CAD designed vehicle stars in Transformers

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Aug 23, 2007

Force Protection designed its Buffalo Mine Protected Clearance Vehicle (MPCV) to be a lifesaver, but the vehicle's resume now boasts a Hollywood part as the evil Decepticon Bonecrusher.

A monstrous vehicle developed in SolidWorks 3D CAD and CosmosWorks design analysis software and used to detect and remove mines in troubled areas around the world is an "actor" in the recently released Transformers movie.

Force Protection designed its Buffalo Mine Protected Clearance Vehicle (MPCV) to be a lifesaver, but the vehicle's resume now boasts a Hollywood part as the evil Decepticon Bonecrusher.

Already deployed globally and in use since 2003, the Buffalo MPCV several months ago made a trip to the DreamWorks movie studio where engineers and creative artists inspected the vehicle.

It has a long hydraulic arm with a rake attachment that can scoop up roadside explosives.

The studio's creative designers constructed a digital model of the vehicle used to put the Bonecrusher in motion.

"It's pretty cool to have a character in a movie based upon one of our company's designs", said Derek Parker, Engineering Section Manager of the Capsule group at Force Protection.

"But as menacing as the transformer looks on film, the Buffalo's real-life mission means that it must be even more rugged than what is portrayed in the film".

"SolidWorks and CosmosWorks allowed us to explore myriad design options to make sure it is tough enough to withstand the extreme conditions that it operates in".

Based outside of Charleston, S.C., Force Protection has standardised on 94 licenses of SolidWorks software to better design a broad range of vehicles used in military applications.

The company dramatically reduces development time and production costs using SolidWorks and CosmosWorks by conducting much of its vehicle prototyping on computers.

"We're now able to see if components such as engine mounts or the drive train will line up within required tolerances to ensure a safe and reliable vehicle".

"The software allows us to save time so we can focus on evaluating the best design approach and constantly improve our designs while reducing the number of prototypes we build".

"Ultimately, we begin final production sooner, and minimise otherwise huge expenses", said Parker.

Parker cited other SolidWorks benefits, including the intuitive user interface, associativity to automate changes throughout the design, and easily understandable 3D models that politicians, military commanders, and nonengineers can interpret.

"Whether in the military, or Hollywood, Force Protection's customers have very high expectations for its vehicles", said Rainer Gawlick, SolidWorks Vice President of Worldwide Marketing.

"Having the right 3D CAD and design analysis software helps the company continue designing better products to meet those expectations".

Force Protection works with authorised SolidWorks' reseller ModernTech Mechanical for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.