Challenge
Accurately respond to customer inquiries about product load and performance capabilities without incurring the high cost of physical prototyping while simultaneously saving time and money, improving product performance, and establishing a revenue-generating validation service.
Solution
Add SOLIDWORKS Simulation Professional analysis software for basic simulations and the 3DEXPERIENCE Works/SIMULIA Structural Mechanics Engineer role for advanced simulations to its existing SOLIDWORKS design installation.
Results
- Shortened design cycles via virtual prototyping
- Reduced physical prototyping and material usage costs
- Established revenue-generating SIMLab-WCi simulation-driven development service
- Provided value-added validation service to customers while improving product performance
Since 1976, Wilson Case, Inc. has developed shipping and protective cases to safeguard a wide range of innovations, from the delicate mirror for the new multi-million-dollar James Webb Space Telescope to computers, medical devices, scientific instruments, military equipment, and much more. A leading manufacturer of ATA-300 (Category I) shipping cases, the company can engineer and manufacture custom, reusable shipping cases to protect just about anything during transit. Wilson Case’s experience, custom engineering, and commitment to quality set it apart from its competitors.
In recent years, customers have become increasingly demanding regarding individual case performance and capacity. Questions like: Will the contents of my case survive extreme temperatures? Can the case carry a minimum factor of safety of two? Can I stack cases one on top of another? Is there a limit to the number of cases that can be stacked? How will the case protect this sensitive device from vibration? What happens to my product if the case drops out of the back of a truck?
Some customers want simulations to drive development of their product, an approach that often requires multiple simulations. For example, a complex product might require five sequential drop tests followed by compression tests, static analysis, frequency analysis, and random vibration analysis. With SOLIDWORKS and SIMULIA simulation tools, we are developing a department to validate and improve the performance of our products while taking on the most challenging, complex projects and generating additional revenue.”
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Optimizing Designs
Until 2022, Wilson Case strengthened cases by adding material, explains Simulation Engineer David Daou. “Because physical testing of every single case and load condition is not economically feasible, our designers would over-design cases in many instances to satisfy specific customer needs. That approach added time to development cycles and increased costs.”
Wilson Case management decided to evaluate leading simulation solutions to accommodate customer design requests, including SOLIDWORKS®, ANSYS®, COMSOL Multiphysics®, and Simscale® software. They opted for SOLIDWORKS Simulation Professional early in 2022 to fulfill customer design needs due to its ease of use, integration with existing SOLIDWORKS design tools, and capability to perform linear stress and frequency analyses without file conversions.
To conduct more complex analyses, such as drop test impact, thermal, and vibration simulations, the company added Structural Mechanics Engineer from the 3DEXPERIENCE Works portfolio of solutions at the beginning of 2023. This provided an integrated workflow to solve more advanced problems while enabling customers to reuse their SOLIDWORKS geometry, loads, restraints, and materials.
Saving Time and Materials
The simulation solutions have enabled Wilson Case to meet customer requirements without over-designing products. “The ability to conduct quick, efficient simulations with SOLIDWORKS Simulation Professional is helping us internally because having these insights shortens development time and optimizes material usage,” Daou stresses. “Simulation can take the place of physical prototyping on jobs for which the customer wants proof of product performance,” he adds. “But even on projects for which the customer doesn’t require a simulation run, providing customers with the results of simulations represents added value that contributes to improved customer satisfaction.”
Crafting Custom Products
Wilson Case is elevating shipping case engineering and helping customers source their shipping case solution faster with greater confidence since they provide the most highly engineered customized shipping case solution. “Some customers want simulations to drive the development of their product, an approach that often requires multiple simulations,” Daou explains. “For example, a complex product might require five sequential drop tests followed by compression tests, static analysis, frequency analysis, and random vibration analysis.”
He concludes: “With SOLIDWORKS and 3DEXPERIENCE Works simulation tools, we are developing a department to validate and improve the performance of our products while taking on the most challenging, complex projects and generating additional revenue.”
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