DRAN ENGINEERS PVT. LTD.
ACCELERATING ADVANCED WELDING SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT WITH SOLIDWORKS
Using SOLIDWORKS design, simulation, and product data management solutions, Dran Engineers has standardized many of its components, subassemblies, and machine processes, resulting in shorter design cycles, improved quality, and faster time-to-market.
Challenge:
Streamline the development of advanced welding systems, including robotic weld systems and welding fixture lines, to shorten lead-times and improve quality.
Solution:
Implement SOLIDWORKS Professional design, SOLIDWORKS Premium design and analysis, and SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM product data management software.
Results: • Cut design cycles by 30 to 40 percent • Decreased production and assembly time by 40 percent • Shortened time-to-market by 40 percent • Reduced material usage by 20 percent
Dran Engineers Pvt. Ltd. is a global provider of advanced welding systems. Founded in 1982 in Pune, India, the company has grown to become a leading worldwide supplier of advanced welding equipment, including robotic weld systems, welding fixture lines, CNC machining fixtures, auto welding specialpurpose machines, heavy welding fixtures, and assembly and automation systems. Equipped with state-of-the-art machining and inspection facilities, Dran offers complete integration and interfacing of pneumatics, hydraulics, electrical systems, PLC programming, robotic programming, and related automation requirements, providing customers with automated weld systems that reduce costs, increase product capacity, and ensure quality output. According to Director Sachin Nagpure, increasing demand for shorter lead-times and rising costs prompted the company to reassess its product development software in 2004. “We found the software that we were using to be very tedious, and cost was becoming an issue,” Nagpure recalls. “That’s when we decided to look for another solution.” After evaluating 3D design packages, Dran chose SOLIDWORKS® because it’s easier to use, includes machine-design-specific capabilities, and receives better support and service from SOLIDWORKS reseller Mark Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Dran uses SOLIDWORKS Professional design, SOLIDWORKS Premium design and analysis, and SOLIDWORKS Enterprise PDM (EPDM) product data management software solutions to drive machine development, manufacture, and assembly. “SOLIDWORKS is user-friendly and provides very good solid modeling capabilities,” Nagpure explains. “Many of the SOLIDWORKS tools directly support the specific type of work that we do, such as weldments, the Hole Wizard, and integrated structural simulations. We also value the SOLIDWORKS practice of adding new features and capabilities every year. For example, we are currently benchmarking the SOLIDWORKS Costing capability, which will enable us to make prudent decisions based on the cost of each component.”
REDUCING DESIGN CYCLES, SPEEDING PRODUCTION Implementing SOLIDWORKS design, simulation, and data management solutions has enabled Dran to standardize many of its components, subassemblies, and machine processes, resulting in shorter design cycles, improved quality, and faster time-to-market. Since switching to SOLIDWORKS, the company has cut its design cycles by 30 to 40 percent, leading to reductions in time-to-market of more than 40 percent. The EPDM system has produced additional time savings in manufacturing and assembly of roughly 40 percent. “With SOLIDWORKS, we have been able to advance standardization, which saves time, improves quality, and gives us more control of both design and manufacturing processes,” Nagpure stresses. “From receiving an order from the customer to delivering a completed system, SOLIDWORKS design and PDM solutions help us save time and improve quality, which gives us a real competitive advantage.”
SIMULATIONS SAVE MATERIAL AND IMPROVE PERFORMANCE Additional quality improvements arise from Dran’s use of the simulation tools within SOLIDWORKS Premium software, which also helps the welding systems manufacturer reduce material usage and associated costs. “Using SOLIDWORKS analysis capabilities, we are able to optimize the thicknesses of plates and components while simultaneously verifying that designs will be able to sustain the specified loads, some of which can be as much as six or seven tons,” Nagpure explains.
“From receiving an order from the customer to delivering a completed system, SOLIDWORKS design and PDM solutions help us save time and improve quality, which gives us a real competitive advantage.” — Sachin Nagpure, Director
“By conducting structural simulations, we have cut material usage by 20 percent, resulting in substantial cost reductions,” Nagpure continues. “We are so confident in our SOLIDWORKS simulation results that we don’t need to build prototypes anymore and go straight to the trial with the customer without doubts regarding performance.”
As its business has become increasingly global in scope, Dran has been leveraging the SOLIDWORKS eDrawings® communication application to more effectively interact with customers around the world. For example, Dran extensively used eDrawings to communicate with J.C. Bamford Excavators Ltd. (JCB), a leading manufacturer of heavy equipment based in the United Kingdom (U.K.), during the development of custom welding fixtures that had to support mixed types of production while maintaining a high production rate. “On custom products like the mixed-production line that we developed for JCB, communicating regularly with the customer is critically important,” Nagpure says. “With SOLIDWORKS eDrawings, not only did we avoid frequent, lengthy trips to the U.K., we also improved the quality of customer interactions because we can send designs to the customer in 3D. This customer didn’t have SOLIDWORKS software, but by sending an eDrawings file as a self-executable file, the customer can still visualize the design in 3D. This leads to more effective communications with even faraway customers, and ultimately, a better result.”
Focus on Dran Engineers Pvt. Ltd. VAR: Mark Design Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Pune, Maharashtra, INDIA
With SOLIDWORKS design simulation and communication tools, Dran Engineers can improve design performance, reduce material usage, and more efficiently interact with customers.
Headquarters: Dran Engineers Pvt. Ltd. S. No. 30/6 Dhayari-Narhe Road, Dhayari Pune – 411 041 Maharashtra, INDIA Phone: +91 20 24690470 For more information www.dranindia.com
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