Case Study
Getting designs right with solid modeling
Veeraja Industries
A design process based on Solid Edge speeds new product development and dramatically reduces assembly and installation problems
Running clean
Veeraja Industries provides filtration solutions for machining, bearing and rolling applications. The company’s 35 employees design, manufacture and install systems that filter and remove swarf from metalworking fluids. In addition to having supplied more than 20 central systems, the company also provides standard filtration equipment ranging from magnetic separators, paper band filters, upflow filters, vacuum filters and flat bed pressure filters. Its customers include the automobile manufacturers, Bajaj Auto and Tata Motors; automobile component manufacturers such as Gabriel, Bosch, Anurang, Endurance and Precision Camshafts; compressor manufacturers; and steel rolling mills. Veeraja’s products reduce consumables and power consumption. They can fit into small spaces and accommodate tight budgets, without compromising quality.
Previously, the company’s engineers used a 2D CAD system to design the filtration systems, but this posed a number of problems that ultimately delayed the introduction of new products. For example, there were often fit or interference problems with a new product. This was because each component was drafted separately and the entire system could only be assembled in the imagination. It was also difficult to convey design concepts to prospective customers using 2D drawings. And because bills of material (BOMs) were generated by hand from drawings, they could be inaccurate, which caused delays in getting materials.
Optimized design process
Veeraja’s management decided to improve the design process by upgrading to solid modeling. Gnosis Infotech Pvt. Ltd. gave a demonstration of the Solid Edge® CAD solution from Siemens PLM Software and showed how it would resolve the problems with the existing design process. Veeraja chose to go with Solid Edge and hired Gnosis to help with the implementation.
Gnosis converted Veeraja’s legacy 2D data to 3D and corrected any errors that arose during the conversion. Gnosis also helped Veeraja optimize its design process, including creating parametric models in Solid Edge – something that was not possible with the old approach. Parameterization has a number of benefits including speeding the quotation process and standardizing the products. Finally Gnosis got the users up to speed on Solid Edge XpresRoute, an integrated application that helps designers quickly route and model piping and tubing in Solid Edge assemblies.
Faster, more accurate designs
Having a standardized design process based on Solid Edge has been major success for Veeraja. Design time for a new product has been cut by nearly 30 percent. The number of design modifications has dropped by almost 70 percent.
Similarly good results are seen on the manufacturing side. BOMs are now generated automatically from the Solid Edge assembly models, so they are accurate. That, along with the accuracy of the 3D designs, has reduced assembly errors by almost 80 percent while rejected parts have dropped by nearly 70 percent. In addition, the company has experienced an 80-percent reduction in the number of onsite modifications required during installation.
Customers experience the benefits of the new Solid Edge-based process as well.With the Solid Edge models, customers can clearly see where all the components of a filtration system will go. This has cut down on the number of modifications needed during the proposal process because space and maintenance issues can be easily visualized in the digital models. Veeraja finds that the Solid Edge models are also excellent for explaining product concepts to potential customers.
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Challenges:
- Create quality, affordable systems
- Fit systems into tight spaces
- Accelerate the design cycle
Keys To Success:
- Standardized 3D design process
- Parametric assembly models
- Integrated software for routing pipes and tubes
Results:
- Design cycle reduced nearly 30 percent
- Design modifications down by almost 70 percent
- Nearly 80 percent fewer assembly errors
- Onsite modifications down by about 80 percent
Industry:
- Machinery & Industrial
Client's Primary Business:
Veeraja Industries provides filtration solutions for machining, bearing and rolling applicaitons.
Business Initiatives:
- New Product Development
Solutions/Services:
- Solid Edge
- Velocity Series
Client Location:
Shivane, Pune
India