CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
28 June 2004
Implementation Investments
Little Tikes Commercial Makes Playground Equipment Fun and Safe With SolidWorks Software
The Infinity Climber, a wide, twisting playground climber designed in SolidWorks® ( http://www.solidworks.com/ ) software has won the Gold Prize for the 2004 Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA) competition. Presented by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) and announced in the July 5th issue of BusinessWeek magazine, the award recognizes Little Tikes Commercial Play Systems, Inc.'s design excellence in creating the Infinity line of products.
Children climb, crawl, hang, swirl down slides, and wind through tubes in Little Tikes Commercial's products created in SolidWorks 3D mechanical design software. These products, designed in the company's Farmington, Mo., offices, appear in schoolyards, municipal playgrounds, churchyards, and army bases around the world. Little Tikes' designers use SolidWorks to speed products to market and explore options for making playground equipment for everything from hospitals to McDonald's® restaurants as safe and dependable as they are fun. SolidWorks software enabled Little Tikes Commercial to explore different design possibilities for the Infinity to arrive at the perfect combination of form and function (such as correct handhold placement) to increase climbing options and fun.
"Winning the IDEA award is a significant achievement given the caliber of the submissions," said Brian Jenkins, vice president of new product development at Little Tikes Commercial. "But we wouldn't have been able to draw or define the Infinity without SolidWorks software because of the complex geometry, and therefore we probably wouldn't have even pursued the concept. SolidWorks allowed us to try several different possibilities before we defined the right formula. It then let us quickly create dozens of configurations used in different climbers."
Jenkins attributes his designers' ability to explore several design options to SolidWorks' ease of use. Its intuitive user interface lets users try different possibilities faster and with fewer errors than other computer-aided design (CAD) products. Little Tikes Commercial also chose SolidWorks for its short learning curve and compatibility with 2D AutoCAD ® software. "The playground industry grew up with 2D," said Jenkins. "SolidWorks makes the translation of our old AutoCAD files as easy as a couple of mouse clicks, enabling us to reap the benefits of 3D visualization and time savings for product design, and still work on the same page as landscape architects, suppliers, and manufacturers."
Little Tikes Commercial, a wholly owned subsidiary of Newell Rubbermaid and the sister company to the Little Tikes Company, has standardized on SolidWorks for product design in its research and development operations.
Little Tikes Commercial relies on SolidWorks reseller Concurrent Technologies, Inc. for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.
Little Tikes Commercial is a manufacturer of commercial play systems for public parks, schools, childcare facilities, and quick-serve restaurants. Corporate headquarters is located in Farmington, Mo., one hour south of St. Louis. For the latest news, or to find your local representative, visit the company's Web site ( http://www.littletikescommercial.com/ ).
Concurrent Technologies Inc. is a full service engineering-focused company supplying integrated Mechanical Computer Aided Engineering (MCAE) solutions. Its personnel have diverse backgrounds with more than 85 man-years of experience in mechanical engineering, design, structural analysis, rapid prototyping, and manufacturing. For information, visit http://www.cticae.com
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