Emhart Fastening Teknologies increases customer productivity with 3D PartStream.NET
Provide easy access to 3D models and 2D drawings for over 10,000 products

Emhart Fastening Teknologies, a Black & Decker company and leading supplier of specialty fastening systems, recently selected 3D PartStream.NET to power their online catalog. Emhart's products – pop rivets, screws, nuts and bolts, and thousands of other standard and specialty devices – are used to fasten everything from consumer products to the space shuttle. Virtually every automobile manufactured in Western Europe, Japan, and North America is built with Emhart Fastening Teknologies fasteners, fastening systems, and equipment.

"We believe the key to winning our customers' business lies in providing innovative products and establishing strong customer relationships," according to Director of eBusiness Darren Byrne. "Our online catalog is built on this same belief."

Emhart chose 3D PartStream.NET for its powerful CAD delivery capabilities and flexible implementation options. "In the fasteners business, innovation is the difference between success and failure. Our customers need reliable access to 3D models and 2D drawings of our latest fastening products," says Byrne. "3D PartStream.NET not only offers the most robust CAD delivery capabilities but allows us to integrate these capabilities with a completely customized online catalog."

With 3D PartStream.NET, Emhart provides customers with solutions that reduce their design time, ensure access to accurate models, and help them make better fastening decisions.

Providing design engineers with time-saving innovations
Traditionally, design engineers are required to waste valuable design time searching through a stack of paper catalogs to find a specific vendor's catalog, interpreting 2D drawings and technical specifications, and drawing a vendor's products from scratch. With 3D PartStream.NET, their customers can accomplish this task in a matter of minutes instead of hours. Customers can:

• View 3D models and drawings of Emhart's fasteners from all angles.
• Configure models based on specific customer requirements.
• Download models and drawings into their own product designs in a wide variety of file formats including: SolidWorks^®, DWG, DXF^TM, eDrawings, IGES^®, Parasolid^®, Pro/ENGINEER^®, SAT (ACIS^®), STEP, STL (ASCII or binary format), VDAFS (VDA), and VRML.

Ensuring designers receive accurate models and drawings
With customers in the aerospace and automotive industries, Emhart has to be sure they get accurate product information. A misinterpretation of a single dimension from a paper catalog could cause a product to fail the quality assurance process requiring a design change, or worse, cause a defect in a production product. With 3D PartStream.NET, Emhart's customers avoid these pitfalls and can be confident that their designs are accurate and represent the latest in fastening innovations.

Helping customers make better design decisions
Emhart's online catalog includes highly customized solutions such as cost analysis tools, product wizards, and even competitive cross-referencing, allowing a user to search for a product by typing in a competitor's part number.

"The Virtual Innovation Center allows Emhart's customers to view, configure, and download accurate 3D models and 2D drawings quickly and easily."

"Our online catalog is dedicated to helping our customers make better design decisions. For example, if a customer needs to fasten a dashboard panel to the frame of a car, they could use a variety of methods including using an adhesive or rivet system," says Byrne. "Our Value Analysis tool allows customers to compare the in-place cost of the two options analyzing the entire cost of a fastening solution including labor, materials, installation, and many other variables."

After deciding on a type of fastener, a product wizard guides the user through selection of the exact product configuration to meet specific customer requirements. Decision criteria include fastener size and sheer strength. Next, customers can view a 3D model or 2D drawing and download a CAD file for use in their designs.

"Emhart partnered with iMARK, a SolidWorks 3D Publishing Partner, to create its online catalog and combined the power of 3D PartStream.NET with highly customized wizards and analysis tools built to Emhart's specifications," explains Jim Giebutowski, Director of Content Publishing for SolidWorks Corporation.

"Emhart's online catalog is an excellent example of 3D PartStream.NET power and flexibility which our competitors cannot match," says Giebutowski. "With 3D PartStream.NET, SolidWorks is helping component manufacturers provide better customer service while simultaneously making design engineers more productive."

For information about manufacturers using 3D PartStream.NET or the latest product information, visit the 3D PartStream.NET web site.