CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive

9 March 2009

Product News

Lectra Offers Innovative Approach to the Development of Upholstered Furniture

Lectra announced the release of the latest versions of DesignConcept Furniture (V2R2) and Formaris® Furniture (V6R1), specially developed for the furniture and upholstery industries.

The first CAD solution specifically created for the upholstered furniture sector, DesignConcept Furniture (V2R2) enables prototyping and product development specialists to explore a variety of designs and considerably accelerate their time-to-market.

With this advanced solution, the virtual prototyping process becomes completely integrated. The software deals with 3D modeling from sketches—a major breakthrough in CAD—and the preparation of cutfiles, as well as the development of technical briefs for upholstery (stitching, assembly, bill of materials, coding, etc.).

One of this version’s most innovative new features is an automated marker-making module that allows material consumption and associated costs to be calculated during the design phase. Depending on the production methods used, this can be very early on in the development process. Through this module, the impact on material consumption and sewing lengths of any modification to a style can be gauged in real time. With Lectra’s new DesignConcept Furniture offer, costs are no longer an inevitable and uncontrollable result of decisions made but can be managed and anticipated.

 “We have developed these new versions in order to offer an unprecedented approach to product development, one that gives designers more options in their decision-making process by providing them with improved visibility over the financial implications of their choices,” said Daniel Harari, Lectra CEO. “This means they can make a more direct contribution to their company’s performance.”

Moreover, DesignConcept Furniture can be used to manage all the information needed to produce industrial briefs required to manufacture new models. It handles everything from the technical and assembly instructions to the digital creation of cutting templates and the overall production plan.

Lectra engineers have responded to recent changes in the furniture market by developing features that accelerate the decision-making process. These functions help users address customer demand for an increased number of models and enable them to stand up to the fierce competition they receive from low-cost countries. With DesignConcept Furniture, designers can propose up to five times more virtual models than was previously possible. Simulation tools enable them to explore more ideas and access information regarding quality and cost control.

DesignConcept Furniture is an invaluable tool for the whole-process management of every component needed to manufacture a new model—from the wooden frame to the mechanical features, wadding, foams, fabrics, and leathers. The solution also reduces development time and costs by enabling users to create new models in virtual 3D, starting with a simple sketch and finishing with the creation of its physical prototype.

“We recently presented two of our models made using DesignConcept Furniture at a trade show held in Brussels, and we were very satisfied with the end result. The efficiency of DesignConcept Furniture in 3D is really impressive. Our pattern templates made with this solution are 100% accurate, something that is noticeable from the very first physical prototype. We no longer have flaws to correct, and quality has improved. Problems with fabric stress which can occur in a manual development process have been eliminated—all such problems are corrected on-screen when the virtual model is being ‘fine-tuned.’ DesignConcept Furniture gives us greater precision, and the result is an improvement in the quality of our products. We have been working with Lectra since 1990, and we are very satisfied with their solutions and consultancy services. Lectra’s teams know our industry well, and our relationship with them is excellent. We can really trust Lectra,” said Pierre Wegnez, Head of Design, Research, and Development, Mobitec (Belgium)

Formaris® Furniture (V6R1): a major advance in template production

In addition to the launch of DesignConcept Furniture (V2R2), Lectra also presents Formaris® Furniture (V6R1), its pattern-making solution specially developed for the preparation of template cutting and industrialization for fabric and leather upholstered furniture.

Formaris Furniture reduces the pattern development phase while enabling users to produce more variants and ensure perfect product quality.

Using a digitized or 3D prototype (created with DesignConcept Furniture), upholstery specialists can check pattern assembly by simulating stitching operations. They can also quickly adapt the shapes of patterns to the properties of material used (fabrics, leathers) and upholstery constraints, in order to improve the quality of the end product.

Formaris Furniture includes three new breakthrough features. The solution provides pattern-makers with significantly improved ergonomics to facilitate their work. It also reduces the risk of human error, specifically through automated updates of measurement tables which ensure more accurate information for the production of templates. Finally, users benefit from a highly flexible and productive tool for interactive modifications of models through dependency links between patterns. Furniture companies can now offer a complete range of products (armchairs, two- or three-seat sofas, etc.), while considerably reducing their time-to-market.

By combining these two solutions, Lectra proposes an exceptional and comprehensive offer, which allows upholstered furniture professionals to manage product development with incomparable quality, from the first sketch to final product manufacturing, while shortening lead times.

Like all new Lectra solutions, DesignConcept and Formaris are compatible with the Microsoft’s Windows Vista operating system.

In line with Lectra’s customer support strategy, these solutions are accompanied by a range of high value-added professional services provided by Lectra's business and solutions experts.

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