Move from 2D to 3D design
Move from 2D to 3D design
Case Study
Industrial diaphragm maker achieves seamless transfer of tool design to manufacturing with Solid Edge
DiaCom
DiaCom targets new markets demanding higher levels of technology for its complex molded diaphragms
Cutting-edge products, new geographic markets
About six years ago, industrial diaphragm manufacturer, DiaCom Corp. (DiaCom) initiated a shift in its approach to tool design and manufacturing. With a great customer reputation already in place, the time came to upgrade the company’s technologies. The goal: expand into new markets.
The Amherst, New Hampshire-based company designs and manufactures innovative, cost-effective molded diaphragms critical to the operation of essential industrial systems and equipment. DiaCom not only produces diaphragms, but designs and builds the tooling to manufacture them. The company staffs design and tool departments as part of its business model.
The new technology shifts have allowed entry into new industries requiring more complex diaphragms as well as parallel markets. Those industry targets include aerospace, irrigation, automotive, oil, gas and medical customers. “We wanted to grow dynamically by offering more intricate, cutting-edge products and also expand into new geographic markets in China and Europe,” says Mike Grywalski, manufacturing engineering manager at DiaCom.
Design for manufacturing
Expansion required more advanced software technology. Customers were starting to come to DiaCom with 3D models to work from. The company was using 2D computer-aided design (CAD) software, producing “old-school” drawings that couldn‘t fully define some products. DiaCom recognized the problem and decided to shift its design paradigm.
Grywalski’s shopfloor background helped him realize the need to bring the tool group on board with any CAD technology changes. With many years of CAD and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software experience, he recalled compatibility, communication and technical support issues when using software from two different vendors.
“We wanted to bring the tooling group on board with our plans,” says Grywalski. “We wanted to implement CAD and CAM applications from one software company so we could get one-stop support.”
The company selected Solid Edge® software for 3D design and CAM Express software for manufacturing, both from product lifecycle management (PLM) specialist Siemens Digital Industries Software. DiaCom relies on Siemens Digital Industries Software solution partner LMGi for implementation, training and system support.
