ProductNX

Business challengesShorten cycle time between R&D and manufacturingDesign advanced products Upgrade product presentations

Keys to successFocusing on R&DDeveloping new products Introducing 3D CAD

ResultsReduced product development time by 45 days Significantly accelerated prototype design Eliminated the need to rework design data submitted to mold suppliersEstablished 3D-driven best practices, resulting in the delivery of more innovative, structurally stronger productsProduced more effective product presentations

Using NX helps Mitsubishi Pencil shorten product development time by 45 days

Mitsubishi Pencil is about much more than pencilsWhile Mitsubishi Pencil Co., Ltd. (Mitsubishi Pencil) has been manufactur-ing pencils since 1887, the company has significantly broadened its product line over the years. Today, pencil sales account for only 8 percent of the company’s prod-ucts. More than 50 percent of its products are ballpoint pens, 15 percent are markers and 13 percent are mechanical pencils. Despite some contraction in the use of writing instruments with the rise of mobile devices and smart phones, Mitsubishi Pencil has continued to post record profits, particularly in overseas markets, which now represent 45 percent of total sales.

“Mitsubishi Pencil is focused on product development, not only to develop new ideas for writing instruments, but also entirely new products,” says Takeo Fukumoto, assistant manager at Mitsubishi Pencil’s research and development (R&D) center. “For example, we also make cos-metic products such as lip gloss, eyeliner and nail polish. We even supply compo-nents for batteries.”

The introduction of NXTraditionally, technical drawings were created by hand at Mitsubishi Pencil.

Consumer products and retail

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Mitsubishi Pencil Office products manufacturer utilizes NX to create innovative writing instrument

The company adopted workstation-based 2D computer-aided design (CAD) in the late 1980s to enable engineers to access precise technical drawings as computer-ized data.

In 2005, the company licensed Siemens PLM Software’s comprehensive and inte-grated product development solution: NX™ software. “We had tried another 3D CAD system before using NX,” says Fukumoto. “But it was not really suitable for conveying the same data from design to drawing and then on to the shop floor. We investigated other 3D CAD systems and in the end we chose NX.”

“Developing prototype designs improved dramati-cally with the use of NX,” notes Hirotake Izawa, assistant manager at Mitsubishi Pencil’s R&D center. “In the past, making proto-

types from 2D draw-

ings took too long and it was difficult to make cor-

rections. By using NX, we now make a solid model first and then proceed in small steps from that.

“In presentations for review panels, we find that images made using NX make it easy to convey design details to people who are not engineers. If anyone proposes any changes, model data can even be cor-rected on the spot and the results of the change can be confirmed right away. NX can also help us simulate how products will be assembled,” says Izawa.

Smarter decisions, better productsUsing NX has enabled Mitsubishi Pencil to design more advanced and more complex writing instruments. In particular, the design of the popular “uni-ball” brand “Kuru Toga” mechanical pencil, which always keeps a refined writing point, would have been impossible without NX.

“Kuru Toga contains a comparatively complex mechanism with intricate components. A twist-and-turn mechanism rotates the lead to maintain a sharp point

“By using NX, we have shortened development time, on average, by 45 days. Efficiencies are being realized throughout all pro-cesses, but the most signifi-cant time savings are in prototype production and molding.”

Hirotake Izawa Assistant Manager Yokohama R&D Center Mitsubishi Pencil

and avoid flat spots,” says Izawa. “The design, the concept and the prototype pro-duction of this mechanism were all com-pleted using NX. It would have been tough to do this in 2D. I think our innovative Kuru Toga mechanical pencil was only made possible thanks to our use of NX.”

NX has also been widely used in the devel-opment of writing instrument compo-nents. “For example, the clip is a component that expresses the character and individuality of a writing instrument,” says Izawa. “When we design a clip, we first analyze the design data using NX. Before a mold is prepared, we check how much load the clip can bear. If the design is too delicate or the clip is weak, we can make the part thicker or try changing the shape. By exchanging ideas with the designers based on the analysis data, we can make the right decision about the best clip thickness and shape.”

“I think our innovative Kuru Toga mechanical pencil was only made possible thanks to our use of NX.”Hirotake Izawa Assistant Manager Yokohama R&D Center Mitsubishi Pencil

“In presentations for review panels, we find that images made using NX make it easy to convey design details to people who are not engi-neers. If anyone proposes any changes, model data can even be corrected on the spot and the results of the change can be confirmed right away.”

Hirotake Izawa Assistant Manager Yokohama R&D Center Mitsubishi Pencil

“Using NX also enables us to produce analysis values, such as the breaking point from maximum stress or flexibility, so we can explain why a shape is desirable because it is ‘X percent’ less apt to break than a previous product,” says Yoshiharu Namiki, assistant manager at Missubishi Pencil’s R&D center.

Development time shortened by 45 daysNX not only helps the company improve product functionality, it also helps improve engineering productivity. “By using NX, we have shortened development time, on average, by 45 days,” says Fukumoto. “Efficiencies are being realized throughout all processes, but the most significant time savings are in prototype production and molding.”

“NX is effective during the early conceptual stage of design,” adds Izawa. “In the past, we often needed to rework mold designs because our suppliers would misinterpret 2D drawings. Nowadays, thanks to the use of NX, 3D data is sent to the mold makers just as it is, so there is no need for rework.”

Fukumoto notes, “Now that we have digi-tized 3D data, I want to use it more effec-tively in a more seamless manner. From a resource management point of view, prog-ress is already being made in re-using common components. We have developed completely new writing instruments and updated models of existing products. New concepts are important for the former and efficiency is important for the latter. In the future, I would like to see the use of NX spread from design to production and to the mold formation and inspection

“Nowadays, thanks to the use of NX, 3D data is sent to the mold makers just as it is, so there is no need for rework.”Hirotake Izawa Assistant Manager Yokohama R&D Center Mitsubishi Pencil

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Solutions/Services NX www.siemens.com/nx

Customer’s primary businessMitsubishi Pencil specializes in designing, manufacturing and marketing writing instruments. www.mpuni.co.jp

Customer locationYokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture Japan

processes. Manufacturing can become notably more efficient by using updated models of existing products.”

Izawa concludes, “R&D is about finding new challenges and stepping into unknown territory; NX helps us to do this.

Productivity in all manufacturing processes can be improved by using NX. Yet, even used in R&D alone, NX is an important tool for expressing complicated mechanism concepts.”

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“R&D is about finding new challenges and stepping into unknown territory; NX helps us to do this.” Hirotake Izawa Assistant Manager Yokohama R&D Center Mitsubishi Pencil