As a leading service and truck body manufacturer in the United States, KNAPHEIDE Manufacturing is committed to adopting new design and manufacturing technologies to meet customer needs. Previously KNAPHEIDE used the AutoCAD 2D design system. In 2003, the management decided to port this to the 3D development platform. Since KNAPHEIDE has used AutoCAD software, it decided to transition to the Autodesk Inventor 3D package. As a result, the company implemented 20 Inventor software in the engineering department.
However, two years after using the Inventor system, the company's engineers encountered some software problems, especially in sheet metal design. According to Chris Weiss, deputy chief engineer, “Our content is about 90% to 95% involved in sheet metal design, and there are some fairly advanced sheet metal processing techniques, including professional stamping and roll forming processes,†Weiss said. Inventor believes that Inventor provides some basic functionality, and it is possible that another CAD system will be more effective. So we decided to use all advanced 3D CAD systems as a benchmark to determine if we have adopted the best 3D system."
In 2005, eight KNAPHEIDE teams of skilled personnel conducted a thorough analysis of leading 3D CAD systems including Inventor, Unigraphics, Pro/ENGINEER, Solid Edge, and SolidWorks. After comparing the information gathered in the detailed questionnaire, the team identified two finalists—Solid Edge and SolidWorks software—and sent engineers to participate in the training of the two systems for a fairer and broader analysis.
KNAPHEIDE selected the SolidWorks 3D CAD software system and purchased 30 SolidWorks Professional and 1 SolidWorks Simulation analysis software because of its ease of use, seamless integration with SolidWorks Simulation, a range of third-party solutions, and open applications. Interface (API), SolidWorks eDrawing design communication software, advanced sheet metal design and configuration features. The company implemented SolidWorks software in all design and manufacturing departments, clearly specifying that SolidWorks software is the only platform for new product development.
Advanced sheet metal production
Using SolidWorks software, KNAPHEIDE engineers efficiently and accurately develop complex sheet metal designs, minimizing design errors and associated costs. “From a designer's point of view, it's hard to imagine a complex gold shape,†says project engineer Lucas Creasy. “Maybe you can imagine a few bends and their unfolding shapes in your mind; but apart from that, you will have other problems. How do you fold the sheet metal on our manufacturing equipment? I am in the manufacturing process. Can you pass all other necessary processes?
With SolidWorks, I can build a virtual sheet metal component model that folds and unfolds it to truly see the actual product we are making. With SolidWorks Simulation, we can test the final design before producing the prototype to reduce the number of prototypes we need to produce. We expect the SolidWorks software system to save a lot of time and money for our company. â€
Project engineer Vinson Sill agrees: "For sheet metal manufacturing, SolidWorks software is much superior," Sill said. “Once we have a viable design, we can convert the unfolded flat graphics into our nesting software, perform CNC punching and laser cutting, and then bend. This allows the entire process to be completed quickly.
Configuration support customization
KNAPHEIDE Manufacturing's business covers both standard and custom-made products. The configuration capabilities of SolidWorks software enable companies to quickly respond to the needs of customized products with the quality of existing standard product lines.
“This is very natural, and our products add design tables and configurations to the product itself,†Weiss emphasizes. “We plan to take advantage of these features – to develop more configurations of different lengths and sizes, assembled into different assemblies and accessories – to make our response to our customers' needs more flexible.â€
eDrawing files improve communication with customers
Using SolidWorks software, KNAPHEIDE Manufacturing's engineers can quickly and easily communicate with customers through design concepts in a 3D environment with SolidWorks eDrawing files. “We recently undertook an international project and have great advantages in communicating with foreign countries using eDrawing documents,†Weiss notes. “The eDrawing document facilitates domestic and foreign collaboration. We plan to use our convenient design to communicate with our stores, communicate with suppliers and customers.â€
The company also plans to use 3D graphics of SolidWorks software to support their online marketing as well as product brochures and product catalogs.
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