PTC today announced that FourthWing selected PTC Creo® software to dramatically condense development time. Using PTC Creo, FourthWing was able to quickly and easily incorporate new designs along with thousands of legacy parts into new aircraft designs in time for the 2014 growing season.
FourthWing designs and manufactures sensor payloads and fully integrated small unmanned aircraft systems for agriculture, infrastructure monitoring, and public use markets. Their systems are distinguished by the quality of the data they produce, their ease of operation, and their affordability. With electrical engineering, software, mechanical CAD and design divisions, the company needed a CAD solution that would allow for easy communication, sharing and modification.
“We have always turned to PTC for our CAD solutions,” said Todd Colten, Lead Aerospace Engineer, FourthWing. “Now with the improved productivity elements incorporated into PTC Creo, I can do tasks such as cross-sectioning in 1/4 the time – including the critical component of sharing it for review.”
“As a result, ultimately we were able to deliver our new precision agriculture aircraft system in four months, half the time usually needed, which was critical to meeting demand for the 2014 growing season,” continued Colten.
FourthWing embodies the rapidly growing model-centric manufacturing trend. Companies need to be able to easily convert CAD files into a 3D printed part. PTC Creo models are easily leveraged in both Computer Numerical Control and 3D printing technologies.
“With PTC Creo, we made a commitment to giving our customers the flexibility and control they need to develop higher quality, better designed products,” said Brian Thompson, VP of Product Management, CAD Segment, PTC. “We are thrilled that FourthWing is capitalizing on that flexibility to not only communicate with internal divisions, but to fully engage with the new path that manufacturing is taking.”
