Working exclusively with surfaces takes extra time

HEWI

HEWI wanted to get products to market faster

HEWI wanted to provide its engineers with advanced modeling tools in order to automate routine tasks and allow them to spend more time on creative engineering.

Surface modeling involves repetitive operations

In the past, HEWI engineers created new designs using a surface modeling tool that required that each surface used to construct the model be individually defined, positioned and trimmed. Many components were used over and over again across the company’s product lines and when a change occurred, each individual file had to be edited.

As HEWI moved from being a parts supplier to a systems supplier, this created even more redundant work. HEWI’s surface modeling system simply was unable to address the company’s need to re-use product data.

Move to solid modeling streamlines design process

HEWI now uses NX. “We investigated all of the leading midrange and high-end CAD systems,” says Anton Isermann, manager of CAD Technology, HEWI. “The high-end systems such as NX offered major advantages in their ability to move seamlessly from design into CNC programming of injection molds.”

Isermann notes, “We moved to NX because we believe that it provides the most comprehensive capabilities of all the high-end and midrange CAD systems. NX stands out for its superior assembly modeling and design management system that makes it easy to distribute work among our various subsidiaries.”

HEWI designers and engineers take advantage of the full range of NX capabilities to bring products to market with increasingly greater velocity and dramatically faster compared to its former surface modeling technology. One of the major advantages is that assembly models now directly reference their component part definitions, ensuring associative up-to-date product descriptions that can be simultaneously developed by engineers in various locations.

In addition, Teamcenter is used to more effectively and efficiently manage projects. Teamcenter automates the distribution of product data among the company’s various design centers, allowing concurrent work on a single assembly model.

Product development time reduced by 50 percent

“Moving to solid modeling provides substantial time savings that have cut our normal product development time in half,” says Isermann. “The largest time savings arise from our ability to work in solids rather than surfaces. The powerful assembly modeling features of NX provide additional savings by making it possible to implement an engineering change by modifying a single model. The number of prototypes required to bring a product to market has been significantly reduced – we only need one in many cases.”

Isermann notes that HEWI is also increasing its productivity levels through the collaborative assets of Teamcenter. “Teamcenter makes it easy for engineers in different offices to collaborate so we can more easily balance workloads and take advantage of special skill sets.”

Related Links:

• HEWI

Challenges:

• Scores of innovative new products created every year
• Surface modeling demands considerable engineering time handling individual surfaces
• Component changes require locating and updating every product model in which a component is used

Keys To Success:

• Use NX® software to create assembly models, eliminating need for individual surface manipulation
• Model components once; update them in assemblies
• Employ Teamcenter® software to enable effective collaboration/project management across facilities

Results:

• Time-to-market has been reduced by an average of 50 percent
• Time savings range from hours to weeks on individual products
• Solid modeling has significantly reduced need for physical prototypes

Industry:

• Consumer Products & Retail

Client's Primary Business:

HEWI designs and builds a wide range of high-quality hardware accessories for living rooms, foyers, bathrooms, closets and stairways. Products include soap and toothbrush holders, rails, racks and hooks, door knobs, shelving hardware, as well as barrier-free bathroom solutions.

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Business Initiatives:

• New Product Development
• Production Efficiency

Solutions/Services:

• NX
• Teamcenter

Client Location:

Bad Arolsen
Germany

"Implementing the NX system has helped us reduce the amount of time needed to design new products by 50 percent. We save time by working with surfaces instead of solids and referencing components in assembly models so they only need to be edited once."

Anton Isermann

Manager of CAD Technology

HEWI