DESIGN TOOLS

Clear and understandable communication is one of the key success factors for a project. In addition to a simple and unambiguous communication style, visualisation of proposals and solutions at Wandfluh Produktions AG has proven its merits as a powerful tool and is already well established.

The parts to be manufactured are visualised in a 3D representation. If required, these models can be transformed to a photo-realistic image through rendering or can be printed out as a tangible presentation prototype using a 3D printer.

SolidWorks CAD program

The SolidWorks design software is a 3D CAD program from Dassault Systèmes with over 3 million users worldwide in around 220,000 companies. The resulting models can be used across departments and in multiple ways. In addition to the production department, which manufactures the products with CNC machines and the model drawing, the consultant, the sales department and the marketing team also benefit from the 3D models in a variety of ways.

3D printer

A 3D printer is used to produce presentation prototypes or to manufacture specific components in the field of automation. This means that all types of parts can be produced quickly and at low cost without putting a strain on the production department or blocking their machining capacities.

The 3D printer has the following technical specifications:

  • Print volume/part size: max. 230 mm x 150 mm x 140 mm
  • Layer thickness: 0.10 mm
  • Material: polymers, PLA filaments
  • Colours: 10 different colours
Photo-realistic images

The 3D models drawn with the CAD system can be rendered as photo-realistic images. As a prerequisite, the relevant materials and surface structures must be assigned to the different parts. In order to display reflections and shadows, it is possible to use various light sources and angles, similar to a photo studio. The rendering process uses a high-performance computer to create a picture of the component, which is hard to distinguish from a real photo. Such images are mainly used when alongside functionality, design also plays a key role.