Polar designers are Inventors of the Month

The British Antarctic Survey uses Autodesk Inventor software to design tools that are integral to its scientific research in the Antarctic region.

Micro Concepts' client, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), has been named Autodesk Inventor of the Month for July 2008.

BAS uses Autodesk Inventor software - supplied by Cambridge-based Micro Concepts - for the design tools which are integral to its scientific research in the Antarctic region; their findings provide insights into key 21st century challenges such as climate change, ozone depletion and rising sea levels.

The Inventor of the Month programme recognises the most innovative design and engineering advancements made by those using Autodesk Inventor software - the foundation of the Autodesk solution for digital prototyping.

BAS's long and august history of scientific research has been made possible by the efforts of the BAS engineering team, which is charged with designing and producing equipment for use in the Antarctic region.

At any one time, the BAS engineering team could be working on a rugged digital camera system to monitor sea ice activity, a tethered stake to measure the movement of ice in glacial streams, a star-pointing telescope to measure ozone in the atmosphere or a drill capable of taking ice cores dating back thousands of years.

The BAS engineering team relies on Autodesk Inventor software to create these instruments.

By generating models that are accurate 3D digital presentations of the finished product, BAS engineers are able to validate design and engineering data as they work.

This minimises the need for physical prototypes and reduces the need for costly engineering changes that might not otherwise emerge until manufacture.

"Autodesk Inventor has proved invaluable in checking for interferences and making sure all the components fit together", says Andy Tait, Mechanical Design Engineer at BAS.

"Just as important, it allows us to present very realistic 3D models to the scientists so that we can gather their input on the device before we produce a solid model".

"Sometimes it could be something simple, like the device being the wrong sise to handle when wearing gloves, or that the device needs to be more modular and easier to assemble and take apart in icy conditions", he says.

"BAS is carrying out research of the most timely kind", says Robert Kross, Senior Vice President of Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions.

"Digital prototyping allows them to carry out their mission more effectively".

"We are pleased to name them as our Inventor of the Month for July 2008".

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