Clean Tech Firm Uses AutoCAD Electrical to Help Design Manufacturing System for Lightweight Product Components
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — June 30, 2010 — Fiberforge is using software from Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK) to design its patented RELAY Station, which produces lighter, stronger, more resilient, recyclable materials for consumer products and industrial machinery.
The Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program, which provides software grants for emerging clean tech companies in North America and Europe, is helping Fiberforge explore numerous design alternatives for the RELAY Station. Fiberforge used AutoCAD Electrical software to design and build the electrical controls for the RELAY Station. Part of the Autodesk solution for Digital Prototyping, AutoCAD Electrical combines AutoCAD functionality with features specifically for electrical applications.
“AutoCAD Electrical alerts our engineers to design errors as they occur, which helps us eliminate costly errors before the build phase begins,” said David Cramer, chief operating officer and chief technology officer at Fiberforge. “Since we joined the Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program, our engineers can better design electrical controls circuits based on functional requirements and automate many electrical engineering tasks, helping to save hours of effort.”
Fiberforge is a spin-off of the Rocky Mountain Institute, under the direction of Chairman and Chief Scientist Amory Lovins. The core of Fiberforge’s vision is “lightweighting,” the practice of designing and creating a significantly lighter product that still satisfies appropriate standards for strength, performance, appearance and safety. Lightweighting can be particularly useful in the automotive space because a lighter car uses less fuel.
Fiberforge uses composite processing that enables high-volume, low-cost production of parts not only for car bodies, but for everything from portable computers to aircraft parts. With this, the company is quickly becoming a leading supplier of advanced manufacturing technology and parts made from stronger, lighter materials. The company’s RELAY Station can produce a single part in less than three minutes.
With the accuracy and efficiency of designing the RELAY Station’s electrical controls digitally, Fiberforge significantly reduced the need for multiple physical prototypes, thereby speeding time to market.
“Fiberforge’s manufacturing system is enabling affordable production of lightweight, advanced composite parts,” said Robert “Buzz” Kross, senior vice president, Autodesk Manufacturing Industry Group. “It’s exciting to see how Fiberforge adopted Digital Prototyping to help innovate faster and deliver its breakthrough RELAY station to multiple industries.”
About the Clean Tech Partner Program
The Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program grants software to early-stage clean technology companies to help them innovate more rapidly and get to market faster and at lower cost. Each Autodesk Clean Tech Grant recipient receives up to $150,000 of design software, including up to five licenses of AutoCAD Inventor Professional Suite, Autodesk Showcase Professional, Autodesk Vault Professional, Autodesk Navisworks Manage, Autodesk Revit Architecture, and Autodesk Alias Design software. For additional information, visit www.autodesk.com/cleantech.
About Fiberforge
Fiberforge is a leader in thermoplastic advanced-composite processing technology. Its flagship product, the breakthrough RELAY manufacturing system, enables the affordable production of lightweight advanced-composite structures in high volumes. The Fiberforge RELAY Station produces parts with high fiber alignment, high fiber fraction, and long fiber length at high speed with low scrap. Fiberforge offers technology licensing, application development and ramp-up production. Fiberforge’s technology is protected by U.S. patents #6,607,626; 6,939,423; and 7,235,149; with other patents and patents pending worldwide. Visit www.fiberforge.com for more information.
About Autodesk
Autodesk, Inc., is a world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering and entertainment software for the manufacturing, building and construction, and media and entertainment markets. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software to help customers experience their ideas digitally before they are built. Fortune 100 companies -- as well as the last 15 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects -- use Autodesk software tools to design, visualize and simulate their ideas to save time and money, enhance quality and foster innovation for competitive advantage. For additional information about Autodesk, visit www.autodesk.com.
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