Creo Customer: Designing Machines that Make Machines

By LINDSEY CHRISTENSEN | Published: JUN 8, 2012

When it comes to assembly line manufacturing, efficiency is everything. Even a one-second time delay on any portion of an assembly can mean hours in wasted time. But, once you’ve planned the process for the assembly line, where do you even start to design? At their simplest, here are a couple of points that designers consider when designing.

First, they rely on existing technology and integrate it into the design.

Like the robotic arm in this video, other companies already have the corner on this market. They have the science down and produce these robots far cheaper than it would be to design and build one from scratch. So companies, like JR Automation, just purchase the robotics from a company whose sole business is manufacturing robots. The same goes for other hydraulic or pneumatic components. Using what’s available and reliable produces a solid, cost-effective design.

Second, they rely on robust design.

Design the item for how it will be misused rather than used. In other words, the components should not simply withstand the stress and strain they encounter, but must be robust enough to handle forces in excess of the design requirements. Factors of safety for manufacturing equipment often exceed this rule, and could handle twice the amount of force required to get the job done. Companies like a solid product that lasts a long time with nominal repairs.

Check out this episode of the Product Design Show where Allison and Vince explain how JR Automation used Creo to design an assembly line that manufactures coolant reservoirs for car radiators.

Creo Customer: Designing the Ultimate Strollers

By LINDSEY CHRISTENSEN | Published: JUN 20, 2012

The BABYZEN YOYO™ stroller is pure revolution to any parent who’s battled with airport security and a toddler at the same time. Hold, unfold, and bolt… to your gate.

The BABYZEN™ brand is the brainchild of French designer Jean-Michel Chaudeurge together with his son Julien. Jean-Michel created both a luxurious and stylish three-wheel stroller that was also compact and folded up easily. When the ZEN™ stroller hit the scene in 2010, it was an immediate hit, winning the Innovation Award at the Kind & Jugend fair in Cologne in 2010.

Then the team was joined by Gilles Henry, who had created another very innovative concept that was the perfect candidate to become the ZEN’s little brother: the BABYZEN YOYO™.

The YOYO™ folds up so small (20x17x7 inches) that it is the first stroller to qualify as a carry-on. At 12 pounds, you can sling it over your shoulder. And you don’t detach anything. The seat and wheels fold in, and then the stroller unfolds single-handedly.  This means no more stroller Tetris for the trunk and no more waiting for your stroller at the airport.

BABYZEN™ worked with French engineering firm SCALEA Innovation, who used Creo 1.0 to design and bring the YOYO™ stroller to market. In January 2010, the YOYO™ concept was in its infancy. Stephane Broyer, Director of SCALEA Innovation, recounts part of the design process with PTC products:

“For the BABYZEN YOYO™ project, we made an extensive use of the AAX module, from the initial concept to the detailed design of every technical feature and every part. We liked its flexibility for creating and modifying the components. It was a significant time saver and allowed us to start production less than one year after the initial “go” for the design.”

For SCALEA, Creo was an integral part in creating and testing this high-end stroller. This July, the YOYO™ debuts in Europe. The ZEN™ is already sold in North America.

Microsoft Surface: Innovation in Design, Engineering, and Manufacture

By GEOFF HEDGES | Published: JUN 20, 2012

With the unveiling on Monday of Microsoft’s new Surface tablet computer, the company is challenging Apple’s iPad – and its own PC hardware partners.

The 10.6-inch Surface tablet, boasts covers that double as keyboards and trackpads, taking it beyond today’s tablets. Including the soon-to-launched Windows 8 operating systemthere’s some remarkable design and engineering evident in the device, best marrying software and hardware.

The Microsoft Surface even uses a new manufacturing process—VaporMg—that reduces weight while keeping strength. That process results in a built-in kickstand, invisible when using the product in tablet mode. It may seem obvious, but it’s innovative and easy. The same happen for the cover, it becomes a keyboard—with its own design breakthroughs. And again with the combination of multi-touch and pressure sensitive pen technology – there are dozens of breakthroughs not found in any tablet or computer today.

Go to timestamp 28:40 to hear Panos Panay, leader of the team that created the Microsoft Surface, talk about the design, engineering, and manufacturing of this new innovation.

Microsoft is no stranger to the hardware market. Its Xbox and Kinect devices (both designed in Creo) have become hugely popular living-room devices for gaming and much more.

And as you appreciate the styling and design of this tablet, one final point- Creo was used for the mechanical design aspects of this new generation of tablet.

Creo Customer: Design Collaboration with Vendors

By LINDSEY CHRISTENSEN | Published: FEB 15, 2012

Starting with their world class mountain bike frame, Santa Cruz uses over fifty vendors to manufacture a near to perfect bike – headsets from Sram and Fox, bottom brackets by Shimano, Maverick hubs, Avid brakes, Boxxer mounts, and the list goes on. Last July, we brought you Santa Cruz Bicycles and their journey toward suspension nirvana. Using Creo Parametric, Santa Cruz made multiple iterations of theirActual Pivot Point technology to create a suspension system coveted by mountain bikers worldwide.

On projects like this, good vendor collaboration and communication is essential to building a bike that most cyclists will want buried with them when they die.

There are a lot of hands in the mix when it comes to creating a top notch human-powered machine. Each of these companies is passionate about their specific component, constantly updating and recreating their piece of the puzzle in the quest for the lighter, stronger, and faster ride. Consequently, parts change, like the size of the headset or the size of the bearings for the crank set that affect the bike specifications.

As Joe Graney, engineer for Santa Cruz says, “If you don’t have the right specifications on your frames, then you can’t make the parts fit. So, yeah, there’s a lot of interaction with our vendors and what would work and make it better and easier to implement.”

Santa Cruz and their vendors are often friends. They ride together, compare, change, and recreate. In this episode of the Product Design Show, Vince and Allison show how Santa Cruz Bicycles used Creo once again to work with a vendor and improve the design on their carbon frame bikes.

Creo Customer: Demolition for the Safety-Conscious

By LINDSEY CHRISTENSEN | Published: APR 25, 2012

It’s like a chainsaw. But it’s not a chainsaw. It’s an Allsaw? Chainsaws are notoriously the most dangerous hand tool you can purchase without a license. In the U.S. they cause over 40,000 injuries a year.

But there’s a new saw that should save a few body parts: the Petrol Allsaw, invented by Kevin Inkster of Arbortech.

Kevin initially got the idea for a safer saw after his own near miss with a chainsaw while logging. Additionally, he wanted a saw that didn’t become dirt-clogged when going after the “best bits” of a tree for woodworking – the trunk and roots.

His award-winning Allsaw accomplished both his goals for safety and quality.

The Petrol Allsaw is a chain saw and a disc cutter rolled into one, only safer and more versatile than both. The Allsaw’s patented dual blade orbital cutting action combined with a high velocity hammering action means it can cut easily through bricks, wood (especially underground pieces) or cement, but not so easily through human flesh.

Arbortech designed the blades so that there is no exposed cutting edge on the top of the blade, so there is virtually no risk to the user from “kick back” or accidentally falling on the blade. Another design advantage is that the Allsaw doesn’t rely on the sharpness of the blades (although it can easily be sharpened), but instead relies on the torque of the blades.

The handheld saw is even light enough to use for hours.

On this episode of the Product Design Show, Dave and Allison show us how Arbortech engineers took advantage of the entire Creo suite to design the Petrol Allsaw and make it lightweight, easy-to-use, and still powerful enough to cut down a building.

Creo Customer: Designing Indy Cars that Stay on Track

By LINDSEY CHRISTENSEN | Published: FEB 29, 2012

In the United States, there are two main types of car racing: open-wheeled (i.e., Indyor Formula One) and stock car (i.e., NASCAR) racing. Comparing the two is like comparing fighter jets to B-52 bombers where one is built for speed and the other is a workhorse.

The open-wheeled racecar attributes its superior performance to a low weight, low center of gravity chassis, powerful engine, and fluid aerodynamics. The open wheels also help keep the brakes cool, which helps in long races with varying speeds. But the sleekness of the racecar comes at a price. Wheel-to-wheel contact is dangerous, particularly when the forward edge of one tire contacts the rear of another tire. The treads are going in opposite directions at a high speed, and when the two tires meet, the resulting rapid deceleration torques the chassis of both cars and often causes one or both vehicles to be suddenly and powerfully flung upwards.

A wreck between two or more open-wheeled cars can look like fall leaves rustled up by the wind – until, of course, you realize that those aren’t leaves but real cars, going over 200 mph, with real people driving them.

In the American Indy Racing League (IRL), there have been four fatal crashes over the past 15 years. That’s too many. Dallara, an Italian racecar designer, has been with the IRL since its beginning, and is dedicated to improving the safety of their racecars. Using Creo Parametric, they’re able to design the car in 3D and simulate how the car will perform in high-speed. Dallara says, “In a world of fast-paced change, this flexibility allows for the cost-effective rapid incorporation of design changes and the tailoring of the design to customer’s unique requirements.”

In this video, Vince and Allison show how Dallara made changes to the chassis design to not only keep drivers safe in an accident but help prevent the accidents from even occurring.

Creo Customer: Designing the Signature Sound of Car Exhaust

By LINDSEY CHRISTENSEN | Published: MAR 30, 2012

With its resonant rumble and sleek lines, you may have noticed a Corvette next to you at a stoplight. At the stoplight may be the last time you see it. Especially if it’s aCallaway-prepared Corvette that delivers 580 bhp, 510lb-ft torque, and can hit 60mph in just 3.3 seconds.

A full Callaway build-out includes intake, exhaust, shifters, wheels, suspension, brakes, and carbon fiber polymers (don’t forget the hand-stitched seats and floor mats).

As a member of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), Callaway has exclusive access to SEMA’s OEM CAD database (over 38,000 OEM CAD data files from Chrysler, Ford, GM and Scion). SEMA’s contribution of the manufacturer’s original design files (i.e., suspension, power train, drive train, body panels, chassis, frame, interior and wheels) are integral in helping Callaway bring their products to market faster.

When you don’t have to recreate the wheel, you can keep up with design changes and edit the part right in the assembly.

Callaway engineers use Creo Parametric to design and produce their performance-enhancing upgrades and work out design challenges in a virtual space before testing and fitting actual parts in the shop. Creo Parametric goes beyond the import/export provided by other 3D CAD systems and can actually clean incoming and outgoing data to minimize or eliminate the loss of data in translation.

As Mike Mello from Auto Savant illustrates, “Imagine opening a file for a vehicle’s exhaust manifold that you were going to re-engineer and being met with a drawing full of gaps and other geometric problems.” At this point, Creo Parametric steps in to save time and make necessary repairs.

In the end, some of the hottest cars in the world inevitably end up being created by world-class design software, Creo Parametric. Check out this episode where Vince and Allison dive into Callaway’s exhaust systems that deliver that authentic Callaway sound.

Creo Customer: Trips to Mars are Just a Rocket Away

By LINDSEY CHRISTENSEN | Published: APR 18, 2012

With the National Space Symposium going on this week in Colorado Springs, we wanted to highlight a current NASA project that engineers used Creo Parametric to design.

It’s been more than four decades since NASA commissioned a human-rated rocket engine. The last rocket engine (J2, Apollo) put Neil Armstrong on the moon in 1969 (› Play Audio).  Now NASA has created the J2X engine.

If NASA could go to the moon over 40 years ago, where in the universe can NASA take a human being now?

Maybe Mars. When NASA began work on the J-2X engine in 2010, it was designed by Pratt & Whitney (using Creo Parametric) and developed along with 362 different suppliers and vendors in 35 states and five countries.

Just two years later, the engine is now built and well into its testing phase. The first unmanned flight is set for 2014.

J-2X will be the first human-rated NASA rocket engine since 1975 and will go farther than any engine that has carried human yet. At 15 feet, the J-2X is four-feet taller than its predecessor (Apollo) and weighs in at 5,450 pounds. In the photos, check out not only the engineering invested but the assembly required building this intricate machine.

Walt Janowski, J-2X program manager, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, says, “we are confident the J-2X will be ready to power humans to destinations in space never before visited, including asteroids and Mars. We look forward to working with NASA on the future of human spaceflight.”

Want to learn more about the J-2X or teach your kids a few things about rockets? The J-2X blog us not only informative, but the author, Bill Greene, makes rocket science easy to understand and fun to read about.

Boundary Systems Brings Creo to Kevin Bolland’s Dirt Track Racing

By LINDSEY CHRISTENSEN | Published: MAY 25, 2012

Kevin Bolland is a 30-year veteran in dirt-racing. He drives the Big Block Dirt Modified #‘777’ car in the Super DIRT Car and BRP Modified Series events in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New York and Charlotte, NC. And he’s winning – a lot.

Big Block Dirt Modified #‘777’ car in Creo

PTC’s Creo, in conjunction with reselling partnerBoundary Systems, sponsor Kevin Bolland and Bol-Tech Motorsports.

Of all the racecars that Creo has a hand in, dirt track racing is the single most common form of auto racing in the United States (it’s popular in Australia and Canada too). Local and regional racetracks throughout the nation number in the hundreds – maybe even as high as 1500.

Currently, Boundary Systems uses Creo software to create working models of Bolland’s car. Design, analysis, and simulation help optimize the car’s racing performance.

Ian Kimbrell, Founder and President of Boundary Systems, says, “Our team was very excited the first time we saw the car running inside the software and the folks at Bol-Tech have been a great team to work with.”

The 2012 racing year has only been open a couple of months, and the 52-year-old dirt racing champ has carved his twentieth win at Sharon Speedway (near Hartford, Ohio). On May 19, Kevin set the New Track Record at Sharon Speedway with a time of 15.919 seconds. In the same heat race, he broke his own record twice. He also has a victory at Lernerville Speedway (Sarver, Pennsylvania) this season. Sounds like a “Go Kevin!” is in order?

In talking about his car’s performance at Sharon Speedway, Kevin said, “The car was awesome up top. I’m thankful to be here. I couldn’t do it without Boundary, Creo, all my sponsors and Bolland Machine for the good horsepower.”

We agree – it’s fun being part of a winning team.  Check out their video below:

Creo Customer: Cleaning up the Big Messes

By LINDSEY CHRISTENSEN | Published: MAY 1, 2012

The Chariot series from Windsor Industries is a set of spry, compact, cleaning machines that are self-powered while the user stands on the backend. Windsor designed this line as a faster, cleaner, more comfortable alternative to the typical stand-behind-and-push vacuums, burnishers, and carpet scrubbers that are on the market. But to be worthwhile, Windsor also needed to make their machines easy to maintain and refill with cleaning solutions.

Fitting multiple uses into a compact, easy-to-use, cleaning machine can pose a challenge.

Not for Windsor Industries. Richard Hendley, from IH Services (a Windsor customer) comments, “With the walk-behind scrubber, we had trouble turning the machine in the hallways, and they’re quite wide. The 20-inch Chariot does everything I had hoped it would do (reduced labor hours, increased frequencies).”

Engineers at Windsor Industries used Creo Parametric to ensure that the design was ergonomically comfortable, quick to maintain, and used off-the-shelf parts for lower costs and quicker maintenance.

In the end, efficiency, quality, and safety are where Windsor Industries and their Chariot line shine. Chariot machines are quiet enough to run during school or work hours, small enough to use in rooms or classrooms, and efficient enough to reduce maintenance times by half.

The proof is in the user’s experience. Jake from Lane Community College attests, “[The Chariot] is efficient, easier on my back, and overall lets me keep [my] area on a higher level of cleanliness.”

In this episode of the Product Design Show, Dave and Allison dive into the inside of these little machines to show how Windsor engineers used Creo Parametric to make this dirty job easy to maintain and efficient to use.