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.

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Uncover how their transition from their home-grown system to IQMS (now DELMIAWorks) EnterpriseIQ providing real-time data accuracy to everyone in the company, from the shop floor to the top floor, in a single reliable database.

Top Die Casting Company is a “one-stop-shop” for aluminum die castings and plastic-injected moldings. Top Die is ISO certified and a preferred supplier for a wide base of customers, including markets such as consumer products; industrial; filtration; heavy vehicles; hydraulics; electronics; appliances; and more.

Single-Source ERP System Best Fit for Quality Driven Die Casting Company

Top Die Casting Company understands the value of quality delivered at a competitive price, on time, every time. As a leading domestic, full-service provider of aluminum die castings and plastic-injected moldings, Top Die Casting serves an array of high-profile customers in both consumer and industrial markets. Founded in 1977, Top Die Casting has a long history of providing unequalled product quality and customer service, and is driven to “be the best in the business by doing things right the first time.”

Over the years, Top Die Casting has grown sales from $1.5 million to over $40 million by offering consistent quality and a “one-stop-shop” from design to packaged part. But while company growth has been steady, and quality output a mainstay, Top Die Casting was hindered in the past by an outdated, home-grown enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, and needed to update their internal IT system.

“Our old system had limitations that wasted a lot of valuable time,” explained Jeff Colson, application engineer at Top Die Casting. “People spent more time trying to figure out how to make things happen in spite of the system than they did focusing on the actual process of making quality parts.”

Housed in an older-style database that used index sequential files, the company’s previous system was inherently slow, especially when 20 or more people were using it. What’s more, the system had evolved through several different in-house programmers and stages of company growth that involved the transfer of system files from a DOS format to Windows. But with each system iteration, critical information such as production history and employee data was lost.

“We got to a certain point where sticking with the old system was no longer a viable option,” said Colson. “The information was in one database, but extracting it was difficult unless you were a programmer. We had to manually sketch out data just to see where we stood on things, and even then the data could be outdated or simply incorrect.”

To solve this issue, Top Die Casting sought a single-source, centralized ERP system that could provide real-time data accuracy to everyone in the company, from the shop floor to the top floor. The company established a team of key people who had the most detailed knowledge of the old system and fully understood what was necessary for its replacement. The team considered carefully what the company needed, from accounting and customer service to quality management and real-time production control. After reviewing a number of ERP systems, they found the best match in EnterpriseIQ by IQMS.

“We got to a certain point where sticking with the old system was no longer a viable option”

— Jeff COLSON, Application Engineer

Time Savings a Clear Benefit with Centralized ERP Solution

“EnterpriseIQ won out over the other systems because it keeps everything central in a single, reliable database,” said Colson. “Some of the other systems we considered used more than one database for functions such as scanning, which seemed clunky. With EnterpriseIQ we did not have to cross over several systems to put things together. Now that the system is up and running, it’s clear that the centralized format also delivers advantages in eliminating non-value added activities in all departments.”

Like many other companies its size, Top Die Casting operates lean without the benefit of large numbers of employees to track and analyze data. According to Colson the biggest asset of having EnterpriseIQ in place is the time it affords key employees, like Nancy Hyser, the company’s quality manager.

Along with two other employees, Hyser was responsible within the old system for tracking inventory, which Top Die Casting holds for its customers. Additionally, Hyser was tasked with manually inputting time card data from jobs run the previous day. This meant the company was always operating a day behind, and Hyser spent most of her time trying to keep pace with data entry.

“EnterpriseIQ lets people focus on their jobs rather than the mundane tasks that can drag down quality operations,” said Hyser. “We used to have only one or two people who knew where inventory was. This often delayed deliveries and increased our holding costs. Now EnterpriseIQ keeps track of our inventory to the very last detail, so we aren’t hassled by trying to chase down a customer’s supply or rectify our counts against data that isn’t in the system yet.”

Top Die Casting relies on EnterpriseIQ’s ease of use and access to information to make it is easy for anyone in the company to call up data anytime, anywhere, whether they are working on the shop floor or in an executive meeting. With direct access to all ERP related information, Top Die Casting has eliminated redundant data entry, costly errors, and time lags in shipping.

“EnterpriseIQ delivers incredible time savings by putting the same real-time information at the fingertips of all our employees,” said Hyser.

“The system increases our visibility and improves our reaction time by pushing data to those who need it. This has gone a long way in improving internal communications and has allowed us to turn our focus back to the things that matter, like delivering quality parts to our customers on time.”

— Nancy Hyser, Quality Manager

RealTime Accountability, Real-Time Results

After running EnterpriseIQ alongside the old system for a brief period of time, the company went live with immediate results.

“EnterpriseIQ is user-friendly and easy to navigate, so the switch over was simple and everyone adapted quickly,” said Colson. “We shipped and invoiced parts the same day we went live with no problems. It was like the IQMS system had always been in place.”

Because EnterpriseIQ is a single database solution, written, developed and supported only by IQMS, Top Die Casting has found the system to be cohesive across its multiple facilities and entire supply chain.

Top Die Casting uses core ERP functionality such as AR, AP, Inventory Management, and Customer Service modules as well as enhanced functionality such as Quality, Wireless Warehouse Management, eCommerce, and RealTime Production Monitoring. By supporting machine management in real-time, EnterpriseIQ allows the company to track all aspects of production immediately as parts are being made. The system automatically applies real-time data to the shop orders, and updates the ERP modules with the schedule and finished product counts, giving Top Die Casting a truer picture of what they can deliver to their customers and detailed costs of those deliveries.

“We like that EnterpriseIQ lets us see in real-time what is happening at all of our plants,” said Hyser. “This level of accountability is a big thing for our customers. With RealTime Production Monitoring we’ve improved efficiency and productivity and are more responsive to customer needs.”

In fact, according to Hyser, RealTime Production Monitoring has been instrumental in Top Die Casting’s ability to win new customer accounts: “RealTime Production Monitoring is the wow factor that impresses potential customers,” she said. “When they see that EnterpriseIQ lets us take the pulse of the shop floor in the instant their parts are being made, it’s a big selling point. They typically don’t see that capability with our competitors or even within their own plants.”

Empowers Culture of Continuous Improvement

EnterpriseIQ and RealTime Production Monitoring have also helped Top Die Casting drive a cultural shift at every level of the company. In the past, two or three people acted as key business drivers whom others looked to for direction, now everyone – across multiple departments – can pitch in and do their part because they have the information to produce quality work.

With the historical and real-time data EnterpriseIQ provides, Top Die Casting operates a bonus system that empowers the company’s shop floor operators to work more efficiently. This allows the company to develop a culture of continuous improvement that could not have been considered using the previous system.

“It’s the shop floor aspect, combined with the core ERP, and the fact that EnterpriseIQ is made for manufacturers that gives IQMS an edge over other ERP systems,” said Hyser. “EnterpriseIQ with RealTimeProduction Monitoring lets our operators see in easy-to-understand color coding whether their machine is running lean. Whereas before they might not have known there was a problem until it was too late, now they can stop problems before they occur. With EnterpriseIQ everyone is accountable, and the effort they put forth reflects that.”

Focused on Future Manufacturing Success

Top Die Casting consistently wins business over its competition by adhering to strict quality standards and exceeding expectations every time. EnterpriseIQ by IQMS has been instrumental in that effort by giving the company business and plant management software designed specifically to help manufacturers run more effectively and more profitably. Yet for all the many benefits Top Die Casting has obtained since implementing the system, Colson noted there is more to come.

“We are always expanding on what we have because there is so much available in EnterpriseIQ,” he said. “Our customers constantly make new demands of us, and with EnterpriseIQ we can meet those requests without hesitation. With EnterpriseIQ we can focus on the future and our ambition to succeed instead of spending time trying to force our ERP system to comply.”

Products are used in diverse industries including automotive, medical, food packaging, computer, electronic, electrical, appliance and aerospace.

Goals

• Transition from 2D to 3D Solid Modeling
• Provide faster, more complete designs to increase product value
• Handle more complex and unique projects

SOLIDWORKS Progressive Die

Tool and Die Results

• Evaluated and selected SOLIDWORKS over Creo, Solid Edge and AutoDesk Inventor for product value, translation capabilities, ease of use, user interface, functionality and shorter learning curve
• Initially replaced 2D AutoCAD with CADKEY then purchased SOLIDWORKS 3D Design Software
• Purchasing decision resulted in faster, consistent and more complete designs
• Improved fit and functionality of finished components enhanced product quality
• Significantly benefited from SOLIDWORKS’ ability to translate customer files from other CAD software, as well as send native format CAD data to different plant equipment
• Accurately performed geometry translations
• Solid Modeling provided better information to shop floor employees resulting in better machining processes, less scrap and fewer machining errors (reduced to small percentage).  Increased product efficiencies as well as increased product value were other resulting benefits
• Completed more complex and unique projects previously unable to undertake
• Improved customer communication and feedback with use of SOLIDWORKS eDrawings (included in SOLIDWORKS Basic Package)
• Utilized designers time more efficiently by cutting down out-of-office time by approximately 50% (using SOLIDWORKS eDrawings)
• Also implemented 3DQuickPress (SOLIDWORKS fully integrated add-on for Progressive Die Design)
• Reduced initial design layout time by 50% to 75% by utilizing 3DQuickPress and automated Unfold and Strip Layout features.
• Substantially reduced design time and shortened manufacturing and assembly time using 3DQuickPress.
• Decreased design errors to a very small percentage (using 3DQuickPress)
• Generated fast strip development (layouts) during quoting process as well as provided more accurate customer quotes (3DQuickPress)