SolidWorks Case Studies

INDUSTRY CASE STUDIES

This book is a sampling of first-hand

accounts from some of the thousands

of SolidWorks® customers around the

world who are getting more design and engi-

neering work done with less effort.

SolidWorks, the premium brand in afford-

able 3D CAD software, offers the most time-

saving innovations of any CAD solution available.

Learn about some of the challenges that

SolidWorks customers across a variety of

industries have met and the results they’ve

achieved, including greater product innovation,

improved quality, and substantial savings.

CONSUMER

EDUCATION

ELECTRONICS

ENERGY

ENTERTAINMENT

HEAVY EQUIPMENT

INDUSTRIAL

MEDICAL

SCIENTIFIC

TRANSPORTATION

SolidWorks is a registered trademark of SolidWorks Corporation. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. ©2001 SolidWorks Corporation. All rights reserved. MKICSV2ENG0701

®

case

No. 7

5

CONSUMER .

Bendis & Kierulf

“The ease of modeling in3D with full control ofshapes virtually eliminatesdesign limitations.”

Bjorn KierulfPrincipal Designer

Bendis & Kierulf provides complete design services, ranging

from concept and design to finished product drawings. Our

firm consists of two designers working together over the

Internet, one located in West Slovakia and the other in

Middle Slovakia. We needed a reasonably priced, intuitive CAD pro-

gram that would enable us to

concentrate on the design

process, while allowing us to

produce digital models and

technical drawings that could

be used for production, tool-

ing, and manufacturing. We

also needed a solution that

would enable daily collabora-

tion over the Internet, so that

we could work effectively

with each other as well as with

our clients in Western Europe.

SolidWorks® software satisfiesour needs for a low-cost, PC-compatible solution with inte-grated Internet features. Theability to present models overthe Internet and the capabili-ties of the Parasolid® program-ming core convinced us to invest in the program.

The ease of modeling in 3D with full control of shapesvirtually eliminates design limitations. Other pro-

grams that we considered did not offer the sameease-of-use and were too expensive or required

high-end computers. SolidWorks has madeprofessional industrial design possible in

the emerging economies of EasternEurope, giving us a chance to catch upwith the rest of the industrialized world.

solid

Solu

tion

Industrial design firmexpands market share.

Bratislava, Slovakia

Broadened profes-sional design services.

Produced digital models and technicaldrawings.

Presented productdesigns over theInternet.

Expanded marketreach to includeWestern Europe.

SolidWorks is a registered trademark of SolidWorks Corporation. All other company and product names are trade-marks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. ©2001 SolidWorks Corporation. All rights reserved.

Exhibition lights designedfor Klem Products GmbH,Munich, Germany

case

No. 8

5

CONSUMER .

Binney &Smith

“The photorealisticimages are the next bestthing to actually havingthe item in hand.”

George NagleDirector, Operations Engineering

Binney & Smith, Inc., a leading manufacturer of arts and crafts

materials for children, had been using Pro/ENGINEER® soft-

ware, but needed realistic solid modeling software that

would allow the company’s design team to more fully explore their

imaginations. The new software also needed to be easy to use so

others could share in the

design process. The market-

ing department, for exam-

ple, wanted realistic product

designs for quick and thor-

ough design evaluations.

Our team considered usingIronCAD™, but instead choseSolidWorks® software for itsease-of-use, especially for userswho lacked 3D CAD experi-ence. We have also simplifiedour design process by usingPhotoWorks™ software. The photorealistic image

capacity has proven itself extremely useful, allow-ing us to design products in

days, instead of months. Ourability to create high quality

graphics means the marketingdepartment can begin product

evaluations before prototypeparts are made.

solid

Solu

tion

Arts supplier delivers beyond imagination.

Easton, PA, U.S.A.

SolidWorks is a registered trademark and PhotoWorks is a trademark of SolidWorks Corporation. All othercompany and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. ©2001SolidWorks Corporation. All rights reserved.

Removed boundariesto the design team’screativity.

Shortened the learningcurve for employeeswho lacked CAD experience.

Reduced developmenttime from months todays.

Launched product inthree months.

Binney & Smith’s Color Wonder™

product was designed usingSolidWorks software.

case

No. 9

4

CONSUMER .

CarbonDesign, Inc.

“The SolidWorks data translatedperfectly every time, capturingthe complex curvilinear shapesused frequently by our firm.”

Miles KellerPresident/Designer

Carbon Design, Inc. designs a wide variety of consumer

products, including ergonomic office furniture. The com-

pany needed easy-to-use software that ensured design con-

cepts would be efficiently engineered, put into production, and

brought to market. We needed a powerful design tool that could

quickly turn concepts into a

production reality. In terms of

product support, we required

a high degree of support from

both the software manufac-

turer and its local reseller.

After carefully consideringboth SolidWorks® softwareand Pro/ENGINEER®, wechose SolidWorks because weneeded to efficiently and cost-effectively pro-duce 3D CAD data for production tooling forour clients. The FeatureManager®, for example,allows us to retrace steps and edit where nec-

essary. We also use PhotoWorks™ rendering softwareto create photorealistic images that allow clients tomore thoroughly review designs. SolidWorks pro-vides us the flexibility to work with complex shapesand assemblies. SolidWorks has reduced productdevelopment time by half, allowing us to cost-effec-tively design more complex assemblies that are com-posed of a wide variety of materials and requiremany different production methods.

solid

Solu

tion

Industrial designer cuts development time in half.

Toronto, Canada

Ergonomic Task Chair

SolidWorks is a registered trademark, FeatureManager is a jointly owned registered trademark, andPhotoWorks is a trademark of SolidWorks Corporation. All other company and product names are trademarksor registered trademarks of their respective owners. ©2001 SolidWorks Corporation. All rights reserved.

Produced creative,complex designs.

Increased productivityby a factor of two.

Reduced developmenttime by half.

Launched product innine months.

case

No. 7

6

DMM Engineering Ltd.

DMM Engineering Ltd. manufactures high-quality, innova-

tive products for the rock-climbing, mountaineering, and

industrial safety markets. The company wanted an

advanced 3D CAD tool to provide its design staff with the power

and flexibility necessary to create a completely new line of cam-

ming devices. The designers

used the concept of a hoop-

stemmed design, but faced

the challenge of making it

lighter weight and stronger

than anything that had been

previously produced. They

knew they had to include 3D

shapes in the manufacturing

process to make the

devices efficiently.

We were using AutoCAD® LT,but switched to SolidWorks®

software because of its easyintegration with manufactur-ing processes, flexibility, and3D visualization capabilities.SolidWorks provides us theflexibility to consider many

options during the design phase before com-mitting to a final design. With the old 2D

package we relied on prototypes,which were time-consuming, limit-ing, and expensive. We also use

PhotoWorks™ photorealistic renderingsoftware to present products to our sales

department and retailers. By deploying SolidWorks,we have shortened our design cycle by 50%, reduceddesign errors, and realized sales three times higherthan initial projections.

Climbing company reachesnew heights with 3D CAD.

Gumnedd, Wales


Shortened the designcycle by 50%.

Eliminated redundantmaterial to produce arobust, long-lastingproduct.

Developed a uniquefamily of hoop-stemmed cammingdevices.

Achieved sales volumes three timeshigher than estimates.

Hoop-stemmed Camming Device

CONSUMER .

“The most beautiful designin the world is of no valueif it can’t be produced effi-ciently. SolidWorks allowsus to model componentsstep by step, as they wouldbe manufactured.”

Fred HallTechnical Managing Director

solid

Solu

tion

case

No. 8

6

CONSUMER .

RitvikHoldings, Inc.

“Real-time collision detection capabilitiesenable us to detect problem areas, and fixthem before we build a single prototype.That’s what I call rapid prototyping.”

Daniel BourgeoisVice President of Research and Development

Montreal-based Ritvik Holdings, Inc. is the world’s second

largest marketer of toy building blocks, with products

sold in more than 100 countries. The company wanted

to incorporate more complex shapes, surfaces, and assemblies into

its designs while shortening the product development cycle. To

achieve this, the design team

decided to upgrade their engi-

neering tools and software to

a 3D CAD package.

We considered AutoCAD® andPro/ENGINEER®, but choseSolidWorks® software for itsshort learning curve, 3Dassembly capabilities, anddesign focus. And by integrat-ing 3D Quickfill and SurfaceWorks™, we wereable to realize rapid prototyping of assemblies,

implement automatic mold development, and elimi-nate two entire phases from the design cycle. In addi-tion, we use the graphics capabilities to create prod-uct renderings and animations for sales support andmarket research, functions that in the past required

prototype production. As aresult, we are using thetime-savings to push moreon the limits of design.

solid

Solu

tion

Toy manufacturer makesMega Bloks assemblies a snap.

Montreal, Canada

Ritvik engineers use 3D Quickfillfrom C-MOLD in conjunction withSolidWorks software to performmold design and analysis.


Removed unnecessaryphases from the devel-opment cycle.

Designed more com-plex shapes, surfaces,and assemblies.

Eliminated the needfor costly prototypes.

Created animations toaid sales support andmarket research.

Lil’ Dump Truck

case

No. 7

9

CONSUMER .

SwitchManufacturing

“SolidWorks is like afreight train for data—each change instantlyand accurately reflectedthroughout the design.”

Jeff SandCofounder/Vice President ofResearch and Development

Switch Manufacturing advances the technology of snow-

board bindings to help create the perfect connection

between the snowboarder and the terrain. Competing for

limited retail space and consumer awareness in an overheated

market, Switch needed to accelerate its product cycle and deliver

design innovations faster

than its competitors. Only SolidWorks® softwareoffered the easy-to-use, inno-vative 3D mechanical designcapabilities that Switch need-ed to speed the developmentprocess, while enabling moredesign changes and refinements. The dramaticresults for Switch include enhanced quality,

consumer appeal, and significant time-savings. WithSolidWorks, Switch was able to reduce the productdesign cycle from ten months to four months. Thedesign team also uses fully integrated add-on solu-tions including PhotoWorks™ rendering software andCOSMOS/Works® FEA software.

solid

Solu

tion

Snowboard-binding designerflies high with SolidWorks.

San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.

X-Team Snowboard Binding


Shortened design cyclefrom ten months tofour months.

Eased management oflarge assembly files.

Improved reliability ofdesign data and draw-ing documentation.

Streamlined vendorbidding process witheDrawings.

case

No. 9

5

CONSUMER .

ToshibaCarrier

Corporation

“SolidWorks is the motivating force behind our work.”

Mitsukuni SanoAir Conditioning Design Manager

Toshiba Carrier Corporation is the world’s largest manu-

facturer of residential and commercial air conditioning

machinery. To meet its demanding business objectives,

the company needed a product approach to the design process

that would help reduce lead-time by 50% and improve overall

business efficiency by 30%.

Following a successful pilotproject, the company stan-dardized design operationson SolidWorks® 3D CAD soft-ware. The company also usesa variety of partner add-onsolutions such as Power Cubeand Die Mold, introduced to them by SolidWorks

VAR Nippon Steel Corporation. The companyachieves additional efficiency with internallydeveloped enhancements built with Visual Basic®.

solid

Solu

tion

Air conditioning manufacturerheats up productivity.

Shizuoka, Japan


Reduced productdesign cycle from twoweeks to three days.

Shortened the lead-time for trial manu-facture from 40 days to five.

Improved productquality by 30%.

Eliminated the need to build expensive prototypes.

Air Conditioning Unit

case

No. 7

7

CONSUMER .

VendômeConcept

“I can modify the design in just fiveminutes and produce

new geometry instantly,automatically updatingboth the drawing and

the 3D model.”Marc Hermouet

Designer/Cofounder

Vendôme Concept designs jewelry for customers of Place

Vendôme, a prestigious jewelry quarter in Paris, France.

The firm’s design process involved the production of wax

prototypes, which were then sent to a jewelry foundry. Cofounder

and designer Marc Hermouet wanted to shorten production time

by reducing, if not eliminat-

ing, the need for time-con-

suming wax prototypes. He

also wanted to expand the

firm’s design capabilities

while providing customers

with a realistic preview of

designs. The firm had previ-

ously used a surfacing-only

design program, but decided

to evaluate 3D software.

We chose SolidWorks® soft-ware for its 3D solid modelingcapabilities. With SolidWorks,we can complete both thedesign and prototyping phas-es of our designs in a week. Production occurs injust four months, representing time-savings inexcess of 50%. In terms of market share, we

have designed nearly 60 new pieces in less than twomonths. We also use PhotoWorks™ photorealistic soft-ware to add a more realistic luster to the jewels. Thisway, customers can instantly see how the finishedpiece will look before it’s made.

solid

Solu

tion

Jewelry designer dedicated to 3D.

Paris, France

Shortened productioncycle to four months.

Cut development costsby 50%.

Reduced the need forcostly prototypes.

Expanded marketshare, producing 60new designs in lessthan two months.

SolidWorks is a registered trademark and PhotoWorks is a trademark of SolidWorks Corporation. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. ©2001SolidWorks Corporation. All rights reserved.

Vendôme Concept uses SolidWorks softwareto create custom jewelry designs.

case

No. 8

8

CONSUMER .

XportationSafety Concepts, Inc.

“Not only are weunlimited in ourability to createvery complexshapes, we’re alsobetter prepared tointeract with plasticinjection moldingfirms.”

David ClementEngineering Director

Xportation Safety Concepts, Inc. (XSCi), an engineering,

development, and consulting firm, has been studying and

designing a solution to address the hazard of using rear-

facing infant safety seats in the front seats of automobiles equipped

with airbags—the cause of numerous deaths across the United

States. XSCi needed a main-

stream CAD system to quick-

ly design and develop a pro-

totype of its airbag-safe infant

seat to attract the attention of

federal regulators and leading

infant seat manufacturers.

XSCi chose SolidWorks® 3DCAD software for its shortlearning curve, assembly fea-tures, complex modeling capa-bilities, integration with analy-sis tools, and value. By deploy-ing SolidWorks, XSCi slashedits design cycle by 200%, patented its innovative

design, received an invitation from the NationalHighway Traffic Safety Administration to test the pro-totype, generated significant media interest, and initi-ated licensing discussions with major infant seat man-ufacturers. For Finite Element Analysis, XSCi usesCOSMOS/Works®.

solid

Solu

tion

Infant seat developer redefines safety standards.

Colorado Springs, CO, U.S.A.

Airbag-Safe Infant Seat


Realized a 200%reduction in thedesign cycle.

Completed prototypedesign in less thanone month.

Patented a unique,innovative design.

Generated significantinterest among gov-ernment officials, themedia, and industryleaders.

case

No. 9

6

EDUCATION .

MilwaukeeSchool of Engineering

“The project was completedin just ten weeks, includingthe time to learn SolidWorks,design the linear actuator,plus draw and modify theactuator in SolidWorks.”

Timothy W. WhiteStudent, Milwaukee School of Engineering

At the Milwaukee School of Engineering, students must

complete a senior design project prior to graduation. To

assist students with their final projects, the university

wanted a solid modeling program that provided ease-of-use

and enough power to handle complex 3D drawings. SolidWorks®

and Pro/ENGINEER® soft-

ware packages were both

evaluated and purchased.

MSOE installed SolidWorks asits primary solid modelingsoftware, but students couldchoose from a variety of pro-grams in order to completetheir projects. Though famil-iar with CADKEY® software, student Tim White’steam chose SolidWorks software as the design

platform for their senior design project, citing a pref-erence for the native solid modeling environmentinstead of using AutoCAD® with a 3D add-on. Theentire project was completed in just ten weeks,including the time required to learn SolidWorks,

design the proposed linear actua-tor, and then draw and modify

the actuator using SolidWorks.The design project team usedPhotoWorks™ software to cre-ate compelling images for apresentation given to JordanControls, Inc.

solid

Solu

tion

Design project hits the markwith 3D CAD.

Milwaukee, WI, U.S.A.


Selected SolidWorksfor its ease-of-use.

Completed the entireproject in ten weeks.

Rendered photoreal-istic images usingPhotoWorks.

Presented designs to acompany that hassince begun productionbased on the design.

Linear Actuator

case

No. 7

8

AscomMonétel“SolidWorks has signif-icantly increased ourproductivity, thanksespecially to its ease-of-use.”

Eric DuboisEngineer

In its effort to make urban life easier, Ascom Monétel designs

and manufactures advanced electronics for a variety of indus-

tries including telecommunications, banking, public trans-

portation, highways, and public infrastructure. The company’s five

activities share and optimize the latest technological advancements

ranging from the Internet to

the microchip card. After evaluating several 3Dsoftware programs, we choseSolidWorks® for its ease-of-use. As a result, we haveshortened our design cycleand significantly increasedproductivity. Utilizing SolidWorks, we havereduced our dependence on costly prototypes,

which means we can react more quickly to our cus-tomers’ changing needs. We also use PhotoWorks™rendering software to create photorealistic 3Dimages. This has greatly improved communications

throughout the entire design team.

solid

Solu

tion

SolidWorks brings technological savoir-faire.

Guilherand-Granges, France

SolidWorks is a registered trademark of SolidWorks Corporation. All other company and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks

of their respective owners. ©2001 SolidWorks Corporation. All rights reserved.

Increased productivitythrough ease-of-use.

Reduced reliance oncostly prototypes.

Improved the flow of communicationthroughout the designteam.

Reacted more quicklyto customers’ changingneeds.

ELECTRONICS .

case

No. 8

7Axxess

Technologies

“We immediately dis-covered the benefits ofthe SolidWorks sheet-metal capabilities.”

Bryan SolaceMechanical Designer Axxess Technologies manufactures and designs electronic

key recognition and duplication systems, and vending-

style engraving systems for the retail market. The design

team’s primary challenge was to create large assemblies while

checking fit, form, and function with other vendors and design-

ers working on the project.

We tried using PT/Modeler™,but needed a solution thatwould allow us to more easilyreorder features and createassemblies. We decided onSolidWorks® software primarily for its ease-of-use but also for its sheetmetal package. We alsouse PhotoWorks™ rendering software as a valu-

able way of sharing ideas within the company andwith customers. Using SolidWorks software wereduced our design cycle from seven to three weeks.

We also use SolidWorksAnimator and SolidWorksToolbox, a time-saving,extensive library of stan-dard 3D parts.

solid

Solu

tion

Electronics manufacturerfinds key to success.

Tempe, AZ, U.S.A.

Electronic Key Recognitionand Duplication System


Shortened productdesign time fromseven to three weeks.

Decreased productdevelopment costs by 40%.

Reduced design errorsby 65%.

Improved internal com-munication of designs.

ELECTRONICS .

case

No. 9

7

ELECTRONICS .

KryoTech, Inc., a privately held spin-off from NCR

Corporation, develops innovative cooling systems for per-

sonal computers used by designers, engineers, and other

power users. The company needed the most advanced and cost-

effective design and engineering tools available to capitalize on

market opportunities and

stay ahead of competitors.

Specifically, the company

needed an easy, fast, power-

ful, and affordable CAD sys-

tem with both assembly and

fully integrated engineering

features including heat trans-

fer analysis, computational

fluid dynamics, and CNC

machining capabilities.

KryoTech chose SolidWorks®

software for its short learningcurve, assembly features, inte-gration with advanced analy-sis add-on software, and value.By deploying SolidWorks,KryoTech slashed its designcycle from one year to three months, realized an

80% savings in CAD costs, increasedprocessor performance by 30%, andreduced system size and number of com-

ponents. The company’s SuperG™ sys-tem, which uses an AMD Athlon™

chip, was the first commerciallyavailable personal computer to shat-ter the 1-GHz processing barrier.

KryoTech uses a variety of add-onsolutions including COSMOS/Works®

FEA analysis software, COSMOS/Flowfluid flow software, and CAMWorks™

manufacturing software.

solid

Solu

tion

Computer cooling systemsdeveloper breaks barriers.

West Columbia, SC, U.S.A.

KryoTech SuperG Cooling System


Shortened designcycle from one year to three months.

Realized 80% savingsin CAD costs.

Increased processorperformance by 30% over noncooledsystems.

Improved productdesign with full rangeof add-on software.

KryoTech,Inc.

“SolidWorks is easy touse and so much moreintuitive than otherCAD software.”

Lew WayburnMechanical Engineer, Advanced Technology Development Group

case

No. 1

17

ELECTRONICS .

WestcodeSemiconductors Ltd.

“SolidWorks is a faster, morelogical approach to designand development. As a resultwe increased our assemblysales by about 30%.”

Gonzalo MartinezSales Engineer

Westcode Semiconductors Ltd. is one of the world’s

major manufacturers of high-performance power

semiconductor products, producing a comprehensive

range of silicon power products including thyristors, diodes, and

power transistors. The company’s Long Beach sales office had

been using AutoCAD®, but

believed they could increase

productivity with a CAD

package that would more eas-

ily accommodate changes,

updates, and a high degree of

customization. They needed

to present the product clearly

and precisely to customers,

and provide their suppliers

with enough detail to manu-

facture, schedule, and deliver

added accessories.

We chose SolidWorks® soft-ware for its part modeling,assembly modeling, and draw-ing capabilities. SolidWorksoffers us a fast, logical approach to productdesign and development, allowing us to showcustomers detailed product designs, completewith exploded views and varied configurations

within an assembly. With SolidWorks, we can submita quote in two days and if the customer is interested,rapidly generate an individual drawing for eachcomponent. The time-savings range from a half dayto a week.

solid

Solu

tion

Semiconductor assembly manufacturer boosts sales.

Long Beach, CA, U.S.A.

Phase Control Rectifier Assembly


Shortened productdesign time by 60%.

Lowered design costsby 50%.

Reduced designerrors by 30%.

Increased sales ofassemblies by 30%.

case

No. 9

0 The 1998 merger with Dresser Industries made Halliburton

Energy Services (HES) the global leader in the manufacture

of products for oil and gas exploration and production. It

also created challenges in integrating the design and manufacturing

practices utilized at HES facilities worldwide. To maintain the com-

pany’s market position, HES

initiated efforts to automate

design, streamline manufac-

turing, and implement compa-

ny standards for engineering

and producing products. We

had been using a combination

of CADDS5®, CADAM®,

AutoCAD®, and other pack-

ages, but we had to find a way

to get to market faster. We

knew we needed to integrate

CAD, CAM, and PDM, and

made a conscious decision to

focus on PC-based products.HalliburtonEnergy Services

“We’ve saved six months on thedesign of a new downhole safetyvalve by using SolidWorks.”

Kent BeckTechnology Director

We chose SolidWorks® 3DCAD software because it iseasy to use and provides anopen API for acceleratingdesign tasks and replicatingcomponent designs world-wide. SolidWorks also provides us with out-standing 3D visualization capabilities and

offers the flexibility necessary for integration withother technologies—namely, PDM (Matrix®) andCAM (Unigraphics®). By using the SolidWorks APIfor our AutoPrograms, we saved about 700 workingdays ($500,000) in just six months, standardizedproduct design, facilitated the global sourcing ofparts from any HES plant, and achieved consisten-cy in product engineering and manufacturing.

solid

Solu

tion

Refining product design andmanufacturing standards.

Houston, TX, U.S.A.


ENERGY .

Saved 700 workingdays ($500,000) in sixmonths.

Standardized productdesign worldwide.

Facilitated the globalsourcing of parts fromany HES plant.

Achieved consistencyin product engineeringand manufacturing.

Threaded assembly modeled inSolidWorks using SmartMates,configuration management, andAPI functionality

case

No. 9

8 HIGHVOLT Prüftechnik Dresden GmbH, a world leader in

the design, manufacture, and implementation of high-volt-

age testing systems, faced the challenge of effectively com-

peting in a highly specialized market. A major obstacle was the

company’s 2D AutoCAD® design software. It had proven itself inef-

ficient for the handling of the

large assemblies that are com-

mon to HIGHVOLT systems

and a standard requirement of

the company’s new arc-sup-

pression coils product line.

Recognizing the value of a 3D

CAD environment for improv-

ing productivity, reducing

design costs, and developing

new products, HIGHVOLT

conducted a rigorous, multi-

step evaluation of 3D CAD

packages.

HIGHVOLTPrüftechnikDresden GmbH

“The most importantbenefit is bringingproducts to marketfaster and designingmore products in thesame amount of time.That’s why we movedto SolidWorks.”

Ullrich ClemensEngineering Manager

After their review of several3D CAD packages, includingSolidWorks®, Pro/ENGINEER®,Mechanical Desktop®, andSolid Edge™ software, thecompany decided to standard-ize on SolidWorks because ofits fast ROI, large-assembly

capabilities, and production-level engineering drawingsupport. By deploying SolidWorks, HIGHVOLT realizeda 40% reduction in the design cycle for traditional prod-ucts. The company uses PhotoWorks™ rendering soft-ware so clients can review detailed design concepts

prior to manufacture. UsingeDrawings, a SolidWorksinnovation that allows easysharing of CAD drawings viaemail, the staff can also pres-ent complex drawings in amanner that is simple tounderstand and interpret.

solid

Solu

tion

High-voltage testing systemmaker sparks innovation.

Dresden, Germany


Launched a new prod-uct line without incur-ring additional costs.

Reduced design cyclesby 35 to 40% for thecompany’s traditionalproducts.

Met needs for fasterand more effectivemanagement of largeassemblies.

Enabled creation ofdetailed and completeengineering drawings.

ENERGY .

Exciter Transformer PEO 100/50of an HVAC Series Test System

case

No. 8

1

ENERGY .

KvaernerOilfield Products

“With SolidWorks, ourteam has been able toproductively use the soft-ware within an extremelyshort period of time.”

Steve ShimonekSenior Project Designer

Kvaerner Oilfield Products is a leading worldwide supplier

of subsea and surface oilfield production systems, risers,

control systems, and umbilicals. Our design team wanted

to shorten development time, eliminate design errors, and reduce

material costs. To achieve this, we needed to design, develop, and

rapidly enhance products in a

3D environment. We were

using both AutoCAD® and

Pro/ENGINEER®, but needed

software that provided inter-

ference detection and a 3D-

product interface, both of

which are critical factors when

designing 15,000 p.s.i. work-

ing-pressure equipment. In

addition, the software needed

to be accepted and supported

internationally to allow multi-

ple engineering groups to

interface their equipment into

overall field solutions.

We evaluated Solid Edge™ andMechanical Desktop®, butchose SolidWorks® softwarebecause it offers the mostadvanced features, while providing the highestease-of-use. The sketching functionality andcompatibility with third-party analysis softwarewere also key elements for choosing SolidWorks.

The software is cost-effective, includes excellent sup-port, and provides outstanding multidirectionaldetailing capabilities. We also rely heavily on the para-metric capability between models and drawings. As a

result of using SolidWorks, we havereduced our design cycle by 50%,

accelerated the sales pro-posal process, increased

component accuracy,and reduced manufac-

turing problems.

solid

Solu

tion

Oilfield products manufacturerstrikes it rich with 3D CAD.

Houston, TX, U.S.A.

Side valve tree assembly, installedremotely in 10,000 foot water depths

for gas and oil production on the seabed


Shortened develop-ment time by 50%.

Cut material costs by 35%.

Eliminated 35%of errors.

Reduced time-to-market by 25%.

case

No. 9

1

ENTERTAINMENT .

S&S Power, Inc.“Large assembliesdemand an extremelypowerful program.SolidWorks is the only software to meet this challenge.”

Rhodes WilkinsonR&D Engineer

S&S Power, Inc., a high thrill vertical amusement ride man-

ufacturer, is the first company to design, produce, and suc-

cessfully operate a pneumatically launched roller coaster

ride. With a market that has extended globally to more than 20

countries, the challenge was to efficiently design a complicated

roller coaster train that guar-

anteed both excitement and

personal safety. We had been

using Mechanical Desktop®

software, but needed easy-to-

use 3D software that had the

power to handle large and

complex assemblies.

We evaluated several different3D CAD packages, but discov-ered that SolidWorks® offeredthe best solution for simplify-ing the design process. Within months, we cutdesign costs by 20%, while the Windows® inter-face and excellent support lowered the learningcurve for designers lacking 3D CAD experience.

SolidWorks gives us the ability to work with part,assembly, and drawing files separately. This meanssmaller file sizes that are easier to manage. AnotherSolidWorks advantage is that file types can be easilyconverted from one type to another, so designs can beshared with users of other CAD and CAM solutions.SolidWorks has proven itself powerful, stable, andcapable of handling the design of large assemblies.

solid

Solu

tion

Amusement ride manufacturerclimbs to new heights.

Logan, UT, U.S.A.

Shortened design timeby 25%.

Cut development costsby 20%.

Improved productquality by 25%.

Increased marketshare by one third.


Roller Coaster Train

case

No. 9

9

BucyrusInternational, Inc.

“Before SolidWorks, wedidn’t discover visibilityproblems until themachine was assembledon the shop floor.”

Derrick JuulBucyrus Designer

Bucyrus International, Inc. is a global leader in the manufac-

ture of shovels, drills, and draglines for the surface mining

industry. With products both large and costly to manufac-

ture, the company needed a logical way to design and market its

products, minimizing and often eliminating the need for prototypes.

Bucyrus® decided to evaluate

various 3D mechanical design

systems in an effort to extend

the boundaries of the surface

mining equipment market,

improve design productivity,

and create accurate computer..

visuals.

Bucyrus chose SolidWorks®

software for its ease-of-use, 3Dvisualization and animationcapabilities, and close integra-tion with PDM and otheranalysis tools. The designers use Matrix® PDM tomanage SolidWorks data, COSMOS/Works® forFEA analysis, and SolidWorks Animator and

PhotoWorks™ to produce animations and graphics ofmachine designs. The dynamic assembly capabilitiesin SolidWorks allow them to perform clearancechecks on assemblies and moving pieces to ensurethere are no interference problems. SolidWorks gaveBucyrus designers the confidence and agility todevelop a revolutionary new product—the 795B

Electric Mining Shovel with Hydraulic Crowd—which pushes the parameters of the surface mining

equipment market.

Excavation equipment firmdigs in for the long haul.

South Milwaukee, WI, U.S.A.

795B Electric Mining Shovel with Hydraulic Crowd


Shortened designcycle by 25%.

Reduced FEA analysistime by 20%.

Improved product con-fidence level by 25%.

Pushed the parametersof the surface miningequipment market.

HEAVY EQUIPMENT .

solid

Solu

tion

case

No. 8

2Fraunhofer

TEG“With SolidWorks, we designedand built a product with morethan 84 subassemblies andover 5,000 parts—in fewerthan six weeks!”

Jon Hoyle Prototype Design Manager

Fraunhofer TEG, a process engineering design group locat-

ed in Stuttgart, Germany, was recently asked to design and

manufacture sensor devices for an automatic ultrasonic

railroad wheel-set testing station (AURA). The group wanted a

3D CAD program for parametric modeling, so there would be a

full associativity between

parts, assemblies, and draw-

ings. We needed software

that was easy to use because

we were constantly adding

new members to our team—

usually students and free-

lance engineers.

We were using AutoCAD® andUnigraphics®, but switched toSolidWorks® software for thepowerful integration of fea-tures like drag-and-drop, theability to open multiple windows, and the con-venience of right-click accessibility to modelingfunctions. We use PhotoWorks™ software to ren-

der photorealistic images. This way, we can more eas-ily explain and describe design details to fellow teammembers and customers. Using SolidWorks, we have

cut development time by halfand significantly reduced thefrequency of design failures.

solid

Solu

tion

Process design group stays on track.

Stuttgart, Germany

Cut product develop-ment time by half.

Reduced productdevelopment costs bymore than 40%.

Improved product quality by 99%.

Decreased frequencyof design failures.


HEAVY EQUIPMENT .

Automatic UltrasonicWheel-Set Testing Station

case

No. 9

2AutomationTooling Systems, Inc.“SolidWorks provides the bestcustomer service and DWGimport/export capability of any 3D package out there.”

Paul McDonnellATS Mechanical Design CAD Coordinator

Automation Tooling Systems, Inc. (ATS) is the global leader

in the design and manufacture of turnkey automated man-

ufacturing and test systems. Their equipment is used by a

variety of manufacturers, including automotive, computer/electron-

ics, healthcare, and consumer products, which use ATS to reduce

costs and achieve higher qual-

ity production. ATS also man-

ufactures plastics and metal

precision components and

subassemblies utilizing its

own custom-built manufac-

turing systems, process

knowledge, and automation

technology. ATS needed to

upgrade from 2D to 3D to

boost productivity, improve

quality, innovate products,

and expand its market.

After evaluating MechanicalDesktop®, Pro/ENGINEER®,and I-DEAS/Master Series™,ATS selected SolidWorks® soft-ware because of its short learn-ing curve, large assembly capa-bilities, compatibility withlegacy data, and 3D visualiza-

tion and animation capabilities. Byimplementing SolidWorks, ATS realized productivityimprovements, implemented company-wide designstandards, eliminated drafting/drawing errors, mini-mized structural errors through integrated analysis,improved product quality, elevated the level of commu-nications with its customers, and introduced a strategicproduct, the SuperTrak™ high-speed pallet transportsystem. ATS uses SolidWorks Animator andPhotoWorks™ to produce animations and graphics ofsystems, and uses eDrawings to share these drawingand model files with colleagues and customers.

solid

Solu

tion

Accelerating automated palletassembly with SolidWorks.

Ontario, Canada


Trained more than adozen designers to use COSMOS/Works®, an analysis programintegrated withSolidWorks software.

Implemented company-wide design standards.

Reduced drafting andstructural errors.

Elevated customercommunications using PhotoWorks,SolidWorks Animatorand eDrawings.

INDUSTRIAL .

This SuperTrak high-speed pallettransport system was designed withSolidWorks software.

case

No. 1

00 Hartness International manufactures custom packaging

machinery for a variety of consumer and commercial

product makers. To stay competitive in a fast-changing

industry, the company needed to deliver a new product to market

in two months. The company's 2D CAD software did not offer the

capabilities the engineering

staff needed to meet that tight

timeframe.

HartnessInternational

“We had formal training for twodays and started making parts onthe third. Two months later, themachine was delivered on time!”

Olivier DuterteProduct Manager

Hartness chose SolidWorks®

software for its easy-to-use,intuitive, 3D solid modelingcapabilities. With SolidWorks,designers can quickly explorepart and assembly alternatives in real time tooptimize machinery performance. Hartness isable to design assemblies and test them before

building any parts, shortening the design and manu-facturing cycle from five months to just two months.

solid

Solu

tion

Packaging manufacturerspeeds innovations.

Greenville, SC, U.S.A.

SolidWorks is a registered trademarks of SolidWorks Corporation. All other company and product names are trade-marks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. ©2001 SolidWorks Corporation. All rights reserved.

INDUSTRIAL .

Enabled significantnew product designinnovations.

Shortened develop-ment cycle from fiveto two months.

Optimized machineryperformance.

Eased design reviews.

The Dynamic AccumulatingConveyor System (DYNAC)intelligently regulates theflow of products duringpackaging and packing.

case

No. 8

3

HaumillerEngineering

Company

“Using SolidWorks, wecan design the machine insolids, visualize parts andassemblies, and conductinterference checking andcollision detection all inless than one hour.”

Jim DaffronEngineering Manager

Haumiller Engineering Company designs and builds auto-

mated machinery for manufacturing operations. The

company’s specially designed rotary continuous motion

and rotary indexing machines drive production lines in a variety of

industries, including pharmaceuticals, electronics, consumer

goods, and medical products.

To maintain its leadership

position, Haumiller needed to

reduce its design cycle by

20%. To achieve this the

design team needed a better

way to reconcile the behavior

of individual parts within an

assembly, without resorting to

costly prototype tests. They

decided to upgrade from their

2D AutoCAD® drafting pack-

age to more robust

3D solid modeling

software.

We chose SolidWorks® soft-ware for its superior ease-of-use, PC platform, and power-ful 3D visualization capabili-ties. By visualizing the behav-ior of automated machineryassemblies in SolidWorks, weare shortening our design cycle, eliminating

costly rework, improving machinery performance,and speeding product delivery. With SolidWorks, weexpect to exceed our design cycle reduction goal,compressing the product development process

by more than 30%, allow-ing us to concentrate our energy and mentalresources on real engi-neering challenges.

solid

Solu

tion

Machinery manufacturervisualizes 3D assemblies.

Elgin, IL, U.S.A.


Shortened the designcycle by 20%.

Visualized the behaviorof automated machin-ery assemblies.

Produced problem-free, production-worthymachines directly fromdesign data.

Conserved energy andmaximized mentalresources.

INDUSTRIAL .

Using SolidWorks software, Haumiller designed this packagingmachine to handle plastic bottle caps.

case

No. 1

12

MakinoMilling Machine

Company

“SolidWorks provides superiorease-of-use which has led to muchshorter development cycles.”

Makoto Sato Research and Development

Makino Milling Machine Co., Ltd. manufactures machin-

ing centers, NC electrical discharge processing

machines, FMS, and other metal mold processing

machine tools. The company decided to adopt a 3D CAD environ-

ment to better visualize its designs. The challenge was to select

software that allowed design-

ers and nondesigners to col-

laborate in the product devel-

opment process.

Makino chose SolidWorks®

software for its power of visu-alization and ease-of-use.Using SolidWorks, Makinowas able to concurrently engi-neer its V33 Vertical-machin-ing Center, allowing designers and nondesign-ers to visualize the product in 3D, beginning

with the conceptual stage of the design. UsingSolidWorks, the company was able to reduce develop-

ment costs by 15%, shorten development timefrom one year to eight months, and deliver a

product capable of high speed process-ing, all within a super-compact size.

solid

Solu

tion

Machine tool manufacturercuts development time in half.

Tokyo, Japan


Created collaborationacross all divisionsthroughout the entireproject.

Shortened the designcycle.

Decreased develop-ment costs by 15%.

Reduced machinedimensions by two-thirds.

INDUSTRIAL .

Makino V33 Vertical-machining Center

Assembly machine designed with SolidWorks

case

No. 1

01

MatrixAutomation Group, Inc.

“SolidWorks eliminatesmistakes that are difficultto detect in 2D drawings.”

Richard HigginsVice President of Engineering

Matrix Automation Group designs and builds custom

assembly, packaging, and production machinery for a

variety of industries. Overall, the company wanted a

faster way to deliver affordable automation equipment. Matrix

engineering decided to replace their 2D AutoCAD® design soft-

ware because it prevented

them from catching design

flaws before they resulted in

costly fabrication errors.

Matrix considered usingPro/ENGINEER®, but choseSolidWorks® software for itscomprehensive 3D modelingcapabilities. The company isable to generate multipleviews quickly and detectinterference and collision problems early in the

design cycle. SolidWorks file compatibility lets themsave detailed drawings of SolidWorks models as

AutoCAD files, complete with dimensions, notes,and other annotations assigned to the appropriatelayers. Configuration functions in SolidWorks allow

Matrix to change parameters of projects theyhave already completed to meet thespecifications of new customers,compressing months of redesign time

into a few days. The company alsouses PhotoWorks™ to create photoreal-

istic views so customers can understanddesigns more quickly.

Automated equipment designer streamlines with 3D.

North Billerica, MA, U.S.A.


Reduced design timefrom sixteen weeks toa few days.

Decreased the time to generate multipleisometric views to less than one minute.

Improved the company’s projectcost margins.

Increased the leewayin competitively pric-ing its own services.

INDUSTRIAL .

solid

Solu

tion

case

No. 1

07

INDUSTRIAL .

Polivinil s.r.l.

“With a reasonablerange of values andminimal manual inputby the designers, wecan quickly designfamilies of products ofvarious dimensionsand capacities.”

Pierluigi SacchiOwner

Aleader in the design and manufacture of machinery for pro-

ducing molded plastics, Polivinil s.r.l. has helped customers

worldwide create molded plastics for more than 30 years.

The company specializes in the development of molds, machinery,

and production systems for manufacturing everything from house-

hold containers to decorative

garden fixtures. The company

needed to upgrade its design

tools in order to respond to

rising demand and increas-

ing competition. The strate-

gy called for the engineering

group to migrate from 2D

drafting tools to a 3D CAD

environment.

Before selecting SolidWorks®

software, Polivinil conductedan extensive evaluation andanalysis of available 3D CADpackages based on ease-of-use, service and sup-port, and solid modeling capabilities—in partic-ular, the ability to model complex 3D shapes.The move from 2D to 3D design tools has made

the engineering group more agile, versatile, and effi-cient, resulting in reduced costs, shortened designcycles, and faster time-to-market. With SolidWorks,

Polivinil expects tomaintain its competi-tive edge and extendits leadership positionas a manufacturer ofmolded plastics.

solid

Solu

tion

Plastics manufacturerextends competitive edge.

Novara, Italy


Shortened designcycles by 40%.

Significantly reducedtime-to-market.

Reduced design costsby 40 to 50%.

Gained agility, versa-tility, and efficiency.

Rotomolding MachineryAssembly

case

No. 1

13

SumitomoHeavy Industries Ltd.

“The biggest advantage to using SolidWorks is therepeated simulations wecan make without incurringactual production costs.”

Toshiharu TanakaSenior EngineerPlanning & Control DepartmentMachinery Group

Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd., a leading manufacturer of

continuous casting equipment, wanted to reduce develop-

ment costs and shorten lead-times for the production of their

core business products—custom-designed, large-scale industrial

machinery. To achieve their goal, Sumitomo decided to purchase

an automatic design system

that would allow easy access

to 3D data.

We chose SolidWorks® soft-ware for its ease-of-use andvariety of functions. UsingSolidWorks, we have signifi-cantly improved our designprocess for creating continuous casting equip-ment. The automatic design of the machine’s rollunit is just one improvement made. By entering

the required specifications into tabular calculationsoftware, we automatically create databased 3D mod-els and present proposals to customers more quickly.Our engineers have reduced development costs andshortened lead-times by running product simulations

in SolidWorks prior to entering theactual production phase. The designstaff uses PDM and other analyticalsoftware to shorten analysis timeand improve the sharing of databetween our design division andmanufacturing division.

solid

Solu

tion

Manufacturer excels in custom machinery market.

Tokyo, Japan


Reduced design period.

Cut development costs.

Shortened FEA timefrom several days tojust six hours.

Improved communica-tion process betweendesign and manufactur-ing divisions.

Continuous Casting Machinery (CCM)developed using SolidWorks softwareand SolidWorks Piping software

INDUSTRIAL .

case

No. 1

02SwagelokCompany

“Possibly the greateststrategic benefit of solidmodeling is the leverage itprovides in performingdownstream functions.”

Andrew DoughertyManager of Product and Technology Development

Swagelok Company, a leading supplier of precision fluid sys-

tem components, maintains one of the world’s largest indus-

trial manufacturing and distribution networks. Product lines

include valves, fittings, and related components for leak-free han-

dling of liquids and gases. After assessing its design process, the

team decided to upgrade to a

more efficient 3D solid mod-

eling technology. The goal

was to generate designs more

efficiently and reduce prod-

uct development time.

The team chose SolidWorks®

software for its ease-of-use,short learning curve, paramet-ric design capabilities, assem-bly modeling, and integrationwith downstream applicationssuch as FEA, CFD, and PDMsoftware. Using SolidWorks,

Swagelok designers engineered anentirely new product line for thebiotechnology and pharmaceutical markets in lessthan a year—approximately half the time of more con-ventional systems. The company has reduced costs

and lead times, while improving serviceand maintaining the industry’s high-

est quality standards.

solid

Solu

tion

Fluid system component firmspeeds time-to-market.

Solon, OH, U.S.A.


Reduced time-to-market by 100% andengineered a newproduct line in lessthan a year.

Lowered costs andshortened lead timeswhile improving service.

Improved enterprise-wide engineering con-trols through productdata management.

Cut developmentcycles by integratingadd-on analysis andsimulation solutions.

INDUSTRIAL .

Assembly modeling capabilities ensureaccuracy and proper fit between theparts of fluid system components, such as Swagelok’s DR Series Sanitary Valve.

case

No. 1

09

INDUSTRIAL .

“Development easilywent four times fasterbecause of SolidWorks.”

Stewart McMillan President

Task Force Tips, Inc. (TFT), a leading global provider of fire-

fighting equipment, manufactures nozzles and other

devices designed to make firefighting safer and more effec-

tive. TFT is the only company with 14 nozzles that meet the stan-

dards of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). TFT

needed to move from 2D

AutoCAD® to a robust, easy-

to-use 3D CAD system to cre-

ate complex castings and

assemblies, and reap the ben-

efits of automated tooling.

TFT decided to standardize on SolidWorks® mechanicaldesign software because of itsuser friendliness, assemblycapabilities, documentationcreation features, and integra-tion with machining applica-tions. To automate its tooling and CNC machine

functions, the company implemented SURFCAM®

software. The SolidWorks solution enabled TFT toslash its product design cycle by a factor of

four, speed creation of documentationgraphics, and introduce a product that revo-

lutionized the firefighting industry.

solid

Solu

tion

Leader in firefighting devicesgains more ground.

Valparaiso, IN, U.S.A.


Reduced design cycleby nine months.

Created successfulproduct that revolution-ized firefighting safetyand effectiveness.

Accelerated mold cre-ation with automatedtooling add-on solution.

Produced user manualgraphics in minutesinstead of weeks.

Task ForceTips, Inc.

With its elegant accelerometershut-off assembly and unique swivel

design, the Blitzfire™ is the only portable,high-capacity deluge device a single

firefighter can operate safely.

case

No. 11

4 Xaar, plc was established in Cambridge, England a decade ago

to meet the growing worldwide demand for new printing

and ink jet technologies. Following a successful launch on

the London Stock Exchange, Xaar’s manufacturing division decided

to launch a new printhead aimed at the semi-industrial market.

Xaar’s existing 2D design soft-

ware could not accommodate

the complexity and accuracy

demanded by the product’s

design. The company decided,

therefore, to evaluate 3D CAD

packages instead.

Xaar, plc“With SolidWorks, evenusers with no previous 3Dmodeling experience areable to pick up the systemrapidly and easily.”

Robert IsonProject Leader

We chose SolidWorks® softwareas our 3D mechanical designtool, based on a compellingcombination of performance,affordable price, and ease-of-use. The SolidWorks solutionproved easy to learn, enablingusers to quickly exploit the system’s capabilities.

Xaar realized an estimated 40 to 50% increase in pro-ductivity as well as significant time and cost savings.

We use PhotoWorks™ render-ing software to create photore-alistic images for sales presen-tations and proposals.

solid

Solu

tion

Ink jet technology companygets 3D design productivity.

Cambridge, England


INDUSTRIAL .

Improved design accuracy and productquality.

Expanded designstaffing optionsthrough a short learning curve.

Increased productivityby an estimated 40 to 50%.

Enhanced sales presentations withphotorealistic images.

CEO Graham Wylie with Technology Demonstrator

case

No. 1

03

Yu HouIndustry Co., Ltd.

“Our intelligent packagingmachine can pack eighthundred cans per minute,adjusting its own speedautomatically. That’sexceptional.”

Weng Chia-JungProject Engineer

Yu Hou Industry Co., Ltd. manufactures packaging machin-

ery, including liquid-filling and bottle packaging equip-

ment, for the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, and

health and beauty supply markets. The company needed to more

easily present product concepts to customers, and the design team

needed to shorten the prod-

uct development cycle while

improving overall product

quality.

We chose SolidWorks® soft-ware for its ability to analyzestructural design and to makeit easier to understand fluidsin motion, a concept importantto the design of liquid-filling equipment.SolidWorks makes it possible to create families ofparts, reducing the amount of hard-drive storagerequired to save files. SolidWorks also gives us theability to quickly change dimensions or exchange

components, making it possible to designlarge assemblies. In addition, the Windows®

interface makes the software easy to use, lower-ing the team’s learning curve. We also inte-

grated PhotoWorks™ rendering softwareso we can more easily explain designs

to colleagues and customers.Overall, SolidWorks has been

an extremely cost-effectiveaddition to our design team.

solid

Solu

tion

Equipment manufacturerexceeds expectations.

Taiwan, Republic of China


Designed larger, more complicatedassemblies.

Shortened develop-ment period by 40%.

Improved productquality.

Increased marketshare by 20%.

INDUSTRIAL .

Automatic Packaging Machine Y-35A

case

No. 1

08

ALLTECGmbH & Co., KG

“SolidWorks is the bestsolution in terms ofprice and performance.”

Frank WinklerEngineer ALLTEC is the world's leading supplier of laser mask

marking systems. Their lasers are used in a number of

products, including ophthalmologic instruments that can

detect and thereby prevent retinal conditions such as glaucoma.

The design team was using AutoCAD® design software, but need-

ed to reduce the design time

of new lasers and marking-

system components. They

needed to shorten the pro-

duction time used to produce

the larger assemblies that

included these components.

We evaluated a full range of CAD software includingPro/ENGINEER®, Solid Edge™,and Mechanical Desktop®,but chose SolidWorks® software for its simplic-ity. SolidWorks offers a distinct time-savingadvantage compared to other CAD systems,allowing us to double our productivity. With

SolidWorks, we have significantly reducedthe need for redesign. In fact, we have elimi-

nated nearly 80% of design errors on our morecomplex products.

solid

Solu

tion

Laser manufacturer hits the mark.

Luebeck, Germany


Shortened design period by half.

Reduced design errors by 80%.

Lowered 3D CADlearning curve.

Increased productdesign capability.

MEDICAL .

Ophthalmologic instrument formeasuring the internal eyepressure of a seated patient,by aid of a stereo microscope

case

No. 1

15

ALM-Groupe Getinge ALM, the premier provider of medical lighting equip-

ment, designs, manufactures, and distributes surgical

equipment for operating rooms around the world.

Groupe Getinge, the parent company, specializes in the design of

sterilization and sanitization products. After the acquisition,

ALM challenged itself to

introduce innovative prod-

ucts, reduce development

costs, and shorten design

cycles. To achieve this, the

design team needed para-

metric 3D CAD software.

After evaluating several pro-grams, we chose SolidWorks®

software because it is power-ful, provides parametric capa-bilities, is totally associative,and offers dynamic testing.With SolidWorks, we designed an operating tablecapable of total radiological access. The product

includes a moving plate composed of more than sixhundred parts, with movement combinations depend-

ent on its six motorized axes. Overall, SolidWorkshas increased our product design quality, reduceddevelopment times, and allowed us to anticipatemedical requirements more accurately.

solid

Solu

tion

Medical equipment companydesigns 3D operating table.

Orléans, France

Reduced design timeby 30%.

Enabled engineers toview the designs fromdifferent aspects.

Added more function-ality into a reducedspace.

Allowed the companyto anticipate futuremedical requirements.

MEDICAL .

ALM-Groupe Getinge used SolidWorks todesign this operating table, capable of

total radiological access.

“With SolidWorks, we candesign products faster andwith more precision.”

Bruno TorcheboeufDesign Department Manager


case

No. 1

04

MEDICAL .

SiemensMedical Systems

“Instead of tearing our hair out to manage the software, we enjoy the freedom of havingmore time to explore, iterate,and have fun with it.”

Per O. HoelSenior Mechanical Engineer

The Electromedical Division of Siemens, a recognized

leader in the critical care marketplace, sought to develop

a monitoring system that would provide hospitals with

ultimate functionality. The result is the INFINITY Patient

Monitoring System™. A key component of the system is the

SC 9000XL patient monitor.

The company needed an intu-

itive, easy-to-use CAD system

to streamline the design cycle

of the monitor and accelerate

time-to-market.

Siemens chose SolidWorks®

CAD software because of itssuperior ease-of-use. By deploy-ing SolidWorks, Siemens intro-duced a breakthrough product, cut componentdesign time by 25%, reduced prototyping and toolmodification costs, and empowered its engineerswith the freedom to visualize, experiment, and

refine product designs.

solid

Solu

tion

Medical equipment makerspeeds time-to-market.

Danvers, MA, U.S.A.

Cut component designtime by 25%.

Reduced prototypingand tool modificationcosts.

Shortened lead-times.

Accelerated turnaroundof change requests.


SC 9000XL Patient Monitor

case

No. 1

10

TRANSPORTATION .

HitachiAutomotiveMachinery Group

“SolidWorks has revolution-ized our design process, forless than half that of high-end CAD.”

Masayuki SatoChief Engineer Information Systems Department

Hitachi Ltd. Automotive Products Division is a tier one

manufacturer of a wide variety of automotive-related

machinery. Products include engine power train

machines, electrical accessories, and car-loaded information and

communication devices. The company’s challenge was to select a

3D CAD software package

that would foster division-

wide collaboration across the

eight design groups within

the Automotive Products

Division. Hitachi engineers

carefully evaluated more than

200 design options, often

using the company’s actual

data for testing purposes.

Hitachi chose SolidWorks® soft-ware for its ease-of-use, simpli-fied data conversion capabili-ties, and affordability. The soft-ware’s short learning curvewas another benefit. Hitachiimmediately saw future growthpotential in the design group,

due to the rapid adoption ofSolidWorks software by its design staff. The companyhas since installed nearly 100 seats of SolidWorks soft-ware across the eight design groups at the Automotive

Products Division. The result has beenfaster creation of analytical data and ashortening of the trial manufacturephase from three weeks to just oneweek. The greatest benefit, however, isthe designers’ ability to conduct designanalysis, trial manufacture, and interfer-ence checks at an earlier stage in theproduction process. This has significant-ly reduced the company’s design cycle.

solid

Solu

tion

Automotive machinery groupaccelerates design process.

Ibaraki, Japan


Increased the accuracyof design information,due to the integrationof design and analysis.

Reduced prototypephase to a single trialmanufacture.

Produced a prototypein one week instead of three weeks.

Shortened the designcycle by conductinganalysis, trial manu-facture, and interfer-ence checks at an earlier stage.

Hitachi Turbocharger

case

No. 1

16

“Weight and center of gravitycalculations enabled us todesign a much lighter andstronger product than thecompetition. Actual weightwas within ten pounds—notbad for a 3000-pound product!”

David SmithPresident

Professional Components Ltd. designs specialty vehicles for

the urban and disabled markets. The firm needed to compete

with much larger companies that were equipped with con-

siderably more resources. Also, low barriers of entry into the alu-

minum fabrication industry created competition from above and

below. The larger firms had a

lower cost per employee base,

better proximity to raw mate-

rials, stronger purchasing

power, more experience, and

more volume. To remain

competitive, we needed to

respond better to our cus-

tomers and adapt better to

shifts in the market. We need-

ed software that could give us

accurate sheetmetal layouts

with the ability to communi-

cate with laser and water cut-

ting machinery.

We considered Solid Edge™,Mechanical Desktop®, andPro/ENGINEER®, but were veryimpressed by SolidWorks® soft-ware’s short learning curve andintegration with Microsoft®

Office products. We use bothMicrosoft Excel and Visual Basic® to drive the

inventory, ordering, and parts management from theSolidWorks drawings. This eliminates the need to pur-chase other third-party materials-management soft-ware. We also use PhotoWorks™ rendering software tocreate images for presentations and manuals.Customers have come to expect the additional infor-mation that SolidWorks provides, giving them confi-

dence in their pur-chase while addingcredibility to our firm.

solid

Solu

tion

Vehicle manufacturer streamlines production.

British Columbia, Canada


Shortened productdesign period from oneyear to three months.

Reduced productdevelopment costs by 75%.

Eliminated the cus-tomers’ requests forprototypes.

Produced a productmuch lighter than thecompetition’s.

TRANSPORTATION .

ProfessionalComponents, Ltd.

Tundra II Minibus

case

No. 1

05

“With SolidWorks,we design conceptsfaster and easier thanever. It’s like sketch-ing with solid metal.”

Steve Prentice Designer

Steve Prentice Design Limited is a UK-based automotive con-

sulting firm specializing in power train concept design.

Their newest challenge was to design a low-cost, light-

weight, fuel-efficient engine capable of 100 bhp @ 6500 rpm. The

team thought 2D or wireframe CAD would hinder their creative

process, so they decided to

look for a robust parametric

solid modeling package that

guaranteed ease-of-use.

We considered Pro/ENGINEER®,but SolidWorks® softwareimpressed us with its wellfeatured and robust solidmodeler. SolidWorks allows usto build concepts quickly,almost as though sketching with solid metal.We generate solids from under defined sketch-

es, create parts within assemblies, and edit designsinto different configurations. In 18 months, we havecompleted more concept projects than ever before,taking them to a greater level of definition in lesstime than customers believed possible. SolidWorksalso provides package dimensions, masses, and majorstresses in days, instead of months. We use a varietyof add-on solutions, including Working Model andCOSMOS/Works® for first-pass stress analysis, andPhotoWorks™ for rendering photorealistic images forproposals and presentations.

Automotive consulting firmdesigns breakthrough engine.

Oxfordshire, England

Three-cylinder 1.4 LitreConcept Engine


Generated solids from under definedsketches.

Created greater level of definition in less time.

Developed completeconcepts in daysinstead of months.

Edited designs into dif-ferent configurations.

TRANSPORTATION .

solid

Solu

tion

Steve PrenticeDesign Limited

case

No. 1

06

WeldonTechnologies, Inc.

“With SolidWorks, Ianticipate where somefunctionality shouldbe, or how it should beused, and it works justlike I imagined.”

Sean TillinghastVice President of Engineering

Weldon Technologies, Inc. is a leader in the design and

manufacture of illuminating devices and electrical

control systems for specialty vehicles including

ambulances, fire trucks, and school buses. Facing fierce competi-

tion and industry consolidation, the company needed to streamline

its design process and deliver

breakthrough products more

rapidly without sacrificing

quality or reliability. Weldon

decided to deploy a 3D para-

metric CAD system for para-

metric optical design

The company’s design teamchose SolidWorks® 3D CAD soft-ware for its superior ease-of-use, PC platform, and powerfulparametric design capabilities.With the short learning curve, extensive datatranslators, and intuitive Windows®-compliantinterface, we were well into parametric optical

design of a new warning lamp concept after only twoweeks. And in terms of promoting new

concepts, we were able to providethe sales team with a high quality,3D model they could rotate andexplode. This allowed them toeffectively market prototype con-cepts early in the product launchprocess, while allowing us to incor-porate valuable feedback into thedesign. SolidWorks has shortenedour design cycle by at least 25%and even as much as 50% when wetap additional SolidWorks features.

solid

Solu

tion

Lighting company becomes innovative electronics supplier.

Hilliard, OH, U.S.A.


Shortened the designcycle by at least 25%.

Introduced the firstcombination halogen/strobe warning light.

Optimized materialusage.

Accelerated productdelivery.

TRANSPORTATION .

Patented QFL Series Combination Halogen/Strobe Warning Lamp

case

No. 1

11

WhaleTankers Ltd.

“With SolidWorks, thefirst prototype is morelike the final product.”

John KilmaineCofounder and NE Director

Whale Tankers Ltd., the leading European manufacturer

of liquid waste tankers and high-pressure jetting equip-

ment, supplies the majority of local waste authorities,

independent waste contractors, and water companies with specially

designed waste removal and transportation systems. In an effort to

reduce production time, pro-

vide faster product delivery,

enhance design creativity to

develop more stylized prod-

ucts, and establish standard-

ized parts to cut costs and

speed time-to-market, Whale

Tankers decided to upgrade

its 2D engineering tools to 3D.

The company had been using

a 2D Claris CAD program on

Apple® computers.

We evaluated two 3D solidmodelers—SolidWorks® andSolid Edge™—before selectingSolidWorks solid modelingsoftware because of its shortlearning curve, 3D visualiza-tion capabilities, design focus,and value. By deploying

SolidWorks, we have realized a 20% reduction in pro-duction time, created our first standardized parts forthe GullyWhale, and developed a stylish design forthe SMARTWhale. Whale Tankers has since grown tobecome the largest manufacturer of specialized liq-

uid waste tankers andhigh-pressure jettingequipment in Europe.

solid

Solu

tion

Waste removal firm shortensproduction time by 20%.

Solihull, England

Reduced overall production time by20% including assembly, inspection,and testing.

Provided faster productdelivery.

Enhanced design creativity to developmore stylized products.

Established standard-ized parts to cut costsand speed time to market.


TRANSPORTATION .

SMARTWhale Tanker

Documents

SolidWorks Case Studies