Neopost
Neopost rejects history-based 3D CAD

"Every mistake you make at the beginning of a project can lead to disaster later in production and service. With the Dynamic Modeling based approach to product design you can design things very quickly and accurately"

Eric Van der Vegte, Mechanical Engineering Manager 

The Complete Story

Neopost Technologies in Drachten develops all-in-one machines that supply, fold, fill and seal envelopes. A sin­gle machine can contain up to 3,500 different com­ponents and require several changes throughout devel­opment. That means Neopost demands a lot from the CAD and PDM systems used to design its equipment.

The company demanded more than its long-established 3D CAD system could deliver, so Neopost switched to CoCreate OneSpace Modeling. Designers say they like the non-history-based 3D system because it works faster and they can use it more creatively than history-based software.

Right the first time

Neopost says that good planning is the key to success in world markets. "Every mistake you make at the beginning of a project can lead to disaster later in production and service," says Eric Van der Vegte, Mechanical Engineering Manager. "So, we strive to do everything right the first time." At the same time, Van der Vegte says the company aims to cut time to market. And that means concurrent engineering—a process that can often lead to mix ups and mistakes.

The company started with a comprehensive 2D drafting system integrated with Medusa, a Product Data Management [PDM] system. Engineers also used a history-based 3D CAD tool.

"Our experience with these systems taught us a great deal, particularly what we needed to watch out for when choosing a new CAD system," says Van der Vegte. "We lost at least 20% efficiency carrying the ballast of history-tree information, because the underlying data­base is lugged along every time."

With the new OneSpace Modeling package, designing, modifying, saving and consulting run much faster than they did with the company’s history-based CAD. Van der Vegte adds that traditional history-based packages also generally require more training and knowledge from the people who work with them. "We certainly didn’t want that," he says.

Unrestricted design

While design speed depends, in part, on hardware, software can determine how easily and efficiently a designer can work.

"You can design things very quickly with the Dynamic Modeling based approach used in OneSpace Modeling," says Engineer/ Application controller Jaap Kramer. That’s important because a new envelope-filling machine can be complex. When Neopost engineers work on the design, they start with the placement of the rolls. From there, they attach a motor drive. All this in 3D and in full color.

"It’s all done on the computer, and everything moves very quickly," says Kramer. "You are working on a large prototype, so to speak. You see what you are doing in one glance and can change it very quickly because nothing is attached to something else."

Engineers at Neopost also like the punching, setting, turning and milling features in OneSpace Modeling. The Neopost engineers treat the CAD system as a sort of hammer and chisel. Kramer says he also doesn’t want his system to concern itself with all the parts his changes might impact. "I already know which parts this will impact," he says.

At present, about 30 engineers work with OneSpace Modeling and about 48 users have access to the database, including staff from the marketing and service departments. Kramer reckons that each of them would wait 15 minute to load models in the history-based system. With 48 users over the course of a year, "this is quite a hefty sum, and just for that reason alone the investment in a fast CAD system is justified."

Culture of change

Neopost has structured itself so that it is uniquely pre­pared to respond to change from any department. Engineering sits right next to the machine shop. If needed, Engineering can change a drawing within an hour.

Project optimization doesn’t end there. Neopost lever­ages the 3D models for its service book and instruction manuals. And since OneSpace Modeling can be ren­dered for realistic shadows, lights and colors, "our 3D presentations are lifelike, and the manuals of a higher quality than before," says Van der Vegte.

He adds that Neopost saves money since a special illus­trator no longer creates its catalog images. "I think it’s important that much of the ROI from OneSpace Modeling comes chiefly from all that we do with the pro­gram outside of the R&D department," he says.

Company Profile

The Neopost Group leads Europe in producing postal solutions and equipment and comes in a prominent number two in the world market.

Based in France, with offices throughout Europe, Japan, and the US, the company provides custom machines to more than 500,000 clients in 70 countries. Besides pioneering high-tech solutions for traditional and web-based postal process­ing, Neopost offers related services for all kinds of postage cancelling and mailing, including consulting and financial support.   Neopost works with CoCreate distribution partner, CAD services (www.cadservices.nl). 

To learn more about Neopost: www.neopost.nl.

The Neopost Group leads Europe in producing postal solutions and equipment and comes in a prominent number two in the world market.