ARENS CONTROLS COMPANY, LLCAUTOMATING THE CREATION OF CONTROLS ASSEMBLY

INSTRUCTIONS WITH 3DVIA COMPOSER

ARENS Controls uses 3DVIA Composer software to automate the development of instructions for assembling its industry-leading control systems.

Leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the heavy duty truck and off-highway construction and agriculture markets rely on ARENS Controls for by-wire control systems, power management technologies, and innovative operator interface solutions. Arens has extended its expertise in electromechanical controls to also become a leader in power management systems. This has enabled the company to play a major role in the fast-growing hybrid vehicles segment, providing advanced-power, electronic-drivetrain components and systems to hybrid vehicle manufacturers.

An important facet of Arens Controls product development is the creation of instructions for assembling its world-class controls and power management systems. Until recently, Arens Controls manufacturing engineers relied on digital photographs and word-processing tools to create instructions that document and support the assembly process. This approach had several drawbacks, according to Engineering Services Manager Joseph Stefinsky.

“Prior to using 3DVIA Composer™ software, our manufacturing engineers used a manual process involving digital photographs manually integrated into a text document” Stefinsky explains. “This process was time-consuming and occurred at the end of the product development cycle. 3DVIA Composer software allows us to create the assembly instructions concurrent with product development. 3DVIA Composer has greatly decreased our time-to-market, a benefit for both Arens and our customers.”

Manufacturing Engineer Rob Schwartz concurs. “Trying to develop assembly instructions using a camera and Microsoft® Word is not the most efficient approach. We build more than 2,500 products, and updating instructions using our previous process was very time-consuming. With 3DVIA Composer, we can generate changes from models prior to production parts being available. This allows for assembly training to be prepared concurrently with product development and validation. Once the production components are in-house, we can immediately begin hands-on training of the production staff.”

The solution was to leverage the company’s SOLIDWORKS® design models to create high-quality 2D and 3D imagery and illustrations—including interactive animations of assembly processes—to support assembly instruction development. “We discovered 3DVIA Composer and believed it could improve efficiency and quality,” Stefinsky says.

NO NEED TO WAIT FOR ASSEMBLYArens Controls implemented 3DVIA Composer technical communications software to create assembly instructions for a new version of the T79XXX Shifter for mining trucks. Schwartz says that by using 3DVIA Composer to create assembly images and Microsoft PowerPoint® to create the instructions, he didn’t have to wait for parts or assemblies and was able to work on the instructions immediately. He also was able to cut the time needed to complete the instructions by two-thirds.

“On the T79XXX, I had the instructions done before the first parts arrived on the dock,” Schwartz stresses. “Not only was I freed from having to wait for parts or assemblies, I was able to put together better content in a fraction of the usual time and there was no need to wait for production components to arrive.”

Challenge:Streamline the development of controls assembly work instructions to address photography scheduling and assembly delays, make the handling of engineering changes more efficient, and improve the quality of assembly instructions.

Solution:Implement 3DVIA Composer software to support a more automated approach to the development of controls assembly work instructions directly from SOLIDWORKS CAD models.

Benefits:• Cut assembly instructions development time

by 66 percent• Pulled assembly documentation development

earlier in the program by as much as a year• Minimized reliance on digital photography• Accelerated handling of design changes

“3DVIA Composer allows our engineers to capture assembly visuals from any angle they want, resulting in more clarity, better understanding, and less guesswork.”

— Joseph Stefinsky, Engineering Services Manager

REPLACING PHOTOS WITH CAD RENDERINGS AND ANIMATIONSBecause 3DVIA Composer lets users focus more on high-quality CAD renderings and animations, and less on photos and lengthy word descriptions, the software gives Arens Controls greater flexibility to complete instructions ahead of assembly and handle engineering change orders more efficiently. Stefinsky uses 3DVIA Composer to create 3D interactive content from released SOLIDWORKS models, and engineers like Schwartz use it to create supporting visual content for assembly instructions.

“3DVIA Composer allows our engineers to capture assembly visuals from any angle they want, resulting in more clarity, better understanding, and less guesswork,” Stefinsky notes. “With 3DVIA Composer, our engineers can develop better assembly documentation as soon as a design is released, and respond to engineering change orders promptly, before a single part is built.”

SUPPORTING GREATER ASSEMBLY AUTOMATIONThe success that Arens Controls experienced with the T79XXX instructions demonstrated the greater potential for 3DVIA Composer. “The response from everyone in production has been very positive,” Schwartz points out. “Clearly, watching an animation is more effective than leafing through a stack of paper.”

“With the PC terminals used in production, our assemblers can refer to the screen instead of a written document,” Stefinsky says. “We are looking at extending 3DVIA Composer for use in other areas, such as documenting tooling, fixtures, and wiring designs, or to support maintenance and service in the field. After completing this project, we believe we’re only scratching the surface of 3DVIA Composer’s true power, which we hope to tap into, to realize additional benefits in the future.”

Using 3DVIA Composer, ARENS Controls can more efficiently develop higher-quality assembly instructions. Older instructions (top) relied on photography that was difficult to schedule and arrange. Instructions created with 3DVIA Composer (bottom) are easier both to develop and understand.

Assembly instructions before 3DVIA Composer

Assembly instructions after 3DVIA Composer

Click here to view animated assembly instructions created with 3DVIA Composer.

Our 3DEXPERIENCE® platform powers our brand applications, serving 12 industries, and provides a rich portfolio of industry solution experiences. Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE® Company, provides business and people with virtual universes to imagine sustainable innovations. Its world-leading solutions transform the way products are designed, produced, and supported. Dassault Systèmes’ collaborative solutions foster social innovation, expanding possibilities for the virtual world to improve the real world. The group brings value to over 190,000 customers of all sizes in all industries in more than 140 countries. For more information, visit www.3ds.com.

Focus on Arens Controls Company, LLC VAR: Computer Aided Technology, Inc. (CATI), Buffalo Grove, IL, USA

Headquarters: 3602 N. Kennicott Ave.Arlington Heights, IL 60004 USAPhone: +1 847 844 4700

For more informationwww.arens.com

©20

15 D

assa

ult S

ystè

mes

. All

righ

ts re

serv

ed. 3

DEX

PER

IEN

CE®

, the

Com

pass

icon

and

the

3DS

logo

, CA

TIA

, SO

LID

WO

RKS

, EN

OVI

A, D

ELM

IA, S

IMU

LIA

, GEO

VIA

, EXA

LEA

D, 3

D V

IA, 3

DSW

YM, B

IOVI

A, N

ETVI

BES

, and

3D

EXCI

TE a

re c

omm

erci

al tr

adem

arks

or r

egis

tere

d tr

adem

arks

of

Das

saul

t Sys

tèm

es o

r its

sub

sidi

arie

s in

the

U.S

. and

/or o

ther

cou

ntri

es. A

ll ot

her t

rade

mar

ks a

re o

wne

d by

thei

r res

pect

ive

owne

rs. U

se o

f any

Das

saul

t Sys

tèm

es o

r its

sub

sidi

arie

s tr

adem

arks

is s

ubje

ct to

thei

r exp

ress

wri

tten

app

rova

l. M

KAR

ECSE

NG

0215

Corporate HeadquartersDassault Systèmes 10, rue Marcel Dassault CS 40501 78946 Vélizy-Villacoublay Cedex France

AmericasDassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation 175 Wyman Street Waltham, MA 02451 USA Phone: 1 800 693 9000 Outside the US: +1 781 810 5011 Email: generalinfo@solidworks.com

Asia-PacificDassault Systèmes K.K.ThnkPark Tower2-1-1 Osaki, Shinagawa-ku,Tokyo 141-6020Japan