As a graduate of the Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology, Ivan Cherkasov developed EasyBlister as a Web-based CAD system for modeling blister packs in 3D. Creating a browser-based application was the primary topic of Ivan's grad work. Mr Cherkasov and his research advisor chose the C3D modeling kernel from C3D Labs as the core of their CAD system.
The idea behind of this new CAD system is to help engineers design polymer film packs according to the specific needs of customers. The designs of blister packs are governed by their overall appearance, tightness, and protection level -- especially for cases like the long-term preservation of medicine, such as tablets.
How BlisterCAD Works
BlisterCAD was developed as a client-server application, where the code runs on a server and the results displayed in the Web browser client. The user interface allows designers to set initial parameters, operating conditions, and geometric attributes of the blister design directly in the browser window. Based on the user-defined values, the system calls the corresponding API functions from the C3D kernel. On the server, it calculates the 3D coordinates, generates the polygon mesh, and then displays the resulting 3D model of the blister in the browser window.
A separate window displays the values of the surface areas and wall thicknesses calculated from the geometry of the pack. These parameters determine the vapor transmission rate of the pack, as well as deciding whether polymer thermoforming technology can be used.
The system performs all discipline-specific geometric construction automatically. This allows users to avoid employing modeling tools that might be too abstract for their discipline, and so helps them become more productive.
Software Engineering with C3D
"Thanks to the C3D library, we can implement various projects regarding all disciplines and research areas in which our institute operates,” said Eugene Tyan, a professor at the Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology, and research advisor of this graduate work. “What is important to us is that we are not locked to a specific CAD vendor.
"From the developer perspective, we can use any technology and programming tool we want with C3D. For example, this project was implemented as a Web-based application using the C3D kernel doing the server-side calculations. This approach helped us avoid the challenges we might have faced by employing ready-to-use, third-party products, including problems such as licensing issues.
“Our students obtain a unique opportunity to play with a geometric modeling kernel and so create their own simplified, non-commercial CAD system. I consider this to be a great option for the entire educational process, because these R&D projects help our students understand the basic principles of CAD in greater depth."
A Cooperation for Making CAD
The Web-based CAD tool for designing blister packs was developed by the by the Computer-Aided Design and Control Systems Department of the Information Technologies and Control Faculty of the Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology. It was part of an international R&D project organized with Klöckner Pentaplast, a manufacturer of polymer films (http://www.kpfilms.com/en/index.asp).
The international project was managed by Tamara Chistyakova (Dr.Sci. in Engineering), an Innovations Pro-rector at the Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology, and by professor Christian Kolert.
The C3D Educational Licensing Program
C3D Labs is the developer of the C3D kernel and offers academic licenses for educational institutions that include discounted one-year licenses, royalty-free licenses for non-commercial use, and free technical support for the entire period of use. The academic license kernel also includes the handbook "Geometric Modeling” (Academia Publishing) written by Nikolay Golovanov, the C3D development lead and candidate of engineering.
In addition to the Saint Petersburg State Institute of Technology, the C3D kernel is licensed for educational purposes by the N. P. Ogaryov Mordovia State University (http://www.mrsu.ru/en) and the Voronezh State Technical University (http://www.vorstu.ru/en).
