0 Advantages of Solid Modelling

Going from 2D to 3D has many advantages, particularly for companies designing products that require complex manufacturing processes. One such company is Delsey, a France based luggage manufacturer.

Delsey made a wise decision to switch to a 3D modelling application to speed up its product development cycle. Here is the article. It is quite remarkable that products with complex molded surfaces such as straps, zippers and buckles that took 1 to 2.5 years to bring to the market now only took them a matter of 3-4 weeks. Switching to 3D also meant that Delsey could customize parts according to the customer's requirements. They could preserve these changes in a library of models that could be retreived later. The down time and the costs involved with modifications was significantly reduced. The Epoca, a suitcase with built-in wheels for easier transport was made exclusively by a 3d modelling application -UGS's I-DEAS.

Another significant advantage is that standardization of parts speeds design construction and allows the designer to be more creative with his extra time. As discussed in our MAE 451 class, this extra time and resources can help steer the direction towards a better design. This can lower costs and expand performance. The creative technique is an intergral part of the engineering design process.