Seat Inc., a car seat manufacturer, needs to leverage the advantages of synchronous modeling technology: precise communication with customers, driving geometric data of manufacturing equipment, provided that engineering productivity is not reduced.
3D or 2D
Seats Inc. is now facing a dilemma that is common among medium-sized manufacturing companies: whether to update to physical models or still use outdated 2D design systems. The advantages of synchronous modeling technology in drawing have long been proven: more precise definitions; The ability to assemble parts and detect errors on the screen; More design data for downstream use; Marketing image; More files and 3D geometric data that drive computerized manufacturing equipment. These are all what Seats Inc. needs, but it does not want a decrease in designer productivity due to the adoption of new modeling methods.

Intuitive solutions
After thoroughly evaluating a series of solid model systems, Seats Inc. discovered Solid Edge ® The significant differences between software and other systems. The user interface of Solid Edge makes it easier to master and more intuitive to use. Seats Inc. values another feature of its ability to import user Pro/E and Catia files. The company has obtained Solid Edge licenses for nine designers and adopted a new design process, in which the seat components are built according to the model and then combined on the screen to create a virtual representation of the entire product. Solid geometry has replaced drawings as the preferred way of communication with customers, and the representation of three-dimensional components has paved the way for changes in factory manufacturing.

Multiple advantages
The concern about productivity decline quickly disappeared. Thanks to Solid Edge's assembly modeling capabilities and the ability to observe complex seat components (up to 200 parts) from multiple angles, as well as its graphical approach, Seats Inc. has saved 30% of design time. The prototype creation process can be directly manufactured from 3D models and can also save time to some extent. Compared to the past, the creation of certain prototypes has saved 70% of time.

Since Solid Edge was used to fully debug components, there has been no error in the data provided to customers and ParCar Corp. (a sisters company of Seats Inc.). In terms of manufacturing, the provision of three-dimensional geometric models has laid the foundation for a large number of advanced processes. Seats Inc. has recently completed a 64000 square foot factory expansion and equipped it with new levels of computerized manufacturing equipment. Currently, Solid Edge geometry is applied to drivemoreAdvanced perforation plasma machines, thermoforming machines, and grooving machines.