HTS Sweden is Autodesk 'Inventor of the Month', October 2007
Posted to News on 10th Oct 2007, 15:41

HTS Sweden is Autodesk 'Inventor of the Month', October 2007

Autodesk has named HTC Sweden Inventor of the Month for its profitable use of Autodesk Inventor, AliasStudio and Autodesk Productstream software packages.

HTS Sweden is Autodesk 'Inventor of the Month', October 2007

Autodesk has announced that HTC Sweden, a market leader in machines for grinding and polishing stone floors, has been named Autodesk Inventor of the Month for October 2007. The Inventor of the Month programme (www.autodesk.com/inventorofthemonth) recognises the most innovative design and engineering advancements made by the extensive community using Autodesk Inventor software.

HTC Sweden's flooring machines, which use a diamond-based grinding system, are said to have radically changed the perception of how to work with stone floors. While the technology can be used for any kind of stone – including granite, natural stone or even marble – its most popular application has been with concrete floors. Diamond-polished concrete turns bright and shiny, with the stones within the concrete appearing as a darker pattern on a light surface, creating a beautiful, hygienic and easily managed floor that is cheaper to maintain than other flooring materials.

Autodesk Inventor plays a critical role in helping HTC Sweden develop its products. As the foundation of Autodesk's Digital Prototyping concept, Inventor software brings together design data from all phases of the product development process to create a single digital model. This simulates the complete product and gives engineers the ability to better visualise, optimise and manage their design before producing a physical prototype. Via its design partners, HTC utilises Autodesk AliasStudio software for concept and industrial design, along with Autodesk Productstream software to create a digital pipeline that manages all data. The company's use of Autodesk 3ds Max animation software allows them to use their digital model to develop marketing materials, thereby saving significant costs and spurring sales in advance of manufacturing.

Digital workflow

Karl Thysell, product development head at HTC Sweden, comments: "The time is long gone when you could afford to have the design and engineering departments working separately and updating one another with drawings. Product information should be stored in one place and available to everyone so that feedback from one department to another can be delivered in a structured, digital form. The full suite of products that Autodesk provides – from AliasStudio and Inventor during the concepting and engineering phases, to Productstream for managing the product development lifecycle – has been invaluable in helping us create and manage a digital workflow."

As a result of the company's adoption of Digital Prototyping, HTC Sweden has minimised the number of physical prototypes that it needs to create. Today, only one research prototype is built before a new product is launched, together with a small commercial series. Previously the company had to dedicate time and resources to develop up to five sets of physical prototypes. With the cost of a prototype for the company's flagship product, the HTC 2500 iX, being nearly $500,000, the savings can be substantial.

Robert 'Buzz' Kross, senior vice president of Autodesk Manufacturing Solutions, states: "Itis no accident that HTC Sweden is experiencing 40 per cent annual growth in their product segments and that the prognosis for its new product line points toward a 200 per cent increase in new business. Digital prototyping enables time-savings and profitability, which, in turn, generates organic growth and market expansion. It is gratifying to see a customer reaping the rewards of digital prototypes, and it is a pleasure to name them as October's Inventor of the Month."


Autodesk Ltd

One Discovery Place
Columbus Drive
GU14 0NZ
UNITED KINGDOM

+44 (0)1252 456600

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