WOOD GROUP PRESSURE CONTROL STANDARDIZES ON SOLIDWORKS SOFTWARE FOR QUICK, ERROR-FREE ENGINEERING OF WELLHEAD PARTS

Leading mainstream 3D CAD software reduces errors, scrap, and rework for parts made from as many as 4,000 new drawings each year

 

CONCORD, Mass., July 15, 2002 - Wellhead manufacturer Wood Group Pressure Control is using SolidWorks® three-dimensional computer-aided design (3D CAD) software to accelerate product design and reduce costly production errors, SolidWorks announced today. Using SolidWorks has helped Wood Group Pressure Control reduce engineering design errors that led to significant rework and/or scrap of manufactured parts for the wellheads (the equipment that suspends a pipe in place and controls pressure in oil and gas wells). <br/>

 

 

Using 3D solid modeling to create designs makes the manufacturing process go smoother than it did when Wood Group Pressure Control used 2D non-parametric CAD systems. When an engineer modifies a design, SolidWorks makes the change on any drawing, model or assembly pertaining to that design. More accurate designs ensure parts fit together well when manufactured and assembled. The company no longer relies on engineers to follow changes from layout to final machine drawing and now rarely has a part that has to be reworked or scrapped due to a design change not being followed through. <br/>

 

 

 

"When you're dealing with high temperatures and pressures and then add hazardous or corrosive elements, every part has to be designed and manufactured properly. Before, when machine-drawing dimensions weren't matching up with the design layout, we may not have realized it until the part was in manufacturing, resulting in costly rework or scrap," said Mat Trumbull, product engineer at Wood Group Pressure Control. "Approximately 30 percent of our manufacturing scrap and/or rework was due to engineering errors that are now caught at the design stage before any machining is done and where changes are considerably less costly." <br/>

 

 

 

Wood Group Pressure Control first began using SolidWorks about five years ago when it made the transition from 2D CAD. The company chose SolidWorks because of its ability to visualize the true 3D model and its associated drawings in simple and intuitive ways that require no special training, thus reducing errors inherent in designing primarily from 2D drawings. The company recently standardized on SolidWorks software, including its offices in Shawnee, Oklahoma; Lafayette, Louisiana; and Aberdeen, Scotland, and today has 28 licenses worldwide. The company's marketing department also uses SolidWorks' PhotoWorksTM to produce large photo-realistic renderings of products for promotional materials. <br/>

 

 

 

"Wood Group Pressure Control benefits from SolidWorks' ability to make sure design changes are carried throughout the product development process, all the way to manufacturing," said Dave Corcoran, executive vice president of research and development at SolidWorks. "SolidWorks ensures they get it right the first time, saving them money and time that really adds up when producing tens of thousands of parts a year. SolidWorks has set the standard for providing engineers with the design functionality they need in tight timeframes." <br/>