3D software makes light of glass machinery design

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Nov 21, 2005

Libbey, the leading name in glass tableware for the food service industry, is making SolidWorks software the 3D design standard for its engineers worldwide.

Libbey, the leading name in glass tableware for the food service industry, is making SolidWorks software the 3D design standard for its engineers worldwide.

Toledo-based Libbey has purchased 21 licences of SolidWorks software for mechanical and mould engineers who design products, machinery, and tooling for the company's six manufacturing plants around the world.

"A Libbey team looked at all the major 3D computer-aided design packages, including Autodesk products, and interviewed many users", said Robert Harder, a machine design engineer for Libbey and resident software expert who has used CAD software since the 1970s.

"Our research team kept coming back to SolidWorks' ease of use, and we can now confirm that finding based on our own experience".

"The biggest challenge isn't learning SolidWorks; it's forgetting the old stuff".

"We have every reason to expect SolidWorks software will greatly increase our ability to quickly get accurate products manufactured quickly".

The Libbey engineering group has already used SolidWorks in an interesting way - to transform a set of architectural drawings first created in AutoCAD software into a working, virtual 3D model of a new Libbey plant in China.

The vivid 3D renderings enable more people to make better decisions on cost-effectively outfitting the plant.

Libbey mechanical engineers will use SolidWorks software on a daily basis to design machinery for operating plants in the USA, Mexico, the Netherlands and Portugal.

Engineers are already exchanging files with contract engineers who use SolidWorks software, and are using SolidWorks eDrawings communication tool to evaluate designs.

The 3D models now provide machinists a method to accurately produce complex parts.

In the past, the machine shops contended with 2D drawings and sketches, some on paper from the early days of the 188-year-old company.

Libbey mould designers are using SolidWorks software to design blow-mould and press mould machines that produce the actual glassware.

SolidWorks software's parametric change capabilities are critical for this work: a beer mug, beer glass, wine glass, and water glass have similar but different multi-piece mould assemblies that must fit machines and support established processes.

With SolidWorks software, engineers can work from master designs and change parameters for the new products.

SolidWorks' bidirectional associativity between the drawing and the part supports this process.

When engineers change a drawing, the related model updates accordingly.

When the engineer changes a model, the drawing updates accordingly.

Libbey's previous software worked only one way.

SolidWorks Corporation's PDMWorks product data management software will enable Libbey engineers to work concurrently on these designs by simplifying design reuse and tracking revisions.

With this functionality, Libbey will eventually open design archives to engineers around the world.

A key factor in Libbey's 3D CAD investment selection was the fact that SolidWorks software is available in the languages spoken at its existing and future plants, including Chinese, English, and Spanish.

"Libbey is the number one name in glassware for the US food service industry, and it has been evolving and refining its go-to-market processes since the 19th century", said Rainer Gawlick, SolidWorks Vice President of Worldwide Marketing.

"We're proud that a company with such an advanced engineering organisation and accomplished track record has invested in SolidWorks software".

Libbey credits its successful start with SolidWorks to outstanding training, implementation, and support from authorised SolidWorks reseller 3DVision Technologies.