About Innova Systems

Innova is a leading UK distributor of Solidworks, an advanced 3D Mechanical CAD system that enables engineers to rapidly develop and refine ideas to create innovative products. By combining SolidWorks with Innova Systems' expertise, training facilities and commitment to support customers, Innova is helping companies across the UK to significantly change and improve the way new products are created. http://www.innova-systems.co.uk

SolidWorks® is a registered trademark owned by the SolidWorks Corporation

Innova Systems Contact: Mark Bradford

Tel : +44 (0)1223 200 690

E-mail: Mark@innova-systems.co.uk

Innova Wins Acclaim for SolidWorks Training and Support

3D design technology supply company, Innova Systems, are celebrating being the first company in the UK to have past the full range of accreditation exams set by SolidWorks Corporation, a global leader in 3D engineering design and analysis technology. Engineers at Innova have passed the challenging examinations to prove their knowledge and capabilities in the use of SolidWorks' extensive suite of engineering design software. Already a UK leader in SolidWorks training and 3D design, Innova work with a broad range of industries and companies such as Xaar, Copytrax, Amarinth, Fenland Leisure and Thermoteknix.

Picture – Tomek Worland, Technical Director- Innova (left), Justin Burton, Technical Manager (UK and Ireland), Mark Bradford, Managing Director – Innova (right)

SolidWorks is an advanced 3D computer aided design system that enables engineers to rapidly develop and refine design ideas, enabling them to create new and innovative products. It is used by engineers in a broad range of industries, such as automotive, medical, electronics, communications, architecture, furniture and the energy industry.

"It has always been important to us that we employ the very best engineers," said Mark Bradford, Managing Director of Innova Systems Ltd. "We work at the very leading edge of design technology, so we have to have a passionate and capable team. Passing these examinations means that we are now equipped to provide the most comprehensive SolidWorks training and support available in the UK and that our customer can be sure that their support calls are being handled by the best support engineers in the business."

Innova's engineering team is now a SolidWorks ‘Certified Training and Support Provider’, a SolidWorks ‘Certified Advanced Analysis Provider’ and a SolidWorks ‘Certified Advanced Services Provider’. They are also busy working towards the launch of SolidWorks 2009, the next major release of SolidWorks Software.

"For our engineering team to have passed these exams confirms the exceptionally high levels of skills we have," said Tomek Worland, Technical Director at Innova Systems. "These exams push our individual industry and software technical capability to the limits, so we are very proud of our achievements. Importantly, this unique accreditation also shows our customers that we are very committed to delivering the very best UK wide SolidWorks Training and Support."

Innova will be holding a special launch day for SolidWorks 2009 on the 8th October. The new version of SolidWorks will introduce a lot of new functionality that focuses on ease of use and speed of development. The engineering team will also present '60 tips in 60 minutes', which should appeal to current users of SolidWorks.

"For a great many engineering and design companies, SolidWorks has had a profound effect on their business," said Mark Bradford. "It has been the key to a whole new generation of engineering design that has impacted everything from automotive design to vacuum cleaners. Being able to build a detailed virtual 3D model of a complete assembly has enabled not only more complex designs but has also accelerated the design process whilst reducing the risk of errors when going into production. It's a very powerful technology that is impacting most peoples’ lives on a daily basis. From this perspective, you can see why we feel the need to invest in the very best engineers and why we need to strive to provide the best training and best support for the SolidWorks suite of design tools."

SolidWorks Helps Launch New Inkjet Technologies at Xaar

Cambridge in the UK has become a region of considerable expertise in inkjet printing technology. One such success story is Xaar, a leader in the field of printheads for industrial wide format printers. Xaar was spun out of Cambridge Consultants 13 years ago and has since gone on to develop and manufacture a broad range of specialist print-head technologies. Xaar is now a PLC with an impressive commercial performance and an equally impressive Cambridge office and a global presence.

Printhead technology is still evolving and Xaar is working hard to remain at the front
of the race. It’s customers are striving for improved print speed, improved print quality and constant cost reduction, as well as a requirement for technologies that can print on new substrates using new ink formulations. To help it’s engineers address these challenges, Xaar invested in SolidWorks, a 3D engineering design software that enables engineers to not only visualise the components that they are developing but also provides a number of other important engineering benefits critical to their commercial success. Working with East Anglian SolidWorks supplier Innova Systems, Xaar has now established a talented in-house team of engineers fluent in SolidWorks.

"When Xaar chose to adopt SolidWorks back in 1997, the big change was that we moved from designing in 2D to designing in 3D," said Robert Ison, Project Leader for Platform 1 products. "This is a much more powerful way to develop products and to communicate between engineering teams, the customer and manufacturing. Indeed, for us SolidWorks has become as much a business tool as a design tool."

Each printhead is a combination of Xaar’s patented fluid delivery technology, control electronics and an enclosure. The fluid delivery system is a complex microscale multi-channel system machined from piezo electric ceramic that controls the delivery of the ink, providing a 'drop on demand' printing solution. SolidWorks is not only used in this development but also in the design of the enclosure. The circuit board is also formed into a SolidWorks model and integrated into the overall design. Printhead designs have a requirement to be highly compact and extremely robust, so being able to model and analyse the design in SolidWorks helps accelerate new product delivery and reduce the risk of manufacturing and performance problems.

"Thermal dynamics is of great importance for us," said Robert. "The fluid delivery actuator and the chips that drive these systems can generate a lot of heat. At the same time, we are working in a harsh environment, so we have to have a sealed enclosure. In this respect we have to be careful to model the heat behaviour and material behaviour whilst we are undertaking the design project. For this we use the COSMOS package that exists within the SolidWorks design suite. "This is a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) package that helps us predict the behaviour of the design in the real world, in terms of heat but also in terms of strength and other physical properties."

Robert Ison has been working with SolidWorks since the first beta version back in 1995. In 1997 he joined Xaar to help implement SolidWorks and train other engineers. Today Xaar has 19 seats of SolidWorks that contribute to the design effort of printheads and special developer kits that help engineers integrate the printheads into complete printing systems.

“Although we consider SolidWorks to be easy to use and pretty intuitive, we still prefer to send new engineers to Innova for training, “ said Robert. “We’ve found that Innova’s excellent SolidWorks training accelerates their understanding and experience of the technology and also helps us develop a more disciplined approach to how we use the software within the company.”

Innova Systems is a leading UK reseller of SolidWorks and provides sales, technical support and training to a broad range of SolidWorks based developers and designers. Based at Histon near Cambridge, Innova works closely with many of this region’s technology companies.

“ Speed of response is an important factor for us,” said Robert. “If we have a design issue, we need it fixed right now. We can’t afford to wait; we couldn’t work like that. I’m pleased to say that Innova are very responsive and very expert when it comes to technical support. We also use Innova as a resource to undertake the on-site installation of new SolidWorks systems and for engineer induction into new tools and features.”

Innova’s clients work in sectors such as the oil industry, furniture design, playground equipment and automotive. Innova’s expertise in 3D engineering design and design analysis systems has recently won them some key industry awards as well as enabling them to grow the company year on year.

“We are very proud to have Xaar as a customer,” said Mark Bradford, Managing Director at Innova. “They are an engineering company of excellence and their success is well deserved. We are also proud of the contribution that SolidWorks and our team are making to their design effort. It’s been very rewarding to be a part of this success.”

SolidWorks Proves that 3D Design is Simply Childs Play

When Fenland Leisure made a leap of faith and decided to invest in advanced 3D design technology, little did they know that soon their children would be entertaining themselves by creating 3D graphics using a very similar software created by the same organisation.

Fenland Leisure is a leader in the development and manufacture of children's playground equipment. Fenland Leisure is a business that grew by 32% last year and on target for a 45% growth during 2008 with an annual turnover of £1.75m. Key to their success has been their willingness to expand and adopt new technologies. One such technology has been SolidWorks, a powerful 3D engineering design software from Cambridge company Innova Systems.

"For us, SolidWorks was a brave investment," said Andrew Sparrow, Managing Director of Fenland Leisure. "At that time, we had been designing our product in the traditional 2D, flat, format and we were not really sure of the real benefit of moving to a 3D solution. Today we can see that SolidWorks has brought about a number of very important changes to the company and has made a significant contribution to the company's overall performance. I would go so far as to say that our decision to buy into this technology has 'accelerated' our business."

One major benefit of the SolidWorks design package has been the capability for the engineers to assemble products, or even an entire playground, in 'virtual' reality on the computer. Fenland engineers are then able to use these 3D computer models to communicate design issues with their customers, many of whom are none technical people such as schools, PTA's, Parish Councils and buyers.

"Having a 3D picture of a product or a component has been a great aid to communication throughout the business," said Andrew. "Even in our factory, it now means that none-technical staff can more easily check design and quality issues. Also, being able to assemble equipment as a virtual model means that we can check our designs before travelling to site. In the past we've arrived on site to assemble complex equipment for the first time, only to find that aspects of the design did not work as intended. This was both costly and time consuming. Being able to model all designs in SolidWorks means that we now succeed first time, every time, saving us and our customers a lot of expense and helping us deliver a better service."

Fenland Leisure was started by former draftsman, Andrew Sparrow in 1992; after being made redundant from his previous employer due to a takeover. The company is now competing with some of the biggest in the marketplace and will be re-investing £280k into new offices and computerised manufacturing equipment during 2008.

"The new computerised manufacturing equipment will mean that we output data from the SolidWorks models directly to the new manufacturing equipment," said Andrew. This will enable us to accelerate production, undertake more complex designs and reduce our overall manufacturing costs. This will be another big step in helping us to continue our growth and helping us compete in this market."

Innova Systems is a leading UK supplier of SolidWorks software. They are also a leading provider of SolidWorks training and technical support, helping companies such as Fenland Leisure gain the maximum commercial benefit from the SolidWorks technology. Innova's clients work across a broad range of sectors, such as oil and gas, consumer products, scientific, medical, mechanical machinery and transportation. More recently Innova's expertise in 3D engineering design and design analysis systems has won them some key industry awards as well as enabling them to grow the company year on year.

"One of the real advantages of SolidWorks is that it's very easy to use and it 'thinks' like an engineer thinks," said Mark Bradford, Managing Director of Innova. "This means that our customers get up to speed very quickly and soon start to see a return on their investment. For companies like Fenland, SolidWorks not only facilitates the design stages but also generates 'parts lists', manufacturing data and photo realistic images for brochures and customer presentations. It's very rewarding to see how much of an impact it has on the commercial performance of our clients' businesses."

'Ease of use' has become a mantra for all SolidWorks users. The idea is that the tool is kept simple to use, so that more energy can be focused on the design project and less on actually using the software. 'Ease of use' is what the developers of SolidWorks constantly strive to improve. Indeed, they have now released a 3D graphics package for children called 'COSMIC BLOBS', based on the same technology. http://www.cosmicblobs.com/

"My daughter is a keen fan of Cosmic Blobs," said Andrew. "It's a great graphics package for children and it really does demonstrate how easy this technology can be to use and how exciting it is to create 3D art that has such a life-like dimension."

The team at Fenland Leisure has just created a new catalogue for their extensive product range and many of the new designs that feature in this catalogue are photo-realistic 3D models that have been created in SolidWorks. Fenland have found that not only is this approach a powerful way to represent their play area equipment designs but it also saved a lot of time and money compared to the previous method of assembling every product in an ideal environments and investing in expensive photo-shoots.

(Mark Bardford, MD of Innova Systems (left), Andrew Sparrow of Fenland Leisure (right)

“SolidWorks has proven to be very good value for money,” said Andrew Sparrow. “It seemed a big outlay at the time, but we've recovered this investment many times over. The team at Innova also deserves a lot of credit. Their technical support throughout has been brilliant, they have always shown a lot of commitment to what we are trying to achieve.”

SolidWorks Plays Key Role in Thermoteknix Success

Innovative thermal imaging company increases sales, reduces development time and costs, and designs better products with the help of 3D SolidWorks software

Cambridge based technology company, Thermoteknix, has much to celebrate in its 25th Anniversary. Fresh from the Cambridge Evening News Business Excellence awards for Innovation, Thermoteknix has now received the highly prestigious Queens award for Enterprise in the Innovation Category.

The Award recognises Thermoteknix for developing the MIRICLE range of high performance, ultra miniature thermal imaging cameras. Utilising complex electronics and packaging, the camera is used in many moving target or camera applications. The range includes hermetically-sealed units for use in space exploration, hand-held imagers, surveillance cameras, cameras for unmanned vehicles and the world’s first shutter less thermal imaging camera.

Using proprietary algorithms and control circuits the need for heating and cooling systems normally used in infrared cameras have been eliminated reducing manufacturing costs and power consumption and extending its operational temperature range. These awards are the latest in a series of accolades the company has received. In October 2007 Thermoteknix was named Innovative Company of the Year at the iDEA Awards followed soon after by runner-up in the IET Innovation in Engineering Awards.

The powerful 3D design tool, SolidWorks, has played a crucial part in the company’s success, being used to quickly produce variants for its customers’ in aerospace, defence, surveillance and industrial applications.

“Getting our product from concept through development and into production in the shortest time cycle has been critical for the development and growth of our business,” said Dr. Richard Salisbury, founder and Managing Director of Thermoteknix Systems Ltd.

SolidWorks is used to match different lens or electronics combinations or for a more significant customisation to fit the customer’s enclosure. The result can then be sent to the customer in 3D format enabling a rapid visualisation and incorporation into the customers design.

“Since our introduction of SolidWorks four years ago, we have seen many benefits,” said Senior Mechanical Designer, Ben Pemberton. “The improved 3D visualisation has helped to involve other parts of the business such as Sales and Marketing, early in the design process, so we can be confident that designs will be right first time. We know that rectifying changes late in the design process will add cost and time to our tight development cycles. We also utilise the powerful E Drawings capability to send design information to our suppliers and customers, which helps to clarify exactly what we need and it minimizes the opportunity for errors.”

Thermoteknix also send Solidworks 3D files direct to subcontractors. One machine shop programs their CNC Machines directly from Thermoteknix’s SolidWorks 3D models saving cost and improving lead-time. Thermoteknix have also found that they can easily obtain 3D information such as connectors and lens information from suppliers in 3D formats that they can readily incorporate into their designs.

Another downstream benefit of SolidWorks has been the use of 3D Images in promotional materials such in company brochures together with exploded assembly views helping to produce Installation manuals and supporting documentation.

“We are delighted to see how SolidWorks and Innova have contributed to the success of Thermoteknix,” said Mark Bradford, Managing Director of Innova Systems. “Thermoteknix are proof that to be successful in the rapidly changing face of manufacturing, you have to continue to design and develop new innovative products to maintain competitive advantage.”

About Innova Systems
Innova is the leading UK distributor of Solidworks, an advanced 3D Mechanical CAD system that enables engineers to rapidly develop and refine ideas to create innovative products. By combining SolidWorks with Innova Systems’ expertise, training facilities and commitment to support customers, Innova is helping companies across the UK to significantly change and improve the way new products are created. http://www.innova-systems.co.uk

About Thermoteknix.com
Founded in 1982 and with 25 years of consistent technical breakthroughs in infrared (IR) imaging and thermal measurement based hardware, systems and software application products, Thermoteknix has been driven by reliably taking care of our customers’ most challenging needs. Recognized in 1998 by the award of the prestigious “Queen’s Award For Export Achievement”, and by the "Queen's Award for Enterprise (Innovation)" in 2008, Thermoteknix is one of the world’s leading sources of thermal expertise and excellence www.thermoteknix.com

Innova Help SMW Autoblok get a grip on Streamlined Product Design with SolidWorks 3D CAD software

Global workholding product supplier increases sales, reduces development time and costs, and designs better products with SolidWorks 3D CAD software.

For more than 60 years, the Autoblok brand has been synonymous with precision workholding, clamping, and tooling solutions for a variety of industries. With plants in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia, SMW AutoBlok has standardized on SolidWorks software for new product design in most of its plants.

SMW Autoblok uses SolidWorks 3D CAD software to design the industrial-strength chucks and other workholding components used by auto plants, pipeline equipment manufacturers, and virtually any other company around the world that machines parts.

“Nobody stocks anything anymore. So our lead times have been cut in half,” said Mike Dempsey, Managing Director of SMW Autoblok's U.K. plant. “We have as little as 10 days to develop a concept, design it to within five to 10 microns of spec, and troubleshoot any problems. SolidWorks makes that possible by letting us reuse parts and identify and fix problems before cutting begins. I have faith that if I can get the model in during the proposal stage, I'll get the work.”

Right first time

Much of what Mike Dempsey and his team design involves chucks that rotate at high speeds while holding a part (such as an oil pipe that needs a groove) to be machined. The slightest imbalance throws the process off and requires two days of on-site work to fix. SolidWorks' physical simulation, part interference, and mass properties coupled with COSMOSXpress™ load analysis have helped engineers eliminate delays, saving about $1,200 for each instance, according to Mike.

He also credits SolidWorks and eDrawings e-mail-enabled design communication tool with boosting sales. “Many prospects and customers don't understand CAD, and therefore the detail that goes into our designs,” said Mike. “We couldn't easily share Autodesk Inventor designs, so we couldn't really communicate with suppliers, customers, and prospects. SolidWorks and eDrawings give us that communication in models that everyone can understand.”

SMW Autoblok will soon be able to securely vault, share, and collaborate on designs with PDM Workgroup product data management software. Companies can accelerate product design using PDM Workgroup, which enables engineers to work concurrently on product designs without introducing errors. SMW Autoblok has already saved money, time, and headaches by using detailed design process documentation from PDMWork Group to achieve ISO 9001 certification.

“In a market where lead time is increasingly scarce, SMW Autoblok has distinguished itself by having the agility to deliver right-first-time designs before its competitors,” said SolidWorks Country Manager for U.K. and Ireland Chris McManus. “That is job number one in succeeding in a crowded market. Job number two is to design better products.”

SMW Autoblok has received knowledgeable and experienced guidance and support from SolidWorks reseller Innova Systems to optimize productivity gains.

About Innova Systems

Innova Systems helps customers develop better products faster and more affordably using SolidWorks software. Based in Cambridge, U.K, Innova provides customers with certified SolidWorks training, support, and consulting services together with a broad range of SolidWorks partner products to address applications such as manufacturing and design automation. www.innova-systems.co.uk

UK SolidWorks team to Demonstrate SolidWorks 2009 at Cambridge Event

3D modelling and computer aided design experts Innova Systems have announced that they will be presenting the latest release of their acclaimed SolidWorks 3D engineering design package at a special launch event to be held at Duxford Imperial War Museum near Cambridge on the 8th October 2008. This is the highlight of the Innova Systems calendar where the latest functionality is shown over the course of a day, demonstrating the many benefits to customers.

In recent years, the SolidWorks engineering software package has helped revolutionise product design around the world. SolidWorks enables mechanical engineers and product designers to create complex shapes and assemblies for manufacturing in a wide range of materials for a broad range of industries, from furniture design to oil rigs. As well as the capability to create 3D models, SolidWorks offers additional facilities that enable engineers to analyse the computer model for real-world behaviour such as strength, weight and performance.

(Mark Bradford, Managing Director of Innova)

"SolidWorks 2009 is very impressive," said Mark Bradford, Managing Director of Innova Systems. "This release incorporates many new features that will benefit a wide range of designers. Yet again, SolidWorks have listened to their customers and worked hard to deliver a powerful design and engineering tool that is easy to use, where effort is focused on the design rather than on learning a complicated CAD package. Designers and engineers have high expectations of SolidWorks these days, I'm pleased to say that they won't be disappointed with the 2009 version."

At the recent launch of SolidWorks 2009, Innova was presented with two awards. The first was for “Application Engineer of the Year” for 2007. Innova's Technical Director Tomek Worland received this award in recognition of the outstanding level of technical support that he has provided to Innova's SolidWorks clients. The second award was the “Multi-product Reseller of the Year” Award.

"It's been really good to receive this recognition," said Mark. "At Innova we make technical support and training our highest priority, so that our clients get the commercial benefits of this technology as soon as possible, such that they are never held up with design issues. Tomek is indeed an outstanding engineer and we are very proud of his achievement."

The 'Multi Product Award' is in recognition of Innova's achievement to introduce new SolidWorks technologies to the marketplace. These include SolidWorks Simulation, a powerful Design Validation tool that helps engineers simulate real world conditions as well as Enterprise PDM, a powerful tool for managing design information and improving operational efficiency.

"SolidWorks offers an extensive suite of engineering design products," said Mark. "The award recognises the effort that we have put into introducing these technologies to our clients and the support and training that we have also been able to provide. Once again, we are very pleased to have this recognition, it's a boost for the whole team."

To register to attend the Innova SolidWorks 2009 presentation day, please contact Innova Systems on 01223 200690

About Innova Systems

Innova is the leading UK distributor of SolidWorks, an advanced 3D Mechanical CAD system that enables engineers to rapidly develop and refine ideas to create innovative products. By combining SolidWorks with Innova Systems' expertise, training facilities and commitment to support customers, Innova is helping companies across the UK to significantly change and improve the way new products are created. http://www.innova-systems.co.uk

SolidWorks® is a registered trademark owned by the SolidWorks Corporation

SolidWorks Enables Cambridge Design Partnership Develop a New Generation of Hand Held Navigation System

When Cambridge Design Partnership started development on the “Satmap Active 10” sports navigation system, computer aided 3D modelling was key to their design strategy and their success. Supported by Innova Systems, a leading UK SolidWorks supplier, Cambridge Design Partnership used the SolidWorks design tools as a powerful tool for communication between their engineers, clients, investors and retailers, ensuring that the product went to market at the right price and with all the right features. The Active 10 is now in production and enjoying success through retailers such as Blacks and Amazon.

solidworks 3D model

Cambridge Design Partnership (CDP) is a 35 strong team of engineers. With a mix of electronic and mechanical engineers, and industrial designers, CDP undertake projects ranging from complex medical device development to DIY products. Recognised as leaders in the field of product development, demand for CDP's services is driving growth and they are currently expanding their workspace and expect to take on further engineers. CDP has seven licenses of SolidWorks software, which is an integral part of all of their mechanical engineering projects.

"With the Satmap Active 10, our client had a very clear idea of what they wanted the product to be and how it should function," said Tom Oakley, Chief Mechanical Engineer. "We initially used SolidWorks to create a solid model that demonstrated the size and feel of the intended design together with the layout of the controls. Being a hand held device, getting this right was essential. We were then able to present this model to the client."

solidworks - innova and CDP

Pictured - Mark Bradford, MD Innova System (left) Tom Oakley, Chief Mechanical Engineer CDP (right)

At every stage of the design, CDP were able to share their design ideas and communicate design changes with their client by using on-line conferencing facilities.

"There is no doubt that this was a challenging design," said Tom. "It needed to be small and stylish, robust enough for outdoor sports usage and yet faster, more powerful and more effective than anything else in the market place. To achieve all this and to meet the agreed timescales and budgets, a lot of intense communication took place and SolidWorks played a key role in enabling that level of design discussion."

Two important demands of the Satmap enclosure design were that it was to be both watertight and shockproof. Both of these demands were met with the development of an enclosure that is made up of two materials. One material is a soft durable rubber compound and the other a hard plastic material. In addition to this, a lot of design work was undertaken to ensure that the final enclosure would be accurately and dependably assembled. SolidWorks enabled the CDP engineers to implement and refine this complex design concept and create prototypes that could be field-tested. The CDP engineers also used COSMOS, a product within the SolidWorks suite of tools. COSMOS is a virtual environment that enables engineers to validate and simulate the real world conditions of their SolidWorks designs. It can simulate motion; undertake Finite Element Analysis and a host of other important analysis and validation processes.

"The development of prototypes and tooling for production is immensely expensive and time consuming," said Tom. "Using COSMOS we were able to resolve bugs and refine the components within the virtual computer environment. This ensured that both prototype production and the final injection mould tooling were right first time. SolidWorks also offers some powerful draft analysis technology to ensure that each component will be capable of being injection moulded without the risk of production issues. This was a very helpful feature for this particular project."

Throughout the project, Cambridge based Innova Systems provided support and guidance on SolidWorks issues. Innova is a leading UK reseller and training authority on 3D computer aided design. Innova have recently expanded their team to address the increasing demand for both SolidWorks and their training and consultancy services.

"The team at CDP are very capable engineers and in many ways, they know our products almost as well as we do," said Mark Bradford, Managing Director of Innova Systems. "So, when we get a call from CDP, we know it's going to be challenging! There are times when an engineer needs to discuss how best to tackle a design issue or maybe needs additional software tools to resolve a new issue, so we make ourselves available to assist in whatever way we can."

The Innova support team makes active use of technology that enables them to 'take over' a remote PC desktop with the client's permission. This enables the Innova support engineers to actively demonstrate a SolidWorks feature or resolve a query on the customers own computer screen.

"This feature has massive benefits," said Tom. "It is a much faster and more effective way for us to resolve the design issues that arise, rather than 'the waving of hands that we can't see'. We can see the changes on the screen whilst talking with the support engineer and this improves our understanding of SolidWorks and how we should move forward. In fact, this is a technique we've now adopted for our own business. Also, an Innova engineer is always directly available and it's always someone who is highly skilled in SolidWorks and engineering. With important deadlines looming and forecasts and budgets to meet, this level of support is essential for us, so that we can deliver the level of service to which we are committed."

One key benefit of SolidWorks that is highlighted by the Active 10 project is that of its ability to help the mechanical designer address the requirements of a broad range of people and regulations that influence a final design. These included the client, investors, retailers, the electronics engineers, toolmakers, model-makers, the assemblers, testers and regulations such as WEEE, RoHS, CE and EMC.

“As much as SolidWorks is a very powerful engineering design tool, for a company such as CDP, it is also a very powerful business tool,” said Tom. “The Active 10 is a great product and an amazing achievement, I don't think we could have achieved this success without access to the SolidWorks technology and Innova's support.”

About CDP

Cambridge Design Partnership creates inspired new technologies and products for clients worldwide. Cambridge Design Partnership specializes in the healthcare, consumer and industrial sectors. Their team of scientists, engineers and designers are consistently creating new ideas and innovations. They achieve this by harnessing the diverse knowledge and experience of their team and by approaching every project with insight, vision and infectious enthusiasm. http://www.cambridge-design.co.uk

About Innova Systems

Innova is the leading UK distributor of Solidworks, an advanced 3D Mechanical CAD system that enables engineers to rapidly develop and refine ideas to create innovative products. By combining SolidWorks with Innova Systems' expertise, training facilities and commitment to support customers, Innova is helping companies across the UK to significantly change and improve the way new products are created. http://www.innova-systems.co.uk

SolidWorks Team to Exhibit 3D Modelling Solution For Embedded System Development at UK Technology Developers Conference

Cambridge 3D modelling tool company Innova Systems has announced that it will be exhibiting and demonstrating their CircuitWorks technology at this year's Embedded Masterclass. www.embedded-masterclass.com , May 8 th and 13 th , London and Bristol.

CircuitWorks is a new technology that links together the worlds of Electrical and Mechanical computer aided design (CAD). Innova's CircuitWorks range of products enable Mechanical Engineers to work with data generated by Printed Circuit Board design systems such as Altium Designer, Cadence Allegro and Orcad in conjunction with their SolidWorks 3D MCAD system.

CircuitWorks reads the common IDF 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and PADS file formats written by most ECAD systems. The data in the files can be used to build detailed 3D models in SolidWorks. Circuit Boards and Components can also be modelled in SolidWorks and exported back into an ECAD system. CircuitWorks also provides an extensive library of modeled electronic parts including connectors, LEDS's, capacitors, chip holders etc.

"This is a powerful development technology for developers of electronic systems," said Mark Bradford, Managing Director of Innova Systems. "This is probably the first time that both the electronics and the mechanical enclosure have been able to be modelled in 3D simultaneously. Not only does this give engineers more freedom to explore innovative design ideas, but it will also accelerate development and help them deliver production quality designs first time around; even with large complex systems or intricate consumer type products. The commercial benefits of this type of technology are considerable."

CircuitWorks uses the information in IDF or PADS ASCII files to produce a fully detailed 3D SolidWorks assembly of a Printed Circuit Board and its components. By transferring an accurate model of a PCB and its components accurately into SolidWorks, users can check for any potential clash between the Circuit Board and its surroundings. If there is a clash, then the board shape or the positions of components on it can altered and the resulting changes saved back out for use with the ECAD system.

"This is another great technology for the Embedded Masterclass," said Richard Blackburn, the Organiser. "We work hard to make sure we have new technologies that will be of real interest to engineers and this is a great example. "SolidWorks has revolutionised product design over the past few years and with the extension of the CircuitWorks tools, I think this is an increasingly exciting technology for developers of embedded systems."

The event also includes a tabletop exhibition. Some of the world's leading embedded systems tools, hardware and software vendors have already signed up to exhibit. These include MontaVista - a world leader in embedded Linux solutions, Enea - a world leader in operating systems and development tools for mobile phones and wireless infrastructure equipment, SDC Systems - a leading UK supplier of development tools and software testing solutions, Barric - leading UK manufacturer of complex electronics hardware and Telelogic - a world leader in UML system modelling tools.

"The tabletop format for the exhibition has been good for us," said Richard. "This means that there is more focus on the technology and less on the sales/marketing. It makes for a better environment for engineers to learn about the technology, it simply makes it a lot more friendly and less competitive. As the event has grown, it's been easier to attract the more important world class players. With people like MontaVista and Enea on board, we feel sure engineers will want to come along and learn about their new offerings."

The Embedded Masterclass is free to engineers and technology managers. Attendance is limited, so early registration is recommended. The Embedded Linux workshop is at a special price of £95 and again places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. For more information and registration, visit www.embedded-masterclass.com

SolidWorks Team Expands to Meet Demand for 3D Design Software

Cambridge based Innova Systems has announced that it has expanded its team of engineers, in order to meet the growing demand for its advanced 3D computer aided design software called Solidworks. After an extensive search for the very best people in this field, Innova has finally brought on board two application engineers and two new account managers.

"Our new application engineers are 'premier league engineers'," said Mark Bradford, Managing Director of Innova. "These are design engineers who have real industry experience and are at the top of their game. Likewise, with our new account managers, we have been careful to choose people who will fully understand our customers' needs and have the knowledge and motivation to ensure Innova maintains its reputation for excellent service and support."

Mark Bradford (center) with new additions to the Cambridge based SolidWorks team

SolidWorks is an advanced 3D mechanical computer aided design system that enables engineers to rapidly develop and refine ideas, enabling them to create innovative products. It is used by engineers in a broad range of industries that includes the automotive, medical, electronics, communications, architecture, furniture design and the energy industry.

"We work with engineers in some very demanding industries," said Mark. "Whether it's time to market issues for a new technology product, or an essential component for an oil rig installation, we know there are many engineers who depend on the technical support we provide; so it's always been important to us that we have sufficient capability to provide this support. We would never want to go down the route of 'call queues' or 'call backs', we need to be able to respond at the point of difficulty."

Innova is also a UK leader in the training of engineers in SolidWorks. Innova runs training course at their offices near Cambridge and on-site for many of their customers. They also provide training courses for COSMOS, an advanced software package that enables engineers to validate and simulate the real world conditions of their SolidWorks designs, enabling the creation of virtual prototypes to ensure a successful design. COSMOS enables engineers to apply the science of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to products under design.

"Design validation with COSMOS is an important new area for us," said Mark. "Because engineering time and materials are so expensive and product performance is so critical to commercial success, engineers are increasingly wanting to analyse and optimise their design in detail before releasing it for production. With our additional resource, we'll be able to train up more engineers to work with our customers in this area of the business."

New to the engineering team are Edward Hawkins, a BA Design graduate from Bournmouth and Alex Aprigliano , an experienced SolidWorks designer in the field of scientific equipment. Edward previously worked in the development of Heat Transfer systems and had been responsible for establishing a SolidWorks design team at his previous company. New to the business development side of the business are Wayne Parker and Adam Green. Although Wayne is responsible for new sales and account management, he also has an extensive background in mechanical design using CAD systems and brings a wealth of experience to his role at Innova.

"I'm really excited to be working at Innova," said Wayne. "SolidWorks and COSMOS are very powerful design packages that are hard to beat at this time. Also, I like the fact that Innova has very high standards with regards to customer service, engineering support, training and its own in-house knowledge of the products. I very much feel that I'm working with a first class team."

Innova Systems will be exhibiting their SolidWorks 3D CAD technology at the UK Embedded Masterclass 2008 – www.www.embedded-masterclass.com

SolidWorks Technology Enables Pump Company's Success

Suffolk company Amarinth has much to celebrate: company revenue has grown 500% in 5 years; and it has been profitable from year two onwards. Amarinth is respected worldwide for its ability to deliver sophisticated heavy-duty pumping equipment to the oil and chemical industries. Much of its success it attributes to the application of technology, in particular a 3D modelling technology called SolidWorks, which is supplied by Cambridge based Innova Systems.

SolidWorks COSMOS FEA Analysis help refine product development

Amarinth pumps can cost over £100,000 each because of the high grade materials used in their construction and the requirement to be manufactured to stringent safety critical standards similar to those seen in the aviation industry. Amarinth has customers all around the world including AMEC, BP and Shell, and has recently shipped a pump into China for the first time.

"The materials we use and the process of building each pump can be extremely costly," said Oliver Brigginshaw, Managing Director of Amarinth. "With SolidWorks we are able to create a 3D virtual model of each pump design to ensure everything fits and that everything will work prior to production. In addition to this, the SolidWorks tools generate the files, the drawings and reports that we need for both manufacture and safety certification and have also enabled us to create more complex and more refined parts, enabling us to produce more efficient, more reliable and better performing pumps."

Mark Bradford, Managing Director of Innova (left), Oliver Brigginshaw, Managaing Director of Amarinth

SolidWorks's company Innova Systems has also played an important role in Amarinth's adoption of this technology. Innova has provided extensive training, technical support and consultancy, ensuring that Amarinth's engineers can exploit the software to the full. Innova has also supplied related software called Cosmos that enables engineers to analyse the physical properties of a design, such as weight and strength.

"With the massive hikes in metal prices such as nickel, the Cosmos tool has been a very important addition to the SolidWorks package," said Oliver. "Cosmos enables us to analyse the materials of design and has allowed us to reduce the metal content of some pumps without compromising on the performance or safety. It also helps us to understand how much a pump will weigh prior to production. This is an important issue when the pump is destined for an oil rig at sea."

Although Amarinth is essentially a mechanical engineering led company, it has no doubts that it is the application of the latest computer technology that has put it ahead of the competition. This provides its customers with sophisticated on-line ordering and tracking systems and Amarinth is now aiming to create a link from its web page to the SolidWorks database so that customers can view 3D models of pumps and parts.

"Once we started to understand the business advantage that SolidWorks provided us, we decided to invest more heavily in this technology," said Oliver. "Each year, we take on an engineering student on a graduate scheme and we get them started on SolidWorks training from day one. We have now built a database of over 20,000 pump components, reducing our response time for a drawing with a new enquiry on a vertical pump from 5 days to 3 hours and with a considerable improvement in design accuracy and consistency. In the oil industry, time really is money - so being able to build and deliver pumps faster than the competition puts us in a stronger position to command a good price and build a stronger business."

The team at Innova Systems have been experts in 3D modelling technology for over 15 years and work with engineering and technology companies across the UK. One of Innova's strengths is in the training of engineers in SolidWorks and Cosmos. Innova runs courses at its office near Cambridge and on-site for many of its clients.

"We've run several on-site training courses at Amarinth," said Mark Bradford, Managing Director of Innova Systems. "The truth is that SolidWorks is very easy to use and is very intuitive, however, as the work gets more complex, then some specialist training can be required. Amarinth is constantly stretching the capabilities of the technology, so we have been working them to introduce new aspects of the technology such as Cosmos."

SolidWorks is so much a part of Amarinth that the company's future strategy involves further SolidWorks investment, with the possibility of being able to provide animated 3D models that will help maintenance engineers understand how to disassemble parts and how each pump works. It also wants to be able to provide 3D models for customers to include in their own designs, so that the customer can accurately model a complete installation.

“We have really valued Innova's support,” said Oliver. “They have always been very responsive and have always invested the time to understand our issues and to help us achieve our goals. Their engineers also have real-world engineering experience, this has been an important factor in helping them to understand what we have been trying to achieve.”

About Innova Systems

SolidWorks® is a registered trademark owned by the SolidWorks Corporation

SolidWorks Team Choose Energi to Get The Message Out

3D engineering design tool experts, Innova Systems have recruited the help of technical marketing company Energi to help them further establish themselves as a UK leader in the provision of 3D CAD engineering design tools, consultancy and training. Energi will work with Innova Systems to strengthen it's brand within the European engineering and technology sector, helping to redevelop Innova's website, creating regular press releases and assisting with the organisation of events.

"It's an exciting time for Innova," said Mark Bradford, Managing Director of Innova Systems. "Our SolidWorks design tool has gained a lot of ground over the past few years, enabling engineers to create working models of their ideas, both on screen and as rapid prototypes. During this time we have developed a formidable team of responsive support engineers and qualified training staff; it's this resource that puts us ahead of the competition and it is this that we wish to communicate to the engineering sector. We feel sure that with Energi's track record of success in the technology area, we have made the right choice."

Based near Cambridge, Innova Systems work closely with many of the UK's leading mechanical, electronic and scientific development and manufacturing companies, enabling the modeling and rapid prototyping of mechanical systems, plastic enclosures and precision components.

"We are very pleased to have won this contract," said Richard Blackburn. "Innova is a company with a great deal of talent, a market leading product and very high standard of customer care. This is already a well-respected company, so we have a very solid foundation to build on. Our role will be to help Innova introduce their SolidWorks technology to designers and engineers that are moving into the field of 3D computer aided design, modeling and rapid prototyping. One of Innova's key strengths is in the training and support of this type of technology, making them an ideal partner for those exploring SolidWorks for the first time."

SolidWorks is a 3D CAD software tool that enables development teams to create working models of their ideas, both on screen and as rapid prototypes. This technology enables engineers to create truly innovative products that put them ahead in the marketplace. Not only does SolidWorks accelerate product development but it also helps refine the design prior to manufacture, helping to reduce both the cost of development and that of the final manufacture. This level of technology is increasingly becoming commonplace in modern design and engineering offices.

“SolidWorks is a powerful tool that enables the designer to visualize the design in detail,” said Mark Bradford. “It gives the opportunity to craft a perfect solution; being able to analyse the design and assemble parts in a virtual environment, helps to ensure that the final product will meet expectations in the real world.”

Innova Systems have signed up to exhibit their SolidWorks solutions at the Embedded Masterclass 2008 hi-tech developers' event that will be hosted in both London and Bristol. The London event will take place at the Thames Innovation Centre in outer London on the 8th May; and the Bristol event will take place at Falfield, near Bristol, on 13th May. www.embedded-masterclass.com

"We like the fact that the event bills itself as a non-sales forum and that its focus is on the technology," said Mark Bradford. "We know that engineers like to feel that events such as this are going to be useful to them in the work that they do and I think the agenda and the range of exhibitors should make for a good forum for us to explain our technology and hopefully develop some new relationships."

About Innova Systems

SolidWorks Team to Exhibit at Embedded Masterclass 2008

3D CAD experts, Innova Systems, have signed up to exhibit their market leading SolidWorks solutions at the Embedded Masterclass 2008 hi-tech developers event. Innova Systems are a leader in the provision of CAD and modelling systems to the technology sector. Based near Cambridge, they have worked closely with many of the UK's leading electronics development and manufacturing companies, enabling the modelling and rapid prototyping of plastic enclosures, precision components and mechanical systems.

"Although our focus is on the mechanical elements of engineering, much of our business is in the hi-tech sector," said Mark Bradford, Managing Director at Innova Systems. "Working with SolidWorks, we help development teams create working models of their ideas, both on screen and as rapid prototypes. This technology enables engineers to create truly innovative products that put them ahead in the marketplace. Not only does SolidWorks accelerate product development but it also helps refine the design prior to manufacture, helping to reduce both the cost of development and the final manufacture."

The Embedded Masterclass 2008 event will be hosted in both London and Bristol and this year, for the first time, it will feature an Embedded Linux workshop. The London event will take place at the Thames Innovation Centre in outer London on the 8th May; and the Bristol event will take place at Falfield, near Bristol, on 13th May. www.embedded-masterclass.com

The Embedded Masterclass is now in its 6th year, with over 800 embedded engineers having registered for previous events. Amongst the key features of the 2008 Embedded Masterclass will be a workshop that will enable developers to use the Linux operating system within embedded devices. The Linux workshop will be presented by Feabhas, one of the UK's leading embedded systems training companies. Another key feature of this year's event will be the introduction of an emerging embedded technology called Microfluidics, sometimes called Lab-On-A-Chip. This technology enables the microscale control and measurement of fluidics on a single chip, enabling the design of more powerful medical systems, faster drug discovery systems, and is also used in fuel cell technology. UK microfluidics company Dolomite will be opening the Bristol event with a presentation of their most recent technologies.

"We like the fact that the event bills itself as a non-sales forum and that its focus is on the technology," said Mark. "We know that engineers like to feel that events such as this are going to be useful to them in the work that they do and I think the agenda and the range of exhibitors should make for a good forum for us to explain our technology and hopefully develop some new relationships."

Each event includes an agenda of technical presentations and a tabletop exhibition. Some of the world's leading embedded systems tools, hardware and software vendors have already signed up to exhibit. These include MontaVista - a world leader in embedded Linux solutions, Enea - a world leader in operating systems and development tools for mobile phones and wireless infrastructure equipment, SDC Systems - a leading UK supplier of development tools and software testing solutions, Barric - leading UK manufacturer of complex electronics hardware and Telelogic - a world leader in UML system modelling tools.

About Innova Systems

http://www.innova-systems.co.uk

SolidWorks® is a registered trademark owned by the SolidWorks Corporation