SITUATION Companies working with molds must often make changes to the shape of tooling right on the shop-floor. These continuous improvements are necessary to avoid delays in production due to imperfect manufacturing results. However, these hand-finished changes result in a mismatch between the tooling’s original CAD model and the actual physical mold. One of the world’s leading liquid packaging firms made shop-floor changes to the tooling of a soap bottle to adjust the volume of liquid the bottle holds. They needed to determine where the CAD data differed from the physical mold, and then modify the model accordingly. SOLUTION The
Small-Scale Napoleonic Figurines
SITUATION Miniature figurines have long been a source of interest for collectors and military enthusiasts. Historical battles can be completely recreated on a small scale with hundreds of figurines, each one representing a regiment or battle group. This client sought to recreate the entire Battle of Waterloo, this time with a 1:1 ratio of figurines to actual soldiers. To fit the thousands of soldiers in a reasonable area, they would have to scale them down to an unprecedented size. Wanting to simplify the scaling and figurine crafting process, the client and our team decided the best course of action would be
Motorcycle Chain Covers
SITUATION Engineers often need to design parts that fit inside objects that lack CAD data. The measurements of these legacy parts are typically obtained via calipers or a Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM). However, these methods often suffer from human error or cannot sufficiently measure the complex surfaces. This client needed accurate models of a pair of OEM motorcycle chain covers to design new pieces to fit within the physical part. For the client to ensure that the newly designed parts would fit once manufactured, they would need CAD models that match the ideal as-designed shape of the covers. SOLUTION Our
Fishing and Boat Towers
SITUATION This client is the premier OEM manufacturer of aluminum towers and small products for the marine industry. From T-tops, hard tops and towers, to rod holders, leaning posts, rails and poling platforms, they provide the highest quality enhancements and accessories for fishing and pleasure boats. To create these products, their craftsmen design and manually shape the towers to fit the boats, which can be a laborious and time-intensive process. For the client to maintain their competitive prices, they would need to upgrade their manufacturing process to take advantage of computer modeling technologies that would increase quality and decrease production
DP02 Sports Racer
SITUATION A standard fiberglass lay-up process is used to create the shell (outer body mold) of the VanDiemen DP02 Sports Racer. Based off the model design of an existing racer body, the client needed to know the shell’s dimensions to correctly place the engine and chassis. The DP02 also required optimization of packing density and weight ratios to maximize the performance of the car. Due to the complex and free form surfaces of the shell, as well as the critical aerodynamic features, they would need to use 3D scanning technology to ensure that the dimensions were measured as accurately as
Truck-Up Armoring
SITUATION The vast amount of supplies being sent into Iraq has been key to the U.S. Military’s efforts in the region. Convoys of trucks loaded with supplies have been entering Iraq from Kuwait for the past several years; however, the lightly armored trucks offer very little protection for the drivers against projectiles and explosives. This client was contracted to develop armor kits for several models of trucks to ensure the safety of the drivers. However, CAD data was not available to aid in the design process. The conventional method of capturing the shape of the trucks is templating, a process
Aircraft scanning for Airbus A319
SITUATION Only recently has modern 3D scanning technologies been able to catch up with the demand for accurate scanning of large physical objects. Digital models of massive aircrafts such as the Airbus A319 can be tested via computational fluid dynamics (CFD) if the model is accurate enough to the actual physical shape. 3D scanning technology is the most effective way to ensure this accuracy. This client, an aerodynamic analysis company, needed surface data of the Airbus A319 to model and test the airworthiness of custom components that would be fit to the aircraft. CAD data was not available to use
Custom-Fit Racing Seats
SITUATION This client is a leader in the development and research of foam safety components and has pioneered innovations that have set the industry standard in professional racing. Their successes are driven by their understanding of the importance of properly designed and functioning padding inside the car – padding that helps protect drivers from the tremendous forces applied during a crash. Top drivers from around the world come to this company for custom-fit seats that perfectly match the shape of their bodies. To manufacture smooth seating using the company’s preferred and proven materials, a digital model of the physical proportions
Helicopter “Huey”
SITUATION Helicopter “Huey” is one of the world’s most recognizable helicopters. Primarily used by the US Marine Corps, the current model UH-1Y’s design stems from the original UH-1 developed in 1955. Manufactured in Amarillo, Texas, this client uses a system of templates to assemble the helicopters. These templates are physical masters, and most have no known documentation. This company sought to transfer the production site of the cabin from their plant to another plant without stopping production. This was made more challenging by the fact that only one set of templates existed. They would need to duplicate more than 500