ekström, founder and owner, byBO design: “I use SOLIDWORKS for all my design tasks. From a designer’s point of view, the program has a number of superior features. This includes the possibility to give a lifelike 3D experience of the ideas and products both to myself and to our customers. The visualizations are very professional while at the same time they are 100 percent exact.” “With Power Surfacing I can work entirely freely with surfaces and curves, as if I was working with a lump of clay, without being bound by existing geometries. It will eventually mean that I no longer have to do manual finishing of the parts.”
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• • •
Reduced development time Opportunity for development of parts and structures with more complex shapes Total CAD design of parts with highly complex surfaces
www.bybodesign.se
SOLIDWORKS transforms a lump of clay for modeling of surfaces Swedish design company byBo design has set the course for the future with Power Surfacing for SOLIDWORKS. The software offers completely new possibilities for the design of products with advanced surfaces.
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ince 1995, SOLIDWORKS has been an indispensable daily working tool for the Swedish industrial designer Bo Ekström, who is the founder of the company byBo design. He has now supplemented SOLIDWORKS with the application PowerSurfacing from PLM Group, which gives him unprecedented possibilities to develop even more sophisticated design solutions. Bo Ekström has made his name well known with the changing table Vegga designed back in the 1980’s. The changing table is a furniture classic that has sold more than 700,000 pieces. Vegga is made from sheet metal and subsequently he has designed the Nathi changing table, which is a form pressed beechwood design. Over the years, he has performed a wide range of design projects ranging from industrial products to factory layout and furniture for urban spaces such as lamps and benches.
Superior visualization with SOLIDWORKS “I use SOLIDWORKS for all my design tasks. From a designer’s point of view, the program has a number of superior features. This includes the possibility to give a lifelike 3D experience of the ideas and products both to myself and to our customers. The visualizations are very professional and at the same time they are 100 percent exact,” explains Ekström. He also points out that SOLIDWORKS allows him to work iteratively back and forth with his ideas to try out different solutions and design expressions. This allows him to arrive at solutions that can be produced optimally while fulfilling the requirements for costs, beautiful design and strength.
PowerSurfacing releases creativity
Furniture for the disabled
Bo Ekström has chosen to invest in Power Surfacing because from time to time he meets limitations in SOLIDWORKS when it comes to the construction of highly complicated free-form surfaces and curvatures for molded wood and plastic parts. Sometimes he needs to produce physical prototypes and do the final finishing of them manually with sandpaper to achieve the perfect look, feel and function. Afterwards he brings the final design back into SOLIDWORKS. “With Power Surfacing I can work entirely free with surfaces and curves, as if I was working with a lump of clay, without being bound by existing geometries. It will eventually mean that I no longer have to do manual finishing of the parts,” he stresses.
“Disabled people are currently confined to the use of hospital furniture simply because beautiful and welldesigned products for their homes do not exist. This is what we are developing now,” says Ekström.
Bo Ekström explains that today he makes strength calculations both in SOLIDWORKS and by hand, but that he is seriously considering purchasing SOLIDWORKS Simulation to make more advanced simulations: “It will probably be my next investment,” he says.
The latest project from byBO design is the development of a series of disability-friendly furniture for a French organization of parents of disabled children and French state institutions for the disabled.
Initially the furniture includes a changing table with integrated bathtub as well as a bed. The requirement is, in addition to beautiful design, that the furniture must be extremely flexible in adapting to the disabled children and their parents’ varying needs to provide easy access to handle the children. The prototypes of the furniture is almost ready for display and demonstration.
Read more about Power Surfacing
https://plmgroup.eu/products/software/power-surfacing/
LBH International A/S Erik Pedersen, Technical Manager, LBH International A/S: “When we press the button, it takes only a few minutes until all documents are ready for use in production and sales, and everything is in an extremely professional quality. During one morning I have been able to very easily generate about 150 main drawings with the accompanying detailed drawings. Previously, it could take up to a day’s work to generate the same documents for only one product.” “Without DriveWorks, we would be producing just a fraction of all the drawings we generate now, which also means that we have been able to hire more technical designers to do the drawing work. In addition, the time to process the casework has been significantly reduced. When our sales people are calling with customers, they can promise to send them the offer with drawings and prices within 15 minutes.” “A further benefit to customers is that we always send uniform drawings, so when we meet with them, we seem more credible. When dealers or customers are questioning if we, as a relatively small company, can handle the large volume of inquiries, it is now easy for us to guarantee that we can handle even very large amounts of both inquiries and actual orders.” “Our rate of errors has been greatly reduced because far fewer human hands and computer keystrokes are mixed up in the process and we almost never make mistakes, for example, when we are cutting parts with laser based cutters.” 6
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BH International A/S was founded in the Funen island town of Kerteminde in 1985. The company’s 40 employees develop and produce industrial compensators. The products are manufactured in rubber, different types of tissues and increasingly stainless steel, which especially is demanded by the export markets. LBH International AS’s production takes place in Denmark and Poland and furthermore LBH International A/S is a partner in two joint venture companies based in India and China.
CHALLENGES: • Slow production of technical and sales documentation
• Uneven quality of technical and sales documentation
• Eliminating errors caused by multiple entering of the same data
SOLUTION: • Implementing SOLIDWORKS • Using DriveWorks for automated configuration and production of all technical and sales documentation
RESULT: • Documentation to production and offers are produced within minutes instead of days
• Significant cost savings following full automation of calculations and drawing production
• Better quality of production base and offers • Faster reaction time for delivery of offers and prices
• Possibility to expand automation of technical documentation generation and offers into new product areas
www.lbhint.com
DriveWorks delivers full documentation in minutes rather than days LBH International A/S has implemented DriveWorks to automate the generation of all technical and sales documentation delivering significant time and cost savings as well as improved quality in its production of steel compensators.
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anish company LBH International A/S has automated the generation of both its technical and sales related documentation with DriveWorks. All technical drawings, static calculations, production papers and offers for new round steel compensators are now created automatically with just a few entries in the customized DriveWorks user interface, programmed by the company itself. Previously, it could take up to one day to generate these documents. Following the introduction of DriveWorks, the full documentation for a specific case is generated in only a few minutes.
Professional documentation with DriveWorks
The company manufactures compensators for industrial use in steel, rubber and tissue materials. DriveWorks is now used for configuring round steel compensators where the system handles more than 20,000 variants. The next step will be to enter the other product types into the system to effectively manage all the company’s product types.
LBH International A/S’s calculation standards for round steel compensators has been added to DriveWorks. Using these standards the static calculations for all variants are performed, and the selected materials, geometries and shapes are shown statically via the user interface. When statics and design fits the given application, the product configurator exports the data to SOLIDWORKS, which generates the desired 3D models from a master model where all the geometrical dependencies are defined. After receiving the data, SOLIDWORKS generates main drawings, detailed drawings, static strength calculations, and control documents, and not least, they offer documents to customers with both technical information and prices.
“When you have been sitting for a long time drawing the same thing over and over again in the CAD system, you begin to wonder if it could be done easier. PLM Group explained to me that it could be done easily by adding DriveWorks to SOLIDWORKS,” says technical director Erik Pedersen, LBH International A/S.
“When we press the button, it takes only a few minutes until all documents are ready for use in production and sales, and everything is in an extremely professional quality. During one morning I have been able to very easily generate about 150 main drawings with the accompanying detailed drawings. Previously, it could take up to a day’s work to generate the same documents for only one product,” says Erik Pedersen.
Fewer errors and higher quality DriveWorks has not only offered vast time savings but the quality of both technical documentation and the production base has been greatly improved. The company previously used 2D, and in recent years 3D CAD, to design the round steel compensators, while the static calculations were done in an Excel spreadsheet. Now the possibility for errors due to double data entries in different systems has been eliminated, explains Erik Pedersen: “Our rate of errors has been greatly reduced because far fewer human hands and computer keystrokes are mixed up in the process and we almost never make mistakes, for example, when we are cutting parts with laser based cutters.”
DriveWorks provides significant economic benefit According to Erik Pedersen the introduction of DriveWorks has also resulted in significant economic gains in terms of savings: “To produce just a fraction of the drawings we generate now, without DriveWorks we would have been forced to hire more technical designers to do the drawing work. In addition, the time to process the casework has been significantly reduced. When our sales people are calling with customers, they can promise to send them the offer drawings and prices within 15 minutes,” Erik Pedersen says, adding: “A further benefit to customers is that we always send uniform drawings, so when we meet with them, we seem more credible. When dealers or customers are questioning if we, as a relatively small company, can handle the large volume of inquiries, it is now easy for us to guarantee that we can handle even very large amounts of both inquiries and actual orders.” The use of DriveWorks at LBH International A/S will be continuously developed and expanded, explains Erik Pedersen: “DriveWorks has become the focal point for us. It is the system that both sales people and technicians need to log in to make offers and drawings and whatever else they need.”
Want to know how you can sell customized products faster and more profitable than your competitors? Read more https://plmgroup.eu/business-solutions/automation/ 7
MOEF A/S
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esign and innovation company MOEF A/S was founded in 2001 in Copenhagen and currently has nine employees engaged in design and product development. In addition to collaborating with a number of leading Danish companies MOEF has for the first time developed a product marketed under its own brand name. This is the unique and international award winning underwater camera for anglers called Water Wolf. The camera, which was launched last year, has already sold 30,000 copies worldwide.
CHALLENGES: • Development of a new and unprecedented type of
Martin Holmberg, partner, MOEF A/S:
underwater camera
• Design a camera that moves steadily through the water with long battery life
• Compact, waterproof and robust design
SOLUTION:
“We would not have been able to develop Water Wolf without using SOLIDWORKS. The CAD software has played a crucial role in order to arrive at a design that works in practice. SOLIDWORKS also enabled a design that has been granted two design patents.”
• Manufacturing of wooden prototypes • Design in SOLIDWORKS from concept to finished
”It was great to use SOLIDWORKS because you can directly see how much the material weighs and how much air is inside and therefore its buoyancy. During this phase of the project, we also printed a number of CAD models with our 3D printers and tested them to move steadily closer to the final shape.”
• Easy and fast communication in 3D with Chinese
product
• Use of 3D printed models
RESULT: • A unique and groundbreaking underwater camera for anglers
“SOLIDWORKS has been a super powerful tool for us. The great advantage during the development project has been that everything is kept inside the program and all drawings fit. With the CAD software we can see if all the parts we are creating, fit completely together, look good and will work in practice. Furthermore, we have had a lot of very effective communication with the Chinese firms via 3D STEP files and we produced the whole basis for our 3D printing of prototypes in the CAD system.” 8
manufacturers
• Prestigious awards at leading trade fair for anglers
www.moef.dk
Groundbreaking camera for anglers created with SOLIDWORKS and 3D printing SOLIDWORKS has played a key role in development of the revolutionary and award winning Danish underwater camera Water Wolf.
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he unique underwater camera Water Wolf has made it possible for anglers to follow the drama that unfolds under the water when fishing. The Danish design and innovation company MOEF A/S has developed the camera, which in a short time has attracted immense international attention. The camera debuted at one of the world’s largest angler fairs, EFTTEX, in Belgium last year when it was granted with the three most important awards “Innovation of the Year”, “Visitor’s Choice” and “Best Accessory.” The response was phenomenol and the first 30,000 cameras are already sold to dealers. Martin Holmberg, who is one of the four partners behind MOEF, explains the importance of SOLIDWORKS in the development project. “We would not have been able to develop Water Wolf without using SOLIDWORKS. The CAD software has played a crucial role in order to arrive at a design that works in practice. SOLIDWORKS also enabled a design that has been granted two design patents.”
Brand new design concept It all started with an idea from one of the partners who is an avid angler. He was interested to see what is really going on under the water when he practices his hobby and why fish take the bait or not. Therefore he got the idea that it might be possible to use a small camera mounted on the fishing line. This type of cameras did not exist on beforehand and MOEF decided to develop a completely new concept for a small and efficient underwater camera. It was made easier because MOEF was already cooperating with the company Svendsen Sport, a Danish venture in the angling industry. “We introduced the idea to them and suggested that they would be responsible for sales and they were positive, so we started the development project,” says Martin Holmberg. The development work started with about 20 prototypes. It was weighted, 3D printed models that were thrown into the water to see how they behaved when being dragged through the water. MOEF then bought a number of small cameras and did a lot of additional tests to get the shape of the camera body in place. The challenge was to find a design that ensured that the camera was moving steadily through the water and had the right buoyancy.
Proof-of-concept in SOLIDWORKS “At the same time we began to draw up the camera in SOLIDWORKS, where we made some pretty simple geometries to create proof-of-concept, so we had a basis to build on”, tells Martin Holmberg. After the introductory exercises were over, MOEF started with more detailed design in SOLIDWORKS. The camera should have the right spatial density so it would float in the correct manner. It had to be hollow, should not float too easily and this should be compared with the weight that later would be put into the camera body. At the same time it was important to take into consideration to make the electronics shock proof to avoid damage caused by the contact with the water.
Effective 3D printing “It was great to use SOLIDWORKS because you can directly see how much the material weighs and how much air is inside therefore also knowing its buoyancy. During this phase of the project, we also printed a number of CAD models with our 3D printers and tested them to move steadily closer to the final shape,” adds Martin Holmberg. After a longer selection process, a Chinese company was chosen as supplier of the camera electronics. Later another Chinese company produced a blow moulding tool, which was used to produce 25 housings with built-in cameras for testing purposes. At this stage it turned out that there were problems with resistance to water pressure and MOEF then acquired a special apparatus to pressure test the cameras under loads corresponding to the pressure caused by operation in quite deep waters. “We got some cameras back where the lens was made from a different material than the camera body, and it turned out that water penetrated into the housing around the lens. Therefore, we decided that the house and the lens had to be produced in the same plastic material and in this way reached a design that is waterproof to 300 meters depth,” says Martin Holmberg. The Water Wolf camera is currently produced by the same Chinese company, and the cooperation has been swift and seamless.
Simple solutions gives long battery life MOEF has chosen a sensor with a relatively low resolution to increase the camera’s sensitivity to light. The camera records still in HD format, even if it’s not full HD, but underwater, this has no practical significance. “We have made the camera as simple as possible. It’s just an on / off button and the movies are recorded on an SD card. It can film up to four hours which is not the case with any other underwater camera. We have avoided unnecessary features that drains the energy from the battery, and this has proven to be a crucial parameter for the customers. They tell us that it is essential to them, being able to film for a long time,” explains Martin Holmberg.
SOLIDWORKS is a powerful tool “SOLIDWORKS has been a super powerful tool for us. The great advantage during the development project has been that everything is kept inside the program and all drawings fit. With the CAD software we can see if all the parts we’re creating fit completely together, look good and will work in practice. Furthermore, we have had a lot of very effective communication with the Chinese firms via 3D STEP files and we produced the whole basis for our 3D printing of prototypes in the CAD system,” explains Martin Holmberg. MOEF is now in full swing with the development of an updated version of the camera as well as a variety of different types of mounting brackets for example, horizontal or vertical mounting on the line. Until now, the company cooperates with a number of fishermen who are testing several prototypes of the camera and brackets.
How you can save lots of time and money on prototypes or manufacturing. Read more https://plmgroup.eu/3d-printers/ 9
OÜ Ten Twelve Jukka Halttunen, CEO and Tarmo Härmaorg, partner, OÜ Ten Twelve: “SOLIDWORKS has provided us with a very flexible platform that enables our industrial designers and engineers to work together very effectively. The CAD system has made it possible for us to closely collaborate and standardize our processes so that one team member can easily continue the task where the other colleague left off.” “One of the main reasons why we opted for SOLIDWORKS was that the educational institutions in Estonia mostly use this software. Hence, we have a wider choice of qualified candidates when hiring new employees and they can start working effectively much more quickly as at least software wise, much less training is required.” “The simulation software enables us to test and validate our designs. We optimize the designs, but at the same time we are able to reduce the number of prototypes necessary.” “During the last few years we have mostly designed small electronic home appliances. Both SOLIDWORKS and eDrawings are really good tools for visual communication in such projects.”
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stonian product development company Ten Twelve, headquartered in Tallin, was founded in 2004. The company currently has 18 employees working with design and development of new and often complex products, especially for Estonian and Finnish customers. Over the past 10 years, Ten Twelve has developed products for various industries ranging from defense systems to consumer electronics and laboratory equipment. Their product portfolio includes systems for border surveillance as well as for example the system which ensures that a stove never catches fire.
CHALLENGES: • Implementing a common 3D CAD platform • Finding tools for conducting simulations • Streamlining of processes and workflows
SOLUTION: • Implementation of SOLIDWORKS and SOLIDWORKS Simulation Professional
RESULT: • • • • • •
Streamlined cooperation between team members from different backgrounds and disciplines More standardized processes makes it easier to share the workflow between team members Better qualified team because of wider choice of candidates Better visual communication abilities Smoother cooperation with customers, subcontractors and manufacturing Ability to test and validate new designs reduces the need for physical prototypes
www.tentwelve.ee
SOLIDWORKS assists recruitment of well-qualified job candidates SOLIDWORKS is the most widely used CAD software, allowing product development company OÜ Ten Twelve to find highly qualified prospective employees. SOLIDWORKS. The choice was pretty obvious for technical reasons but also because SOLIDWORKS is widely used in Estonia, explains Jukka Halttunen, CEO of Ten Twelve: “One of the main reasons why we opted for SOLIDWORKS was that the educational institutions in Estonia mostly use this software. Hence, we have a wider choice of qualified candidates when hiring new employees and they can start working effectively much more quickly as at least software wise, much less training is required. Moreover, it has been crucial for us that a large portion of our customers and subcontractors also work in SOLIDWORKS. Using the same software makes both the workflow and communication around our development projects easier and quicker.”
Simulation of strength and temperature
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stonian product development company Ten Twelve has streamlined its internal processes by using SOLIDWORKS. Its team of industrial designers and mechanical engineers use the 3D CAD software in combination with SOLIDWORKS Simulation to develop even more technically advanced solutions for its customers, particularly within the consumer electronics industry. “SOLIDWORKS has provided us with a very flexible platform that enables our industrial designers and engineers to work together very effectively. The CAD system has made it possible for us to closely collaborate and standardize our processes so that one team member can easily continue the task where the other colleague left off,” explains Tarmo Härmaorg, who is one of the partners in the product development company. “In addition, during the design phase, the casing, features and surfaces can easily be adjusted if the electronic components or mechanical aspects make design changes necessary during the development process.”
SOLIDWORKS Simulation Professional plays a key role in Ten Twelve’s development work. The software is used for strength calculations as well as heat flow simulations to optimize new products. “The simulation software enables us to test and validate our designs. We optimize the designs, but at the same time are able to reduce the number of prototypes necessary,” explains Tarmo Härmaorg. In a number of recent development projects the software has been used for simulating and analysing the heat flow for cooling. The example here is a newly developed LED lamp, where SOLIDWORKS Simulation was used to obtain the optimal design for the cooling surfaces.
design process was to achieve a design combining maximum robustness with the lowest possible material consumption.
SOLIDWORKS is ideal for communications SOLIDWORKS plays a very important role in the communication with customers, subcontractors and production during development projects where the 3D models from SOLIDWORKS are used for vizualizing new design concepts. The company uses sequential screenshots, PhotoView 360 and eDrawings as visualization tools in the decision making process with partners and clients around the design of their new products: “During the last few years we have mostly designed small electronic home appliances. Both SOLIDWORKS and eDrawings are really good tools for visual communication in such projects,” explains Jukka Halttunen. Ten Twelve has developed a system to manage the cooperation in SOLIDWORKS between designers and engineers. Tarmo Härmaorg explains that the company is considering the introduction of SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM to streamline the process further. ”We are growing very fast, and in addition to our 18 employees we also work with freelancers, so we will probably acquire a PDM system over the next few years,” he says.
In another recent project, Ten Twelve has used simulation to optimize the design of battery cabinets for uninterruptible power systems (UPS). The cabinets consists of around 50 sheet metal parts and the goal of applying simulation in the
Easy to find candidates with SOLIDWORKS skills The first couple of years after the company was founded in 2004, Ten Twelve used different CAD systems. It was in 2007 when they decided to implement a new common CAD platform and after comparing different CAD systems, Ten Twelve chose
How you can be better and faster at transforming new ideas into great products? Read more
https://plmgroup.eu/business-solutions/design/
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3D printing conquers New Zealand born Swedish design professor Olaf Diegel has created an unusual marriage between
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rock music rock guitars and 3D-printing.
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t is now possible, for both professionals and aspiring rock guitarists, to buy a totally unique 3D printed electric guitar. The look of these guitars has not even been imaginable so far, and they could not have been produced using the traditional methods for manufacturing musical instruments. Behind this meeting between rock music and the high technology embodied in the guitars is Olaf Diegel, who is professor of product development at Lund University in the southern part of Sweden. “Guitars are just a hobby. My real work is in the product development of, for example, medical devices and security products. I am using technologies, such as 3D printing and additive manufacturing for the production of prototypes, and in some cases also finished products. I have no natural eye for designing, so I’ll often pick the primary inspiration for my guitar designs from nature,” he explains. He also mentions classic rock guitars like the Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster and Gibson Les Paul as sources of inspiration. The reason for Olaf Diegel’s guitar hobby is a lifelong romance with rock music. For many years he has been playing guitar in various bands, especially in the genres of Rock’n Roll and Rockabilly, which he loves. But hobby or not - In only four years, Olaf Diegel already sold more than 50 of his unique design guitars to rock musicians worldwide. Its customers include the guitarist of the American rock group the Steve Miller Band. And privately he has 10 of the 3D printed guitars, one of each design, in his own collection.
Guitar bodies printed in 3D The guitars are marketed under the brand name ODD Guitars. They all feature very imaginative design ideas and 3D printing makes it possible for Olaf Diegel to create designs that are adapted to the ideas and demands of the individual rock guitarist. The design is made using SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD and, in most cases, the guitars are printed by the French, English or Dutch subsidiaries of the world’s leading supplier of 3D Printers, 3D Systems. Until now, all guitars are produced in nylon, but the next design will be a guitar made of aluminum that will be cast into a 3D printed mold.
Olaf Diegel has chosen only to print only the guitar body with 3D printing. The necks are still, as tradition prescribes, made of wood and a block of wood connects the neck with the pickups to transport the vibrations from the neck. He explains: “3D printing particularly offers an advantage for the body shapes because it is possible to design and produce extremely advanced shapes that could not be made with CNC machining or any other production method.” In addition to 3D printing ODD guitars are produced using many traditional production processes as CNC machining of metal and wood, injection molding of plastic parts and casting of other parts. The only standard parts are the pickups and the tuning mechanisms.
Freedom with 3D CAD and 3D printing For Olaf Diegel 3D CAD and 3D printing are the tools that give him the freedom to experiment with totally unique designs: “I have complete freedom to design the guitars that I, and my customers, want without any forms of restriction,” he says adding: “At the same time SOLIDWORKS automatically gives me the guitars’ center of gravity, so the guitarists who play on them and carry them, can choose exactly the balance they want. That is a big advantage, as it allows every guitar to be extensively customized to the client.” It takes about 11 hours to print a guitar body. When it is ready from the printer, the body is painted and assembled with the other components of the instrument. Olaf Diegel does the paint and assembly work of the guitars in his spare time. You can read more about ODD Guitars here:
www.oddguitars.com How you can save lots of time and money on prototypes or manufacturing. Read more https://plmgroup.eu/3d-printers/
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Flonidan A/S
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lonidan A/S with 40 employees is based in the Jutland town of Horsens. The Danish company develops, manufactures and distributes advanced utility meters for gas, water and district heating. The meters are so-called Smart Meters with integrated data communications. The company exports its solutions all over both Europe and much of the rest of the world.
CHALLENGES: • Time consuming and complex development
Erik Hegelund, Mechanical Engineer, Flonidan A/S: “All Flonidan’s plastic parts are designed in SOLIDWORKS, and SOLIDWORKS Plastics is subsequently used to simulate and analyze the molding process. I make simulations with Plastics at the early stages of the development process before I send anything to our subcontractors, who deliver the tools. The analysis shows if it is possible to mold parts, shows coalescence lines and I avoid suctions in unwanted places.”
process for injection molded plastic housings for electronics • Desire to be able to detect errors in structures earlier in the development process • Too much time wasted on too many trips around development projects • Lack of documentation in discussions with subcontractors
SOLUTION: • All design is being done with SOLIDWORKS • Simulation with SOLIDWORKS Plastics
RESULT: • Development time from idea to finished part reduced significantly
• More production ready constructions • Any possible errors are caught early in the development process
• Freeing up time for more efficient construction work
“The parts are much more ready before we engage our toolmakers in bidding on the price of the toolmaking, because I know exactly how the tool will be filled. With the early simulation I discover any structural problems and I can apply the necessary changes, before I begin the extra work to apply slip and curvature.” “Because of the precise analysis and documentation of the processes I can stay much more home at Flonidan spending my time on design rather than travel. A travel abroad easily lasts a week, and since I am the only mechanical designer, it means that no design work is going on while I’m away.” 16
• Precise analysis and documentation • Spending 50 percent less time on travels resulting in a sharp reduction of unproductive idle time
www.flonidan.dk
SOLIDWORKS Plastics streamlines the development of natural gas meters Flonidan A/S has reduced the development time significantly while cutting the time spent on foreign travel in half by using simulation with SOLIDWORKS Plastics in the development of new electronics housings.
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he Danish company Flonidan A/S has streamlined its development process significantly with SOLIDWORKS Plastics. The company develops, manufactures and distributes so-called smart meters, which are a utility with built-in data communication for measurement of natural gas and electricity consumption. The simulation software is used to analyze the process of injection molding of the plastic boxes that houses the electronics portion of the meters. With simulations of the casting processes using Plastics, Flonidan can quickly determine whether it is possible to mold a new plastic item and if the quality of the design meets the expectations. All Flonidan’s plastic parts are designed in SOLIDWORKS, and SOLIDWORKS Plastics is subsequently used to simulate and analyze the molding process,” explains mechanical engineer Erik Hegelund, who is responsible for the mechanical construction at Flonidan: “I make simulations with Plastics at the early stages of the development process before I send anything to our subcontractors, who deliver the tools. The analysis shows if it is possible to mold parts, shows coalescence lines and I avoid suctions in unwanted places.”
SOLIDWORKS Plastics points out problems SOLIDWORKS Plastics is used early in the design process doing basic simulations to reveal any funda-
mental problems in the design. When an object is approaching the final design, more demanding full simulations of the moulding process is typically applied. These simulations run during the night, so the results are ready the next morning. Erik Hegelund explains that earlier it could be necessary to finish the design of a new housing completely and then send it to one of Flonidans toolmakers to test if it was at all possible to mould. Now the simulations immediately reveal any problems so they can be solved early in the design process: “The parts are much more ready before we engage our toolmakers in bidding on the price of the toolmaking, because I know exactly how the tool will be filled. With the early simulations I discover any structural problems and I can apply the necessary changes, before I begin the extra work to apply slip and curvature.”
Simulation saves unnecessary travel time Simulation also saves a lot of idle travel time for Erik Hegelund. Flonidan’s tools and moulding are done by plastics business partners in China and Turkey. This earlier called for many time-consuming trips abroad, he explains: “Because of the precise analysis and documentation of the processes I can stay much more home at Flonidan spending my time on design rather than travel. A travel abroad easily lasts a week, and since I am the only mechanical designer, it means that no design work is going on while I am away.”.
How you can optimize the design of plastics parts and injection molds in the earliest stages of development. Read more https://plmgroup.eu/products/software/solidworks-plastics/
Simulation tells the truth Recently, he has been travelling to Turkey twice delivering drawings, 3D models and simulation results to the subcontractor. The first time to start up new tools and the second time to approve the molded parts: “Before we started to use SOLIDWORKS Plastics it would easily have been necessary to go there both a third and fourth time because of late changes to the part design,” says Erik Hegelund, adding: “When you see samples of new parts, it can be difficult to discuss any changes based solely on drawings and 3D models. The extra documentation in the form of simulation results makes the discussion with our subcontractors much easier.”
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CadMouse – Precision Engineering You Can Feel The 3Dconnexion CadMouse is designed specifically for working in CAD. Say goodbye to repetitive mouse wheel clicking and say hello to precision and comfort thanks to the advanced laser sensor and dedicated middle mouse button. Stay in control with the Smart Scroll wheel and marvel at how you ever worked without QuickZoom that effortlessly zooms to your point of interest with a single click.
Smart Scroll 1 The Smart Scroll wheel delivers precise click-to-click zooming in CAD applications or speedy scrolling with inertia effects in browsers and documents. It’s a seamless experience that other mice can’t provide.
Dedicated Middle Mouse Button The days of clicking the mouse wheel are over thanks to the 3Dconnexion CadMouse’s dedicated middle mouse button. It’s simply more comfortable and convenient to press than the scroll wheel.
Smooth As Silk. Quiet As A Mouse Helping people to produce better designs, faster and more comfortably is our mission. That’s why we paid acute attention to how materials and geometry affect static and kinetic friction during mouse movement. The 3Dconnexion CadMouse has optimally shaped PTFE feet that create the least static friction and result in near-silent operation.
Made For Each Other Effortless Access To Your Favorite Commands 1 The gesture button opens an application or environment-specific radial menu so you can access your favorite commands with a simple mouse gesture. The 3Dconnexion CadMouse makes the best CAD work possible with no more clicks than absolutely necessary.
When you pair a 3Dconnexion CadMouse with a 3Dconnexion 3D mouse like the SpaceMouse Pro or SpaceNavigator, the results are extraordinary. We call it Two Handed Power. Your 3D mouse smoothly positions your object or view, while your CadMouse selects and creates with ease. It’s a natural and comfortable work style that can’t be matched. The 3Dconnexion CadMouse and our line of 3D mice don’t just play well together. They were made for each other.
Zoom The Way You Were Meant To 1 Other mice aren’t designed with CAD users in mind, but the 3Dconnexion CadMouse was born for it. With 3Dconnexion’s QuickZoom, you can effortlessly zoom in and out of your geometry with a single click of a thumb button.
Control Your Cursor With Engineering Precision With the 3Dconnexion CadMouse, you’re in complete control thanks to its advanced laser sensor. With 8200dpi and a poll rate up to 1000Hz (responsiveness of 1 millisecond) you’ll click exactly where you need to, when you need to. It’s the level of precision CAD professionals demand – and deserve.
CadMouse’s Best Friend The optional 3Dconnexion CadMouse Pad provides the ideal balance between speed and control thanks to its high-quality micro-textured coating.
How to buy? Visit PLM Group webshop plmgroup.eu
HTC Sweden AB Daniel Gustavsson, R&D Manager, HTC Sweden AB: “We have gotten a PDM solution that meets our requirements for safe and efficient management of product data information, version control and user friendliness. The users want to work with CAD and do not like to spend their time moving data around. Therefore, the ease of use of the system is essential to us.” “Most importantly, the downtime of the system, which can be particularly costly in very hectic phases of a development project, is reduced to a minimum. Our R&D processes and workflows have become more streamlined and much faster.”
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TC Sweden AB, headquartered in the southeastern Swedish town of Söderköping, is the world’s leading provider of grinding solutions for horizontal surfaces such as concrete floors and wood. The company has 170 employees, of who 100 works in the Swedish parent company and 70 in the subsidiaries in the United States, Germany, England and France. The company’s solutions are used for surface treatment of materials such as concrete, wood, marble, composites and asphalt as well as for the removal of for example carpets or adhesive residue.
CHALLENGES: • Existing PDM solution was slow and difficult to use • Integration between PDM and electrical CAD-solution was very poor • Time consuming support with the need for external expertise on-site • Upgrades resulted in idle time for the development staff
SOLUTION: • Implementing SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM in • •
“Possibilities to adapt the tasks in the PDM system are much more comprehensive than in our previous system. After the training we are able to administer the system and change the setup very simply without having to call on experts from PLM Group, every time we encounter something we need to change.” “With our previous solution it typically took one day to upgrade it where our seven employees in the development department had idle time.”
• •
close collaboration with the PLM Group Solution team Implementation of web-based search functions for departments outside R&D to give them easy access to product data information in the PDM-system Introducing SOLIDWORKS for mechanical civil construction, SOLIDWORKS Electrical for electrical design and simulation to simulate the flow and strength calculations Tight integration between CAD/Simulation and PDM Training in PDM administration at PLM Group
RESULT: • A user-friendly integrated CAD / PDM solution that meets user requirements
• Significant time and money savings due to the implementation of streamlined and automated workflows • Training in PDM administration has made it possible to do the administration work without external help • Competent, effective and professional support of the PLM solution when the need arises
www.htc-floorsystems.com
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Successful PDM solution with tightly knit integration of electrical and mechanical CAD After a successful implementation project with PLM Group, HTC Sweden has replaced its PDM and CAD software that did not meet the company’s requirements with an efficient PDM solution, which integrates both mechanical and electrical design.
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issatisfied with its former CAD and PDM software, the Swedish company HTC Sweden AB chose to replace them with SolidWorks Enterprise PDM (EPDM) and SolidWorks CAD software from PLM Group. In close collaboration with the PLM Group solution team, the company has specified and implemented the new software for product lifecycle management. The project has resulted in a CAD and PDM solution that meets the company’s requirements for user-friendly and efficient handling of the product development data.
HTC Sweden is the world’s leading provider of grinding and cleaning machines for horizontal surfaces, typically floors of all kinds of materials from wood to concrete. The machines are also used for maintaining roads and bridges. The typical customers are floor contractors, civil contractors and private companies. The products are electromechanical machines and are developed with SolidWorks supplemented with SolidWorks Electrical for the electrical portion of the products and SolidWorks Simulation to simulate airflow and making strength calculations.
How you can collaborate and manage product data. Read more
https://plmgroup.eu/business-solutions/collaboration/
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“The PLM Group support staff does a great job. We get both professional and fast help when we need it. The support department always responds to inquiries, and I get a lot of useful information. That also includes information about advanced options, which I have never heard of before. The support team is highly trained and very professional, and I always get appropriate answers to my questions.” For a number of years HTC Sweden had a PDM solution that was both difficult to use and very poorly integrated with the company’s electrical CAD software. In addition, support of the system was inflexible and time consuming, explains CAD administrator, Daniel Gustavsson:
Pre-study leads to efficient PDM solution After a survey of the PDM marketplace, HTC Sweden chose to conduct a prestudy together with PLM Group around implementation of EPDM and SOLIDWORKS as CAD-software. After a thorough review of opportunities and requirements, PLM Group developed a proposal describing how the system could be set up with a variety of automated workflows to support the company’s business needs.
Add-ons to support business processes PLM Group has set the system up to automatically execute a series of predefined tasks. The setup of the workflows includes a few add-ons for EPDM. The add-ons include a program for automatic generation of serial numbers of the active parts in the products HTC Sweden is currently selling. All design files that are approved in the CAD software automatically generates both PDF files containing drawings and 3D CAD models and store them on a server. Via a specially designed web interface, the employees in production, purchasing and quality departments are able to search the files when they need product information without employing a full PDM client.
HTC Sweden accepted the proposal and Daniel Gustavsson describes the implementation project as a partnership, where the PLM Group solution team managed to translate the requirements from HTC Sweden into an effective solution: “We have gotten a PDM solution that meets our requirements for safe and efficient management of product data, version control, automated workflows and user friendliness. The users want to work with CAD and not spend a lot of their time on searching data. Therefore, it is essential to us that they have quick and easy access to their data,” he says: “Most importantly the downtime of the system, which can be particularly costly in very hectic phases of a development project is reduced to a minimum. Our development processes and workflows have become more streamlined and much faster.”
PDM integrated with ERP
Integration between mechanical and electrical engineering
Together with a colleague, Daniel Gustavsson has attended a PDM administrator course at PLM Group. He is very happy with the training. He explains that one of the biggest advantages of the new solution is that it is easy to maintain and that the training has meant that the R&D department can undertake most of the maintenance work by itself: “The possibilities to adapt the tasks in the PDM system are much more comprehensive than in our previous system.
Together with PLM Group, HTC Sweden has set up the PDM solution to handle all CAD files whether they are mechanical or electrical in the same way. This means that the communication between the different development teams has become much easier: “The mechanical and electrical engineers can very easily help each other out with PDM questions as they are using the system in exactly the same way. Previously the PDM-solution was different worlds for them even though they used the same software,” says Daniel Gustavsson.
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The PDM system is also integrated with HTC Sweden’s ERP system. The connection is so far quite simple. Today the PDM system reads data in a few tables in the ERP system, such as units and HS classification numbers for traded products, so the data is identical in the two systems, explains Daniel Gustavsson: “In the future, we plan to have parts automatically created in the ERP system. The system now generates BOM files in Excel format, so they are ready for use in the ERP system at a later date.”
Strong training for PDM administration
After the training we are able to administer the system and change the setup very easily without having to call on experts from PLM Group, every time we encounter something we need to change,” he explains, adding: “With our previous solution it typically took one day to upgrade it where our seven employees in the development department had idle time.”
Professional support from PLM Group Daniel Gustavsson compliments the support staff at PLM Group: “They do a great job. We get both professional and fast help when we need it. The support department always responds to inquiries quickly and I get a lot of useful information.
That also includes information about advanced features in the software, which I have never heard of before. The support team is highly trained and very professional, and I always get appropriate answers to my questions.” Although the CAD and PDM solution is still quite new to the users, their level of satisfaction is much higher
than previously, emphasizes Daniel Gustavsson: “We measure the effectiveness of the solution by the number of questions we receive from users, and we have much less questions than before. The automation of a wide range of workflows and processes also means that it is no longer important for the users to know about the IT-systems they do not normally work with. Instead they can fully attend to their core tasks developing new products.” “The project with HTC demonstrates that our way of defining and delivering solutions is really successful. Our dedicated teams are focusing on four business solution areas and sharing knowledge across the geographical borders. This ensures that we have the necessary capabilities to deliver powerful, yet simple solutions. Our setup and geography gives us the possibility take on projects of any size, regardless if it is local or international,” says PLM Group’s Solution Team Manager Christer Blomqvist, adding: “Our skilled and experienced staff in combination with our broad portfolio of state of the art products and best practice methodologies enables us to provide solutions that are tailored to meet company’s specific needs. Short implementation times, controlled scope and fast return on investment are all factors that contribute to the success.”
PLM Group’s Solution Team Manager Christer Blomqvist
Solid Wind Power A/S Peter Fly Kristensen, Design Studio Manager, Solid Wind Power: “Without SOLIDWORKS Simulation and SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM (EPDM) the development project around the SWP turbines would have lasted longer and being much more complicated. We used SOLIDWORKS and simulation from the very beginning of the development project. The entire mill is designed and built in SOLIDWORKS and we used simulation intensively throughout the process to analyze our concepts in regard to stress and deflections. Seven years ago we started a new development department from scratch and in this context the ease of use of SOLIDWORKS has been a great advantage.”
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ind turbine company Solid Wind Power was founded in 2013 in the Danish town of Ringkøbing in Western Jutland as a subsidiary of the machine buiding company Ringkøbing Maskinværksted A/S (RMV), which has existed since 2003. The two companies employ a total of 65 employees in development and production of wind turbines and lifting / transport equipment. SWP turbines are RMV’s first own in-house developed and produced products.
CHALLENGES: • Establishing a new development department from skratch
• Development of a new type of more efficient and less noisy wind turbines
“SOLIDWORKS and simulation are an integral part of all our projects to ensure that our products meet the customers’ performance requirements and at the same time are sufficiently robust. The software is used for the handling of 3D models from customers, strength calculations and generation of drawings and data for production,” “We had to document our processes around workflows in development and documents. That fits very nicely with EPDM, because you can create your own workflows and add a number of predefined tasks to them. This means that a number of the tasks we used to do manually, today are being performed automatically in the PDM system.”
• Managing the processes around workflows and technical documentation related to ISO 9001, MCS certification and CE marking of products • Creating a robust and efficient construction
SOLUTION: • Using SOLIDWORKS Premium • Implementation of SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM • Extensive use of simulation
RESULT: • The creation of entirely new type of technological up to date, efficient and quiet small wind turbines
• Building a full 3D model with all components early in the development process
• Manufacture of 3D sales material before the first prototype was built
• Simulation has enabled early and quick verification of design ideas
www.solidwindpower.com 24
SOLIDWORKS and simulation help to optimally exploit wind power SOLIDWORKS Simulation and SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM have been the key tools for Solid Wind Power during the development of two groundbreaking wind turbines for private users.
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he Danish wind power company Solid Wind Power (SWP) has developed two household wind turbines that do away with a number of technological traditions of small wind turbines. The technology makes less noise and are considerably more efficient than competing household wind turbines. “Without SOLIDWORKS Simulation and SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM (EPDM) the development project around the SWP turbines would have lasted longer and been much more complicated,” says Design Studio Manager Peter Fly Kristensen, Solid Wind Power. He elaborates: “We used SOLIDWORKS and simulation from the very beginning of the development project. The entire mill is designed and built in SOLIDWORKS and we used simulation intensively throughout the process to analyze our concepts in regard to stress and deflections. Seven years ago we started a new development department from scratch and in this context the ease of use of SOLIDWORKS has been a great advantage.” SWP was founded in 2013 as a subsidiary of the machine building company Ringkøbing Maskinværksted A/S (RMV) in the West Jutland town of Ringkøbing. The development and production of the mill is taking place in RMV auspices. RMV’s goal with the establishment of the subsidiary was to create the company’s first fully in-house developed and produced products. They should consist of a series of small wind turbines for private households developed with support from the European Union. The wind turbines should break with the technical traditions for small wind turbines being both more efficient and less noisy than competitors’ products. The turbines are called SWP 10kW and SWP 25kW and as the name suggests they yield 10 kW and 25 kW respectively. Up till today, SWP sold has sold 23 turbines, which are installed mainly in Denmark.
“SOLIDWORKS and simulation are an integral part of all our projects to ensure that our products meet the customers’ performance requirements and at the same time are sufficiently robust. The software is used for the handling of 3D models from customers, strength calculations and generation of drawings and data for production,” says Peter Fly Kristensen, adding: “At the same time, most of our products are CE certified, which requires documentation of their robustness and simulations with SOLIDWORKS easily provides us with the necessary documentation. The software facilitates the whole process revolving around the 3D models. This also applies in relation to delivery of data and drawings to production.”
Natural introduction of EPDM In connection with an ISO 9001 certification in 2012, RMV introduced EPDM to manage design data and technical documentation. Peter Fly Kristensen describes it as a natural development: “We had to document our processes around workflows in development and documents. That fits very nicely with EPDM, because you can create your own workflows and add a number of predefined tasks to them. This means that a number of the tasks we used to do manually, today are being performed automatically in the PDM system.” SWP / RMV has been responsible for the entire development and production of the turbines except the gearbox, which is Swedish and the generator that is bought from a German manufacturer. The entire mill is designed and built in SOLIDWORKS as an assembly of 3D parts and structures.
“Traditional wind turbines typically “The development of the crucial rotor itself has also been use outdated done in SOLIDWORKS. The turbine blades are designed technology that is as complex 3D models, and from the models we have relatively inefficient made molds for the casting of the turbine blades and noisy. It’s the same in composite material. Whatever parts of the mill, technology as the major we are talking about, SOLIDWORKS and EPDM manufacturers of wind has controlled our workflows and document turbines used when they versions,” Peter Fly Kristensen explains. produced smaller mills. So it was a natural challenge for us to develop more efficient turbines 3D marketing while at the same time makes less A big part of the sales and marketing noise. We have managed to create material for the turbines has been new and smoother wing profiles that produced as 3D visualizations using exploits the wind power with the same PhotoWorks 360: efficiency as todays large turbines,” explains “We have been using the Peter Fly Kristensen. visualizations extensively in our sales and marketing. We SOLIDWORKS for all actually made images of both turbine and blades for sales design tasks and marketing purposes even before we had built Since 2009, RMV has been using SOLIDWORKS and the first prototype of simulation for all its design tasks developing prototypes the wind turbine,” says within industries such transport and lifting equipment. Peter Fly Kristensen. The company currently has five licenses, two of which are Premium licenses with integrated simulation tools.
How you can collaborate and manage product data. Read more
https://plmgroup.eu/business-solutions/collaboration/
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Swegon ILTO Oy Sarita Keppola, Mechanical Engineer, Swegon ILTO Oy: “Earlier our engineers spent too much time searching and verifying that our existing data was correct. This was mainly due to poor revision handling and lack of data management tools and it was one of the key reasons for implementing Enterprise PDM.” “With the PDM Software, our product designers now are able to search, find and verify old data much faster focusing instead on real innovation that makes our products even more competitive. Another major benefit is that the PDM software makes us able to reuse existing components and solutions since they are easily retrievable.” “We have saved a lot of time and subsequently money since implementing the PDM software. Using the software, we have created a structure that ensures that every engineer and designer knows exactly where to search, find and save relevant data. The quality of our products has also been increased since there is no longer any doubt about which version of models, drawings and data should be used.” ”Seen from the product designers’ point of view, reuse of components has become much easier no matter if it concerns components, parts, solutions or design details, because it is easy for them to retrieve all the relevant data from PDM database.”
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wegon ILTO Oy was founded in 1980 with headquarters in the Finnish town of Kaarina. Since 2007, the company has been a subsidiary of the Swedish Swegon group. The company has 67 employees of which seven are working in R&D. Swegon ILTO Oy develops and manufactures the industry’s broadest selection of air handling systems for use in private homes. About 70 percent of the products sold are under the brand Swegon Casa in Finland and other Scandinavian markets.
CHALLENGES: • • • • •
Engineers spent too much time searching and verifying that our existing data was correct. Vast and steadily increasing amount of product data Need for reuse of both proprietary and purchased components, parts and solutions Problems in production due to wrong production drawings Data stored in local computers
SOLUTION: •
Implementation of SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM
RESULT: • • • • • •
Significant reduction of development time, due to the structuring of R&D data and streamlining of workflows Cost savings in R&D Possibility for reuse of components, parts and solutions Freeing up time for more productive design work Reduced problems in manufacturing due to wrong production drawings Better product quality
www.swegon.com 26
PDM delivers total control with vast amounts of product data Using SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM to manage all product related data, Finnish company Swegon ILTO Oy has achieved significant cost savings in both development and production. This implementation has also improved product quality notably.
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ith the introduction of SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM from PLM Group, Swegon ILTO Oy has structured and streamlined its workflows in both the development of new products and updating of existing products. The implementation of the PDM software means that the development process around new products as well as production preperation has become significantly faster. The PDM solution has created complete overview and control with both actual and legacy development data and ensures that the drawings used in production are always the most recent and correct revisions. Swegon ILTO is a subsidiary of the Swedish Swegon group and produces air handling systems and kitchen extractor hoods, inparticular for the Finnish and Scandinavian markets. The products are marketed under the Swegon Casa brand and the company currently has the widest product range in the Scandinavian marketplace for air handling systems for use in private homes. Since 2005 Swegon ILTO has used SOLIDWORKS to design its products and solutions and the company today is using four SOLIDWORKS Professional licenses. Right after the implementation of the 3D CAD software the company began contemplating the introduction of a PDM system to ensure better management and control of its CAD models, drawings and other design data. Last year this lead to the acquirement of SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM from PLM Group.
From frustration to innovation “Earlier our engineers spent too much time per per day searching and verifying that our existing data
was correct. This was mainly due to poor revision handling and lack of data management tools and it was one of the key reasons for implementing SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM,” explains mechanical engineer Sarita Keppola, Swegon ILTO: “With the PDM software our product designers are now able to search, find and verify old data much faster focusing instead on the real innovation that makes our products even more competitive. Another major benefit is that the PDM software makes us able to reuse existing components and solutions since they are easily retrievable.” Sarita Keppola explains that Swegon ILTO also experienced problems in the production departments due to wrong revisons of production drawings. The automated approval processes and workflows within the PDM software now ensures that outdated drawings automatically are replaced with latest revisions.
PDM saves time and money Since the founding of Swegon Ilto in 1980, the company has created a vast amount of design data and files combined with a very broad portfolio of different products. The company experienced growing problems managing the different versions of 3D models, drawings and data, while trying to make sure that the right versions were used. All this while at the same time properly keeping track of the effects of design changes to all the products. The introduction of SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM has resulted in an effective overview and management of the vital development data, explains Sarita Keppola: “We have saved a lot of time and subsequently money since implementing the PDM software. Using the software, we have together with PLM Group created a structure that ensures that every engineer
and designer knows exactly where to search, find and save relevant data. The quality of our products has also been increased since there is no longer any doubt about which version of models, drawings and data should be used,” she explains: “Seen from the product designers’ point of view, reuse of components has become much easier no matter if it concerns components, parts, solutions or design details, because it is easy for them to retrieve all the relevant data from our PDM database.”
Painless PDM implementation The past five years the R&D department at Swegon ILTO has focused strongly on modularizing and streamlining its designs and the use of both proprietary and purchased components, explains Sarita Keppola: “We had quite a lot of legacy data and it has been quite a big task to enter them into the PDM database, but when we made the decision to introduce the PDM software, we immediately started preparing the implementation through a review of our older CAD models and drawings. The preparation of the data meant that the actual implementation of the system and creation of automated workflows together with PLM Group went smoothly,” she says. She also emphasizes that the user friendliness of the PDM software has meant that Swegon ILTOs engineers and designers have easily been able to get accustomed to work with the software in daily life.
How you can collaborate and manage product data. Read more
https://plmgroup.eu/business-solutions/collaboration/ 27
Engineering 4.0
Learn more: plmgroup.eu/webinar/engineering-4-0
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