CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
28 December 2004
Implementation Investments
Foraxis Design Teams up with think3 for High-Powered Success
Creative industrial design firm, Foraxis Design, applied think3's technology, thinkiD, to help create Confederate Motor's new motorcycle, the Wraith.
Introduced this year, thinkiD has been featured in articles ranging from Forbes magazine to industry voices Cadalyst and Machine Design.
With thinkiD, Foraxis was able to compress the modification phase and trim six months from their production schedule. "I can say we have offered Confederate an elevated sense of form and function," said Brian Case, Foraxis president. Confederate credits Case with 50% of the bike's creative design and signed Foraxis to a three-year contract.
"I believe that Foraxis has a simple design approach. We can take an idea from concept to production," said Case. Using thinkiD, he modified the Wraith's backbone from an unwieldy 4-in-wide aluminum tube to a seamless carbon fiber piece weighing just 4 pounds. "Using 3D with the Wraith reduced the number of major parts by half, to 70," estimated Case. The 3D visualization allowed him to eliminate redundant fasteners and bolts, as well as structural members that could be combined into one part instead of several parts requiring welds. "Now you drop the motor into the frame, attach a couple of bolts and you're done, said Case.
Taking advantage of thinkiD's flexibility and freedom, Case was able to design with unlimited creativity and make modifications on the fly. Changes made to 3D models were instantly reflected in the engineering and 2D CAD files, the working drawings for the motorcycle's assembly.
Foraxis is now using thinkiD to modify and upgrade a second Confederate motorcycle, the Hellcat-a complete reverse engineering process. "We've already gone through many 2D drawings and made needed changes," continued Case. "We simply drag and drop the 2D files into thinkiD, make changes and create complete manufacturing drawings." Case has been able to take advantage of many key thinkiD features, including the ability to create photo-realistic renderings. With Smart Objects, he can create geometric shapes and save to a customized library.
"With think3 , we've already made great strides in enhancing our design process," says Case. "We're looking forward to harnessing other thinkiD features, such as GSM (Global Shape Modeling) and Zone Modeling. We'd also like to take the next step in streamlining our organization with think3's product data management, thinkteam."
Foraxis Design, located in Pittsburgh, PA, is a full-service industrial design firm offering their clients a range of services including market research, product design, prototyping, engineering and visual communications.
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