CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive

4 May 2005

Implementation Investments

Phoenix Composite Solutions to 'Fly' With Kubotek KeyCreator

Kubotek USA announced that Phoenix Composite Solutions, LLC of Oscoda, Michigan ( http://www.phoenix-mi.com/ ) has committed to standardizing on Kubotek KeyCreatorT (formerly CADKEY®). The advanced aviation composites innovator located on the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base, is replacing their current computer-aided design (CAD) software due to the geometry-based Kubotek technology's superior flexibility to create, design and manufacture.

Phoenix Composite Solutions is focused on the design, rapid manufacture and repair of metal, advanced composite and bonded structures for the aerospace industry. The company designs and repairs airframes, engine components and products for their diversified products division. The design team has extensive knowledge and expertise in a broad range of materials and processing techniques; the ability to rapidly prototype and produce original parts, and specializes in moving quickly from concept to full scale manufacturing cost-effectively. The company understands that aerospace manufacturers are concerned with lower weight and higher temperature capabilities; higher impact strength; elimination of ply separation and edge fracturing, and lowering the cost of parts.

"The flexibility and user-friendliness of KeyCreator were the primary considerations in our decision to switch design software," said Scott Phillips, Phoenix's research engineer. "Our experiences with KeyCreator demonstrated that we can easily make changes to our designs and the designs that come to us from other companies. For example, when our goal is to simply reduce weight on a part, without affecting its performance, we need to be able to quickly and easily create different design iterations. Weight reduction is something we can do quite well with the use of advanced composites but the ability to modify original designs is very important to the overall process."

"Phoenix is a great example of how companies use KeyCreator for everything from innovative original concept to advanced manufacturing engineering, and how KeyCreator is more flexible than any other design tool," said Robert Bean, chief operating officer, Kubotek USA. "The flexibility inherent in KeyCreator helps our customers deliver superior products on time and on budget."

KeyCreator combines both the latest in geometry-based design and modeling technology, and a legacy of success in helping customers in the design of tooling, complex machinery, fixtures, molds, dies in a multitude of product development industries including automotive, aerospace, heavy equipment, sports equipment, medical device, and many more.

The KeyCreator creation engineering product line includes multidimensional design and drafting, NC programming and reverse engineering capabilities. The rapidly expanding product line features the company's unique geometry-based foundation with direct feature editingT and sophisticated deformation techniques. These capabilities are particularly useful for design teams working with advanced designs of solid models because KeyCreator blends surface, solids and wireframe modeling, allowing easy modification and editing functionality.

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