CAD software helps scientists study sharks

Arnold Maschinenbau was given less than a year to produce a submarine that could observe and document the behaviour of sharks off the coast of South Africa.

Arnold Maschinenbau, a German-based engineering company, has used PTC's CoCreate Modeling for the design and development of the Shark Observation Vehicle II (SOVII).

Arnold Maschinenbau was given less than a year to produce a submarine that could observe and document the behaviour of sharks off the coast of South Africa.

Key challenges included dramatically adjusting the weight of the submarine, enlarging the cabin and completely reworking the roof.

With CoCreate Modeling, parts and assemblies could be created from scratch and quickly modified during design.

Arnold conceptualised, designed, modified and manufactured the salt water sub in nine months.

"Given the aggressive time frame to completely design a submarine, we believe that CoCreate Modeling really was the best choice for the project", said Peter Arnold, Managing Director of Arnold Maschinenbau.

"We had to rely on trial-and-error development and respond with changes up until the very last open water test".

"In my mind, such a project can only be successfully completed using the explicit modeling approach provided by CoCreate Modeling from PTC".

"Engineering companies that drive product development from initial ideas and evolving requirement specifications value flexibility and iteration speed above all else", said Ulrich Mahle, Vice President of R and D and Marketing for CoCreate products at PTC.

"Arnold Maschinenbau designed an entirely product of global environmental significance, which required major unanticipated design changes throughout the process and quick deployment of many alternative designs".

"CoCreate Modeling delivered these key factors of success".

Arnold Maschinenbau will again rely on CoCreate Modeling for its next project - a submarine small enough to explore the behaviour of sharks in shallow water near beaches.

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