Packaging Machinery Designers Face Five Big Challenges, says DS SolidWorks
Solutions Catch Problems Early and Drive Cost Out of Designs
CONCORD, Mass., USA, May 18, 2009 – Designers of packaging machinery face an increasingly daunting set of challenges, but with the right tools designers can help their companies prevail in a competitive marketplace.
Five discrete challenges are contributing heavily to packaging machine design success or failure, says Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. (DS SolidWorks). DS SolidWorks explores these challenges and solutions in a whitepaper called “Streamlining the Design of Packaging Machinery,” and in a podcast and Web site (www.solidworks.com/packaging). The company is using this same framework to optimize SolidWorks® 3D CAD software for packaging machinery design.
Packaging Machine Design Challenge # 1: Cost
A design team’s ability to drive down cost from the earliest stages of a proposal dictates its success in winning contracts and securing profit margins.
Challenge # 2: Flexibility
Customers are demanding packaging machines that do more than just one thing and can quickly adapt to a range of changing tasks. The same machine, for example, might need to package candy one day and cookies the next.
Challenge # 3: Reliability
Buyers of packaging machines will no longer tolerate equipment that fails to work as advertised. This means machines must handle specified capacity without interruption or failure. Packaging line slowdowns and shutdowns can devastate profits.
Challenge # 4: Modularity
Customers expect packaging equipment that is configurable based on the job at hand, and is upgradeable as improved equipment becomes available. Packaging machine operators should be able to swap out components as easily as PC users swap out graphic cards.
Challenge # 5: Energy Consumption
Energy is expensive, and choosing the right motors, actuators, and controllers can dramatically affect power consumption – a critical concern for both the environment and the bottom line.
“When you make machines with thousands of parts doing more jobs than ever with less room for error on thinner margins, poor design decisions can devastate projects,” said Craig Therrien, DS SolidWorks product manager and whitepaper author. “Conversely, innovation can launch you to new levels of success.”
In the whitepaper, DS SolidWorks proposes a combination of software capabilities, methodologies, and best practices to address the packaging design challenges. Solutions involve 3D simulation, integrated control software, configurations, and proper specification.
“Packaging machine design can be particularly challenging with many dynamics involved in finessing tough-to-handle products through our packaging lines,” said Marc Monaghan, engineering systems manager for Hartness International, a South Carolina packaging solutions provider. “Project timelines are also more aggressive than ever, giving us much less time to develop designs with iterations of physical prototypes. This is where the integration of 3D modeling, analysis, and control development in SolidWorks products allows us to identify potential issues and opportunities for innovation long before the first part is produced.”
“Packaging machine designers want to design the machine, select the right controls, preview everything moving on the screen, and detect any weaknesses, failure points, or interferences as they make their decisions,” said Kathleen Maher, senior analyst, Jon Peddie Research. “The approach defined by DS SolidWorks enables them to do this and helps ensure little problems don’t grow into big ones.”
Click here to download the free whitepaper and here to listen to a podcast with Craig Therrien. For more information, visit the Packaging Design Web site at
www.solidworks.com/packaging.
About SolidWorks Powered by the Dassault Systèmes 3DExperience Platform, SolidWorks 3D applications help millions of engineers and designers succeed through innovation. SolidWorks delivers an intuitive experience in product design, simulation, publishing, data management, and environmental impact assessment. For the latest news, information, or an online demonstration, visit our Web site (www.3ds.com/solidworks) or call 1-800-693-9000 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-800-693-9000 (outside of North America, call +1-781-810-5011). About Dassault Systèmes Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, provides business and people with virtual universes to imagine sustainable innovations. Its world-leading solutions transform the way products are designed, produced, and supported. Dassault Systèmes’ collaborative solutions foster social innovation, expanding possibilities for the virtual world to improve the real world. The group brings value to over 150,000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, in more than 140 countries. For more information, visit www.3ds.com. CATIA, SOLIDWORKS, SIMULIA, DELMIA, ENOVIA, GEOVIA, EXALEAD, NETVIBES, 3DSWYM and 3DVIA are registered trademarks of Dassault Systèmes or its subsidiaries in the US and/or other countries. SolidWorks is a registered trademark of Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation in the US and other countries. 3DVIA is a registered trademark and 3DVIA Composer is a trademark of Dassault Systèmes in the US and other countries. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. © 2012 Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp.
