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Burlington Technologies Speeds Engine Component Design With SolidWorks, PDMWorks

Posted on: Monday, 20 August 2007, 09:10 CDT

Canadian automotive engine component manufacturer Burlington Technologies, Inc. (BTI) has cut new product development time in half using SolidWorks® 3D CAD and PDMWorks® Enterprise product data management software.

For nearly 40 years, Burlington Technologies has delivered high-pressure aluminum die casting, machining and assembly for some of the most widely recognized brands in the automotive industry. The company specializes in designing and making the die castings for a broad range of engine compartment components like brackets, hinges, housings, and transmission casings. It standardized on SolidWorks Office Premium and PDMWorks to minimize design cycles, reduce errors, improve internal communications, and constantly refine product development.

"We had become used to working with complicated CAD software, so it is refreshing to use SolidWorks," said Rick MacMillan, die designer on BTI's tool design team. "Its intuitive interface lets us do what we want to without a lot of extra steps. The fact that we can move a bolt hole in a couple of mouse clicks, and have all of the geometry remain intact, saves time, ensures accuracy, and lets us be more creative."

SolidWorks allows BTI's tool design team to work in both 3D models and 2D drawings depending on customers' needs. When engineers change 3D models, the corresponding 2D drawings automatically update with the changes, saving them as much as a week in overall design time. Reducing design cycles and errors allows engineers to focus on innovation so they can design better products.

Peace of mind

PDMWorks provides the version control and security to help ensure the company's designs are accurate, yet accessible to authorized team members in the product development process. It allows multiple designers and engineers to work on a project at the same time without introducing errors. "PDMWorks gives everyone peace of mind because as designers, we wonder whether someone has changed our work," said MacMillan. "PDMWorks lets us manage who has what access to designs, so we know every change that has been made. Between SolidWorks and PDMWorks, we're doing more in the same amount of time than before."

Burlington Technologies also streamlines communications between BTI's design team, engineers, the internal manufacturing team, and customers with eDrawings® e-mail enabled design communication tool.

"High pressure die casting is an exact science in which precision and experience count for everything," said Rainer Gawlick, SolidWorks vice president of worldwide marketing. "SolidWorks and PDMWorks allow Burlington Technologies to use the company's wealth of expertise to make its products accurate, while also changing die casting into an art form."

Burlington works with authorized SolidWorks' reseller Javelin Technologies for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.

About Burlington Technologies, Inc.

Burlington Technologies is a full service Canadian producer of high-pressure aluminum die castings, supplying the Global Automotive Market from multiple Ontario locations. With four manufacturing divisions supported by a fully integrated tooling division, Burlington Technologies ships over 30 million machined and assembled castings each year to Automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers in North America, Mexico, Asia and Europe. For more information, visit the Web site (www.burltech.com).

About Javelin Technologies

Javelin Technologies is one of Canada's largest SolidWorks value-added resellers (VAR) and an authorized and certified SolidWorks training and support organization. Headquartered in Oakville, Ontario, Javelin helps companies in the manufacturing sector become more efficient and profitable with the help of its suite of CAD, CAM , CAE, and PLM solutions. Javelin was recently named one of Canada's fastest growing companies by Profit Magazine. For more information about Javelin products and services please visit the company's Web site (www.javelin-tech.com) or call 1-877-219-6757.

About SolidWorks Corporation

SolidWorks Corporation, a Dassault Systèmes S.A. (Nasdaq: DASTY, Euronext Paris: #13065, DSY.PA) company, develops and markets software for design, analysis, and product data management. It is the leading supplier of 3D CAD technology, giving teams intuitive, high-performing software that helps them design better products. For the latest news, information, or an online demonstration, visit the company's Web site (www.solidworks.com) or call 1-800-693-9000 (outside of North America, call +1-978-371-5000).

SolidWorks, PDMWorks, and eDrawings are registered trademarks of SolidWorks Corporation. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright (c) 2007 SolidWorks Corporation.

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Technorati tags SolidWorks, CAD, 3D CAD, MCAD, Design, Tech, Autodesk, AutoCAD, SolidEdge, COSMOSWorks

Source: Business Wire

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