Case Studies and Videos
Outdoor Technologies, Inc.
Implementing SolidWorks CAD software enabled OTI not only to accelerate the development of its extrusion tooling but also to reduce product design cycles by 66 percent.
The Results
- Reduced design cycles by 66 percent
- Increased throughput fourfold in less time
- Streamlined development of extrusion dies
- Improved product visualization and communication
"In Inventor, it was difficult to bore a hole through all the parts in an assembly. We had to bore holes on each component individually, which added a lot of repetition and time. But with SolidWorks CAD software, we were able to do this in less than a minute."
- Stan Hathorn, Engineering & Technical Manager
VAR: Concepts in Production
- Download Success Story (PDF, 754 KB)
The Challenge
Outdoor Technologies Inc. (OTI) manufactures vinyl fencing, decking, and railing products, which have become increasingly popular alternatives to wood. The company migrated from its AutoCAD 2D design tools to the Autodesk Inventor 3D design package for product development in 2003, with the dual goal of increasing productivity while improving design visualization and communication. After six months, OTI engineers became dissatisfied with Inventor software and decided to evaluate other 3D CAD systems.
The Solution
OTI selected SolidWorks Office mechanical design software because of its ease of use, stability, assembly, design tables, configurations, modeling, and automated BOMgeneration capabilities. By deploying SolidWorks CAD software, the company has reduced its design cycles by 66 percent, increased throughput fourfold in less time, streamlined development of extrusion dies, and improved product visualization and communication.
- Industry: Mold, Tool & Die
- Previous CAD: Pro/ENGINEER,Inventor
- Products(s) Used: SolidWorks Simulation Professional, SolidWorks Professional
