Born in a research lab at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, Victoria Hand Project provides prosthetic arms to amputees who have limited or no access to prosthetic care. Through partnerships with healthcare providers around the world, the project team provides training and resources to community clinics so they can serve more people in less time.

Local 3D printing and fabrication centres produce the prosthetic arms directly where they’re needed. The flexibility of additive manufacturing technology allows broken parts or outgrown limb sockets to be reprinted and replaced quickly.

Since 2014, the project has trained more than 50 clinicians and fitted nearly 400 beneficiaries in 11 countries.

Balancing creativity and affordability

Victoria Hand Project offers a variety of prosthetic arms, each tailored to fit different people’s needs. Design choices have to balance imaginative ideas for functionality with keeping costs low. There are no electronics in the designs – the hands are body-powered to keep them accessible. Despite these constraints, the hands do far more than open and close, and include these features:

• Rotatable thumb, to allow for different pinches and grasps
• Backlock mechanism, for a constant grip
• Rotatable wrist, to rotate the hand up to 360 degrees
• Adaptive grasp, to allow the fingers to conform one-by-one around oddly shaped objects

A history of relying on SOLIDWORKS

Chief Executive Officer Michael Peirone has been involved with the project since its early days, when he was an undergraduate student. That’s also when he began using SOLIDWORKS.

Having SOLIDWORKS and access to 3D-printed prototypes allowed for quick progress when design iterations were happening daily.

“Using an advanced CAD tool like SOLIDWORKS, being able to design to tight specifications, leads to better outcomes. If we were using a less refined tool, we wouldn’t be able to meet our standards for accuracy in the hand and fingers.”

SOLIDWORKS also allows Michael and his team to evaluate how different components fit together, and to see the motion of the hand.

“We can see, for example, how the index finger and thumb will connect before we print it. That saves time, resources, and material.”

Canadian designs are sent around the world

In Victoria, the main hand designs, including internal components like the harnessing for the cable, are created, tested, and validated using SOLIDWORKS.

The Canadian team sends the print files – complete with G-code to guide the 3D printing process – to the international partner. Even someone without an engineering background can easily program the printer in their clinic.

The customized parts that attach the prosthetic hand to the person are designed and printed locally. Each person is scanned using photogrammetry or a laser scanner, ensuring a fit to match their unique body.

Ongoing innovation

Victoria Hand Project engineers continue to refine their designs, using feedback from beneficiaries and care providers.

“We look at the base design and find ways to make it better,” Michael explained. “To give you an example, we’ve made the fingers stronger through benchtop testing. We load the fingers with weight and see where they break. Many engineering hours go into changing tolerances by something like half a millimeter, just so the hand assembles better or functions better.”

In one major development, the project team began offering a solution for people missing their arm between their elbow and shoulder. Michael noted that traditional above-the-elbow prosthetic technology is difficult to make and expensive, so this is an accessible alternative.

“Demand for this type of fitting is growing. In Ukraine, 80% of the people who have been fit with our prosthetic arms are missing their arm from above the elbow. This shows how important it is for us to keep evolving.”

Another design release added rotation in the elbow, so people can move the arm horizontally inward and outward, not just up and down.

“This makes it easier to eat and drink or carry a bag. We worked on the design for a few months behind the scenes, then got it out to people who asked for it. It’s nice to know that all that work you put into the design is truly helping someone.”

Software support makes a difference

Javelin, part of the TriMech Group, supplies and supports SOLIDWORKS across Canada. Michael said the assistance they receive from Javelin and SOLIDWORKS has helped them become recognized as a leader in prosthetic hand technology, with designs deployed around the world.

“Maybe we would have made it here at some point, but it would have taken a lot longer with a slower design and testing process.”

A bright future with a committed team

The project team is flooded with requests from people who want to work with them. Donations help them continue to build resources and expand their network.

“We see the potential in Africa, the Middle East, India, South America…” Michael said. “Being a small team, we always have to look at where we can work most effectively and make the most impact.”

Solid engineering remains at the centre of the operation; at the same time, everyone on the small team wears different hats, including outreach and marketing, and supporting partners around the world.

“We couldn’t do this without our team. They just work so hard and they’re so knowledgeable. And everyone sees the direct impact we have on people’s lives.”

Victoria Hand Project is online at victoriahandproject.com

To find out more about how research projects, startups, and charitable organizations can receive support from Javelin and SOLIDWORKS, email solidworks-startups@trimech.com or click here to learn more.

TriMech provides SOLIDWORKS expertise and 3D printed prototypes

Product Development Manager Jeff Smith brought his industry experience to Spectra Gutter Systems in late 2022 and since then has been focused on creating new products for both the wholesale and retail markets. To help him move efficiently from concept to completion, he relies on TriMech Design and  Advanced Manufacturing Services (AMS).

By outsourcing engineering to TriMech Design, clients gain access to a wider team with a variety of design and engineering skillsets – mechanical and electrical design, automation, 3D scanning – whatever they need to move their projects along.

Design collaboration

For Jeff, the TriMech team serves as his engineering department. He explained that TriMech has done a great job of turning his ideas into well designed 3D models. They communicate back and forth to tweak the dimensions or the look of the product.

“I have been in product development pretty much my whole career, but I haven’t developed advanced skills in software like SOLIDWORKS. I prefer it this way – I have the ideas, then sketch out some two-dimensional concepts. Once I get them from my brain onto paper, I pass them on to TriMech.”

— Jeff Smith, Product Development Manager

Outsourcing engineering for quick turnaround

Jeff discussed the fall 2023 launch of Spectra’s TriFlex by Ground Spout, a downspout extension that funnels water from the roof into three smaller, flexible pipes, diverting water away from the foundation in directions you choose. It connects to the downspout and additional extensions and fits all downspouts.

“Well, first off, that was probably the quickest turnaround I’ve ever seen, in terms of getting an idea to market,” Jeff said. “I give TriMech a lot of credit in helping me achieve that.”

He noted that the product has a lot of unique features and some complex geometry, with shape and profile variations, as well as a threaded design that allows the pieces to connect.

“I had the vision, but needed TriMech to get it into SOLIDWORKS and work closely with me on various iterations.”

Jeff worked primarily with TriMech project engineer Will Irvin, who he noted is very responsive.

“Sometimes I feel like Will works for me, to be honest. That’s a compliment, me feeling like he is part of my team. Only very rarely has he said he is the middle of another project and can’t get to mine right away. And if he has had to say that, or he’s on vacation, he offers up other people to step in. He has a whole team behind him.”

Easy access to 3D printed prototypes

Jeff also takes advantage of TriMech’s expertise in additive manufacturing. Spectra Gutter Systems does not have in-house 3D printing capabilities, yet Jeff always needs prototypes to test fit and function and for show and tell with colleagues or customers.

“3D-printed prototypes are a crucial element because it’s always important to touch and feel a product, rather than just looking at a SOLIDWORKS model. And because I present a lot of products to the big box retail market, I can easily show off the prototypes to customers.”

Spectra 3D printed prototype

He added that with the TriFlex, different vendors are making different parts, and the prototypes gave him the confidence he needed before cutting metal for tooling.

A team approach

When Jeff is happy with a product design, he shows it to his injection molding vendor, who can then optimize it for manufacturing.

“I brought my manufacturer into discussions with a few people from TriMech,” Jeff said. “We all collaborated to move the project along. It was so helpful to connect my vendors this way.”

Opportunities for growth

Jeff said that Spectra is a large company with the feel of a small business, and that the owners invest heavily in growth. In his creative role, he particularly appreciates that company leadership gets behind his ideas and invests in R&D, including assistance from TriMech.

“It’s important for me and for Spectra, to have the support to take my ideas from my mind to a finished product on the retail shelf.”

Jeff expects to have future opportunities to point out TriMech’s services across other areas of the business.

“I remember when it was time to invest in my initial block of engineering hours. I wasn’t sure how many to contract, or if I would even need them all over the proposed term. Here we are just over a year later, and I’ve added hours several times. We have developed a trusted relationship in a short time, and I’m happy to introduce TriMech to others in my company.”

Spectra is online at spectraguttersystems.com

Want to discuss outsourcing engineering with an expert?

With TriMech’s SOLIDWORKS expertise and rapid prototyping capabilities, bring your ideas to life faster than ever before. Whether you need design collaboration, quick turnaround on prototypes, or access to simulation tools, we’ve got you covered.

Learn how about TriMech Design and how we can help you innovate and grow your business.

About Digital Projections

Digital Projections designs large LCD display walls for open spaces. Their clients can generate High Definition video content to be viewed by groups of people in stadiums, conference rooms or anywhere crowds gather. They use structural framing and custom components to fabricate the display walls to fit their clients’ design and space.

Engineering Challenge

Digital Projections traditionally works with 2D architectural drawings provided by their clients. Typically, their display frames were measured and “cut to fit” on the job site. They needed a 3D model-based design process to create the structural frame and display assemblies because of the accuracy required to perfectly align the display panels. So, they reached out to TriMech and we prepared a demonstration for them showing how they could meet their needs with SOLIDWORKS 3D modeling and drawing capabilities. They decided that this was the solution they needed, so they purchased the software and included a SOLIDWORKS Essentials training seat.

After starting with SOLIDWORKS, they hit a bottleneck trying to model their large frame assemblies. Creating the hundreds of 3D models and mating each frame segment was taking longer than expected. Their first target project had a deadline that was fast approaching, and they knew there had to be a more efficient way to get the job done.

Working with TriMech Design

Digital Projections reached out to TriMech Design to see if we could help. They wanted to complete a display project for their new client. We were tasked with optimizing their design process and streamline their workflow.

SOLIDWORKS Panel Design

After understanding our client’s needs, we set some objectives to help them with their display frame, which included: building a library of parts and weldment profiles used to build project assemblies, creating a drawing template and creating a detailed drawing proposal of the LED display system. Weldments is a feature that allows you to use 3D sketched based wire frames, and along with structural members or “profiles”, build your frame as it would be constructed. This allows for highly accurate frames with an automatically generated “cut list” that details the size of each part in your assembly. From there, we can align and attach each display panel precisely as required.

Project Outcome

The client was extremely happy with the method used to design their large display wall. It was faster, highly accurate and more efficient.

Digital Projection has continued to open additional work orders with the scope of creating an extensive series of display walls with many proposals to new clients. Many of those proposals build from the drawing template repurposed from this project; fashioned to match their company documentation and elevate their design presentations. The result of this has been winning more jobs on a whole new level of design and complexity.

TriMech Design continues to be the engineering resource for Digital Projections through continued collaboration and shared experience. We’ve expanded this collaboration and communication using the 3DEXPERIENCE® platform directly sharing 3D digital content, 2D images and interactive conversations. We’re looking forward to continued growth, and the future looks very bright.

Do you need Project Design Services?

Our product design team offers a wide range of capabilities to cater for your design and engineering requirements. From concept development to the final product, our team guides you through the entire process, ensuring efficiency and innovation every step of the way. Learn more about our Product Design Services.

Established in 2005 by David Mullsteff, TDS is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia and provides fully customized system solutions for an extremely demanding high-speed data communications market.

TriMech interviewed David Mullsteff, the President of Tactical Deployment Systems, after their services were completed by TriMech. David originally reached out when he realized they needed experts to take their design beyond the conception stage.

The TriMech Design team are SOLIDWORKS certified engineers and designers with experience in multiple industries. Their capabilities range from simple CAD design and modeling projects to complex FEA and CFD analysis services, all utilizing TriMech partnered products including the SOLIDWORKS suite of tools, Stratasys 3D printers and Artec 3D scanners.

Tactical Deployment Systems Problem

Most of today’s high-density data center “targeted” patching systems have a cassette format attempting to maximize chassis density, but they are not conducive to easy installation and cable routing through existing ladder racks, innerduct and raised floor systems due to size.

Tactical Deployment Systems wanted to provide a solution to this problem by designing a 1-U, 12-cassette system where the cassette is installed and removed from the rear. However, they did not have the internal design and engineering expertise to progress this past the conceptual stage.

TriMech Design Solution

PEG utilized its product development, mechanical engineering, rapid prototyping and design for manufacture expertise to develop the HD82 system.

Phase 1: Concept Development

Through onsite and online conference meetings, Tactical Deployment Systems explained their design requirements and tasked PEG with determining if the idea was feasible. PEG got to work producing a SOLIDWORKS model of their cassette and chassis idea turning an ambiguous concept into a potential manufacturable option.

TriMech’s Project Engineering Group was an extension of our business and supported us throughout the entire process. Without their support, we never would have been able to produce the HD8², from an idea to a production line product. It is nice to know there is a company that we can go to that has the technical knowledge and the support services to help a small business produce product lines that can compete with large global companies.

— David Mullsteff, President, Tactical Deployment Systems

Phase 2: Design Refinement

After a few reviews with Tactical Deployment Systems, the concept model was approved for prototyping. The cassette models needed to be designed for injection moldability with the tray being refined for production by sheet metal manufactures. Tolerance analyses were performed to optimize the fit of the components and connectors inside of the cassette and each cassette’s fit within the tray, all maintaining the industry-standard of a 1-U footprint. Each of the fit scenarios had to work out perfectly or the entire concept would not have been practical.

Phase 3: Prototyping

To confirm functionality both for assembly and operation of the system, prototypes of each cassette configuration, as well as a few versions of the chassis, were made. PEG utilized its in-house rapid prototyping capabilities to produce FDM 3D printed parts. The prototyping stage both confirmed expectations of the design’s functionality and brought previously unknown issues to the team’s attention. This allowed them to make minor adjustments where needed before the information was sent to manufactures for final tooling development, saving tens of thousands of dollars.

Phase 4: Design Optimization for Manufacture

PEG worked alongside Tactical Deployment Systems and their manufacturing vendors to make model adjustments and engineering decisions as they prepared for volume production. Part of this included going through a complete Design for Manufacture (DFM) review process with the injection molding vendor. Because of PEG’s prototyping options and injection molding design experience, the cassettes were finalized only after one iterative design change to the mold tooling. This saved the Tactical Deployment Systems money and, sometimes even more valuable, time.

Do you need Product Design Services?

TriMech offers a wide range of capabilities to cater for your design and engineering requirements. From concept development to the final product, our team guides you through the entire process, ensuring efficiency and innovation every step of the way. Learn more about our Product Design Services.

A robust CPQ (configure, price, quote) system is an essential tool for manufacturers offering a variety of configurable product options, such as heavy machinery, high tech, textiles, or furniture.

DriveWorks enables users to accurately configure custom products, calculate pricing, and automatically create documents and data for sales and manufacturing. And its rules-based SOLIDWORKS® automation eliminates errors and time-consuming design changes.

Client success

Javelin client Maglin Site Furniture has more than 35 years of experience in creating extraordinary furniture for public gathering spaces. Since 2016, its team has witnessed the DriveWorks CPQ platform’s transformative effects on its operations – some anticipated and others unexpected.

At the summits, Maglin presenters Nathasha Cherian, Product Configuration Specialist; Aaron Dawson, Director of Manufacturing; and Chung Kim, Engineering Systems Manager explained that with support from Javelin, Maglin continues to advance how it uses DriveWorks and to unlock new advantages.

Complex, built-to-order manufacturing

Maglin works with landscape architects and site contractors and provides custom outdoor site furniture, including benches, tables and seating, waste containers, bike racks, panels, planters, and sunshades.

The team uses DriveWorks to help manage design and manufacturing of its modular products, which consist of dozens of elements that can be customized for aesthetic and functional purposes.

Easy and transparent for customers

Maglin customers can customize several product lines to their specifications on the company’s website and can clearly visualize what they are about to buy – often without spending any time with the sales team.

DriveWorks software calculates pricing in real-time based on selected configurations, considering material costs, manufacturing complexity, and any relevant discounts or promotions. This ensures accurate pricing and transparency, removes manual calculations, and speeds up the sales cycle.

Maglin wins projects because of excellent user experience and fast service. Most products are ready to ship in six to eight weeks, in about half the time offered by competitors.

From challenges to solutions

1. Far less time spent on approval drawings

A built-to-order environment makes the customer approval stage a critical step in avoiding delays and waste.

Before using DriveWorks to power an online product configurator, Maglin designers spent weeks creating drawings to suit customer selections. The Ogden product line, with its various seat and back types, color options, and slat directions, has a total of 82,560 possible configurations! After creating layout drawings for approval, designers spent additional time going back and forth with the customer to refine the drawings.

Today, customers or sales representatives generate drawings automatically when they configure the product to their wishes. Both simplified dummy models and appealing customer-facing layouts are generated.

What previously took two weeks now takes only 20 minutes, and customers and salespeople can even edit their own layouts without interacting with the engineering team. That team can now focus on creative pursuits and developing new products, rather than on minor design adjustments.

2. Correct details in production drawings

Maglin designers once used a master SOLIDWORKS model, created manually for the Ogden series, but human error sometimes led to small discrepancies in details like hole size and location or material thickness. Today, DriveWorks pulls the information directly from the database, avoiding errors and delays.

Overall, DriveWorks Autopilot has cut production drawing processing time in half, while all the necessary checkpoints remain in place.

3. Smoother integration of SOLIDWORKS data into the ERP system

Entering engineering and manufacturing data (such as the BOM) into the ERP system used to be a cumbersome process with room for error. Now that process is semi-automated. Only 11 manual-entry fields remain, while DriveWorks fills about 200 fields automatically.

Deeper understanding of shipping and storage needs 

DriveWorks is linked to Maglin’s freight partner’s database, so even shipping details are generated automatically.

Pixel product line

The Pixel product line consists of building blocks that can be mixed and stacked. When model numbers and quantities are entered, the configurator calculates the number of boxes needed. Add the destination postal code in the shipper’s system, and you get the shipping price instantly.

Ogden benches

Maglin also discovered they can ship three times the number of Ogden benches per container than they once did, increasing the profitability of this product line.

DriveWorks has contributed to better inventory management and a reduced need for warehouse space. Maglin’s space requirements levelled off, even though sales were growing. That’s because materials arrive and go to straight to works in progress – they don’t sit on shelves.

Inspiring a new approach to product development

With DriveWorks providing a solid foundation, Maglin designers can think freely about what can be done with existing and future product lines. They don’t limit their thinking because they can take almost any creative design successfully through to manufacturing – and to a beautiful space near you.

Maglin is online at maglin.com. To learn more about DriveWorks, reach out to our automation experts.

Traditional cold brew (different from iced coffee) takes 24 hours to make. With the press of a button, AstroBrew provides barista quality at home. It makes cold brew in only five minutes, and chills to 32° in 15 minutes.

The product inventor is Joe Damigella – thermal engineer, family man, and (beyond-the-norm!) coffee enthusiast. He knew from his experience working in the food and beverage appliance industry that there was a gap in the market – no one had created a cold brew maker that actively chills.

Joe’s own technical skills and entrepreneurial spirit, along with talented co-founders, committed investors, and a supportive group of family and friends, have since turned the vision of a one-of-a-kind cold brew appliance into reality.

SOLIDWORKS rendering

Free software thanks to SOLIDWORKS for Startups

Inside and out, AstroBrew’s functional and attractive design was born in SOLIDWORKS, the industry standard 3D computer-aided design (CAD) solution.

Joe has a long history of using SOLIDWORKS, going back to his college days. He understood that if he was going to fulfill his dream of making his own inventions, he needed access to the SOLIDWORKS product portfolio, but he didn’t have the budget to make the investment.

“I found out about the SOLIDWORKS for Startups program and when the time was right, I went straight to the signup page. I have always thought highly of the software and TriMech as a provider, and I couldn’t have made my dream a reality without that support.”

— Joe Damigella, Product Inventor for Astrobrew

TriMech supports startups and entrepreneurs with free SOLIDWORKS software to help conceive, design, test, manufacture, and launch their products. Eligible businesses get access to CAD software, as well as simulation, electrical, data management, product lifecycle management (PLM) tools, and more. The entrepreneurs are welcomed into a supportive community of TriMech experts and fellow SOLIDWORKS users.

To qualify for the program (also known as 3DEXPERIENCE Works for Startups), a company should be a new SOLIDWORKS customer; be designing a physical product; have less than $1 million in funding and revenue; and be in business less than five years.

SOLIDWORKS is more than CAD

For Joe, SOLIDWORKS has been an essential tool for concept development, prototyping, and collaboration, guiding him to a manufacturable, marketable design.

“I’ve been through seven iterations of the machine, and three of those were digital only, evaluated in SOLIDWORKS. I created four 3D-printed prototypes, and I could not have done that without using SOLIDWORKS to export my individual part files to my printer.”

To help bring together the groundbreaking inner workings of the appliance with a slick, consumer-friendly look, Joe worked with a design studio called Niche Industries, a team of two SOLIDWORKS superusers.

“I see SOLIDWORKS as a form of communication. It makes it easy to collaborate with my industrial design partners. If I hadn’t been organized in my data management and communication, AstroBrew wouldn’t be a reality. Part names, numbers, and associated details, all connected in a bill of materials, is very important to me. Writing macros to automate processes is also valuable.”

Reflecting on progress

Joe said he doesn’t take much time to reflect on his journey to date because he’s always looking ahead to what’s next.

“It is valuable to look back at where I started. In May of 2023, I was working hard to build my first working prototype because my first pitch event was on June 1. I’d never pitched to investors before. I didn’t yet have software inside the machine. It was just buttons and switches on the back of the machine and sometimes it got so cold that it would start making ice.”

He is proud of the progress he’s made since then and said sometimes it doesn’t even feel real.

“Today I’m a better presenter, and my latest prototype looks like it just came off the manufacturing line. And except for the stainless steel, it’s entirely 3D printed.”

Financial and moral support

As of August 2024, AstroBrew ended its initial Kickstarter campaign at 1,145% funded, translating to more than 600 appliances sold and making it to the top 1% of successful projects on the site.

As they approach mass production, Joe and his team feel strongly about choosing a North American manufacturer, not common for food and beverage appliances. They expect to ship to their first group of loyal fans in spring 2025.

“I’m excited to get AstroBrew out to kitchen counters in homes and in restaurants. It’s more than a product to me – I want AstroBrew to be a household name here and around the world.”

Joe is grateful that TriMech and the SOLIDWORKS for Startups program is part of AstroBrew’s story. He also credits the people closest to him for supporting his venture.

“My wife, family, and friends have believed in me from the beginning. So many people have reached out or helped in some way. I wear a lot of hats, and I couldn’t have made it to this point without loads of support.”

AstroBrew is online at astro-brew.com

To learn more about TriMech’s SOLIDWORKS (or 3DEXPERIENCE) for Startups, visit trimech.com/free-solidworks-for-startups

The company is based in Waterloo, Ontario and was founded in 1988. It was known as Systematix until 2021, when Samuel, Son & Co acquired Systematix, and the Samuel Automation Solutions Group was formed.

We talked to two members of its multidisciplinary engineering team, Admir Mujanovic and Jim Peltier, who explained that as custom machine builders, every day is different. Customers present a product design and rely on Samuel Automation to automate the mass production process.

“Creating one-off custom equipment can be challenging,” Jim said. “We know the goal and we know what’s needed to get there. And there’s no stopping us.”

Matching the industry standard

Admir Mujanovic – Systematix Engineer

Samuel Automation chooses SOLIDWORKS, sold and supported by their technology partner Javelin, part of TriMech Group.

Jim said SOLIDWORKS allows their designers to get ideas out of their heads and into the minds of their colleagues who build the tools and machinery.

“It’s our design platform, but also our communication tool. It’s the language we use to communicate ideas. That also applies externally when we communicate with suppliers and customers.”

Samuel Automation started their switch to SOLIDWORKS in 2017. Admir explained that one reason for changing from Autodesk Inventor to SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD software was to better match the skills of the available talent pool of designers and engineers, both recent graduates and established professionals.

“SOLIDWORKS is the industry standard. We’re keeping up to date and have been upgrading over the years.”

In switching to SOLIDWORKS, the team’s engineers were also hoping to avoid costly rework.

“With the SOLIDWORKS parametric approach to modeling, I know for a fact that no one here is talking about misaligned holes anymore,” Admir said.

Unlocking the potential of SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional

A recent upgrade took Samuel Automation from SOLIDWORKS PDM Standard to SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional. Professional takes storing and managing data to the next level, with advanced workflow automation and the SOLIDWORKS PDM Application Programming Interface (API).

Jim completed the Using SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional training course with Javelin to gain the confidence to maximize the capabilities of the tool. He shared how he leveraged its high-end functionality – with tech support from Javelin – to create a macro that updates the geometry of an assembly in just two clicks.

“This means that if someone on the shop floor opens an assembly file, they see the most up-to-date version. Without this macro, they would see the assembly’s geometry as it was last saved. This is custom functionality that Javelin helped us develop.”

Automating documentation

API is used to automate redundant and lengthy design tasks and to create completed engineering applications that can run both inside and outside of the SOLIDWORKS application.

When a Samuel Automation customer asked that thousands of their drawings be formatted and numbered according to the customer’s methods, Jim relied on his design automation experience and the power of SOLIDWORKS API to create processes to do the work. Each drawing was updated in 30 seconds, when a more manual process would have taken 30 minutes. Overall, a project that Jim’s manager thought might take 10 months took just one.

Open API has also allowed Samuel Automation to integrate SOLIDWORKS with internal custom software and their ERP system. Data shared include part numbers, costing, and due dates.

Javelin on standby

Admir said that when his team was in the process of switching to SOLIDWORKS, they had a lot of questions about the installation and how to integrate with their custom software.

“I’ve dealt with vendors who made us feel like we weren’t supposed to ask questions.

Not once did Javelin say, ‘we can’t help you.’ You fill out a quick report and within a couple of hours, if not minutes, someone is reaching out to help you. You get quick, in-depth responses from very knowledgeable people. Having someone pretty much on standby during the tricky parts was fantastic.”

He added that various disciplines across the company – from designers to analysts to assemblers – use SOLIDWORKS tools differently, and that he appreciates that Javelin provides floating/network licensing for clients who need a pool of software licenses that can be shared among users.

Continued success with manufacturing solutions

Samuel Automation looks forward to an ever-expanding focus on sustainability measures, including persistently improving efficiency, reducing waste, and meeting customers’ growing need for energy savings through fully electric actuation.

Admir said integration is an ongoing theme, as Samuel Automation finds more opportunities to collaborate with their sister operations within the Samuel family of companies and continues to standardize software and processes among departments internally.

With personal support from Javelin and access to the wider product and service offerings of TriMech Group, Samuel Automation is well positioned to take on new challenges.

“Javelin is always happy to drop in and chat with us about the latest and greatest,” Admir said. “They understand what we do and how we do it, so they know what can help us.”

Samuel Automation is online at samuel.com/our-businesses/systematix.

Systematix – Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Alfred was born out of research into developing robots that can manipulate deformable materials, which change their shape when you interact with them (think guacamole or ice cream). Using a variety of utensils, such as scoops, ladles, and tongs, Alfred handily puts together meals based on the programmed instructions of the kitchen staff.

Why do we need a robot sous chef?

Dexai’s mission is to protect the food service industry from difficult labour shortages and help insulate it from economic ups and downs. At the same time, Alfred can reduce the risk of food-borne illnesses. Everything that Dexai designs meets the standards of the public health and safety organization NSF and each mechanical part in the complex design must be built with safe food handling and safe working conditions in mind.

Controlling Alfred the Robot Sous Chef

Supporting a startup

Dexai CEO David Johnson explained that when he and Anthony Tayoun started the company, they worked out of Greentown Labs in Somerville, Massachusetts. The incubator space has a great relationship with TriMech, which provides and supports software tools that are used across every stage of product development.

“TriMech answered all of our questions,” David said. “How do we get SOLIDWORKS licenses? How do we get a data management solution? TriMech has been with us from the very beginning.”

That beginning was four years ago; as Dexai took the challenging steps of turning an idea into a product, adding to its team, and scaling up production, Hardware Team Lead Justin Rooney said that TriMech became a trusted – and responsive – partner.

“There’s a big human component that I really appreciate about TriMech. It’s very easy to get on the phone with them or email them and get an answer. Even as we were researching 3DEXPERIENCE and comparing it with other products on the market, they seemed to have unlimited time to go through the decision-making process, which was amazing. And later, TriMech allowed me, as an individual with no IT experience, to roll out a PLM product to a big team.”

— Rana Odabas, Mechanical Engineer, Dexai Robotics

“When we were vetting a few different PLM options, TriMech stuck out to me as very available. They offered their services countless times to go through the functionality of 3DEXPERIENCE Works. Understanding that TriMech was always going to be there to answer questions veered us toward choosing 3DEXPERIENCE.”

One shared platform

3DEXPERIENCE Works PDM by Dassault Systèmes is a cloud-based platform that connects engineering and business activity in one real-time, collaborative environment.

Dexai design with 3DEXPERIENCE Works

Rana gave one example of how using the 3DX platform has improved productivity, when each designer is working on different parts, yet they all have access to the digital twin of the product.

“If we have multiple people working on the robot head, they can design their parts in parallel while tracking dependencies in the context of the same assembly. All team members have access to the full assembly and visibility into the latest stage of development. I think this has been the biggest benefit of having 3DEXPERIENCE. It really motivates collaboration across the team.”

In Dexai’s early years, the small team of 10 worked on their own local devices and passed zipped CAD files back and forth, a process not conducive to understanding how one subsystem fits with the rest of the system. Today, with a team of more than 25, they are all connected to the same cohesive platform.

Rana said the productivity of the team has increased “exponentially.”

“I don’t think we would have been able to do the development that we did over the course of the past year or so, and the scaling up that we’re gearing up to do, without 3DEXPERIENCE. It just wouldn’t be feasible. After a week of using the platform, I knew I would never go back.”

Alfred the Robot Sous Chef

Dexai is online at dexai.com.

Highlights of Dexai’s Robot Sous Chef success with 3DEXPERIENCE

• Designing in familiar SOLIDWORKS remains at the core of Dexai’s product development work.
• A digital twin of the entire product is easily accessible to everyone on the team.
• One person’s changes are immediately visible and understood by others.
• No more passing massive files back and forth between designers’ individual devices.
• Cloud-based – there’s no need for a traditional server-based approach.
• Scalable – allows for growth in the number of team members and increases in production.
• Modular – when ready, Dexai began to take advantage of product lifecycle management (PLM) components, such as identifying, assigning, and managing issues, and creating and maintaining an accurate and up-to-date manufacturing bill of materials.

InFocus Energy Services, Inc. is an innovative Canadian company specializing in the development of solution-driven downhole products for the oil and gas industry. Committed to the development of high-performance, innovative drilling  and well-completion products, InFocus is primarily an R&D-based company that licenses its technology and products to strategic partners.

Staying on the cutting edge of the oil and gas industry requires robust design and engineering tools, which is why the company utilizes the integrated SOLIDWORKS® 3D product development suite. According to Founder/Director Allan Pearson, InFocus has utilized SOLIDWORKS tools from the start because the integrated solutions provide the power, agility, and flexibility that the company needs to consistently develop innovative products. “SOLIDWORKS is the core of our engineering group,” Pearson notes. “It’s the basis for everything we do: modeling, simulation, flow analysis, renderings. We rarely have to rely on other products.”

With its concentration on developing oil and gas products that are currently not available anywhere else, InFocus regularly pushes SOLIDWORKS tools, including simulation solutions, to the limit and remains on the lookout for emerging solutions. “We’ve used SOLIDWORKS Simulation Premium software for certain types of analysis, but our work increasingly involves not only geometric and material nonlinearities but also complex contact problems,” explains Mechanical Engineer/Simulation Specialist Peter Kjellbotn.

“We needed more simulation power, as well as a solution that worked smoothly with SOLIDWORKS. When we heard that SOLIDWORKS was launching a new 3DEXPERIENCE® simulation solution that incorporated the SIMULIA® Abaqus solver, we signed up for the Lighthouse Program so we could start using the new Structural Performance Engineer immediately. As soon as we got our hands on it, we started testing it and benchmarking it against known test results.”

— Mechanical Engineer/Simulation Specialist Peter Kjellbotn

SIMULIA Simulation for tricky, complex contact analysis

InFocus first utilized SIMULIA Structural Performance Engineer on the bearing section of the company’s RE|FLEX Premium HP/HT Drilling Motor. The motor’s bearing section is a proprietary design that was developed to convert extreme loading parameters, including torque of over 30,000 foot-pounds, into efficient drilling action. The company’s initial concept design of the drive system, which utilized traditional ball bearings, resulted in failure during testing when the load crushed the bearings and the faces that load the bearings. SIMULIA Structural Simulation Engineer predicted the failure—with accurate correlation to actual test results—and helped the company develop a better, more innovative design.

SIMULIA drill analysis

“With Structural Performance Engineer, we were able to evaluate a range of geometric and material options, a process that helped us quickly optimize the tapered, barrel-shaped design of the bearings, and also decide the best high-strength steel for the design” Kjellbotn recalls.

Developing unique, innovative product quickly and affordably

The experience using SIMULIA Structural Performance Engineer software to develop the bearing section of the RE|FLEX Premium Drilling Motor is representative of the fast, focused development process that InFocus needs to introduce industry innovations in a timely, consistent fashion. “We can develop more products quicker and at lower cost by using Structural Simulation Engineer,” Kjellbotn stresses.

RE|FLEX Premium HP/HT Drilling Motor

“For example, on the bearing section of the RE|FLEX Motor, if we had had to physically test all of our design options instead of evaluating them in Structural Simulation Engineer, it would have taken a lot more time and money,” Kjellbotn says. “To do all of those tests on a high-strength drive shaft—at a cost of thousands of dollars per test—would have blown both the schedule and budget. We saved tens of thousands of dollars, months of time, and extra labor costs by using Structural Simulation Engineer. It helped us condense a process that would usually take months into just a few weeks.”

Greater agility and flexibility fuel growth

The implementation of SIMULIA Structural Performance Engineer provides InFocus with the increased agility and flexibility that it needs to continue to innovate and grow. “Getting the products out and into the market faster is everything to us,” Pearson says. “Structural Simulation Engineer fits into our goal to go from concept to completion in a week. Our business needs change quickly, so having an agile system that gets results that we can trust quickly is extremely important for our continued growth.”

“Because Structural Performance Engineer is part of 3DEXPERIENCE Works in the cloud and is fully compatible with our SOLIDWORKS modeling data, it provides additional advantages”

— Mechanical Engineer/Simulation Specialist Peter Kjellbotn

“It’s hardware-independent, freeing up our workstations for other things, and utilizes SOLIDWORKS data, saving time and money because we don’t have to go through time-consuming import/export protocols. The solution also automatically stores data in the cloud and supports collaboration. With Structural Simulation Engineer, we are only limited by our imagination.”

In 1996, a snowboarding injury caused Christian to become paralyzed from the waist down. As an athlete, machinist, and creative and determined problem solver, he started designing equipment to help make life better for himself and others facing mobility challenges. One result is Bowhead, which designs and manufactures off-road adaptive e-bikes and has its home base in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Bowhead Shop Floor

Sanket Patil is a mechanical designer and engineer-in-training at Bowhead. He started in the business as a volunteer, passionate about delivering an adaptive biking experience and ready to contribute his skills. Beginning in 2020, he joined the company as a full-time designer, troubleshooting issues found during field testing and improving designs.

Bowhead e-bikes are engineered to order to suit a person’s level of mobility and specific needs and wants. Sanket explained that the whole purpose is to accommodate each unique user, so the design process must follow suit.

Bowhead RX at Trout Lake

“A customer chooses options depending on variables such as their foot size, or the type of seat they prefer, or whether they have use of their hands or back muscles. This customization means we need to manage hundreds of parts, complex assemblies, and hundreds of thousands of possible combinations.”

Better data management became a priority

Bowhead’s first e-bike model was REACH. When they moved on to the RX model, Sanket said they suddenly had a lot of data that couldn’t be managed in a folder system any longer.

In 2020, Sanket was the only one working on CAD regularly. A folder system worked fine at first, but it soon became difficult and time consuming to implement and control revisions. He also lacked detailed design history, and creating multiple files was causing a storage capacity issue.

He had some experience working with product data management (PDM) solutions, but he was wary of the upfront investment that would be required and knew that Bowhead would also need to outsource customization and implementation.

“We had also added engineers working on our designs remotely,” he said. “We had to quickly implement a PDM solution that was flexible and easily scalable as our company continued to grow.”

The path to choosing 3DEXPERIENCE

Bowhead was already involved with the Dassault Systèmes SOLIDWORKS for Entrepreneurs program, so they approached Dassault to talk about their evolving needs and get advice. Dassault introduced Bowhead to 3DEXPERIENCE (3DX) and offered a chance to try the platform and discover its capabilities.

Sanket was impressed. He said 3DEXPERIENCE, and the ENOVIA data management tool in particular, allows his team to manage CAD efficiently and collaborate.

Managing CAD Data in 3DEXPERIENCE

“We run the platform practically out of the box and since it’s cloud-based, we don’t have to worry about maintaining servers or hiring an IT specialist. These are crucial aspects for a start-up like ours.”

Bowhead has since grown to have four engineers on site in Canada and two contractors who connect to 3DX from India.

“It’s easy to involve all the engineers in product development,” Sanket said. “We all work with the latest revision. I can easily redline a drawing, send a change order, and later approve that change. And as the company matures, we are expanding to managing other parts of our operation.”

Beyond CAD data

Since implementing 3DEXPERIENCE, Bowhead has expanded beyond using the original design-based features into project planning and change management features.

ENOVIA Data Management

They have also started using some product lifestyle management tools the platform offers, such as doing full product BOMs for their e-bike projects, which include non-engineering items like harnesses and labels.

“We were in the R&D phase of the RX when we got 3DEXPERIENCE and it really set us up for success in manufacturing. The careful tracking makes the design process transparent to the end user. Every piece of a product’s history is searchable and traceable.”

Onboarding and support from Javelin

Implementing a new technology platform while developing a new bike might have been daunting but Sanket says the software was user friendly and easy to learn. And Javelin – A TriMech Company, which provides and supports SOLIDWORKS and Dassault Systèmes solutions, made sure he and his team were trained and positioned for success.

“Javelin guided us through the setup and resolved queries as they arose. Their service is impeccable and response times are amazing. With their help, we didn’t have a single day of downtime, which is absolutely essential for us to meet our deadlines.”

Javelin has a detailed process for onboarding clients to get them operational and feeling confident quickly. As the main admin, Sanket did a training session over three half days; others on his team joined him for the last day.

He explained that he knew the system could do certain things, but he didn’t know how, and that these were the kinds of questions he posed to Javelin.

“One thing I struggled with was the part-numbering system. Ours was already in place and I didn’t want to change it. Javelin understood the ins and outs of 3DEXPERIENCE and created a process workaround involving file naming, which made our existing system compatible.”

Sanket also noted that he’s glad Javelin and 3DEXPERIENCE are at the helm of Bowhead’s data management and will take care of the increasing complexity they’ll face as the company grows.

“There is no stopping us now – we will continue to innovate and bring smiles to our customers’ faces.”

Bowhead is online at bowheadcorp.com.

Bowhead REACH – adaptive mountain bike

Why is 3DEXPERIENCE proving successful for Bowhead?

• 3DEXPERIENCE Works supplements their existing desktop SOLIDWORKS tools with powerful cloud-based data and product lifecycle management.
• They now have one cohesive system accessible from any device.
• 3DEXPERIENCE Works is ready to handle more (and new types of) users and complexity as the company grows.
• No major upfront capital investment was required, well suited to a start-up like theirs.
• Bowhead has a trusted relationship with their technology partner Javelin.

In 2006, Measurand released its first ShapeArray™, a measuring instrument used to monitor deformation of soil under and around critical structures.

“Ongoing training is a given when you work in tech. You have to keep on top of it. Training is always in the budget – if you don’t invest in training people, you won’t keep those people.”

— Tricia Harrison, Manager of Product Development, Measurand

Silent segments and extension tubes provide flexibility and control when placing ShapeArray™ vertically in a zone of interest.

The real-time data the ShapeArray generates allows engineers to improve safety and reduce risk; save time and money; and make fast, smart decisions. Before automation and data visualization were available, people had to rely on manual measurement. Today, using ShapeArray, real-time monitoring of soil distortion and movement reduces the risk of catastrophic failures.

Applications vary, from measuring soil movement beneath urban construction projects to monitoring geohazards, such as slope instability, in remote locations. The Canadian-made technology protects the integrity of significant infrastructure, such as mining waste containment structures, public transit tunnels, and dams.

Since pivoting from measuring the human body to measuring the Earth, Measurand has grown to more than 70 employees and is a global leader in designing and manufacturing instrumentation for geotechnical deformation monitoring.

SOLIDWORKS training to optimize product development

SOLIDWORKS, sold and supported by TriMech, has been the 3D CAD software of choice for Measurand’s engineers for about 10 years. To ensure that they were using SOLIDWORKS consistently and to its full potential, the team turned to TriMech for a professional assessment of their skills and processes.

Tricia Harrison, Measurand’s Manager of Product Development, said she wanted to identify any gaps and discover ways to improve.

“TriMech’s SOLIDWORKS Training Assessment was a key first step. TriMech’s consultants spent time listening to our people to learn how they typically work and to identify their points of frustration. We knew that each person was working slightly differently than the next. We wanted to establish a baseline, then align the team to do everything in an optimized way.”

Following the assessment, TriMech recommended SOLIDWORKS Essentials training, delivered live by TriMech instructors online, as well as its Custom Properties and Drawings Service. This training focuses on optimizing the entire process of taking drawings through to manufacturing, including using templates and revision management.

“Training is foundational for all of us,” Tricia said. “Some people are advanced users; others are new users. Everyone can benefit from continuous learning.”

Tricia’s team of nine includes mechanical and mechatronics engineers, electrical and embedded systems engineers, and software developers. Initially, SOLIDWORKS was used mainly for creating mechanical drawings and assemblies. More recently, Measurand invested in SOLIDWORKS Inspection, an automation tool that reduces the time needed to record inspection measurements and create documentation.

Valuable learnings add to users’ confidence

Tricia said that her team members are all now confident users, and they no longer spend time trying to learn the features of the software or searching for files. The team was able to standardize design procedures and workflow and reported a variety of other valuable takeaways. One mentioned learning to focus on the core design of each part before combining it into a complicated assembly, which leads to better assemblies and adaptability for future part design changes.

A member of Measurand’s technical services team

The live, online learning environment removed the need to travel and was popular with the team. One trainee said, “The SOLIDWORKS training in small groups really got me excited to have access to an expert who can deal with all of the questions I have, then demonstrate the solutions in a live learning environment.”

Measurand also takes advantage of TriMech subscription service, which includes automatic software upgrades and live technical support. “Investing in the service plan helps us support our people who use SOLIDWORKS,” Tricia said. “That layer of support is worth every penny we are paying. And the TriMech people are easy to work with, right across the board.”

Measurand will continue to seek advice and training from TriMech; in fact, TriMech’s live online SOLIDWORKS Essentials course has been incorporated into the onboarding program for the Product and Engineering teams.“ Ongoing training is a given when you work in tech. You have to keep on top of it. Training is always in the budget – if you don’t invest in training people, you won’t keep those people.”

Making a difference

Measurand continues to grow to meet the demands of short lead times, exacting quality, and continuous improvement.

In recent years, Measurand joined trusted brands RST Instruments, 3vGeomatics, and Syscom Instruments to form Terra Insights—a global platform that offers leading surface and sub-surface data solutions, using underground sensors, cloud-based data, and satellite technology. “We’re leveraging our expertise and technology to deliver not just one product, but a suite of solutions,” Tricia said.

The precise information about underground sagging, sinking, and shifting is being used to reduce uncertainty, protect structures, and reduce construction time and cost. Most importantly, as Tricia noted,

“The instruments we build are used all over the world to protect human life. We are making a difference.”

To learn more about Measurand, visit measurand.com.

“Our custom-build environment requires a solid workflow to keep processes on track. SOLIDWORKS Manage meets our needs for building out processes with the BOM at the centre. You don’t have to limit your thinking to just managing CAD files – you can expand to company-wide business processes.”

— Mike Taylor, Product Development Manager, Phil Mauer & Associates

“Jobs are similar, but with different details,” said Mike Taylor, Product Development Manager. “With each project being unique, and a couple dozen projects on the go, having SOLIDWORKS Manage has been particularly good for us.”

SOLIDWORKS Manage: The left side lists all the record types, routings, work orders, quotes, manufacturing operation types, station names, catalogued build prints, catalogued-customer provided CAD, and of course the PDM object.

What is Manage?

SOLIDWORKS Manage uses the file management capabilities of SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional and adds project, process, and item management.

Organizations like Phil Mauer plan each stage of a project, assign resources and tasks, and attach required documentation – all within the same ecosystem they use to design. When users complete their tasks, project progress updates automatically and is displayed on a real-time dashboard.

While PDM looks after CAD files, Manage contains and connects other data, such as bills of materials, what manufacturing station drawings should go to, and finishing details like paint codes.

SOLIDWORKS Manage process grid view (in this case for routings): shows the flexibility and range of applications for routings. Phil Mauer references this to make sure parts on a released BOM are moving through checking, purchasing and manufacturing.

From paper to digital

Mike explained that before having Manage, if they noticed that a step in the process didn’t happen, they didn’t immediately know why.

“ISO procedures, for example, were in binders and not handy. Someone had to go look up a form or a flowchart of a workflow. Today, it’s no longer a paper exercise. The ISO form is right there on screen, being filled out as you move through the process, and data from the forms can be mined to look for trends and statistics.”

Racking design

Designers once carried stacks of paper from engineering to manufacturing. When they had to make changes, they had to print new drawings and take them to each station, making it difficult to track changes, as well as risking errors and rework.

Using Manage, communication between engineering and the shop floor happens in real-time, digitally, and is easily traced.

Turning ideas into workable options

Mike and his team laid out a detailed plan of what pain points they wanted Manage to solve. TriMech’s technical specialists, with their deep knowledge of the software, translated that wish list into workable options.

“I wouldn’t recommend trying to use Manage ‘out of the box,’” he said. “It’s powerful and flexible – that’s its strength. To get customized workflows, you will want a partner who knows how to implement your ideas into Manage objects and processes.”

Company-wide benefits

Phil Mauer’s people, systems, and departments (including engineering, manufacturing, quality, sales, and purchasing), are now tied into the workflow, or digital thread. Some examples:

• In manufacturing, an export into Excel gives the production supervisor the labour data he needs to make his resource plan and production schedule for the job.
• Upon release of the BOM, purchasing staff can clearly see what materials need to be ordered and when.
• When a project is noted as complete, Manage triggers a customer satisfaction survey. A notice lands in the salesperson’s inbox, so he or she knows to call the customer to check in.
• Mike makes great use of the Manage Live dashboard by showing the real-time status of projects at weekly meetings. Outstanding and upcoming to-dos are discussed.

Another benefit is having clear information about performance against metrics. The quality manager used to enter any design changes made (after production started) into a Microsoft Access database. Now, distribution of the change document happens in a Manage workflow that automatically logs statistics, including how many changes are being generated, the reasons behind them, cost impacts, and the time spent making each change.

SOLIDWORKS Manage dashboard: This dashboard is used to look for issues with part release. It shows relative status of a routing being released in contrast to the stage of the overall project process. For example, are there issues such as parts not released on jobs that should already be in the shop?

Continued evolution and growth

Phil Mauer continues to find new ways to work collaboratively with TriMech. As Mike said, “I have been the champion for Manage, but it’s not just my ideas anymore. Other people have ideas to improve on existing workflows, create new process workflows, and generate new dashboard reports. TriMech knows what we built, and why, and is always there to say, ‘Did you think about doing it this way?’”

Mike explained that overall, Manage is a project management tool that filled a gap between PDM and their ERP system, all brought to life by TriMech.

“It can be hard to get buy-in for a new platform,” Mike said. “But I can tell you that no one here is still asking why we need this. Everyone is informed. No one scrambles. If you want to do more projects with the same people, you have to keep improving processes.”

And speaking of those people, Mike emphasized that he is continually impressed by his team.

“We are always busy, but they are all willing to do what’s necessary to do quality work and grow. Everyone is proud of their work and wants to be better and faster for our customers.”

Phil Mauer & Associates is online at philmauer.com

From job sites to camp sites, farms to fishing holes, DECKED products allow pickup truck owners to improve storage capacity, protection from weather, organization, and ergonomics. The idea is to put more in your truck and retrieve all of it without stretching over the bed rail or crawling over everything you’re carrying.

DECKED products allow pickup truck owners to improve storage capacity, protection from weather, organization, and ergonomics

In business for about nine years, DECKED continues to operate with a dynamic team and start-up culture. In earlier years, they focused on designing and building truck bed drawer systems and accessories; today, they are expanding product offerings, such as a new toolbox that sits behind the cab and includes an integrated ladder.

DECKED has grown to a team of 70 people and is on track to sell 50,000 drawer systems this year. Design, sales, and marketing are in Ketchum, Idaho and manufacturing is in Defiance, Ohio.

Calvin Allan is Principal – Product Development for DECKED. He said a midwestern, Idaho work ethic is built into the company’s DNA.

“We’re proud of our attention to detail and we must get it absolutely right. We could stop at good enough, but we don’t. We always make it stronger and better than we have to. Our company prioritizes that.”

Solving the slowdowns

As the DECKED design team expanded, they were wasting time opening and rebuilding large assemblies. The OEMs supply massive, detailed models of their truck beds. Add that complexity to DECKED’s own complicated models, and integration and manipulation of assemblies wasn’t happening fast enough.

“Customization is our magic and the key to our profitability,” Calvin said. “Our configurable SOLIDWORKS models need to be updated quickly. I knew we needed to go deeper into how SOLIDWORKS is running and learn how to optimize accordingly.”

To investigate, TriMech did a Large Assembly Performance Audit and a PDM Health Check and Audit.

They recommended that DECKED take advantage of TriMech’s Large Assembly Productivity Service, to teach Calvin and his team how the software operates “under the hood” during opening and rebuilding phases, how to identify what causes slowdowns, and how to solve those problems. It was also important for users to learn best practices for creating fast and clean large assemblies.

“TriMech didn’t just do the work,” Calvin explained. “They taught us what levers they pull to make a difference. We learned the implications of how we were doing CAD, such as how display states and section views were affecting our work. Unused elements and suppressed components were creating errors and bloated models.”

Calvin’s team learned that when they don’t need great detail, working with resolved (unsuppressed) assembly components is unnecessary.

“When vendor models come in, there is excessive detail. Now we know that if we don’t need to see a detailed thread pattern, we get rid of it. We didn’t know we had so much control over opening individual parts.”

The team now works faster than they ever have before.

“I’m not exaggerating when I say our opening times are 10 times faster. Files that took 30 minutes to open now open in a few minutes and files that took a few minutes now open in seconds.”

Custom, relevant training

TriMech delivered team training remotely from Canada and it was recorded for anyone who couldn’t attend live (or for future new hires). Even Calvin, an advanced user, learned “golden” tips during TriMech’s training sessions.

“The training was custom to our work, geared toward what we were seeing every day. They didn’t use canned examples. You could spend years doing something one way, never knowing there’s a better way.”

Work faster and reduce errors using PDM features

Calvin also noted that TriMech’s PDM Health Check and Audit revealed areas for improvement. Again, the DECKED PDM system was organized well enough for one person but not efficient when multiple users contribute to the same files.

“TriMech didn’t come in with a prescribed recipe. They said, ‘show us what you’re doing.’ Their audit report recommended improvements, then their services team built them right in front of us.”

Overall, that meant modifying the existing workflow to suit current business processes. DECKED now has a faster, better file search function, automated processes (such as file conversion) using SOLIDWORKS PDM Tasks, and email notifications to speed up drawing review and approval.

“We were using PDM for file storage, like you would use Google Drive,” Calvin said. “We weren’t using it to manage our workflow and we had no gating. Now, our file structure is efficient. It’s fast and easy to find files, see if they are checked out, and understand what stage they’re at. We can tag files to bypass review or demand review. We can see if files have been to the vendor or parts have been released.”

With PDM use elevated, more people at DECKED are beginning to understand how it can be a meaningful tool across the company.

Devote the time to learning

DECKED started benefiting from their investment in training and services quickly, putting new methods into practice right away.

“There will always be emergencies competing for your attention,” Calvin said. “You have to devote the time to learning to be better off in the long term. And TriMech has been a well-oiled machine. They have what I need – the people and processes for deployment and follow up.”

DECKED is online at decked.com.

Damon has patented a 360-degree AI-enhanced Advanced Warning System for Motorcycles called COPILOT™ and designed and built the world’s first shape-shifting electric motorcycle.

The safety system locks onto dozens of objects around the motorcycle and alerts the rider to oncoming threats using LEDs and vibration in the handlebars. The embedded crash detection sensors also collect rider, traffic, and vehicle data and send that information to the cloud. This means that Damon’s system learns from every rider and every situation.

The electronically adjustable ergonomics system unique to the Damon design is called SHIFT™ and is made up of four auto-adjustable points: seat, handlebars, foot pegs, and windscreen. Incredibly, the bike shifts from sport to touring to upright/city positions.

Damon Motorcycles – Halo Bike designed in SOLIDWORKS

Meeting design challenges using SOLIDWORKS

Damon’s strengths are rooted in technology but their mechanical engineering team gets the credit for building their proof-of-concept Halo bike.

They used a combination of 3D scanning, SOLIDWORKS desktop software, and 3D printing to create the unique and tricky components that would allow the bike to transform.

Product Design Manager Raymond Leung said a bike like the Halo had never been built before and it was challenging work.

“We had to build a safe, ridable prototype that would not only have a pleasing appearance but also features that transform. Parts need to morph safely and smoothly without interference.”

Raymond arranged for the basic features of a motorcycle to be laser scanned, then imported the scanned data into SOLIDWORKS. Reverse engineering gave him the base for creating the necessary appearance, as well as for designing mechanical parts.

Raymond said he trusts SOLIDWORKS to allow for multiple designers and engineers to work on a single file, and to handle large assemblies well. His team members often have to work in parallel and his models have more than 500 components. Those models come together to create the main assembly.

Advice on working with large assemblies is one of the ways Raymond has received help from TriMech. He has been using SOLIDWORKS for many years but occasionally relies on TriMech’s depth of expertise.

“TriMech gets back to me immediately with advice about how to solve any problem I run into. It’s convenient for me to visit them in person in downtown Vancouver to show them a problem and get timely help. They also have expertise in working with scanned data and in 3D printing so they bring a lot to our conversations.”

Next up, Raymond will be investigating SOLIDWORKS Simulation to enhance his ability to virtually test part performance, as well as solutions to improve data storage and supply chain management. Damon will also use SOLIDWORKS to design the next generation of the ergonomic system – one that conforms to the unique characteristics of an individual rider for maximum customization and comfort.

Changing the industry and rider experience

Head of Product Marketing Amber Spencer said the Damon team is proud of their progress to date.

“We’ve done so much in so little time, including taking the bike on tour. Our founder and CEO Jay Giraud presented a TechCrunch session and we’ve given media and motorcycle manufacturers a chance to try the bike. Everyone has been blown away. Seeing the reaction on people’s faces, when they ride the bike we created, has been very rewarding.”

Damon’s main purpose is to cause a shift in the industry. Motorcycles are often seen as unsafe, intimidating, and hard to ride.

“We want to see more people enjoying motorcycles,” Amber said. “With our background and tech expertise, we’re able to increase a rider’s safety and comfort exponentially. As we move forward into the future, we will continue to find ways to make the riding experience better.”

Damon’s future also includes securing further investment and business partners, and spreading the word about their innovations to individual riders. Amber said any motorcyclist who is interested can get on a list to test ride the bike and give essential feedback.

“We definitely want people to visit our website and learn more about us. And when you put your name on our beta list, you’ll have an opportunity to test ride and pre-order the Halo bike.”

For more information, please visit the Damon website.

Damon Motorcycles Team, Vancouver BC

Greg is an instrument and toolmaker in the Design and Fabrication Services Branch of the National Research Council of Canada. He works out of NRC’s Victoria location, the site of the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory and the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre.

Greg is part of a team of advanced machinists who build components for Canadian and international scientists and astronomers. Their work involves precision machining to tolerances of three to five microns, using the kind of machine that can engrave a human hair. Finished instruments are shipped around the world to the sites of massive optical and radio telescopes, such as the twin Gemini telescopes in Chile and Hawaii or the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in Penticton, BC.

When the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March 2020, an opportunity opened up for Greg to move professional development higher up on his priority list. With the support of his employer, Greg took the time to upgrade his skills in SOLIDWORKS 3D design tools.

Long-time user learns new tricks

Greg is far from a novice user of SOLIDWORKS – he has been using the software for 20 years. He simply knew that proper training would increase his productivity and make his life easier.

“I was self-taught,” Greg said. “I had my own ways of making drawings and parts but occasionally became frustrated with some tasks. I could put a model together using my own techniques but wasn’t necessarily comfortable handing that file off to someone else.”

During training with TriMech, Greg learned valuable tips and tricks.

“I now use tools I didn’t know existed. I used to work through several menus to get to certain functions and now I know the keyboard shortcuts that eliminate those steps.”

Greg learned how to automate repetitive tasks related to components he uses regularly. And instead of using a calculator, he now programs formulas to maintain design intent when a part is modified. He calls the tips he learned for mating assemblies and working with advanced mates “pieces of gold.”

Through training to certification

Greg participated in three of TriMech’s live online training options for SOLIDWORKS users: Essentials, Drawings, and Assembly Modeling. He then added to his list of accomplishments by successfully completing the examinations for two designations: Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional (CSWP) and Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional Advanced Drawing Tools (CSWPA-DT).

“After using SOLIDWORKS for such a long time, it was time to prove my skills,” Greg explained. “Even with years of experience, I never would have passed the certification exams without going through the training courses.”

Greg also prepared for the exams by checking out supplemental training on the SOLIDWORKS website. He picked up a few new skills while refreshing his knowledge before being tested.

Greg Nuspel from NRC with a Kern CNC mill in the shop

SOLIDWORKS online training well designed and engaging

TriMech has been delivering live online training (called JOLT) for years and Greg said that experience stood out.

“The courses are well organized, and are structured to adult learning, which is about making sure we know why the content is important. The TriMech manuals are excellent and easy to work through.”

It takes a little more effort to provide personalization and a sense of community in the online environment. Greg reported that he was a little hesitant at first asking his questions, but he and the rest of the trainees quickly became more relaxed. Eventually they were able to replicate some of the peer-to-peer exchanges that happen in a classroom.

“If we ever had a question that stumped the instructor, he said he’d get us the answer right away. By the time we had done an exercise, he was back with the answer. I’m sure that speaks to the solid support team TriMech has.”

Proof of proficiency

Because of the skills and confidence Greg has gained, he has become much more efficient in completing fixture designs. Also, the engineering team is able to offload the task of detailing drawings, freeing up their valuable time.

“The engineers know I’m certified and can manage their drawings. When we work together more efficiently, everyone saves time. Adding more of my expertise in machining and manufacturing to the design process is an added benefit. My organization’s investment in training is easily recouped in overall increased productivity.”

For now, Greg is satisfied with his two new professional designations. He may continue his learning with some advanced TriMech training in the future.

“I hope to encourage others to do training and certification and find better ways of working. People might have some time to focus on training now; once they get back to the regular grind, they might not take the time to improve their skills.”