From Product Design to Custom Delivery Drawing in One Integrated Step 

By A. Adams, CAD Schroer

Whenever you need to incorporate a legacy design in TIFF format, modify components based on third-party drawings, or otherwise deal with 2D data, using a separate system for the task can waste valuable time. Moving between 2D and 3D environments involves importing and exporting data, communicating between product design and contract engineers, and maintaining data stored in separate locations. The less integrated the approach, the more tedious and time-consuming it becomes.

Used standalone by the 2D department or as a plug-in by product designers, STHENO/PRO™ is a professional drafting solution that simplifies the data exchange process. Developed specifically for use with Pro/ENGINEER, STHENO/PRO is fully integrated into your systems and data management infrastructure, providing excellent DWG/DXF data translation capabilities and a series of productivity-enhancing power tools that can be used throughout the design process.

Here’s how a manufacturer of axial fan compressors is using Pro/ENGINEER and STHENO/PRO to advantage.

Concurrent Design Environment

In the axial fan compressor business, customers typically provide their requirements for the gearbox and motor in DXF format. The supplier’s responsibility is to deliver a drawing of a simple skid mounting, with the compressor, gearbox and motor (including installation and maintenance instructions) also in DXF format.  

When the company first started using STHENO/PRO, designers used the Stheno/image raster module to import TIFFs of scanned legacy designs, clean them up, and store them within the Pro/INTRALINK^®, Windchill^® or PDMLink™ data management environment. 

Now the contract engineer can easily load a standard Pro/DETAIL compressor drawing into STHENO/PRO (Pro/ENGINEER geometry remains locked), while product engineers get on with design modifications. The contract engineer liaises with the customer to provide the delivery framework, inserting the DXF drawing of the motor and gearbox, opening a standard skid design, and modifying it using STHENO/PRO’s SMART Edit capability. This tool allows for quick dimension editing without the need for a sketch and provides “parametrics on demand” without requiring full constraints. 

The engineer can then create or add symbols and other typical details, including mounting instructions, electrical connections, lubrication, and flange connections. The tool also allows addition of special information relating to compressor installation, such as blade route angles and the blade tip radii drawing, plus maintenance indicators such as erosion factors.

Concurrent Design Using Pro/ENGINEER with STHENO/PRO

Because STHENO/PRO works bidirectionally with Pro/ENGINEER, it is easy to update. The final Pro/DETAIL output generated by the product design engineer is quickly merged with the STHENO/PRO drawing. The file can then be stored as either a Pro/DETAIL or STHENO/PRO file within the Pro/ENGINEER data management environment. If customers require, the end drawing can also be saved and delivered as a DXF file. 

This concurrent environment not only saves time, but also saves the contract engineer from having to purchase a Pro/ENGINEER license.

Integrated 2D for Mating Component Adaptations

STHENO/PRO also works as a plug-in for Pro/DETAIL. It is an ideal tool for modifying 3D models according to dimensions in customers’ 2D or legacy designs. For example, a client might supply an AutoCAD^® drawing of a gearbox. The product design engineer needs this information to adapt and arrange a pulley, as well as modify the gearbox shaft. 

STHENO/PRO supports all current versions of AutoCAD. The user can open the relevant portion of the gearbox drawing in Pro/DETAIL and then switch seamlessly between the two applications. As a result, dimensional information measured in STHENO/PRO can be used to alter the size of the pulley, which is then added to the assembly. In STHENO/PRO, it is also easy to modify the customer’s drawing by adding a retaining screw and washer to the shaft.

Integrated Design Using Pro/ENGINEER and STHENO/PRO 

The finished design is stored as a Pro/DETAIL file within the Pro/ENGINEER data management system. It can be returned to the customer in any format required.

DXF/DWG, IGES 2D, and Raster Compatible

STHENO/PRO was developed by CAD Schroer, a PTC Gold Tier Software Partner specializing in 2D data exchange for over 15 years. The solution brings all of a company’s legacy, supplier and customer data in line with its Pro/ENGINEER strategy, while minimizing design, development, software, hardware and resource costs, and shortening design cycles. Supporting a flexible systems strategy, STHENO/PRO is available on Windows^®, Sun Solaris^®, and Unix^®.

CAD Schroer Group (CSG) is a global software development company and engineering solutions provider, headquartered in Moers, near Duesseldorf, Germany. The company has offices throughout Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, and independent subsidiaries in France, Italy, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. For more information, please visit www.cad-schroer.com.