Sunfire GmbH

Recognized as one of the 10 most innovative companies in the world, Sunfire GmbH is a leading German developer and manufacturer of clean, efficient solutions for off-grid power and heat generation, industrial gases and fuel production, and energy storage. The Dresden-based firm’s vision is to make clean energy available wherever and whenever it is needed. The company develops and produces fuel cell solutions for cleaner power, as well as electrolyzers and power-to-liquid technologies. By realizing its vision, Sunfire aims to bridge the gap between the energy, transportation, industrial gases, and heat supply sectors—replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy sources. Sunfire’s growth stems from its expertise in the development of fuel cell solutions for clean power supplies, delivering power, heat, hydrogen, and renewable fuels to replace fossil energy sources. Among its innovative products are high-performance solid oxide fuel cells that produce both heat and electricity from natural gas or biogas; reversible electrolyzers that create renewable, low-cost hydrogen from water, and robust, low-maintenance off-grid generators that produce reliable, durable, and autonomous power in remote areas. Based on its core technology, even traditional fuels such as diesel and kerosene can be produced from water and CO2, as Sunfire has demonstrated in a pilot plant. According to Dr. Wolfgang Staroske, senior engineer large systems and team leader in Sunfire’s Electrical Engineering Group, the company has used SOLIDWORKS® 3D mechanical design software since its founding and values SOLIDWORKS Professional design and SOLIDWORKS Premium design and analysis tools. Initially, Sunfire engineers used the WSCAD® package to lay out electrical schematics. When SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematics software was introduced, Sunfire replaced its previous schematics solution. However, while the company enjoyed success with its SOLIDWORKS design tools, it still needed to integrate mechanical and electrical design more fully to streamline design workflows and accelerate development. “We wanted to produce prototypes more quickly,” Dr. Staroske recalls. “In developing these systems, we constantly make changes. If we change a mechanical component, we also need to modify electrical components. In short, we needed to design in 3D in a single system—with all components on one platform—to meet our product development goals.” After evaluating available solutions, Sunfire chose to add SOLIDWORKS Electrical 3D design software to its SOLIDWORKS installation because the software integrates directly with the SOLIDWORKS modeling environment and provides a better solution. The company also wanted to connect its design data with its enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, so it acquired SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional.

MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL DESIGN ON ONE PLATFORM

Since implementing SOLIDWORKS Electrical 3D design software, Sunfire has completely integrated its development processes, resulting in shorter design cycles, fewer errors, and elimination of redundant tasks. “SOLIDWORKS Electrical 3D software has allowed us to bring our entire development effort onto the same platform, saving time and enabling us to achieve additional integration and automation via our ERP system,” Dr. Staroske explains. “For example, when developing a fuel cell system, we start with SOLIDWORKS Electrical Schematics software to make our pipe and instrumentation diagram [P&ID]. The P&ID is used by the construction engineers to design the SOLIDWORKS 3D mechanical assembly. The electrical engineers make our overall schematic diagram from the electrical components in the P&ID.” Dr. Staroske continues, “We then switch over to SOLIDWORKS Electrical 3D to model all electrical components and move them into the SOLIDWORKS mechanical 3D assembly. With this integrated environment, we output a singled, unified BOM [bill of materials] and use the SOLIDWORKS PDM system to connect with our ERP system. Additionally, we have a single design for both electrical and mechanical systems and components, as well as combined drawings, which allows for the smooth integration of mechanical and electrical assembly in the same manufacturing process.”

INTEGRATED DESIGN REDUCES PROTOTYPES

In addition to saving time and supporting greater automation, integrated SOLIDWORKS mechanical and electrical design software has enabled Sunfire to reduce the number of prototypes required by 30 percent. “With the single SOLIDWORKS mechanical and electrical design environment, we can pinpoint issues during design that we wouldn’t have discovered until prototyping without this type of integration,” Dr. Staroske notes. He adds, “Before, we may have changed a part in an assembly and forgotten to make an associated change to an electrical part, leading to additional prototypes. Identifying issues without prototyping is the most important benefit of the combined SOLIDWORKS mechanical/electrical solution.”

UNIFYING WORKFLOWS AND ENTERPRISE DATA WITH PDM

By implementing the SOLIDWORKS PDM Professional system, Sunfire not only was able to link its mechanical and electrical design data to its ERP system, the company also formalized and unified its mechanical and electrical design workflows, providing the organizational efficiencies required to advance its development efforts. “With the greater organization and integration that we have achieved with SOLIDWORKS PDM, we are designing larger and more complex systems without having separate workflows, eliminating the time and effort required to support the transition between departments,” Dr. Staroske points out. “With SOLIDWORKS solutions, we have the integration and robust capabilities that we need to get the job done,” Dr. Staroske stresses. “I can’t image what we would do in terms of developing complex systems without SOLIDWORKS Electrical 3D software. I don’t believe that we would be able to do it.”