CAD software eases custom pump testing
An
Innova Systems product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Jul 25, 2008
Innova has provided extensive training, technical support and consultancy, ensuring that Amarinth's engineers can exploit SolidWorks software to the full.
Amarinth's revenue has grown 500% in five years and it attributes much of its success to the application of technology, in particular SolidWorks 3D modelling technology supplied by Innova Systems.
Amarinth pumps can cost over GBP 100,000 each because of the high-grade materials used in their construction and the requirement to be manufactured to stringent safety critical standards similar to those seen in the aviation industry.
Amarinth has customers all around the world including AMEC, BP and Shell and has recently shipped a pump into China for the first time.
"The materials we use and the process of building each pump can be extremely costly", said Oliver Brigginshaw, Managing Director of Amarinth.
"With SolidWorks we are able to create a 3D virtual model of each pump design to ensure everything fits and that everything will work prior to production".
"In addition to this, the SolidWorks tools generate the files, the drawings and reports that we need for both manufacture and safety certification and have also enabled us to create more complex and more refined parts, enabling us to produce more efficient, more reliable and better performing pumps".
Innova has provided extensive training, technical support and consultancy, ensuring that Amarinth's engineers can exploit the software to the full.
Innova has also supplied Cosmos software, which enables engineers to analyse the physical properties of a design, such as weight and strength.
"With the massive hikes in metal prices such as nickel, the Cosmos tool has been a very important addition to the SolidWorks package", said Oliver.
"Cosmos enables us to analyse the materials of design and has allowed us to reduce the metal content of some pumps without compromising on the performance or safety".
"It also helps us to understand how much a pump will weigh prior to production".
"This is an important issue when the pump is destined for an oil rig at sea".
Amarinth is now aiming to create a link from its web page to the SolidWorks database so that customers can view 3D models of pumps and parts.
"Once we started to understand the business advantage that SolidWorks provided us, we decided to invest more heavily in this technology", Brigginshaw said.
"Each year, we take on an engineering student on a graduate scheme and we get them started on SolidWorks training from day one".
"We have now built a database of over 20,000 pump components, reducing our response time for a drawing with a new enquiry on a vertical pump from five days to three hours and with a considerable improvement in design accuracy and consistency".
"In the oil industry, time really is money - so being able to build and deliver pumps faster than the competition puts us in a stronger position to command a good price and build a stronger business".
Innova runs courses at its office near Cambridge and on-site for many of its clients.
"We've run several on-site training courses at Amarinth", said Mark Bradford, Managing Director of Innova Systems.
"The truth is that SolidWorks is very easy to use and is very intuitive, however, as the work gets more complex, then some specialist training can be required".
"Amarinth is constantly stretching the capabilities of the technology, so we have been working them to introduce new aspects of the technology such as Cosmos".
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