Czech Republic-based Škoda Electric has been using digital prototyping methods incorporated in Autodesk Inventor software to shorten delivery times and make design processes more effective. The company, a supplier of traction electric drives, trolleybuses and traction engines, used the software to design a traction engine for the Škoda RegioPanter single-deck unit. Digital prototypes of the engine provided the data required to purchase parts with long lead times early in the project when individual components were still being developed. As a result, suppliers were involved much earlier in the development process, helping to streamline the product design process and prepare for manufacturing.
‘Autodesk Inventor is very strong in 3D modelling and generating drawings,’ said Martin VlÄek, head of Technical Department, Division Traction Motors, Škoda Electric. ‘It has better functionality than our previous Catia system, especially in terms of support for machining in the assembly process, which is key to the design of our products. Thanks to advanced integration, the assembly structure can be moved from Inventor directly to the bill-of-materials in the PLM system and this speeds up the whole design process.’
